February 11, 2016
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, along with James B. Kaper, PhD, Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, announced today that Eduardo Davila, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, has been chosen as the 2016 recipient of the Dean’s Faculty Award for Diversity and Inclusion.
Dr. Davila, who is also Co-Director of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center’s Tumor Immunology Program, will receive the award at the 9th Annual Celebrating Diversity Reception and Dinner on February 27, 2016.
For years, Dr. Davila has been a strong advocate for increased minority access to scientific careers and research. He oversees several different programs to help minority students, and works with high school students, undergraduates, graduate students and post-graduates. Over the past several years, he has mentored more than 40 students in total.
“Dr. Davila richly deserves this honor,” said Dean Reece, who is also Vice President of Medical Affairs at the University of Maryland and the John Z. and Akiko Bowers Distinguished Professor at the school. “He has committed a great deal of time and energy to improving opportunities for minority researchers, and has helped students at all levels achieve their dreams.”
As Program Leader for the UM GCC Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, Dr. Davila collaborates with both basic and clinical researchers to understand the immune regulation of malignant disease. He then and translates this knowledge into the development of novel diagnostic, preventative and treatment regimens. Dr. Davila’s research focuses on T cell-based therapies for cancer and the pathogenesis of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
NEWS ALERT: DR. DAVILA AWARDED NEW GRANT
Dr. Davila recently received a $2.5 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to augment scientific education and research experience of underrepresented minority post-baccalaureates, and to increase the number of students that become accepted into highly competitive biomedical-related PhD degree or MD-PhD degree programs and research careers. Known as STAR-PREP (the acronym stands for Science Training for Advancing Biomedical Research Postbaccalaureate Research and Education Program), it will be funded from 2016 to 2021. STAR-PREP scholars will participate in the program from one to two years. This program will be the first of its kind for UMB and is amongst only a few nation-wide.
He has written numerous peer-reviewed articles in such prestigious publications as Cancer Research, The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Frontiers in Immunology, Oncoimmunology, and Clinical Cancer Research, along with several book chapters.
Dr. Davila said that as a young scientist, he received mentoring that helped him achieve his goals. He is now trying to repay this guidance by working with others. “I have always believed that my work as a scientist and my work as a mentor and leader were along the same lines,” he said. “Both pursuits are about helping those who need a hand, whether they are cancer patients or minority researchers.”
He was recently awarded a $2.5 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to augment scientific education and research experience of underrepresented minority post-baccalaureates, and to increase the number of students that become accepted into highly competitive biomedical-related PhD degree or MD-PhD degree programs and research careers. This program would be the first of its kind at UM SOM.
Dr. Davila’s other honors and awards include the “American Association for Cancer Research Young Scholar Award,” “Outstanding Achievements in Immunology” awarded by the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium, “2013 Maryland Innovation Initiative Award” by the Maryland Technology Co., “2014 BioMaryland LIFE Prize” by the Maryland Department of Development, and the “Distinguished Lecture at the Yamaguchi School of Medicine Research Symposium”. In 2014, Dr. Davila was a Distinguished Speaker for 25th Year Anniversary of the Mayo Clinic Graduate School Symposium. That same year he was an honored speaker for the Mayo’s Initiative for Maximizing Student Development Diversity Program.
Dr. Davila will be presented with his Dean’s Faculty Award for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s 9th Annual Celebrating Diversity Reception and Dinner on Saturday, February 27 at the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards, 110 South Eutaw St. in Baltimore. Tickets for this event are still available and can be purchased by contacting Becky Herman, Assistant Director of Special Events at 410-706-5057 or rherman@som.umaryland.edu.
About the University of Maryland School of Medicine
The University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 and is the first public medical school in the United States and continues today as an innovative leader in accelerating innovation and discovery in medicine. The School of Medicine is the founding school of the University of Maryland and is an integral part of the 11-campus University System of Maryland. Located on the University of Maryland’s Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine works closely with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide a research-intensive, academic and clinically based education. With 43 academic departments, centers and institutes and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians and research scientists plus more than $400 million in extramural funding, the School is regarded as one of the leading biomedical research institutions in the U.S. with top-tier faculty and programs in cancer, brain science, surgery and transplantation, trauma and emergency medicine, vaccine development and human genomics, among other centers of excellence. The School is not only concerned with the health of the citizens of Maryland and the nation, but also has a global presence, with research and treatment facilities in more than 35 countries around the world. http://medschool.umaryland.edu/
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Wednesday, March 02, 2016
Celebrating Diversity Dinner Supports Funding for Student Scholarships
The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) held its ninth annual "Celebrating Diversity" reception and dinner on February 27, 2016 at the Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards. The event was attended by nearly 300 guests, who gathered to honor diversity at the school, recognize those who have helped increase its diversity, and to raise money for the Dean Emeritus Donald E. Wilson Endowed Scholarship fund and other UM SOM diversity scholarships.