Dean's Message
Donald E. Wilson, MD, MACP,
The John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean

May 8th was a great day for the University of Maryland School of Medicine. We officially opened Health Sciences Facility II and ushered in a new era of biomedical research at America’s first public medical school. The new $78 million, 101,000 square foot building is the largest on the campus dedicated solely to biomedical research. It will dramatically increase laboratory space for the schools of medicine and pharmacy, and pave the way for breakthroughs in basic science, disease prevention, and drug treatment.

Dr. Wilson, Elias Zerhouni MD, Pharmacy dean David Knapp, and UMB president David Ramsay

The day started with a morning lecture for faculty, staff and students. Rita Colwell, PhD, director of the National Science Foundation, set the tone for the day when she stressed the benefits of the high quality, high caliber scientific exploration that will be conducted in HSF II. Dr. Colwell noted that HSF II will create a new synergy on the UMB campus, as investigators from many disciplines share technology and collaborate in a research environment tailored to meet their needs.

In the afternoon we held a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony in the lobby of HSF II. President David J. Ramsay, DM, DPhil, welcomed the assembled crowd of faculty, alumni, friends, board of visitors, and elected officials. David A. Knapp, PhD, dean of the school of pharmacy, and I both spoke about the work that our respective schools will endeavor to carry out in the new building.

Elias A. Zerhouni, MD, director of the National Institutes of Health, delivered the keynote address. Dr. Zerhouni, former executive vice dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, emphasized the magnitude of the medical research that will be accomplished at our new facility. He also mentioned that while Baltimore has always been “the city that reads,” the new slogan should be “the city that reads and heals,” a change I fully endorse!

A ribbon-cutting ceremony immediately followed Dr. Zerhouni’s remarks, with Dr. Ramsay, Dean Knapp, Dr. Zerhouni, and medical school board of visitor Willard Hackerman, CEO of Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, and I cutting the red, gold, black and white ribbons at the front door of HSF II.

The school of medicine will occupy six floors of HSF II, which will provide 45 new laboratories, including a Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) containment facility for the study of potentially lethal biological agents. This state-of-the-art containment lab—the largest in the eastern United States—will permit infectious disease researchers to work safely with possible bioterrorist agents such as anthrax, and other illness-
causing bacteria and viruses.

Built with a $2 million NIH construction grant, and operating under tight security, the BSL-3 facility consists of seven self-contained labs, each with its own independent ventilation system. All doors, fixtures, and openings within the lab are carefully sealed to prevent the escape of biohazards. An insectary will facilitate the study and transmission of insect-borne diseases such as malaria.

The basement of HSF II is home to the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) center. Scientists in the NMR center will use three magnets to decipher the structure and interactions of proteins at the atomic level. The magnets, called NMR spectrometers, excite the atomic nuclei of molecules and record the responses, which are too minute to be seen even with the world’s strongest electron microscopes. The largest of the superconductive magnets is an 800 MHz high resolution NMR shielded magnet, which stands 13 feet tall, weighs eight tons, and is 350,000 times stronger than the earth’s magnetic field.

HSF II adjoins the original Health Sciences Facility (HSF I) which opened in 1995. The new building includes offices for faculty and staff, three seminar rooms for small group learning, and a 100-seat auditorium for lectures and special presentations.

As we focus on new scientific frontiers, HSF II will help ensure that the school of medicine remains on the cutting edge. Discoveries and advances await in the fields of genomics, molecular biology, proteomics, and bioinformatics. I have no doubt that the opportunities for scientific collaboration created by HSF II will lead to new breakthroughs in patient care and drug treatment.

Please take the time to tour HSF II on your next visit to campus. I have no doubt that you will be impressed.