News

Published 3/11/22 on UMB News

Baltimore, Md. (March 8, 2022) – The University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents is honoring three University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) faculty members as recipients of the 2022 USM Regents’ Faculty Awards.

USM Regents’ Faculty Award winners (l-r): Greg Carey, PhD; David Marcozzi, MD, MHS-CL, FACEP; Joseph Scalea, MD.

The awards are the highest honor presented by the board to exemplary faculty members. The awards honor excellence in the following categories: Teaching; Mentoring; Public Service; Research, Scholarship, or Creative Activity; and Innovation.

The University of Maryland School of Medicine represented UMB by winning awards in mentoring, public service, and innovation.

“The recognition of these faculty members by the University System is well deserved,” said UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS. “I deeply appreciate the vision, creativity, and commitment they bring to UMB and to improving the lives of others.”

The winners are:

EXCELLENCE IN MENTORING

Greg Carey, PhD, associate professor of Microbiology and Immunology, assistant dean of Student Research and Education, and executive director of Student Research and Community Outreach in the School of Medicine was recognized for increasing participation of underrepresented Baltimore youth, undergraduate, and graduate students in science and medicine. With funding secured from the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State and the National Institutes of Health, Carey administers PRISM, UM Scholars, STAR-PREP, CURE STEM, and BUILD ASCEND. These pipeline programs prepare students to enter the biomedical and healthcare workforce and boast excellent success rates for students who move on to undergraduate medicine/science tracks and  graduate programs.

EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC SERVICE

David Marcozzi, MD, MHS-CL, FACEP, chief clinical officer for the University of Maryland Medical Center and professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine in the School of Medicine received an Excellence in Public Service award for his steady leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. With his expertise and experience in emergency medicine, he became the UMB-UMMS COVID-19 Incident Commander. Under his leadership, a systemic approach to the pandemic was developed and implemented, with the protection of the workforce and students given priority. Additionally, Marcozzi serves as Governor Hogan’s COVID-19 Senior Medical Advisor on the Coronavirus Task Force.

EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION

Joseph Scalea, MD, associate professor of surgery in the School of Medicine received an Excellence in Innovation award for his novel use of drone technology to save lives. Partnering with friends and colleagues from UMB, University of Maryland College Park and University of Maryland Baltimore County, and the unmanned aircraft systems test site, Scalea led the team that pioneered the use of drone technology to innovate organ shipment. A successful test of the drone system in 2019 led to a $16 million investment to build two Baltimore-based startups–MediGo and MissionGO.

Institutional faculty nominating committees make recommendations to the institutional presidents, who review nominations and supporting material and forward recommendations to USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman, MD. The Regents Faculty Review Committee makes the final recommendations.

Chancellor Perman and Board of Regents Chair Linda R. Gooden, MBA, will recognize the winners as part of the scheduled meeting of the full board on April 29 at Towson University.

“It is a pleasure every year to recognize these outstanding faculty members,” Gooden said. “I am especially grateful for their dedication throughout the many phases of the pandemic and pleased we can plan to recognize them in person, thanks to the work our campuses have done to keep their communities safe.”

“The bedrock of the University System’s quality, its prominence, its power to transform lives and change the world is, quite simply, our faculty,” said Perman. “It’s a privilege to be able to honor them and celebrate what they make possible every day—possible for each individual student and for the body of scholarship that advances our progress and deepens our humanity.”

Each award carries a $2,000 prize provided by the institutions and the University System of Maryland Foundation.