Read Dr. Jarrell’s column on the EMBRACE Initiative and learn about student, faculty, and staff achievements; news from around the University; and upcoming events.
To see previous editions of The President’s Message newsletter, go to the archives page on the Office of the President website.
President’s Column
EMBRACE INITIATIVE STEPS UP DURING RECENT OPIOID OVERDOSE TRAGEDY
I take great pride in sharing with others the impact our University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) community has both here in our own city and beyond. Every day, UMB students, faculty, staff, and alumni work to address the needs of others through patient care, civic action, research to improve the human condition, and community service.
This is perhaps never more evident than when our city suffers a tragedy like the mass opioid overdose event that occurred in Baltimore’s Penn North neighborhood July 10.
I want to take this time to recognize our fellow UMB community members who, through both civic engagement and emergency response efforts, saved countless lives that day and continue to make an impact in the face of the ongoing opioid epidemic.
According to news reports, at least 27 individuals were hospitalized for possible overdoses July 10 while others were treated with Narcan and other lifesaving resources provided by responders and volunteers, including members of UMB’s EMBRACE Initiative who leaped into action within minutes of the first reported overdose. Because of their efforts — as well as the patient care administered by health professionals, community groups, and social workers across the city — all individuals who overdosed in the mass event are alive today.
“Each day, across our University, I witness examples of this resolve, this tireless dedication to do good for others even when new challenges arise. It’s an inspiring part of what makes our community so unique.”
Led by Kyla Liggett-Creel, PhD, LCSW-C, and established in 2023, EMBRACE partners with community organizations to build a safe, just, and equitable world. Central to the EMBRACE mission is the knowledge that people with lived experiences are best prepared to do critical work within our communities. The EMBRACE team includes returning citizens, peer recovery specialists, mental health experts, previously unhoused people, social workers, and longtime Baltimore City residents — all of whom are uniquely positioned to engage with communities in times of crisis.
I commend the entire EMBRACE team for their service, including those who participated in the mass overdose response: Samantha Anderson, Perrice Austin, Marvin Garner, Willie Hamilton, Ryan Haynes, Dr. Liggett-Creel, Special Murray, Gordon Pack, Yale Partlow, Angela Perry, Mariel Pfister, Danee Sargeant, Jeremiah Savage, and Kelsey Wyatt.
The scale of their response was made possible because of long-established partnerships with the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and various grassroots organizations, including a nonprofit known as the PEACE Team. The PEACE Team not only focuses on violence prevention and intervention, it also shares critical resources with those most directly impacted by the opioid epidemic. Due to funding cuts, several of the PEACE Team partners who responded July 10 had lost their jobs just a few days earlier. Yet, they were among the first to arrive in time to administer lifesaving care.
This is just one example of how EMBRACE works with fellow community members to drive visible, positive change all across Baltimore. And they are not alone.
Every day, UMB students, faculty, and staff live our mission to improve the human condition and serve the public good.
Our Office of Community and Civic Engagement empowers UMB students, faculty, and staff to engage in meaningful volunteer initiatives in collaboration with area nonprofits, associations, Baltimore City Public Schools, and other organizations.
Through signature programs including UMB's Center for Violence Prevention, the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law’s Center for Dispute Resolution, the University of Maryland School of Social Work’s Center for Restorative Change, and many others, UMB works to reduce and prevent violence throughout Baltimore by leading public health campaigns, promoting effective conflict resolution strategies, and building community capacity development.
Too often, we take for granted the behind-the-scenes work that happens day in and day out — the kind of work that strengthens the very foundations that enable positive change to take hold in the place we call home. In recent months, many of those on the front lines have felt the direct hit of funding restraints and cuts to sorely needed resources. But the work continues.
Each day across our University, I witness examples of this resolve, this tireless dedication to do good for others even when new challenges arise. It’s an inspiring part of what makes our community so unique — and why I’m so humbled and proud to serve as your president.
Sincerely,
Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS
President
Laurels is a roundup of student, faculty, and staff achievements that is published 11 times a year in The President’s Message newsletter. This month’s edition includes kudos for (in photo, from left) Journey King, MS, UMB Office of Communications and Public Affairs, who was named the University’s Employee of the Month for May; Gerald Kayingo, PhD, MBA, PA-C, School of Graduate Studies, who won an award for his contributions to the journal BMC Medical Education; and Cherokee Layson-Wolf, PharmD, School of Pharmacy, who was selected as the Doctor of Pharmacy’s Class of 2025 Teacher of the Year.
DOWNLOAD UMB LAURELS FOR JULY/AUGUST 2025
New Hires
See a LIST OF NEW HIRES at UMB central administration and our seven schools for June.
News and Notes
1844 PORTRAIT OF JOHN DAVIDGE DISCOVERED IN CITY
The recent discovery of a more than 180-year-old painting of John Beale Davidge, MD, the founder of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, could be called a finding of fate. The portrait had been stashed in a storage closet at the former Bertha’s Mussels restaurant in Baltimore’s Fells Point neighborhood. At one time, it hung on Bertha’s walls, but no one took much interest in the historic surgeon who rose to local fame after a severe yellow fever epidemic struck Baltimore in 1797. Davidge went on to teach private courses in medicine until he joined two other physicians to obtain a charter in 1807 for the College of Medicine in Maryland, which would soon become the University of Maryland. The 1844 portrait found in Bertha’s is thought to be the oldest surviving portrait of Davidge, according to Larry Pitrof, executive director of the Medical Alumni Association (MAA) of the University of Maryland. Pitrof has Meg Fielding, director of the history of Maryland medicine at MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society, to thank for the finding and donation. She said her heart stopped when she got a text from a friend who was helping to clean out the shuttered restaurant. “My first thought was, how come no one knows about this painting? But this is such a Baltimore story — these finds are more common than people know,” Fielding said.
CHECK OUT THE LATEST ISSUE OF ‘CATALYST’ MAGAZINE
This issue showcases the groundbreaking research, bold innovation, and collaborative spirit that define UMB by shining a spotlight on the transformative work taking place across our seven schools — and the people making it happen. From the streets of Baltimore to the rural corners of our state, UMB faculty, staff, and students are addressing urgent health care challenges with creativity, compassion, and scientific rigor. At the School of Medicine, students are helping close the rural health care gap on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Nursing students are building trust and gaining insight into geriatric care at Keswick Multi-Care Center. The Physician Assistant Leadership and Learning Academy is cultivating the next generation of physician assistant educators and leaders, while the School of Dentistry is restoring oral health and hope through its Mission of Mercy.
UMB RECEIVES MIDDLE STATES REACCREDITATION
After a 2½-year process that included weekly meetings, several Universitywide town halls, a 108-page Self-Study report, and a peer evaluation visit, UMB learned in July that it has earned reaccreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. “We couldn't have gotten to this point without the hard work, dedication, commitment, and support of so many people,” said provost and executive vice president Roger J. Ward, EdD, JD, MSL, MPA, who served as MSCHE Steering Committee co-chair with University of Maryland School of Dentistry Dean Mark A. Reynolds, DDS, PhD, MA. As part of the accreditation process, the University completed an institutional Self-Study report that carefully considered its educational programs and services, with particular attention to student learning and achievement, and determined how well these programs and services accomplish its goals, fulfill its mission, and meet MSCHE standards.
‘UMB PULSE’ PODCAST: ‘BRIDGING BALTIMORE’S DIGITAL DIVIDE’
Kenya Asli, JD ’08, director of the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Broadband and Digital Equity, shares how she blended her Maryland Carey Law degree with her social work degree to help close the digital divide in Baltimore. Asli discusses the city’s broadband strategy, initiatives to provide public Wi-Fi and digital resources, partnerships with local internet service providers, and the role of makerspaces in fostering creativity and innovation. You can listen to “The UMB Pulse” on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you like to listen. The podcast is now also on YouTube. Visit our website at umaryland.edu/pulse. 
‘BREAKTHROUGHS CAN’T WAIT’ CAMPAIGN CONTINUES
At UMB, groundbreaking discoveries happen every day — transforming medicine, improving health, and shaping the future. From changing legal policy and pioneering treatments to cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, researchers at our University are tackling real-world challenges and making a lasting impact on lives everywhere. Our “Breakthroughs Can’t Wait” campaign, launched in May, features inspiring stories of innovation from across UMB’s seven schools and shows how scientists, doctors, and experts are addressing today’s most pressing issues. Kicking off Phase 2 of the campaign, we feature Matthew Laurens, MD, MPH, of the School of Medicine and how he is studying the way children’s bodies process IV artesunate — the front-line treatment for severe malaria.
SUSTAINABLE COMMUTING OPTIONS AT UMB
The Office of Parking and Transportation Services and the Office of Sustainability aim to help students, faculty, and staff reduce their impact on the environment by promoting sustainable transportation programs. When we reduce our reliance on single-occupancy vehicles, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air and water quality, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, alleviate traffic congestion, and improve public health and equity. Read about all of the sustainable transportation options available to you. 
SIX NAMED AS 2025 DISTINGUISHED UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS
Six UMB professors have been recognized with the designation of Distinguished University Professor, the highest appointment bestowed on a faculty member at UMB. The title is a recognition not just of excellence, but also of impact and significant contribution to the nominee’s field, knowledge, profession, and/or practice. The 2025 cohort: Richard P. Barth, PhD, MSW, School of Social Work; Mark A. Graber, JD, PhD, MA, Francis King Carey School of Law; Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, School of Medicine (UMSOM); Jay Magaziner, PhD, MSHyg, UMSOM; Amal Mattu, MD, FAAEM, FACEP, UMSOM; and Paula A. Monopoli, JD, Maryland Carey Law. The professors will be recognized at UMB’s fourth annual Faculty Convocation on Sept. 11. (In photo: Top row, from left: Barth, Graber, and Levine. Bottom row, from left: Magaziner, Mattu, and Monopoli)
Upcoming Events
AUG. 5: ANNUAL NATIONAL NIGHT OUT WITH UMB POLICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY
UMB Police and Public Safety’s annual community-building event is coming soon. Join us on Tuesday, Aug. 5, from 5 to 8 p.m. in the UM BioPark lot at the corner of West Baltimore and Poppleton streets for free food, a video game truck, McGruff the Crime Dog, giveaways, and much more. Everyone is welcome — no RSVP required.
AUG. 12: QUANTUM HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT USER FAIR
This in-person event will preview UMB’s new employee system, Quantum Human Capital Management, which is scheduled to go live Oct. 27. The fair will offer information about the new system, answer your questions, provide in-system demonstrations, and include instructions for training to get you ready for the go-live date.
Save the Date
SEPT. 9: BUY TICKETS FOR UMB NIGHT AT ORIOLE PARK
Join students, colleagues, alumni, and supporters of UMB at Oriole Park to watch the Orioles face the Pittsburgh Pirates. Fans who purchase this ticket package will receive a co-branded Orioles/UMB baseball cap. If UMB sells 250 tickets, one ticket buyer with a umaryland.edu email address will be randomly selected to represent the University on the field during pregame festivities.
SEPT. 19: FRONTIERS IN VACCINOLOGY 32ND ANNUAL GUEST LECTURESHIP
The Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health’s 32nd annual guest lectureship, which is part of its annual Frontiers in Vaccinology program, will feature Trevor Mundel, PhD, MSc, MBBCh, president of the Global Health Division of the Gates Foundation. The event will start at 3 p.m. at MSTF Leadership Hall, with a reception to follow.
Video of the Month
UMB President Bruce Jarrell, School of Social Work (UMSSW) Dean Judy Postmus, and the UMB Office of Design and Construction provide an update on the geothermal wells being drilled in the construction of the new UMSSW building: