Experts need integrity and benevolence above all else to gain public trust.Andrew Coop, PhD, MA, professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and associate dean for Graduate Programs in the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, shared those words during the third annual Faculty Convocation at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.Dr. Coop has been a faculty member at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy since 1999, serving as chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (PSC) from 2007 to 2015. In addition to his current role as UMSOP’s associate dean for graduate programs, he previously served as the school’s associate dean for academic affairs from 2016 to 2024 and as PSC’s vice chair of academic affairs from 2006 to 2007.Dr. Coop has received funding from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse for his research on opioids, stimulants, and depressants, all of which were interdisciplinary projects concerned with the design and development of novel tools to allow pharmacological study of the biological systems involved in the abuse of these drugs.
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- 0:52Closing Gaps in Prenatal Heart Care | Breakthroughs Can't WaitUniversity of Maryland School of Medicine student Claire Wegner is working with Dr. Alicia Chaves in Pediatric Cardiology to study prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease — and why some families receive that diagnosis too late.Her early findings reveal that mothers of Latino and Hispanic ethnicity and those who prefer non-English languages are significantly less likely to receive a prenatal diagnosis. Understanding these differences can help improve access to care and save more babies’ lives.Breakthroughs Can’t Wait. At UMB, we’re changing the future today.#BreakthroughsCantWaitUMB #PrenatalCare #MaternalHealth #CongenitalHeartDisease #HealthEquity #MedicalResearch #UMBresearch
- 2:30What if we could identify congenital heart disease in every baby before birth?University of Maryland School of Medicine student Claire Wegner is investigating how congenital heart disease is diagnosed — and how earlier detection could save newborn lives.As a participant in the Program for Research Initiated by Students and Mentors (PRISM), Wegner spent her summer in the Department of Pediatric Cardiology under the mentorship of Alicia Heather Chaves, MD, MAS, where she analyzed data from mothers and infants affected by congenital heart disease.Early diagnosis is critical, Wegner stressed, saying, “It has been shown that infants who are diagnosed prenatally, that they have much better outcomes than those who are diagnosed postnatally.”Learn more at https://www.umaryland.edu/breakthroughs
- 0:42Saving More Babies Before Birth | Breakthroughs Can't Wait“What if we could save more babies by diagnosing congenital heart disease before they’re born?”Medical student Claire Wegner is studying the prenatal course of infants with congenital heart disease to uncover why some conditions are detected early while others are missed.Her findings reveal key differences in maternal demographics that can guide solutions to improve prenatal access and save lives.#BreakthroughsCantWaitUMB #MaternalHealth #PrenatalCare #CongenitalHeartDisease #MedicalResearch #UMBresearch #NINR
- 1:24The Courage to Defend Universities | Danya Qato"The more of us who walk the path of truth, the more we can share in the burden of illuminating that path for others."Danya Mazen Qato, PhD, PharmD, MPH, Associate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, reminds us that universities must remain spaces of free inquiry, truth, and courage. From her speech “On the Imperative of Courage” at the 2025 University of Maryland, Baltimore Convocation.#DanyaQato #ImperativeOfCourage #UMBConvocation #HigherEd #AcademicFreedom #SpeakUp #Shorts
- 1:36You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train | Danya Mazen QatoDanya Mazen Qato, PhD, PharmD, MPH, associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, delivers her speech “On the Imperative of Courage” at the 2025 University of Maryland, Baltimore Convocation.Quoting Howard Zinn, she reminds us that silence is not neutrality. In a world of uncertainty, courage means speaking up and showing students that universities must remain engines of equity, truth, and justice. #DanyaQato #ImperativeOfCourage #HowardZinn #UMBConvocation #SpeakUp #HigherEd
- 1:24Siblings’ “Dual Losses”: How to Keep Families Healthy | Breakthroughs Can't WaitWhen a child is seriously ill, siblings often face “dual losses”: the closeness of a brother or sister—and time with a parent pulled into caregiving and hospital stays.Associate Professor Kim Mooney-Doyle listens to siblings and parents to learn their needs and preferences, then turns that evidence into practical family supports that reduce anxiety, strengthen resilience, and protect whole-family health. Research funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR).#BreakthroughsCantWaitUMB #FamilyFirstCare #WholeFamilyHealth #PediatricPalliativeCare #NursingResearch #UMBresearch #NINR
