The UMB Pulse Podcast

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This episode of "The UMB Pulse" explores why health care can feel fragmented when patients must repeat medical histories and providers don’t seem to communicate. Kenneth H. Wong, PhD, University of Maryland, Baltimore’s vice provost for graduate education and dean of the School of Graduate Studies, explains that the issue is driven less by individual unwillingness than by systems and structures that discourage coordination and lack a clear “general contractor” role. 

He discusses limitations of electronic medical records in practice, consequences such as errors and redundant tests, and the historic separation of health professional training. UMB addresses this through interprofessional education across its seven schools, including Interprofessional Education Day simulations, a Health Professions Education program, trauma science training, and seed grants that fund programs such as a climate change and health curriculum. 

Wong says evidence shows these experiences improve collaboration, but system-level standards and connectivity are still needed, and patients should voice coordination concerns to providers and through surveys.

00:00 What If Our Doctors Really Talked to Each Other? 
03:33 The ATM Analogy 
04:21 AI in Health Care 
04:45 What Goes Wrong 
05:57 How UMB Can Help 
07:38 Interprofessional Programs 
10:57 Seed Grants and Climate Change 
12:16 Does Training Work? 
15:38 Advice for Patients

Listen to The UMB Pulse on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you like to listen. The UMB Pulse is also now on YouTube.

Visit our website at umaryland.edu/pulse or email us at [email protected].

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As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, “The UMB Pulse” explores the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) place in the larger American story through the people, collections, discoveries, and ideas that shaped medicine, health, law, social work, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and public service.

The episode digs into UMB’s early beginnings with Tara Wink, MLS, historical collections librarian and archivist at UMB’s Health Sciences and Human Services Library (HSHSL). Wink’s work connects students, researchers, and the public with records, books, artifacts, and stories that show how UMB’s past continues to inform its present.

Discover artifacts and resources mentioned in this episode on the HSHSL Historical Collections Department website. 

 
Learn more about how UMB’s history intertwines with our American story.

Listen to The UMB Pulse on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you like to listen. The UMB Pulse is also now on YouTube.

Visit our website at umaryland.edu/pulse or email us at [email protected].

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On this month’s “The UMB Pulse” podcast, University of Maryland School of Social Work researcher Lisa Berlin, PhD, MS, discusses how early infant-caregiver relationships shape children’s emotional, behavioral, and physical health development.

Berlin, the Alison L. Richman Professor of Children and Families and an MPower Professor, is an expert in attachment security who explains why responsive caregiving helps infants build trust, regulate stress, and develop healthier long-term expectations about relationships and support.

Berlin also discusses Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC), a 10-session parent coaching program designed to strengthen supportive caregiving behaviors. Her current collaborative study with 245 low-income Latina mothers and infants in East Baltimore examines how parenting behaviors, sleep, feeding, stress regulation, and immune system functioning may influence lifelong health outcomes.

Researchers are also exploring how programs like ABC could eventually expand through systems such as Head Start and Maryland Judy Centers to support more families across the state.

Learn more about Berlin's research at https://www.umaryland.edu/research/breakthroughs/strong-start/

Listen to “The UMB Pulse” on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you like to listen. “The UMB Pulse” is now also on YouTube. Visit our website at umaryland.edu/pulse or email us at [email protected].

00:00 You Can’t Spoil a Baby: The Science of Early Attachment
00:30 Meet Dr Lisa Berlin
02:18 What Secure Attachment Means
05:20 ABC Program Explained
08:05 Study Community And Measures
13:28 Pick Up The Crying Baby
14:45 Brain Expectations And Plasticity
17:44 Stress Sleep And Immune Health
20:49 Key Takeaways For Caregivers
22:22 Research Timeline And Team
24:21 Scaling ABC And Prevention
26:56 Hopeful Closing And Resources

Listen to The UMB Pulse on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you like to listen. The UMB Pulse is also now on YouTube.

Visit our website at umaryland.edu/pulse or email us at [email protected].

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On this month’s "The UMB Pulse Podcast," University of Maryland School of Medicine associate professor Jason R. Falvey, DPT, PhD, director of the Enhancing Rehabilitation to Improve Community Health (ENRICH) lab and inaugural director of the UMSOM Center for Disability Justice, discusses how hip fracture recovery depends on more than surgery and clinic-based therapy. 

Falvey explains how neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, transportation, housing, and infrastructure affect older adults’ ability to age in place and avoid social isolation, and why current Medicare rules limit real-world mobility training. Funded by the National Institute on Aging, Falvey’s work to address these challenges includes partnerships such as GoGoGrandparent and plans for pilot testing and larger trials.

Learn more about the Center for Disability Justice: https://pt.umaryland.edu/research/center-for-disability-justice/

Learn more about the ENRICH Program: https://www.umaryland.edu/research/breakthroughs/how-does-where-you-live-affect-recovery-after-a-hip-fracture/

Listen to The UMB Pulse on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you like to listen. The UMB Pulse is also now on YouTube.

Visit our website at umaryland.edu/pulse or email us at [email protected].

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What if the “behavior problems” we see in people living with dementia are actually signs of pain?

Host Dana Rampolla speaks with Barbara Resnick, PhD, RN, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, Distinguished University Professor and associate dean of research at the University of Maryland School of Nursing who is an expert in aging and long-term care, about how pain often goes unrecognized in people with dementia. Because they may struggle to communicate discomfort, pain can show up as agitation, withdrawal, resistance to care, or sudden changes in appetite and engagement. These behaviors are sometimes misunderstood and treated with sedating medications instead of addressing the root cause.

Resnick explains what caregivers and clinicians should watch for, from facial expressions and lashing out to subtle shifts in participation and mood. 

Health care professionals can learn more about pain management in long-term care settings in this Clinical Practice Guide co-authored by Resnick: https://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(21)00911-7/fulltext

Chapters
00:00 Pain Without Words
00:28 Meet Dr. Resnick
02:36 Why Pain Gets Missed
06:15 The Vicious Cycle
07:28 Signs to Watch For
08:55 Find the Root Cause
10:40 Guidelines in Nursing Homes
11:37 Non-Drug Pain Relief
15:36 Questions for Care Teams
17:30 Key Takeaways
19:06 Why She Does This Work
20:55 NIH Study in Practice
22:56 Closing Credits

Listen to The UMB Pulse on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you like to listen. The UMB Pulse is also now on YouTube.

Visit our website at umaryland.edu/pulse or email us at [email protected].

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University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) associate professor Sarah M. Kattakuzhy, MD, joins “The UMB Pulse” this month to talk about her research exploring whether semaglutide (a GLP-1 medication widely used for diabetes and weight management) could help reduce cravings and improve outcomes for people with stimulant use disorder.

Kattakuzhy, who is also the co-director of the Kahlert Institute for Addiction Medicine at UMSOM, describes the design of the STAC Study, which is evaluating the safety and tolerability of semaglutide in people with cocaine use disorder, including participants with and without HIV, while also tracking secondary outcomes such as changes in drug use and cravings.

She also discusses why stimulant use disorders, including cocaine and methamphetamine use disorder, have been especially challenging to treat, and how her work through the University of Maryland, Baltimore community-based research partnerships aims to expand treatment options and reduce stigma around substance use disorders.

To learn more about this trial or for referrals, contact Dr. Kattakuzhy at [email protected].

00:00 Introduction to Addiction and New Research
00:40 Meet Dr. Sarah Kattakuzhy
01:45 A Day in the Life of Dr. Kattakuzhy
03:57 The Journey to Addiction Research
07:40 Exploring Semaglutides for Addiction Treatment
12:34 Details of the Clinical Trial
20:29 Challenges and Hopes in Addiction Treatment
24:31 Collaborations and Future Directions
27:39 Final Thoughts and Takeaways
32:13 Post-Interview Insights

Listen to The UMB Pulse on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you like to listen. The UMB Pulse is also now on YouTube.

Visit our website at umaryland.edu/pulse or email us at [email protected].

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Could exercise be just what the doctor ordered for recovery during chemotherapy? In this episode of “The UMB Pulse,” explore this novel approach to cancer recovery with Ian Kleckner, PhD, MPH, associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and director of the SYNAPSE Center. Kleckner shares how exercise can alleviate symptoms of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and improve the quality of life for cancer survivors. Through his research, Kleckner investigates how movement can reduce inflammation, enhance brain and body coordination, and empower patients to reclaim their lives. 

Chapter Markers

 00:00 – Introduction
 00:00:17 – Cancer Treatment & Neuropathy
 00:01:37 – Guest Introduction: Dr. Ian Kleckner
 00:05:06 – Understanding Neuropathy
 00:09:38 – Research Findings: Brain & Exercise
 00:13:33 – Exercise Intervention & Clinical Trials
 00:19:08 – Practical Advice & Takeaways
 00:23:31 – Conclusion & Credits

Listen to The UMB Pulse on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you like to listen. The UMB Pulse is also now on YouTube.

Visit our website at umaryland.edu/pulse or email us at [email protected].

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Can your dentist use artificial intelligence (AI) to spot health problems sooner? Imagine an extra set of eyes that never gets tired — that’s what AI is bringing to dentistry. 

In this episode, Ahmed Sultan, BDS, PhD, director of the Division of Artificial Intelligence Research at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, shares how new AI tools are helping dentists catch issues like cavities and oral cancer earlier. He also talks about why it matters to use diverse data, the ethical questions behind AI in health care, and how these advances could especially benefit people in rural and low-income communities.

Tune in to discover how AI is shaping the future of dental visits — and maybe even protecting more than just your smile.

Learn more about AI research at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry at https://www.dental.umaryland.edu/ai/

Listen to The UMB Pulse on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you like to listen. The UMB Pulse is also now on YouTube.

Visit our website at umaryland.edu/pulse or email us at [email protected].

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University of Maryland School of Dentistry alumnus Robert E. Morris, DDS ’69, MPH, FICD, shares his extraordinary life story that spans continents, including his experiences treating villagers in Vietnam, building public health systems in Kuwait, and training oral health leaders in the Caribbean.

The recipient of a University of Maryland, Baltimore honorary Doctor of Public Service degree recounts his harrowing survival during the invasion of Kuwait, detailed in his book “120 Days in Deep Hiding: Outwitting the Iraqis in Occupied Kuwait.” He also discusses his philanthropic efforts with the Mai Tam House of Hope in Vietnam, which serves mothers and children affected by HIV/AIDS, and reflects on the Jesuit values that have guided his career. 

Morris also wrote an autobiography, "The Life of My Choice: Tales of a Traveling Man."

00:00 Introduction to Dr. Robert E. Morris
02:27 Early Life and Education
05:39 Career Beginnings and Vietnam Experience
08:39 Global Health Leadership and Public Health
14:49 The Kuwait Invasion and Survival
26:59 Saddam Hussein's Announcement and Hostage Situation
27:30 Near-Plane Crash and Journey to Safety
28:52 Movie Offer and General Schwartzkoff's Invasion
29:17 Reunion at Andrews Air Force Base
31:33 Founding the Mai Tam House in Vietnam
34:50 Impact and Success of the Orphanage
41:29 Encouraging Future Generations in Dentistry
45:36 Lifelong Learning and Irish Studies
48:29 Publishing Books and Final Thoughts

Listen to The UMB Pulse on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you like to listen. The UMB Pulse is also now on YouTube.

Visit our website at umaryland.edu/pulse or email us at [email protected].

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In this episode, “The UMB Pulse” hears the story of how a rare portrait of University of Maryland School of Medicine founder John Davidge was hiding in a shuttered Baltimore restaurant and discusses its significance to the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). 

Hosts Dana Rampolla and Charles Schelle, MS, talk with Larry Pitrof, executive director of the Medical Alumni Association (MAA) at UMB, and Meg Fairfax Fielding, director of the history of Maryland medicine at the Maryland State Medical Society, about the astonishing recovery of a long-lost portrait of UMB’s founding father, John Beale Davidge. 

Learn how this 200-year-old painting was found during an estate auction at a former Baltimore restaurant and listen to the stories behind the significance of Davidge and historical treasures at UMB. Pitrof also shares the efforts to preserve UMB’s rich medical heritage and the current restoration updates on the iconic Davidge Hall. 

Davidge Hall is open to UMB students, faculty, and staff from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Visitors who wish to visit and see the portrait and other artifacts in Davidge Hall should contact MAA in advance at 410-706-7454 or [email protected].

00:00 Discovering a Hidden Treasure: The Lost Portrait of John Beale Davidge
02:38 Meet the Experts: Larry Pitrof and Meg Fairfax Fielding
03:50 The Significance of John Beale Davidge to UMB
06:19 The Incredible Discovery at Bertha's Mussels
08:12 Authenticating and Preserving the Portrait
17:48 The Historical Importance of Davidge Hall
21:06 Restoration Efforts and Future Plans for Davidge Hall
26:52 The Value of Historical Artifacts and Collaboration
42:17 Public Display and Access to the Portrait
43:55 Final Thoughts and Acknowledgements 

Listen to The UMB Pulse on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you like to listen. The UMB Pulse is also now on YouTube.

Visit our website at umaryland.edu/pulse or email us at [email protected].