Read Dr. Jarrell’s column on the “MPowering the State” strategic partnership 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
ADVANCING A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP FOR MARYLAND
It’s hard to believe that it was nearly 15 years ago — 2012 to be exact — that the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State (MPower) was formalized between the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP).
The roots of this partnership run deep. In the early 20th century, the two campuses operated as one university. While today we are two universities with distinct missions, we know that, together, we can expand our impact on education and research beyond what either institution could achieve alone. This vision led to the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership Act, which was passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 2016 and designed to formally strengthen the collaborative relationship between our two universities.
Over the past decade, our institutions have aligned efforts in critical areas including biomedical research, data science, cybersecurity, and public health. Today, MPower supports more than 20 joint academic initiatives established between UMB and UMCP, including dual-degree programs, new degree and certificate offerings, and a wide variety of student enrichment opportunities.
Just last year, we celebrated the launch of the Edward and Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine, a collaboration between our School of Medicine (UMSOM) and the A. James Clark School of Engineering’s Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE) at UMCP. Occupying the fourth floor of the University of Maryland BioPark’s 4MLK building, the center brings together experts from these distinct disciplines to accelerate medical innovations that benefit patients in Maryland and beyond.
Co-directed by Osamah J. Saeedi, MD, MS, professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences, UMSOM, and Giuliano Scarcelli, PhD, professor of bioengineering, the center is dedicated to translating research breakthroughs from proof of concept into real-world biomedical solutions. By co-locating faculty and research space at UMB, the center bridges the 30-mile gap between our two universities, enabling more seamless collaboration. Already, four BIOE faculty have moved their labs to the fourth floor of 4MLK, and a fifth will begin at the center in June. These faculty — and their lab members — bring specialized expertise in biophotonics, photothermal therapy, vascular mechanics, and immunoengineering to our campus and demonstrate how collaboration leads to impactful biomedical advances.
Of course, none of this would be possible without the transformative $10 million gift from Edward and Jennifer St. John and the Edward St. John Foundation, along with a $12.75 million MPower grant announced in April 2025.
We know that the health care landscape is evolving rapidly, driven in large part by advances in artificial intelligence (AI). From enhancing diagnostics and powering personalized medicine to accelerating drug discovery and streamlining clinical documentation, AI has the potential to reshape nearly every aspect of medical care. That is why it is critically important that we recruit more engineers and data scientists into clinical professions.
To strengthen this pipeline, UMCP’s Clark School of Engineering and College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences partnered with UMSOM to establish the BS-MD Program. This dual-degree pathway prepares highly motivated undergraduate students majoring in engineering, computer science, or mathematics to succeed in medical school. With MPower support, the BS-MD Program will produce graduates who are not only skilled clinicians, but also innovators equipped to lead in an AI-driven health care environment.
UMB President Bruce Jarrell, third from left, and UMCP President Darryll Pines, third from right, participated in the January 2025 announcement of the $10 million gift from Jennifer and Edward St. John and the Edward St. John Foundation to help launch the Edward and Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine. (Photo by Matthew D’Agostino)
Through the years, MPower has played an increasingly pivotal role in ensuring that researchers have the resources and opportunities they need to pursue scientific discovery at every career stage. In December, UMB Provost and Executive Vice President Roger J. Ward, EdD, JD, MSL, MPA, and UMCP Provost Jennifer Rice, PhD, MS, announced the MPower Early Scholars Investment Fund — a short-term, high-impact initiative designed to sustain the scholar pipeline and protect the joint UMB-UMCP research enterprise, even as federal funding cuts affect scientific research at-large. MPower committed $9.1 million to the program, split between UMB and UMCP over three years.
In the past month, UMB awarded the first $1.7 million of our MPower Early Scholars funds to 39 of our graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty who have been directly impacted by research funding cuts. We plan to announce additional awardees this spring and will share information about the application cycle for the next fiscal year in May. Meanwhile, UMCP has awarded its first $1.975 million in MPower Early Scholars funding to 57 of its graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty.
Beyond these initiatives, MPower has leveraged the world-class strengths of UMB and UMCP in countless other ways. I thank UMCP President Darryll J. Pines, PhD, MS; Provosts Ward and Rice, and the MPower Joint Steering Council for their leadership in expanding MPower’s impact on our state.
I also want to express my gratitude to MPower executive director Adrianne Arthur, who will be retiring at the end of April after more than a decade of service to MPower. Adrianne’s extraordinary leadership and unwavering dedication have been instrumental in shaping the success of this strategic partnership. We wish her all the best in her next adventure, and I am confident that the momentum she helped spark will continue to open new doors for innovation and impact.
MPower stands as an increasingly compelling example of what is possible when Maryland’s leading institutions work together to serve the public good. Together, UMB and UMCP advance knowledge and reinforce Maryland’s position as a national leader in innovation, research, and inclusive economic growth, ensuring that academic excellence leads to lasting impact. I look forward to celebrating the many breakthroughs to come as a direct result of this strategic partnership.
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) Paris Barnes, School of Pharmacy, who was named UMB’s Employee of the Month for February; Tolvalyn Dennison, School of Nursing, who was awarded a Maryland state Nurse Educator Doctoral Grant for Practice and Dissertation Research; and Gary Warburton, School of Dentistry, who was installed as president of the American Society of Temporomandibular Joint Surgeons.
New Hires
See a LIST OF NEW HIRES at UMB central administration and our seven schools for March.
News and Notes
Lisa Finn, second from left, stands with, from left, Chief Human Resources Officer Malika Monger, School of Pharmacy associate professor Agnes Ann Feemster, and UMB President Bruce Jarrell. (Photo by Matthew D’Agostino)
UMB RECOGNIZES EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR AND OTHER AWARD WINNERS
Lisa Finn of the School of Pharmacy was honored as the Cecil S. Kelly Memorial Employee of the Year at UMB’s annual Employee Recognition and Service Awards Luncheon on March 25. Other awardees included Zachary Brown, Operations and Maintenance, who won the Community Service Award, and Chanise Reese-Queen, School of Medicine, who received the James T. Hill Scholarship for professional development. Also, employees who celebrated UMB service anniversaries of 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years were recognized, including three who hit the 40-year mark. “There are so many people here today who make UMB great,” President Bruce Jarrell said at the event. “You all are experts in your fields. And that’s just a great thing about UMB — that we do function as a community, we function as a team, and we consult with one another.” (See a video about the event below.)
‘BREAKTHROUGHS CAN’T WAIT’ CAMPAIGN RESUMES
UMBs “Breakthroughs Can’t Wait: Changing the Future Today” campaign has resumed after a brief hiatus. The campaign features stories and videos about the groundbreaking discoveries happening every day at the University, research that transforms medicine, improves health, and shapes the future. From changing legal policy to pioneering treatments to cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, UMB researchers are tackling real-world challenges and making a lasting impact on lives everywhere. The latest story and video feature the research of School of Medicine associate professor Jason Falvey, who is working to improve recovery after hip fracture by addressing not just medical care, but also the conditions in which older adults live. Hip fracture recovery, he says, is often shaped by the environments people return to.
WEST LEXINGTON CORRIDOR PLAN RECEIVES STATE APPROVAL
UMB received approval from the Maryland Board of Public Works (BPW) on March 18 to proceed with its West Lexington Corridor Development Project, the centerpiece of the University’s plans to transform the northern end of campus. UMB President Bruce Jarrell attended the BPW meeting, where the project was discussed. Under the plan, two surface parking lots will become the sites of two housing and retail towers with 1,300 residential beds and 25,000 square feet of retail space, while the Pharmacy Learning Center on Pine Street will be converted to an entertainment venue and gathering place. “People won't just walk through UMB to go to the Orioles game,” Jarrell said. “They will live, they will work, they will stay, they will contribute to the businesses.”
VALUES IN ACTION SPEAKER SERIES: EQUITY AND JUSTICE
Rhea Roper Nedd took a hybrid audience on a journey March 9 at the 4MLK building as the featured guest in UMB’s Values in Action Speaker Series, delivering a presentation focused on the University’s core values set of Equity and Justice and how to ensure that UMB’s values are lived, challenged, and advanced across the University community. Starting and ending in the West African country of Ghana, the trek included stops to discuss the “Door of No Return”; the Zong Massacre; and how equity and justice can be advanced through federal government laws, institutional policies and practices, and individuals’ actions and advocacy. “This won’t be the easiest journey, because when we’re talking about equity and justice, there are some difficult historical and current day realities that need to be reflected on and acted on,” said Roper Nedd, assistant vice president, Office of Inclusive Excellence and Institutional Effectiveness.
‘UMB PULSE’: ‘WHAT IF PAIN COULD SPEAK: RECOGNIZING AND ALLEVIATING HIDDEN PAIN IN DEMENTIA’
What if the “behavior problems” we see in people living with dementia are actually signs of pain? “The UMB Pulse” podcast host Dana Rampolla speaks with Barbara Resnick, Distinguished University Professor and associate dean of research at the School of Nursing, who is an expert in aging and long-term care, about how pain often goes unrecognized in people with dementia. Because they may struggle to communicate discomfort, pain can show up as agitation, withdrawal, resistance to care, or sudden changes in appetite and engagement. These behaviors are sometimes misunderstood and treated with sedating medications instead of addressing the root cause. Resnick explains what caregivers and clinicians should watch for in such situations.
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH SYMPOSIUM FOCUSES ON THRIVING
Thriving was the theme of UMB’s Seventh Annual Women’s History Month Symposium on March 4, as the featured speakers and workshop presenters emphasized health, wealth, and resilience. The morning keynote speaker, Pamela Peeke, founder of the Peeke Performance Center for Healthy Living and adjunct assistant professor of family medicine at the School of Medicine, compared life to a marathon. “Every mile, every year in our lives are so special,” said Peeke, who is a marathoner. “We have to kind of squeeze out of it what we can.” The daylong event also featured breakout sessions in the morning and afternoon as well as a fireside chat between Tisha Edwards, CEO of the Maryland Bankers Association, and The Washington Post’s Michelle Singletary, who writes “The Color of Money” personal finance column.
Pamela Peeke was the morning keynote speaker at the Women’s History Month Symposium. (Photo by Matthew D’Agostino)
Upcoming Events
CELEBRATE EARTH MONTH WITH UMB
The Office of Sustainability invites all members of the UMB community to celebrate Earth Day, held annually April 22, by participating in sustainability events and initiatives throughout April. Events include the Swap Party with Launch Your Life, Bike Tune-Ups with Joe’s Bike Shop, Sustainability Town Hall, and more.
APRIL 16: ‘UMB’S GOT TALENT’ SHOW
Hosted by the University Student Government Association, Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, and the Council for the Arts & Culture, this annual celebration of our community’s creativity is back for another year. Join us at MSTF Leadership Hall as we cheer on UMB’s most talented faculty, staff, and students at the show, which starts at 5 p.m. The event also will feature a “pop-up” art gallery for nonperforming artists. Light refreshments will be served to all performers and attendees.
APRIL 21: ‘AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO STRESS MANAGEMENT’ WEBINAR
Michelle Pearce, professor and director, Integrative Health and Wellness Program, School of Graduate Studies, will go beyond surface-level coping strategies to show you the science of stress — how it affects your brain, body, and emotions — and why understanding this science matters for choosing the right tools to stress management. You’ll leave with insight and action steps, ready to handle stress more effectively today and build resilience for the long run.
Save the Date
MAY 1: FUTURE OF LONG-TERM CARE SYMPOSIUM
The Center for Cyber, Health, and Hazard Strategies will host a discussion on the future of long-term care facilities for professionals, academics, students, and caregivers. The event will be held at the SMC Campus Center and feature three speakers: John Rabin, ICF International; Fatima Naqvi, George Washington University; and Alex Bardakh, PALTmed.
MAY 7-8: STRATEGIC PLAN TOWN HALLS
The 2027-2031 Strategic Plan co-chairs — Jenny Owens, vice provost of academic affairs, and Yolanda Ogbolu, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the School of Nursing — will host two more town halls to present the draft plan to University leadership and the UMB community. An in-person town hall will be held May 7 at the School of Pharmacy; a virtual town hall will be held May 8.
MAY 12-20: GRAUDATION CEREMONIES
UMB will celebrate the Class of 2026’s accomplishments and graduation with a series of individual school ceremonies at sites on or near our campus and at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Md. UMB President Bruce Jarrell and Provost Roger Ward will confer degrees at the school ceremonies, where graduates will walk the stage as they embark on the next part of their educational or career journeys.
Video of the Month
The University celebrated longtime employees and named the Cecil S. Kelly Memorial Employee of the Year, Community Service Award winner, and James T. Hill Scholarship recipient on March 25 at Westminster Hall.