What does it mean to lead with excellence, compassion, and service?Meet Anum Zehra, a fourth-year student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s 2026 Founders Week Student of the Year.A first-generation college graduate and immigrant from Pakistan, Zehra has distinguished herself through exceptional achievements in academics, research, leadership, mentorship, and community service. Her impact spans the classroom, the laboratory, the clinic, and the communities she serves.As a medical student, Zehra has co-authored more than 20 research publications, earned national recognition for her cardiovascular research, founded the School of Medicine’s Cardiology Interest Group, led blood drives, and helped expand mentorship opportunities for fellow students. Beyond her academic accomplishments, she created KindKin, a student-led initiative supporting families of hospitalized children, volunteers as a neonatal intensive care unit “cuddler,” and provides health education and clinical support in underserved communities.Driven by a passion for health equity and improving care for diverse populations, Zehra embodies the values of service, leadership, and lifelong learning that define the University of Maryland, Baltimore.In this video, she reflects on her journey to medicine, the mentors who shaped her path, and her commitment to combining scientific excellence with compassion and advocacy.About Founders Week Each year, the University of Maryland, Baltimore celebrates its history, people, and future during Founders Week. The annual celebration recognizes outstanding achievements by faculty, staff, and students whose work advances education, research, clinical care, public service, and entrepreneurship.Learn more: https://www.umaryland.edu/founders#UMBFoundersWeek #StudentOfTheYear #AnumZehra #UMSOM #FuturePhysician #MedicalStudent #HealthEquity #MedicalResearch #Cardiology #CommunityService #Leadership #UniversityOfMarylandBaltimore #HigherEducation #FutureDoctor #studentsuccessAudio Description https://youtu.be/N2rYXaVCgkQ

What happens when a passion for service becomes a lifelong mission?Meet Ramsay Koury, DMD, clinical assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s 2026 Founders Week Public Servant of the Year.Since 2016, Koury has led the School of Dentistry’s Mission of Mercy program, bringing free dental care to uninsured and underinsured Maryland residents while giving students valuable hands-on clinical experience. Under his leadership, nearly 4,000 patients across the state have received essential oral health services that relieve pain, restore function, and improve quality of life.A former private practice dentist, Koury found his calling in academic dentistry, combining his commitment to volunteer service with a passion for teaching and mentorship. Through Mission of Mercy, students not only develop clinical skills but also gain a deeper understanding of the barriers many people face in accessing care and the importance of serving their communities.In this video, Koury reflects on the experiences that shaped his career, the impact of Mission of Mercy, and why mentoring future dentists may be the most important work he does.About Founders Week Each year, the University of Maryland, Baltimore celebrates its history, people, and future during Founders Week. The annual celebration recognizes outstanding achievements by faculty, staff, and students whose work advances education, research, clinical care, public service, and entrepreneurship.Learn more: https://www.umaryland.edu/founders#UMBFoundersWeek #PublicServantOfTheYear #MissionOfMercy #UMSOD #DentalCare #CommunityService #OralHealth #UniversityOfMarylandBaltimore #HigherEducation #PublicService #DentalEducation #Maryland #HealthEquity #Volunteerism #studentsuccessAudio Description https://youtu.be/8EoMnljOSUc

How should society govern our most sensitive biological information?In this video, meet Natalie Ram, JD, professor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s 2026 Founders Week Researcher/Scholar of the Year.Ram’s groundbreaking scholarship sits at the intersection of bioethics, surveillance technology, genetic privacy, and constitutional law. Her work has helped shape public policy on issues ranging from law enforcement’s use of consumer genetic data to newborn screening programs and wastewater surveillance.After the identification of the Golden State Killer through genetic genealogy databases, Ram’s research raised critical questions about privacy and government access to DNA data, helping inform Maryland’s first-in-the-nation law regulating law enforcement use of consumer genetic information. Her research also has influenced national conversations about newborn blood spot retention, genomic sequencing, public health surveillance, and Fourth Amendment protections in the age of big data.Named UMB’s 2026 Researcher/Scholar of the Year, Ram is recognized for scholarship that not only advances academic understanding but also shapes real-world law and policy.Watch to learn how her work is helping balance public safety, scientific progress, and individual privacy in an era of rapidly evolving surveillance technologies.About Founders Week Each year, the University of Maryland, Baltimore celebrates its history, people, and future during Founders Week. The annual celebration recognizes outstanding achievements by UMB faculty, staff, and students who exemplify excellence in research, education, public service, clinical care, and entrepreneurship.Learn more: https://www.umaryland.edu/founders#UMBFoundersWeek #ResearcherOfTheYear #NatalieRam #GeneticPrivacy #Bioethics #ConstitutionalLaw #PrivacyLaw #ResearchImpact #MarylandCareyLaw #UMBResearch #SurveillanceTechnology #PublicHealth #DNAPrivacy #HigherEducation #researchexcellenceAudio Description https://youtu.be/Hw-U15-fzd0

In this edition of Virtual Face to Face, UMB President Dr. Bruce Jarrell asks Kashif Munir, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, about how GLP-1 medications work.

In order to sort out the issues surrounding GLP-1 medications, University of Maryland, Baltimore President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, spoke with three faculty experts on his program, Virtual Face to Face on October 6.Rozalina McCoy, MD, MS, is associate professor and vice chief of clinical research in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM).Kashif Munir, MD is professor of medicine also at UMSOM’s Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition. He is medical director of the University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology at the University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus and has extensive clinical experience in treating patients with diabetes, thyroid disorders, and pituitary diseases.The third faculty expert has a unique connection with the development of GLP-1s. Jean-Pierre Raufman, MD, the Moses Paulson, MD and Helen Golden Paulson Chair of the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at UMSOM started his career as a researcher with the National Institutes of Health in 1980. Raufman and colleagues examined the venom of America’s only venomous lizard, the Gila Monster, and discovered a very special peptide they called Extendin-4 which acted like a natural GLP-1 receptor agonist. But unlike natural human GLP-1 which breaks down rapidly in the body, Extendin-4 was found to last for hours. This discovery led to the development of the GLP-1 medications used today.

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.