Washington Post Visits UM School of Medicine Laboratories, Meets with Scientists About Coronavirus

Result is front-page feature coverage of UMSOM’s leading work in studying the Virus

The UMSOM’s Office of Public Affairs & Communications has been working closely with the Washington Post on providing access and information about UMSOM’s central role in studying the Coronavirus.  The result was the Post’s Health & Science Reporter, Carolyn Johnson, visiting UMSOM on February 11, touring laboratories and talking with UMSOM scientists, including Matthew Frieman, PhD, Associate Professor in the UMSOM Department of Microbiology and Immunology, an affiliate faculty member of the UMSOM’s Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, and an expert on coronaviruses. The Post Reporter also spoke with Wilbur Chen, MD, Associate Professor in the UMSOM Department of Medicine and an infectious disease expert in the CVD, as well as Robert Gallo, MD, the Homer and Martha Gudelsky Distinguished Professor in Medicine and Co-Founder & Director, Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the UMSOM, to get their insights on the outbreak.

Prior to, and following the visit, the Post has featured UMSOM in several stories about Coronavirus (see links below).  Most notably, UMSOM was featured with photos in a front-page story in the Post on February 15, titled “Inside the Urgent Coronavirus Quest.” 

“Having the Post visit our campus is a tremendous opportunity to showcase our leadership in infectious disease and vaccine development,” said Deborah Kotz, Director of National Media Relations at UMSOM, who organized the visit, and who was previously a health and science reporter for both U.S. News & World Report and the Boston Globe.

Dr. Frieman’s laboratory is one of only a few nationwide that is qualified to handle SARS-CoV-2, which stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. It includes a state-of-the-art Biosafety Level 3 laboratory housed in the Bressler Research Building.

“This is what truly differentiates UMSOM, and what we communicate to national audiences: we are the medical school that consistently is on the front lines, taking on the most complex and urgent diseases,” said Christopher Hardwick, MA, Assistant Dean of Public Affairs & Communications.

Deborah Kotz and Joanne Morrison, Director of Public Relations & Marketing for the Center for Vaccine Development & Global Health (CVD), worked with Dr. Frieman, David Marcozzi, MD, MHS-CL. FACEP. Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, and Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH the Myron M. Levine, MD, Professor in Vaccinology, Professor of Medicine and pediatrics and Director of the CVD, on arranging several additional interviews with national media organizations, including National Geographic, USA Today, National Public Radio, STAT, Voice of America, BuzzFeed, and Forbes, as well as regional media, including the Baltimore Sun to highlight the UMSOM’s leadership in studying the Coronavirus and in planning of potential therapies and vaccines against the virus.

In coordination with UMMC, UMSOM’s Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Anthony Lehman, MD, MSPH, is working closely with Michael Jablonover, MD, MBA, FACP, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at UMMC to form a Coronavirus Preparedness Committee. The group is chaired by David Marcozzi, MD, MHS-CL, FACEP, UMSOM Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, and Gregory Schrank, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the UMSOM. They will be charged with ensuring that coordinated UMSOM/UMMC preparedness plans are defined, implemented and articulated to all relevant constituencies. Dr. Marcozzi recently appeared on Fox45 to help the public understand their risk for COVID-19 and how to protect themselves.

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 45 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs; and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research.  With an operating budget of more than $1.2 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically based care for nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has more than $540 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 student trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System (“University of Maryland Medicine”) has an annual budget of nearly $6 billion and an economic impact more than $15 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine faculty, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity, is an innovator in translational medicine, with 600 active patents and 24 start-up companies. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu