“Today, we honor and celebrate a very significant milestone for the School of Medicine,” noted University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, speaking to a standing-room-only crowd of faculty, staff, students, and top state and local officials in the school’s newly renovated Leadership Hall on Oct. 29. On the day of the dean's annual State of the School speech, time was taken out for a special virtual tour and ceremonial ribbon-cutting marking the opening of UMSOM’s newest research building, Health Sciences Research Facility (HSRF) III.

HSRF III is the largest facility of its kind in the entire University System of Maryland. The research building expands the School of Medicine’s footprint to more than 2.5 million square feet, housing more than 400 personnel and generating an additional estimated $107.4 million in annual research funding. “Our entire academic community rose to the occasion. They imagined the unimaginable and worked relentlessly to bring this project to fruition,” Reece said.

Virtual ribbon-cutting opens HSRF III.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, Maryland State Treasurer Nancy Kopp, UMB President Jay A. Perman, MD, as well as University and Medical System leadership were in attendance to commemorate this historic event. “With the addition of this incredible world-class facility, the state of Maryland and the University of Maryland School of Medicine will continue to shine as national and global leaders in innovation and next-generation medical technology,” Hogan declared.

After a year of historic milestones in 2017, UMSOM attained even greater levels of accomplishment over the past year. The school made unprecedented gains in research funding and clinical revenue. Clinical care set records with nearly $345 million in clinical revenues — an increase of 24 percent over the past five years — while UMSOM scientists and clinicians received $537 million in grants and contracts, a 20.1 percent increase over 2017. This year’s State of the School Address also featured a series of videos that highlighted the accomplishments of faculty, staff, and students over the year. Highlights included UMSOM’s multifaceted response to the opioid epidemic, discoveries in congenital heart disease, and the learning experiences of first-year medical students.

Another video featured key 2018 highlights across all mission areas — research, patient care, education, and community impact — while a third shared short vignettes of some of the key clinical moments in the practice of medicine. “I am tremendously pleased with all our initiatives, and the amazing results, that have contributed to improve the health and well-being of the citizens of Maryland, the nation, and beyond,” Reece said.