What’s on my mind this month is the State of the School address that I delivered on September 29th. “Working Together, Bringing Out the Best” was the theme of my 2010 address, and it featured highlights of the past year, which was filled with both challenges and extraordinary accomplishments.

What's on my mind this month is welcoming to the School of Medicine 15 new faculty members and exciting new research programs and resources, now that the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) has closed.

What’s on my mind this month is engaging the communities in which we live and work. As the nation’s oldest public medical school, we incorporate into our values the impor-tance of community outreach and service as a key part of our mission.

What's on my mind this month is finding new ways to promote the excellence and accomplishments of our faculty through the Faculty Excellence Recognition and Awards Committee (FERAC).

What’s on my mind this month is our new Office of Postdoctoral Scholars.

What's on my mind this month is the continued excellence of the School of Medicine and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

One-half of our students engage in research at some point during their medical education. It is imperative that we provide our students with a realistic understanding of the research environment...

What’s on my mind this month is our new strategic plan. In November nearly 100 leaders from the School of Medicine and University of Maryland Medical Center/System gathered at the new University of Maryland Southern Management Campus Center for a day-long retreat.

In October, I joined other academic medicine leaders at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, to thank the Obama Administration, Congress and the American taxpayers for the much-needed $10.4 billion in medical research funding included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

What’s on my mind this month is the continuing economic climate and its effect on School of Medicine faculty, staff and students.