UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, was the guest on the Dec. 1 edition of the “This Is USG” video podcast with host Anne Khademian, PhD, MPA, executive director of the Universities at Shady Grove (USG).
Jarrell spoke about growing up on the Eastern Shore and how it impacted his career choices, his arrival at the School of Medicine in 1997, his entry into academic leadership, his first year as UMB president, the partnership between UMB and USG, interprofessional education, the COVID-19 pandemic, and more during the 40-minute discussion.
Asked about what makes UMB special, Jarrell said, “First and foremost, every one of our professional schools is committed to helping people. That’s why we exist. That is fundamental to our being. When I’m presented with a problem, my first thought is, ‘What effect will this have on the health and well-being of people?’ I’m not alone in that. UMB is full of passionate people whose first thought is, ‘What about the people?’
“During the pandemic, there were many physicians and nurses and medical technicians who put in unbelievable hours at great hardship and at great risk to their families because that’s why we’re here.”
Jarrell also discussed UMB’s commitment to Maryland, which was the theme of his Nov. 5 presidential inauguration.
“The people here at UMB believe very deeply in the state of Maryland and what it’s done in terms of public health and in terms of the support of higher education,” he said. “It’s important to us that the state knows just how committed we are to that part of our mission. Commitment to the people of Maryland is really something that drives me.”
Regarding USG, Khademian noted that four UMB schools — dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, and social work — offer programming and/or clinical services at the institution in Rockville, Md. Jarrell said he looked forward to other schools possibly joining the USG campus and pointed out the impact such expansion has had for UMB, particularly for the School of Nursing.
“Our nursing school has more than doubled its footprint at Shady Grove in the last eight years or so, and that’s in response to a local need at USG but also a statewide need for nurses,” he said. “Shady Grove gives us the ability to develop capacity that we would not be able to do at our home campus.”
You can watch the podcast below or at this link.