March 05, 2020
Division of Genomic Epidemiology and Clinical Outcomes (GECO) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine
Hospital epidemiologists are doctors who prevent infections. World leaders in hospital epidemiology and infectious disease prevention, the physicians and scientists based in the Division of Genomic Epidemiology and Clinical Outcomes (GECO) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine are preparing our healthcare system for COVID-19 and COVID-19 transmission prevention. Having worked for years as hospital epidemiologists at UMMC, UMMS and the VA Maryland Healthcare System to prevent infections, the GECO group is actively involved in the public health response to COVID-19 by working as part of the UMMC/UMB coronavirus response team co-led by Gregory M. Schrank, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Co-Chair, UMMC/UMB Coronavirus Response, University of Maryland Medical Center, and David Marcozzi, MD, MHS-CL, FACEP, Associate Professor, Departments of Emergency Medicine and Epidemiology and 
Public Health, and Assistant Chief Medical Officer for Acute Care and Associate Chair of Population Health and Community Outreach. The public health response to COVID-19 is the most appropriate and effective for containment and risk mitigation.
The GECO Team
With funding from the CDC, AHRQ, VA and NIH, the GECO team has over 470 publications on infection prevention.
Anthony Harris, MD MPH, Division Chief and Professor. He is former president of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and directs the Maryland CDC Prevention Epicenter (U01).
Surbhi Leekha MD, MPH, Associate Professor, has chaired the SHEA Public Policy committee and is medical director for infection control at UMMC.
Dan Morgan MD, MS, Professor and Chief of Hospital Epidemiology at the VA Maryland Healthcare System. He is a leader in research on improving diagnostics and hospital isolation and leads VAMHCS coronavirus preparation.
Mary-Claire Roghmann, MD, MS, Associate Dean and Professor. Her AHRQ, VA, CDC funded research lead to new CDC guidance for preventing spread of infections in nursing homes.
Kerri Thom, MD, MS is Assistant Dean and Professor, she has chaired international conferences and education committees for SHEA and now is a leader in medical education.
New hospital epidemiologists instrumental to hospital response include:
Greg Schrank, MD, MPH Co-chair of the UMMC/UMB Coronavirus Response,
KC Coffey MD, MPH, Associate Hospital Epidemiologist VA Maryland Healthcare System,
Jon Baghdadi, MD, PhD, Associate Hospital Epidemiologist for Midtown.
The Division of Genomic Epidemiology and Clinical Outcomes (GECO):
- National leader in hospital epidemiology and infectious disease prevention
- 1 of 11 CDC Centers of Excellence in Infection Control in the United States
- Leading a statewide initiative in Clostridium difficile Colitis (c. diff)
- Leading research that led to new federal government recommendations on preventing the spread of dangerous bacteria and infections in nursing homes.
Contact
Office of Public Affairs
655 West Baltimore Street
Bressler Research Building 14-002
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-1559
Contact Media Relations
(410) 706-5260
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