University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) faculty members Angelica Fernandez-Dizon and Susan Bindon took the audience on a trip back in time Sept. 17 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Faculty Convocation.As the event’s featured speakers, Fernandez-Dizon and Bindon talked about their journeys into nursing and teaching, the former starting in a town in the Philippines and the latter on a Pennsylvania farm, with both paths leading to UMB.Their stories of persistence and appreciation captivated an audience that came to celebrate faculty excellence and the new academic year during the fifth annual event, where UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, and Interim Provost and Executive Vice President Mark A. Reynolds, DDS, PhD, MA, presided over the ceremony.Audio Description https://youtu.be/8gUktn9XI24

Broadway's Norm Lewis wants to see you at Broadway in Baltimore to support UMB CURE Scholars Program!Join the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) for One Night Only: Broadway in Baltimore, a concert benefiting students from Baltimore City.Featuring: Tony Award-nominated Broadway actor Norm Lewis from “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Les Misérables,” and Felicia Curry, Everyman Theatre resident company member and Broadway performer from “Into the Woods.” Supporting: UMB CURE Scholars Program Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, 6:30 p.m., M&T Bank Exchange at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center.Tickets: https://www.umaryland.edu/broadwayinbaltimore

“Leadership doesn’t begin with certainty. It begins with becoming.”At the 2026 UMB Faculty Convocation, @UMSONVideos Assistant Professor Angelica Fernandez-Dizon, MD, DNP, MBA-HCM, MSN, BSN, RN, NP-C, challenged faculty to honor their own growth just as deeply as they honor the growth of their students.Every challenge. Every innovation. Every moment we choose empathy over ease. Those choices shape more than our classrooms and clinics — they help shape the future of the communities we serve.“We are all still unfolding, with more to grow, with more to give, with more to learn.”Fernandez-Dizon teaches the next generation of health professionals at the @universitiesshadygroveWatch the full video on UMB's YouTube channel.#UMSON #FacultyConvocation #NursingEducation #Leadership #HigherEducation

University of Maryland School of Nursing Assistant Professor Angelica Fernandez-Dizon, MD, DNP, MBA-HCM, MSN, BSN, RN, NP-C, presented her talk, "The Kid from Kidapawan: The Power of Becoming," at the 2026 University of Maryland, Baltimore Faculty Convocation.Fernandez-Dizon teaches at The Universities at Shady Grove.Fernandez-Dizon is a distinguished nurse educator, clinician, entrepreneur, and national speaker whose career spans academic leadership, advanced clinical practice, and global health advocacy.With doctoral preparation in medicine and nursing, supported by graduate training in health care management, she brings an interdisciplinary perspective to strengthening health systems, advancing workforce development, and promoting equitable access to high-quality care.At the School of Nursing, she mentors emerging nurses and health care professionals through a leadership philosophy grounded in professionalism, integrity, and service. As an entrepreneur, Fernandez-Dizon prepares foreign-educated nurses to successfully transition into the U.S. workforce by passing the NCLEX licensure exam.She also teaches emergency medicine to pre-health learners, expanding early pathways into the health care workforce and cultivating the next generation of health professionals.Fernandez-Dizon is a member of numerous organizations including the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

With 10 years under its belt, the former University of Maryland School of Nursing Community and Public Health Environmental Initiative is marking a decade of growth with a new name — the Children’s Wellness and Environmental Health Partnership — and a continued commitment to the families of Baltimore and surrounding jurisdictions.The new name represents the broad work of UMSON faculty and nursing students with Early Head Start, Head Start, and Patty Center children, staff, and families as well as their implementation of the Eco-Healthy Child Care Program, a national initiative to help childcare facilities reduce or eliminate environmental hazards.

It’s been more than 20 years since the FDA first approved a GLP-1 receptor agonist was approved to treat type 2 diabetes and 12 years since one was approved for use in chronic weight management. But in just the last five years the uses and benefits of GLP-1 (and now GIP) receptor agonists have exploded with a greater understanding of how these hormone systems can affect metabolism and the function of the heart, liver, kidneys and brain. There are a lot of moving parts for researchers to untangle – body fat, insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, inflammation, etc. – and a growing palette of possible applications, including treatments for addiction, kidney disease, heart failure, fatty liver disease, even things like dementia and sleep apnea.UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, will discuss the promise and challenges surrounding GLP-1s with Kashif M. Munir, MD, Medical Director of the University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology, and Rozalina. G. McCoy, MD, MS, Director of the Precision Medicine and Population Health Program for the University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing (UM-IHC).

University of Maryland School of Nursing Professor Susan L. Bindon, DNP, RN, NPD-BC, CNE, FAAN, ANEF, presented her talk, "Payment in the Form of Gratitude," at the 2026 University of Maryland, Baltimore Faculty Convocation.Bindon is also the Associate Dean for Faculty Development in the School of Nursing.Bindon is an exemplary nurse educator, role model, and coach for faculty at the School of Nursing and throughout Maryland. She directs UMSON’s Institute for Educators and the Teaching in Nursing and Health Professions Certificate program.Bindon has broad experience teaching in classroom, clinical, and online settings and manages statewide faculty development grants to prepare clinical nursing faculty and build faculty skills around competency-based education.She is past president of the Association for Nursing Professional Development and was co-editor of the Journal for Nurses in Professional Development.She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the Academy of Nursing Education.Bindon was recognized by the University System of Maryland with an Excellence in Teaching Award in 2023 and received the 2025 Outstanding Mentoring Award from the Maryland Nurses Association.

UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, spoke about the value of higher education, research, and UMB's role in Marylanders lives at our annual Faculty Convocation on Sept. 17, 2026.Watch President Jarrell's full remarks on UMB's YouTube page.

University of Maryland, Baltimore President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, talked about the value of UMB and higher education during the 2026 UMB Faculty Convocation on Sept. 17, 2026.

Thomas J. Tobin, PhD, teaches practical strategies to improve accessibility, support student success, and prepare for ADA Title II requirements.