Several University of Maryland School of Medicine Faculty Members Recognized as 2023 Annual Award Recipients by the Maryland Daily Record

Several leading University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) faculty members were recently recognized by The Maryland Daily Record as this year’s Top 100 Women, Health Care Heroes, and Leading Women Under 40 Award winners.

Top 100 Women Award

Maryland’s Top 100 Women recognizes outstanding achievements by women demonstrated through their professional accomplishments, community leadership, and mentoring. “The 2023 Maryland’s Top 100 Women are leading companies, creating change, breaking barriers and charting new territory. They are leaders who make a difference in their communities and also mentor and inspire future leaders toward success,” said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, managing director of The Daily Record/BridgeTower Media.

UMSOM’s 2023 recipients include Irina Burd, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, who was recognized for her contributions toward improving health care for women in West Baltimore and across the state of Maryland; Deanna L. Kelly, PharmD, BCPP, Professor of Psychiatry and Acting Director of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, who was recognized for her contributions toward psychiatric treatment research; Niharika Khanna, MBBS, MD, DGO, Professor of Family & Community Medicine and Associate Chair of Population Health Sciences, who was recognized for her efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among children and families; and Shana O. Ntiri, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Family & Community Medicine and Medical Director of the Baltimore City Cancer Program, who was recognized for her community-based work focused on cancer screening initiatives and reducing health disparities.

Honorees were recognized at a reception and awards celebration at The Lyric Baltimore on May 8, 2023.

Click here for the full list of 2023 honorees.

Health Care Heroes Award

The Health Care Heroes awards honor individuals and organizations who have made an impact on the quality of health care within the state. “The 2023 Health Care Heroes provide exceptional care to those in need. They go above and beyond and work tirelessly to improve health care in our state,” said Ms. Fischer-Huettner. “Over the past several years they have adapted to face numerous challenges and rapidly changing needs.”

Health Care Heroes were presented in the following categories: Lifetime Achievement, Advancements and Innovation in Health Care, Community Outreach/Education Hero (individual and organization), COVID-19 Heroes (individual and organization), Nurse of the Year, Nurse Practitioner of the Year, Physician Assistant of the Year, Physician of the Year, and Workplace Wellness Program of the Year.

UMSOM’s 2023 recipients include Sharon A. Hoover, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Co-Director of the National Center for School Mental Health, who was recognized in the Community Outreach category, and Andrea R. Levine, MD, MS, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Program Director of the Critical Care Medicine Fellowship, who was recognized in the Covid-19 Heroes category. Chandra S. Bhati, MS, MBBS, Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery; Jason W. Custer, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Medical Director at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC); and Robert V. O’Toole, MD, the Hansjörg Wyss Medical Foundation Professor of Orthopaedic Trauma and Chief of Orthopaedics at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at UMMC, were all recognized in the Physician of the Year category.  

Honorees were celebrated through a weeklong digital rollout June 22-26, 2023.

Click here for the full list of 2023 honorees.

Leading Women Award

The Leading Women award recognizes women who are 40 years old or younger for the tremendous accomplishments they have made so far regarding their professional careers, community involvement, and commitment to inspiring change. “This year’s Leading Women are innovative leaders who do not miss a beat. They juggle demanding careers, families, personal health and well-being, and community service, just to name a few priorities,” said Ms. Fischer-Huettner. “They are committed to making a difference in their communities and inspiring change.”

UMSOM’s 2023 recipient is Meagan C. Fitzpatrick, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and vaccine researcher at UMSOM’s Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD). She was recognized for her contributions to public health and safety during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Honorees will be celebrated at an awards reception at Gertrude’s Restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art on August 23, 2023.

Click here for the full list of 2023 honorees.

About The Daily Record

Celebrating 133 years of journalistic excellence, The Daily Record is a multimedia news source that publishes a print and online edition five days a week and breaks news daily on its website, TheDailyRecord.com. In addition, The Daily Record publishes more than 30 special products a year including Women Who Lead, Doing Business in Maryland, Way to Be and Expanding Opportunities. The Daily Record also honors leading Marylanders through nine annual awards events including Maryland's Top 100 Women, Influential Marylanders, and Most Admired CEOs. Its Digital Marketing Solutions helps customers with social media, search engine marketing and optimization, retargeting, email marketing and more. The Daily Record is part of BridgeTower Media, one of the country’s leading business-to-business media companies with more than 40 print and digital publications in more than 25 U.S. markets.

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 46 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 $1.3 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 nearly $600 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 students, trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System (“University of Maryland Medicine”) has an annual budget of over $6 billion and an economic impact of nearly $20 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity (according to the Association of American Medical Colleges profile) is an innovator in translational medicine, with 606 active patents and 52 start-up companies. In the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of the Best Medical Schools, published in 2021, the UM School of Medicine is ranked #9 among the 92 public medical schools in the U.S., and in the top 15 percent (#27) of all 192 public and private U.S. medical schools. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu