E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, School of Medicine

      To whom much is given, much is expected! The University of Maryland School of Medicine is in the fortunate position of having strengths in a variety of clinical and research areas. It is therefore our responsibility to exercise leadership at home and abroad in our continued effort to eradicate disease and prevent human suffering.
In the spring issue of this magazine, my message focused on our global leadership and our long history of significant contributions to global health, through research, health care delivery, outreach and public policy. Our scientists and clinicians carry out extensive epidemiologic, clinical and laboratory research in 32 countries, such as Chile, China, India, Israel, Mali, Malawi, Mexico and Nigeria, among others. While the role we play in the global arena is extremely important to the future of the medical school and the health of the world’s most vulnerable citizens, our national impact is surely just as important.
Top-tier medical schools must exercise leadership and make contributions to the greater good. The University of Maryland School of Medicine, itself a top-tier medical school, has been extremely fortunate. In the last two decades, our research portfolio has more than quadrupled, our clinical revenues have grown by eight times, our endowment growth has sextupled, and our economic impact is over $1.5 billion annually. This reflects only our medical school and not the medical center and its affiliated hospitals. However, we must not rest on our laurels. We must use our position to impact positively our nation and our world, and we must emphasize repeatedly the importance of assuming leadership positions and participating in working toward the greater good.
At this year’s Association of American Medical College annual meeting in San Antonio, I will be privileged to begin my term as chair of the council of deans (COD). The purpose of the COD is the continuing improvement of the nation’s medical school organizations. The council, comprised of deans of American medical schools, identifies issues affecting academic medicine and develops strategies to achieve the various missions of medical schools. The council addresses policies guiding the AAMC in its service and advocacy functions; programs for the advancement of institutional management; and support for the deans’ leadership roles in guiding individual schools toward excellence in medical education, research and patient care, and, of course, service.
The AAMC is, and always has been, extraordinarily good at advocating for medical education issues. The focus of my term as chair will be to emphasize greater research advocacy and to position research and discovery as the future of medicine, and the critical elements for improving the health of our nation and the world.

I am pleased that many of our faculty also heed the call to national service, and I applaud them. For example:

• Stephen T. Bartlett, MD, Barbara Baur Dunlap Professor and chair, department of surgery, is president-elect of the International Pancreas and Islet Transplant Association.
• Meredith Bond, PhD, professor and chair, department of physiology, was named president-elect of the Association of Chairs of Departments of Physiology.
• William T. Carpenter, MD, professor, department of psychiatry, and director, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, currently serves as past-president of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.
• Vincent D. Pellegrini, MD, James Lawrence Kernan Professor and chair, department of orthopaedics, is first president-elect of the American Orthopaedic Association and will serve as president from June 2009 to June 2010.
• Mary Rodgers, PT, PhD, George R. Hepburn Dynasplint Professor and chair of physical therapy and rehabilitation science, just completed service for the International Society of Biomechanics as council member, president-elect, president, and past president.
• Miriam G. Blitzer, PhD, professor, department of pediatrics, and head, division of human genetics, is president-elect of the Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics.
• Mandeep Mehra, MD, professor, department of medicine, and chief, division of cardiology, is president of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.
• Robert A. Vogel, MD, professor, department of medicine, is co-chair of the National Football League Committee on Cardiovascular Risk.
• Larry D. Weiss, MD, JD, FAAEM, professor, department of emergency medicine, was elected to a two-year term as president of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine.
• Jill Whitall, PT, PhD, professor, department of physical therapy & rehabilitation science, was elected president of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity.

These are just a few national leaders at our medical school who have come to my attention in recent weeks. There are many more inspiring leaders at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and I know that many of our alumni also participate in leadership activities at the national level. I salute all of you who already give of yourselves to make the world a better and healthier place. I encourage the rest of you to consider the impact you, too, can make. One certainly does not have to participate on a national level to make an impact—leadership starts in our neighborhoods and communities and grows from there.

E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA
Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland
John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean
University of Maryland School of Medicine