Maryland is clearly bucking a trend. These days it’s only the weather that seems to change faster than medical school deans. Yet at Maryland just two deans—Drs. Donald E. Wilson and John M. Dennis—have collectively presided over our medical school since President Richard M. Nixon slept in the White House.
 Reece and wife Sharon visit with Willarda V. Edwards, ’77, Carnell Cooper, MD, and Robert M. Phillips, ’82 at the NMA reception. |
Off and Running:
An Early Start for
Maryland's New DeanSo the novelty of meeting a new dean may have been the reason for the considerably stronger-than-usual turnout at the Medical Alumni Association’s reception during the National Medical Association meeting in Dallas on August 7. It was 30 days before his official start date, but a good opportunity to begin forging relationships. Alumni, faculty, and friends responded with great enthusiasm to the opportunity of greeting E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, who in late spring was named vice president for medical affairs and dean of the medical school.
To meet him is a pleasure. It’s the colorful bow tie that immediately commands your attention. But it’s only a second or two before you’re drawn to a warm, embracing smile. You are relaxed in his presence. He is bright, articulate, sincere, and simply charming. And his passion for the post he now holds is unmistakable.
“He has the complete package,” says Allen Myers, ’60. As dean at Temple University in 1991, Myers helped recruit Reece away from Yale to serve as chair for his department of obstetrics and gynecology. And ten years later, when Reece decided to pursue the deanship at the University of Arkansas, it was Myers who forwarded a sterling recommendation. “Dr. Reece is a hands-on guy,” Myers adds. “He’s accessible and works collaboratively with his people. Maryland is in good hands with Al Reece.”
Balancing Medicine and Management
Reece comes to Maryland with an impressive, well-balanced track record. In fact, although rising through the administrative ranks of academic medicine, he has managed to continue caring for patients and advancing his research.
His specialty and subspecialty are OB/GYN and maternal/fetal medicine, respectively, and he is an expert on the mechanism of diabetes-induced birth defects. Reece and his group discovered the dominant biochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying the cause of these defects and developed methods to prevent them. He has published 11 books, four monographs, as well as 450 articles, chapters, and abstracts.
“My interest in obstetrics and gynecology can be traced back to medical school,” Reece says. “I liked surgery because of its rapid pace and contemporaneous answers, but I also enjoyed internal medicine because of its intellectual challenge and the long-term relationships an internist develops with patients. I chose my specialty because it combines these attractive elements.”
The 56 year-old New York University School of Medicine alumnus plans to continue his research at Maryland and has already successfully recruited some of his scientists. But, as expected, the lion’s share of his time will center on running the medical school. “There’s tremendous satisfaction in making broad contributions to the entire spectrum of medicine—education, research, and patient care,” Reece continues. “And the deanship is ground zero for many of these initiatives.”
As vice chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and dean of its medical school, Reece’s influence reached all areas of the institution. He doubled research funding, recruited more than 30 well-funded scientists, initiated several new multidisciplinary research centers, launched the state’s first liver transplant program, and introduced reforms to the first- and second-year medical school curricula. During his five-year tenure, pass rates on the USMLE I & II improved, the medical school’s financial reserves doubled, and three joint-degree programs became a reality.
The first of these joint-degree offerings was an MD/MPH, created after the 2002 opening of the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health. “It was an honor to participate in the creation of this college of public health, and during my interviews here I was delighted to learn that Maryland was in the planning stages of a similar enterprise,” Reece adds.
Why come to Maryland? “It was clear to me from touring the campus and speaking with committee members that the awesome growth and wonderful success at Maryland was the result of an ambitious commitment from both the institution and the state to elevate the stature of this medical school,” Reece says. “Plus, I found the people to be incredibly embracing. With this type of support I felt that together we could take Maryland to the next level.”
Reece was clearly impressed, but so, too, were the people who met him. “It was pretty much the consensus of our committee that Dr. Reece’s experience as a chairman and dean, combined with his passion for advancing medical education, made him the top prospect for the job,” according to Charles F. Hobelmann, ’71, the MAA’s representative on the committee. The appointment was announced on June 7, and the Jamaican native officially began at Maryland on September 5.
Getting Down to Business
“One of my first goals is to work with the medical school community to develop a shared vision for our future,” Reece says. “This will involve creating strategies and investments to ensure that existing initiatives—like our research enterprise—continue to grow at their current pace.” Maryland’s commitment to continue to expand research was one of the factors in Reece’s decision to come here. Two sizable research buildings—Health Sciences I & II—opened in 1995 and 2003, respectively, and planning is underway for Health Sciences III. “Getting this building completed will be one of my top priorities,” he says.
Sylvan Frieman, ‘53, met Reece for lunch during a visit to Maryland in August.But Reece also sees growth potential in the clinical area. “Maryland is recognized throughout the country for its programs in trauma and transplantation,” he says. “I believe there is an opportunity to develop other “magnet” programs worthy of comparable recognition. This will enable us to broaden our patient base beyond the region.”
Reece concedes that excitement generated by research funding and an expanding clinical enterprise sometimes diminishes the amount of time a medical center spends on medical education and its students. He pledges this will not happen here. In fact, Reece is quite pleased with Maryland’s medical curriculum and recalls that many of the reforms instituted here in the 1990s are now standard practice throughout the country. “The medical school is our center of gravity,” he says. “And it is my plan to participate as both administrator and teacher. At Arkansas, I presented an annual lecture to the second-year class entitled “The Physi-ology of Pregnancy” as part of the Introduction to Clinical Medicine course. I also presented two lectures to third-year students every two months. It is my hope to do the same here,” Reece says.
The MAA’s reception in Dallas was just the first of many opportunities alumni will have to meet the new dean. “One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is advancing relationships with alumni and friends,” Reece concludes. “As we move forward here at Mary-land, I envision an increased role for our external constituency in the planning and execution of our mission statement. Partnering with alumni, friends, and the business community will accelerate efforts to make our dreams a reality.”
He replies to emails and can be reached by telephone. But if you really want to enjoy yourself, say hello in person. He has an open door policy and to the extent possible makes himself available to anyone requesting an audience.
| Dr. E. Albert Reece at a Glance |  |
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| Birthplace Age Spouse Children |
Spanish Town, Jamaica (West Indies) 56 Sharon A. Reece, law professor Three daughters |
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| Education | ||
| Cambridge University GCE (Honors) Long Island University BS (Magna Cum Laude) New York University School of Medicine MD (1978) The University of the West Indies PhD in Biochemistry (2000) Temple University Fox School of Business & Management MBA (2001) |
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| Post-Graduate Training and Experience | ||
Columbia University-Presbyterian Medical Center Internship, OB/GYN (1978-79) |
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| Medical Licensure Board Certifications Research Interests Publications Significant Membership Hobbies |
Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut Obstectrics & Gynecology; Maternal/Fetal Medicine Diabetes in pregnancy, birth defects, and pre-natal diagnosis 11 Books, four monographs, and 450 articles, chapters, and abstracts Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences (1998) Classical music, cricket, and football (soccer) |
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