The Maryland Department of Commerce has awarded the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) $2.3 million, which along with matching funds from UMB will support four research professorships. The endowments were made through the Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative Fund (MEIF), a state program created to spur basic and applied research in scientific and technical fields at the colleges and universities. By creating endowed professorships, universities can recruit and retain outstanding faculty members and enable them to expand the scientific, scholarly and economic impact of their work.

“Commerce is celebrating Maryland’s innovative businesses and entrepreneurs in 2020, so we’re very pleased to provide our world-class higher education institutions with these awards, which will drive future innovation and economic growth,” said Maryland Commerce Secretary Kelly M. Schulz. “This year, more than ever, we recognize the importance of supporting bold, creative new ideas to help Maryland--and the world--overcome obstacles and thrive.”

“I am deeply grateful for the support toward these four endowed professorships. Attracting and retaining the most creative and innovative research minds is a powerful investment in scientific advancement and economic development in Maryland,” said UMB President Dr. Bruce Jarrell. “At the same time, our academic environment at the University of Maryland, Baltimore will be enriched by the groundbreaking discoveries they will achieve.”

Two of the endowed professorships will support the research of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). Dr. Lishan Su has been named the Charles Gordon Smith Endowed Professor for HIV Research, and will lead basic and applied research in HIV/AIDS and other virally-linked diseases as well as vaccine development. He has contributed significantly to the development of therapeutics for breast cancer. Su has been recruited by the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at UMSOM to become the director of the Division of Virology, Pathogenesis and Cancer (VPC) at IHV. He also has an appointment in the UMSOM Department of Pharmacology. Dr. Peter B. Crino who chairs the Department of Neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, has been retained by the university and awarded the Dr. Richard and Kathryn Taylor Professorship in Neurology. Crino will work to foster innovation and discovery in the field of translational neurosciences with a focus on new applications towards clinical use and potential commercialization to bring new intellectual capital to the state of Maryland.

“This is tremendous news for the UMSOM and for UMB,” said Dr. E. Albert Reece, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine.“The E-Nnovation Fund has played such a valuable role in helping us attract and endow some of the leading physicians and scientists in the nation. We are grateful to the MEIF and the Maryland Department of Commerce for helping to provide these outstanding faculty members in neuroscience and infectious disease with the critical resources they need to sustain and expand their research and discovery well into the future.”

The University of Maryland School of Social Work (UMSSW) will establish the Richard P. Barth Professorship in Children’s Services Research at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Research will work to accelerate the development of new treatments for clients within and beyond the state of Maryland, providing mentorship of the School’s graduate students, post-docs, trainees and faculty, and increasing the commercialization and establishment of new interventions, clinical technologies and services. The school’s goal is for the future Barth Professor to bring additional resources and grants to Maryland to build programs for children that offset the State’s costs of remedial and corrective education, health and justice services.

“At this critical moment in our nation’s history, recruiting a Barth Professor will enable UMSSW to propel children’s services research and programs to new heights, building on former Dean Richard Barth’s legacy of creativity and innovation,” said UMSSW Dean Judy Postmus. “By funding this prestigious Barth Professorship, UMSSW and the State of Maryland will recruit a leader in the field of child wellbeing services- services that are fundamental to building a better and just society.”

The University of Maryland School of Dentistry’s (UMSOD) Dr. Paul & Mrs. Jean Corcoran Endowed Professorship at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry will support the work of Robert K. Ernst, PhD, professor and vice chair at UMSOD’s Department of Microbial Pathogenesis. Ernst’s work focuses on the interplay between a bacterial pathogen and the host defense mechanism has led to the development of a diagnostic test to more rapidly identify bacteria- and fungi-caused infections. He is also co-founder of a company, Pataigin, aimed at developing a method to quickly identify disease-producing agents.

“I am deeply appreciative of the role that the MEIF and the Maryland Department of Commerce has played in helping to create the Paul and Jean Corcoran & Families Endowed Professorship,which will support one of our outstanding faculty members whose pioneering research with novel diagnostics and therapies is translating into significant federal grant support, unique educational opportunities, and new start-up businesses within Maryland,” said Dr. Mark A. Reynolds

The Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative was created by the General Assembly during the 2014 legislative session and has provided more than $49.3 million in funding to leverage more than $59.6 million in private donations. The funding can be used to pay salaries of newly endowed department chairs, staff, and support personnel in designated scientific and technical fields of study; fund related research fellowships for graduate and undergraduate students; and purchase lab equipment and other basic infrastructure and materials.