Khalid Kurtom, MD, FAANS, FACS

Khalid Kurtom, MD, FAANS, FACS, neurosurgeon with University of Maryland Shore Medical Group and Medical Director of System Operations at the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton, has been reappointed to the volunteer faculty of University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and promoted to the rank of Adjunct Associate Professor.

A UMSOM volunteer faculty appointment signifies a valued relationship between the Medical School, the medical department and the faculty member, and is only given to those with appropriate qualifications and with the expectation of continued and significant service to one or more of the UMSOM missions. Dr. Kurtom had served as Assistant Adjunct Clinical Professor since 2012, also in a volunteer capacity.

Promotion to the rank of Adjunct Associate Professor requires significant contributions to academic medicine as well as the endorsement of peers in the appropriate medical specialty. This process involves screening by a committee that includes department chairs as well as the dean of UMSOM.

“I am very excited as well as honored to be promoted as well as reappointed to the School of Medicine’s volunteer faculty,” said Dr. Kurtom. “I get a lot of joy and inspiration from teaching first and second year medical students, and participating in Neurosurgery Grand Rounds at the University of Maryland Department of Neurosurgery, as well as from participating in research and leadership committees that advance the quality and delivery of medical care throughout the University of Maryland Medical System.”

About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health

As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visitwww.umms.org.

University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is launching an interactive and participatory six-session workshop designed to help people who are living with chronic disease manage their ongoing health. The class will be offered virtually via WebEx from 9:30 a.m. to noon every Friday from Sept. 23 to Oct.28. There is no charge for the course, but registration is limited to 12 participants. Access to course links will be sent following registration.

Led by Jeanette Jeffrey, MS, MPH, MCHES, Health Educator for University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown, and Lisa McCoy, MS, RDN, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator for the University of Maryland Extension, this course will offer guidance on nutrition, appropriate exercise, appropriate use of medications, pain and fatigue management, relaxation skills, dealing with depression, decision-making, action-planning and problem-solving, and communicating effectively with family, friends and health care providers. Participants should be able to attend all six sessions. For medical questions, participants will be referred to their treating physicians.

Jeanette Jeffrey, MS, MPH, MCHES and Lisa McCoy, MS, RDN

Possible benefits to those completing this course are:

• improved health literacy
• more active self-management of their condition
• increased physical activity (if approved by a physician)
• improvement in mood or with symptoms of depression
• fewer sick days
• reduced need for Emergency Department visits and hospitalization
• improved medication compliance
• reduced pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, stress and/or sleep problems.

“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 out of every10 adults in the United States are living with a chronic disease,” said Jeffrey. “And 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have two or more chronic diseases, such as hypertension, arthritis, chronic pain, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes, kidney disease and other conditions that affect a person’s quality of life.”

Classes are open to anyone living with a chronic disease and caretakers are encouraged to participate, as well. To register, visit https://bit.ly/CDSM_UMMS.

About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health

As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

The University of Maryland Shore Regional Health Board of Directors recently welcomed seven new members: Cassie Burton, PhD; Kenny Kreiser; Robert Roth, JD; Kim Herman, MD; Jane Wang, MD; and University of Maryland Medical System senior leaders Kristin Jones-Bryce, JD and Michelle Lee, CPA. The Board’s composition includes representatives from the five counties served by UM Shore Regional Health, the regional physician community and UMMS.

Top, L-R: Cassie Burton, PhD; Kenny Kreiser; Robert Roth, JD; Kim Herman, MD. Bottom, L-R: Jane Wang, MD, Kristin Jones-Bryce, JD, Michelle Lee, CPA.

Burton is a retired pharmaceutical executive now living in Cambridge, Md. After earning her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Bucknell University and her master’s and doctorate degrees in mathematical statistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she began her career in 1981 as a biostatistician at CIBA-Geigy Pharmaceutical Corporation. When CIBA merged with Sandoz to form Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation in 1996, Burton had risen to the position of Executive Director of U.S. Statistics. She remained with Novartis for the rest of her career, becoming the first Global Head of Biostatistics and Statistical Reporting in 2000, based in Basel, Switzerland, and retired as Global Head of Clinical Information Sciences in 2009. Burton later returned to her birthplace, Cambridge, where she became involved in nonprofit organizations and civic initiatives benefitting the city and Dorchester County, including Choptank Lighthouse Foundation, for which she served as board president from 2016 to 2021, and Cambridge Main Street, for which she served as a board and executive committee member from 2013 to 2016.

Kreiser is a native of the Eastern Shore, growing up and living in Dorchester County most of his life. After graduating from Cambridge South Dorchester High School, he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland – Baltimore County. After several years with a local manufacturer, Hi-Tech Plastics, Kreiser began working in the insurance and financial services industry at Whitten Insurance. As the business continued to expand, Kreiser and his partner, Lori Nagel, purchased the property and casualty division from Greg Whitten in 2013. Farm Creek Insurance, LLC (d/b/a Whitten Insurance), formerly a Nationwide Insurance agency, is a fully independent insurance agency operating in 22 states with over 40 insurance carriers, with three offices on the Eastern Shore and two on the Western Shore. Kreiser also serves as board chair (chief volunteer officer) for the YMCA of the Chesapeake.

A Chestertown resident, Roth is managing partner of Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, PC in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He represents and advises a wide range of clients on federal and state regulatory and business matters related to Medicare and Medicaid programs, focusing on payment, compliance, and licensing issues. Prior to going into private practice, Roth enjoyed an 11-year career in government during which he served at both the federal and state levels, as a senior attorney for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and as an assistant attorney general for the state of Maryland assigned to the Department of Health, and also represented the Health Care Financing Administration (subsequently renamed CMS) as part of the HHS Office of the General Counsel. He also is one of few health care lawyers to have argued before the United States Supreme Court, which he did in Sebelius v. Auburn Regional Medical Center, 133 S.Ct. 817 (2013). Roth earned his bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University and his JD from Syracuse University.

Dr. Herman is a primary care physician with University of Maryland Shore Medical Group – Primary Care at Denton. She received her medical education at University of Health Sciences, Antigua School of Medicine and Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and completed her internship and residency at Mount Carmel Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Herman earned her certification from the American Board of Family Medicine in 2009.

Dr. Wang is Medical Director of University of Maryland Shore Emergency Center at Queenstown. She earned her medical degree at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and her undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland at Baltimore.

Jones-Bryce is Senior Vice President and Chief External Affairs Officer for University of Maryland Medical System, where she oversees the System’s government relations and corporate social responsibility work as well as public and regulatory affairs, and serves as an advocate on behalf of the organization and external partners. Jones-Bryce joined UMMS in 2015 after serving for 10 years as Chief of Staff to Speaker Michael E. Busch in the Maryland House of Delegates. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts and earned her JD from the University of Maryland School of Law.

Lee is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for UMMS, where she is responsible for the financial strategy, reimbursement strategy and regulatory compliance, resource allocation, investment policy and the execution of key financial priorities across the System. She joined UMMS in May 2000 as the Senior Director for Financial Reporting for the University of Maryland Medical Center and has been responsible for the development of the consolidated capital finance structure. A certified public accountant, Lee earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Baltimore.

About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health

As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visitwww.umms.org.

Jeanette Jeffrey, MS, MPH, MCHES

The University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is launching a series of free virtual classes this fall for people who may need encouragement to keep up with a healthy lifestyle. Jeanette Jeffrey, MS, MPH, MCHES, Health Educator for University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown will lead the Healthy for Life evidence-based community nutrition and well-being program designed to empower individuals to make healthy food, nutrition and lifestyle choices.

Course topics change each week and include classes around simple exercises individuals can do at home, how healthy food can help people reach goals and improve overall health, how to prepare seasonally fresh foods and incorporate more fruits and vegetables into one’s diet, how food can affect blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, as well as courses in discovering healthy ingredient substitutions that preserve the deliciousness of favorite recipes. Participants will also learn how to be a smarter grocery shopper, make budget friendly and healthy food choices and plan meals around those choices.

Classes take place virtually via WebEx from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday from Sept. 7 through Nov. 9 and participants can attend one or more sessions. Access to course links will be sent following registration.

To register, visit https://bit.ly/Healthy4LifeUMMS.

About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health

As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

Stephanie Bradshaw, MBA

University of Maryland Shore Regional Health recently appointed Stephanie Bradshaw, MBA to the position of Director of Materials Management, which is part of the Supply Chain Department at the University of Maryland Medical System.

“Stephanie brings extensive experience and a background in health care as well as significant leadership accomplishments to this role,” said JoAnne Hahey, Regional Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer, UM Shore Regional Health. “She will be an asset to our team members, and most importantly, to the patients we serve.”

Bradshaw, who resides in Greensboro, Maryland, previously was employed as the Surgical Supply Chain & Implant Manager of Johns Hopkins Hospital’s Perioperative Services Division, where she managed the supply chain services of five facilities and 56 operating rooms. Prior to that, she served in various capacities with CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield of Maryland and the U.S. Department of Defense in Fort Meade.

Bradshaw received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration in business accounting from the University of Phoenix.

About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health

As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

Danielle Wilson

Danielle M. Wilson, MSN, RN, NE-BC, has joined UM Shore Regional Health as Director of Patient Care Services Operations. Wilson has over 17 years of experience in acute and chronic care management, nursing leadership, and hospital administration.

Wilson began her career in 2005 at University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center, where she served as a staff nurse in the Orthopedics, Neurology and Vascular unit, nurse manager of the hospital’s Emergency Department Observation Unit and as Director of Nursing Operations and Service Excellence. Wilson has held several nursing leadership roles at Maryland-based hospitals including most recently as Director of Nursing Innovation and Evidence-Based Practice at University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center in Cheverly, Maryland.

Wilson earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Maryland School of Nursing and her Master of Science in Nursing Administration and Leadership from Notre Dame of Maryland University, both in Baltimore, Maryland. She is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and is a member of the American Organization of Nurse Leaders and held an at large board member seat with the Maryland Organization of Nurse Leaders.

“We are thrilled to have Danielle join our SRH family. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team and will be supporting key initiatives in the care of our community,” said Jenny Bowie, Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President, Patient Care Services, UM Shore Regional Health.

About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health

As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

Serenity Kelly and Emily Welsh staffed the Mobile Wellness Team’s tent, providing screenings and health information to community members who attended the event.

UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown’s Mobile Wellness Team engaged the community in wellness activities during National Night Out activities at Worton Park on August 2, 2022. Mobile Wellness Team members provided blood pressure screenings and pre-diabetes screenings, and distributed masks and hand sanitizer at the annual event which brought out community members and organizations together with law enforcement personnel for an evening of solidarity.

“Most of the participants who wanted their blood pressure checked reported having blood pressure issues and taking medications prescribed by their doctors,” said Emily Welsh, BSN, RN, Mobile Wellness Team Nurse Coordinator. “We distributed blood pressure logs and discussed the importance of checking blood pressure regularly to make sure their medications are effective. We also talked about the importance of maintaining a low salt diet, exercising and losing weight. Overall, National Night Out was a great opportunity for us to provide health screenings to community members and have conversations about ways to achieve and maintain better health.”

In addition to participating in community events, Mobile Wellness Team members conduct outreach visits to trusted community sites, including firehouses, places of worship, residential care facilities and community organizations, and also serve patients and families in their home settings.

To learn more about Mobile Wellness Team community outreach or services, or to request an appointment, contact Welsh at 410-778-3300, ext. 5644, or ewelsh@umm.edu

About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health

As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

Keri Tucker, MSN, APRN, AGPCNP-BC

UM Shore Medical Group – Palliative Care recently welcomed nurse practitioner Keri Tucker, MSN, APRN, AGPCNP-BC.

Tucker joins Lakshmi Vaidyanathan, MD; Don F. D’Aquila, PharmD, RRT; Christina Ball, MS, AGACNP-BC, CNRN; Madeline Steffens, BSN, RN, CHPN; Melissa Leppert, MSN, APRN, FNP-C; and a number of support staff. Providers see patients admitted to UM Shore Medical Center at Easton and via telemedicine at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown. They also provide outpatient care services in the Palliative Care Clinic located at UM Shore Medical Pavilion at Easton, 500 Cadmus Lane, suite 209, in Easton.

Tucker comes to UM SMG – Palliative Care from UM Shore Regional Health, where she previously worked as a clinical care nurse. She has 13 years of experience in the nursing field and has served as a mentor to new UM Shore Regional Health nurses.

Tucker earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Wilmington University in Wilmington, Delaware, and her Master of Science in Nursing with a specialty in Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She provides holistic health care to patients with chronic conditions and to patients seeking palliative care with the goal of achieving improved quality of life.

To make an appointment for a Palliative Care consult, call 410-820-4434.

About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health

As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.