President Jarrell recognizes four faculty members and student during ceremony featuring cellist playing meaningful pieces for each.
Photo: From left, Graeme F. Woodworth, Ramsay Koury, Anum Zehra, President Jarrell, Leah S. Millstein, and Natalie Ram. Photos by Matthew D'Agostino
It was a noteworthy evening in more ways than one as the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) celebrated its five Founders Week award winners on Oct. 22 during the 2026 Awards Recognition and Reception at M&T Bank Exchange at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center.
Before each of the five Founders Week awardees made their way to the stage, Lachezar Kostov, associate principal cellist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, played a meaningful piece chosen specifically to honor the awardee.
“Each interlude has a message, an underlying theme that represents the particular award,” said UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, who was the emcee for the evening.
The awardees and the music that Kostov chose:
- Public Servant of the Year Ramsay Koury, DMD, clinical assistant professor and director, Division of General Practice, Department of Comprehensive Dentistry, University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD), leads the Mission of Mercy program, which provides free oral health care services to underserved and uninsured Maryland residents. Jarrell praised Koury as “someone who truly embodies what it means to serve the public good here in Maryland and around the world.”
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- “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” (unknown composer). Jarrell said the piece was “fitting to honor a public servant who has devoted so much time and energy to helping those who face significant hardships.”
- Researcher/Scholar of the Year Natalie Ram, JD, professor, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, has changed law and policy with her scholarship that sits at the intersection of bioethics, surveillance technology, and constitutional law. Jarrell said her scholarship is an example of how “our faculty are pushing the boundaries of knowledge in health, in law, and in social work, generating insights that can transform lives, inform policy, and shape our future.”
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- “Ricercate” by Giovanni Degli Antoni. Jarrell said the piece recognizes the pursuit of new knowledge, and Ram’s work “underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in tackling complex issues.”
- Student of the Year Anum Zehra, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), has excelled in academics, research, leadership, and public service. Jarrell said Zehra “demonstrates what it means to lead with empathy,” adding that he is “excited to celebrate her many successes to come.”
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- “Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Jarrell said the piece is “known for speed, energy, and extraordinary precision, and I think that’s pretty appropriate for any student at UMB.”
- Educator of the Year Leah S. Millstein, MD, professor, UMSOM, has transformed the Rural-MD Scholars initiative from a concept into a four-year academic scholarship program preparing physicians to work in underserved rural areas. Jarrell said of Millstein, “Thank you for creating wonderful future doctors at this University, for your tireless work and passion for medical education. You’re not only making a difference in the lives of your students, but also the patients they will serve on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and beyond.”
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- “Songs My Mother Taught Me” by Antonín Dvořák. The music played in Millstein’s honor “is a 19th-century piece about the generational passage of lessons learned, a message that holds special meaning for educators,” Jarrell said.
- David J. Ramsay Entrepreneur of the Year Graeme F. Woodworth, MD, FAANS, FACS, Howard M. Eisenberg, MD Distinguished Professor of Neurosurgery and Chair, Department of Neurosurgery, UMSOM, is treating brain cancer with focused ultrasound, extending lives and giving patients hope for better outcomes. “Your commitment to tackling some of medicine’s most difficult challenges is inspiring,” Jarrell said. “You have made a tremendous impact on the lives of our patients. Innovation allows us to expand what is possible.”
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- “Julie-O” by Mark Summer. Jarrell explained that this piece was written in the late 1980s when the composer was sick and wanted to play music that would make him feel hopeful. “Think of how much hope we have at UMB, hope that UMB will do things for the world,” he said.
The audience also enjoyed video presentations highlighting the accomplishments of the award winners, who walked onto the stage one by one to receive their award, a round, 8-inch fused-glass piece that depicts Davidge Hall designed and handcrafted by former UMB employee Sarah Pick. It was the first year the unique award was given to the winners, who posed for photos with the president and their respective school deans: UMSOD Interim Dean Gary Warburton, DDS, MD, FACS; Maryland Carey Law Dean Renée Laurent, JD; and UMSOM Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD.
It was the fourth year that the awards ceremony has been held at the M&T Bank Exchange, and Jarrell noted it is a special place to honor the Founders Week award winners.
“We are just so fortunate to be in the middle of the vibrant West Baltimore,” he said. “We are surrounded by arts with UMB right in the middle of it, and I’m very pleased and proud to be part of that.”
(Photo: Lachezar Kostov)
Jarrell kicked off the ceremony by thanking the sponsors, including Whiting-Turner. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries such as University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay A. Perman, MD, and USM Board of Trustees Treasurer William T. “Bill” Wood, JD, an alumnus of Maryland Carey Law, as well as other University leaders and the award winners’ families.
In addition to Kostov, the evening included entertainment by Sean Lane and the Bay Jazz Project, who played before and after the ceremony, and mentalist and magician Adam Stone, who performed at each table.
The awards ceremony was the culmination of Founders Week events celebrating the 219th anniversary of UMB’s founding in 1807. Events this year included the Staff Luncheon, Student Cookout, Ice Cream Social, Historical Treasures Tour, and Broadway in Baltimore concert.