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December 26, 2024

Chestertown Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown

Health Health Notes

Free Health Screenings Offered for Marine Industry Workers in Rock Hall on March 16

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“Shore to Shore,” an afternoon featuring free health care screenings for marine industry workers, is planned for Thursday, March 16, 12 noon to 4 p.m. in Rock Hall.

Provided by UM Shore Medical Center’s Rural Health Care Transformation Team and the Shore Community Outreach Team (formerly known as the Mobile Wellness Team) in partnership with Choptank Community Health Services, the “Shore to Shore” event will take place at the American Legion Post 228, 21423 East Sharp Street in Rock Hall. Screenings offered include blood pressure checks, hearing tests, skin checks for signs of melanoma and A1C measurement for diabetes.

As an incentive to participate in the event, the first 40 participants to undergo all four screenings will receive a $100 gas card. No appointment is needed; screenings will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis.

“We know that watermen, boat builders, marina workers and others in the marine industry work long hours that can make it hard to get to their primary care providers and various medical specialists for evaluation of possible health issues,” said Lara Wilson, Director, Rural Health Care Transformation, UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown. “We are excited to offer a convenient, one-stop opportunity to get key screenings done all at once, including free refreshments and the gas card opportunity as a bonus.”

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 Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Clinical Trial Aids Chestertown Man in Beating Aggressive Cancer

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Rick Miller stands in front of one of the boats in his workshop at Miller’s Marine Services in Chestertown.

When Chestertown native Rick Miller began exhibiting puzzling and severe symptoms — fainting spells, changes in his speech and behavior, trouble walking, migraines and periods of confusion — he and his wife, Diana Miller, knew that he would likely require highly specialized care. The 61-year-old was ultimately diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer and received a combination of surgery and cancer treatments, thanks to the coordinated efforts of physicians within the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS).

Miller’s journey began in 2019 in the Emergency Department of University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown, where his wife had formerly worked as a critical care nurse. After undergoing emergency brain surgery at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, Miller was treated in an innovative clinical trial at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, led by Graeme Woodworth, MD, FACS. Nearly four years later, Miller remains cancer-free.

Through its affiliation as a member organization hospital of UMMS, UM Shore Regional Health physicians benefit from the academic health System’s focus and pursuit of innovation and discovery-based medicine.

On that night in March 2019, during the initial trip to the hospital in Chestertown, Miller couldn’t have known where his journey back to health would take him. After quickly ruling out a cardiac issue, the emergency care team rushed him in for a cranial CT scan, where they discovered a 5-centimeter lesion on the right side of his brain.

Emergency Department physician Steven Lucas, MD, sent Miller’s CT slides to UM SRH neurosurgeon Khalid Kurtom, MD, FAANS, FACS, for review. Dr. Kurtom is on-call 24/7/365 for neurological and spinal consultations requested by UM SRH emergency departments in Cambridge, Chestertown, Easton and Queenstown. He quickly recognized the source of Miller’s symptoms: a glioblastoma, which is a malignant or cancerous tumor affecting the brain or spine, and directed Miller to be transferred to UM Shore Medical Center at Easton for emergency surgery.

“You could see the tumor pushing and crowding Rick’s brain,” Diana Miller said.

Khalid Kurtom, MD, FAANS, FACS

Once Miller arrived, Dr. Kurtom needed to make sure some of the swelling in Miller’s brain was reduced before he could safely perform the surgery. Three days later, Dr. Kurtom performed a craniotomy mass resection, a surgical procedure in which part of the skull is removed in order to view the brain, and also a gross total resection to remove the tumor.

“The main goals of this type of surgery are to obtain tissue for diagnosis, remove pressure from the brain and to improve the patient’s prognosis,” said Dr. Kurtom, who joined UM Shore Regional Health in 2010 and now serves as Medical Director, UM Shore Medical Group – Neurosurgery, Chair of the UM SRH Surgical Department, Adjunct Associate Professor with the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), and the Regional Chief of the University of Maryland Neuroscience Network.

The surgery was performed with minimal tissue disruption through a small opening in the brain. Miller was in the Intensive Care Unit at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton for only one day and was discharged within two days of his operation.

“An MRI scan after the surgery confirmed that the entirety of the tumor had been removed,” Dr. Kurtom said.

“To this day, when my doctors review my post-op scans, they remark on how clear the margins are from my surgery with Dr. Kurtom,” Miller said.

According to Dr. Kurtom, glioblastomas are typically recurring, very aggressive and generally fast-growing, so despite removal of the tumor, Miller still faced months of uncertain cancer treatment.

Because of this, following her husband’s surgery, Diana Miller wanted to pursue clinical study options in order to hopefully improve his chances for a positive outcome.

“A series of conversations led him to the right clinical trial,” Diana Miller said. “It was Dr. Haroon Ahmad, our medical oncologist at UMMC, who first presented the trial to us after we questioned what was available. That got the ball rolling. Dr. Ahmad contacted Dr. Mark Mishra, Rick’s radiation oncologist, and that’s how Dr. Woodworth, who at the time was looking for participants in a new clinical study, became aware of Rick. If not for the communication between these physicians, he would not have made it into the trial. This is all because of the great collaboration between Rick’s physicians and Dr. Kurtom.”

At a weekly conference called the Tumor Board that enables doctors across UMMS to discuss their patients’ tumors, Dr. Kurtom presented Miller’s case to a team of specialists involved in cancer care, including surgeons, radiologists, hematologists/oncologists and radiation oncologists.

“This is one of the tools we have because of our relationship with UMMS, and our unified cancer program. We discuss each case at length and review the options each patient has for treatment,” Dr. Kurtom said.

During this conference, Dr. Kurtom and Dr. Woodworth, Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery and Director of the Brain Tumor Program at University of Maryland School of Medicine, and Chief of Neurosurgery at University of Maryland Medical Center, discussed Miller’s case. The team offered him a new type of treatment in a clinical trial in which patients would receive targeted focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier, the brain’s protective layer, to allow chemotherapy drugs to reach the affected area.

In patients with glioblastoma, even after maximal, safe surgical removal, there are invading tumor cells within the surrounding functional brain regions. These invading tumors cells are shielded from most treatments, like chemotherapies, by the blood-brain barrier. During the trial, patients received an infusion of bioinert microbubbles (also used as ultrasound contrast agents in radiology). The microbubbles become activated in the ultrasound field, producing temporary openings in the barrier, increasing the delivery and effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs to these regions.

Miller was one of 15 patients accepted into the worldwide study, which is now closed and not accepting new patients, and Dr. Woodworth and the multi-institutional team working on the trial will be publishing the results of the first safety and feasibility trial soon. With this study complete, they are working to begin the next phase of investigation into this promising new therapeutic strategy for glioblastoma and other brain diseases.

During the clinical trial, Miller also received seven weeks of radiation therapy five days a week, along with seven weeks of chemotherapy. This treatment was provided at University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC), located at UMMC in downtown Baltimore. His last day of radiation treatment was June 4, 2019, and his last day of chemotherapy also happened to take place during the last day of his participation in the clinical trial, November 21, 2019.

Almost four years later, Miller is cancer free, according to his radiation oncologist, Mark Mishra, MD, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at UM School of Medicine, Director of Clinical Research for the Department of Radiation Oncology and Associate Director of the University of Maryland Cancer Network. Dr. Mishra recently saw Miller for a follow-up MRI.

“His last scan showed no evidence of any cancer recurrence and he does not need to be seen again for another six months, at which time he will get another MRI at the Maryland Proton Treatment Center in Baltimore,” said Dr. Mishra. “We are all pleased and encouraged with Mr. Miller’s response to treatment. In addition to his good MRI scans, it is especially encouraging to see that he has been able to maintain a high quality of life for years after completing treatment. We hope to further study this novel treatment approach to see if this approach can be further explored to help other patients with a glioblastoma.”

Miller credits his endurance during the past three years to the strength, perseverance and guidance of his wife, who never left his side.

“He told me from the beginning that he didn’t want to die, so I set about making sure that didn’t happen,” Diana Miller said.

“What Mr. Miller went through — from being seen in the Chestertown emergency department, to my review of his scans and his transfer to Easton for emergency surgery, to his trips across the Bridge for advanced cancer treatment — this is a common path for our patients who need highly specialized care. The tools are in place, the relationship with UMMS is in place. We are well-equipped to deliver high-quality care to each and every patient that comes through our doors on the Eastern Shore,” Dr. Kurtom said.

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 Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Courtyard Renovations Near Completion at UM SMC at Chestertown

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Thanks to the generosity of local residents, the courtyard at University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown has undergone a much-needed refresh. The courtyard is a secure outdoor space used by patient and team members for meals, relaxation and occasional meetings.

“The old pavilion has been removed and a new one installed,” said Maryann Ruehrmund, Executive Director, UM Chester River Health Foundation.  “We’ve also purchased new furniture, and fresh landscaping in the spring will complete the project.”

“We can’t wait to enjoy our lunch under the new pavilion,” said Sherrie Hill, Clinical Coordinator, Cardio pulmonary Rehabilitation. “We are grateful to have this beautiful space for team members and patients and family members to enjoy.”

The Pavilion at University of Maryland Shore Medical Center

The project was funded primarily by Chestertown residents Wendy Sand Eckel and her husband, Robert Roth, who is a member of the UM Shore Regional Health Board of Directors.

Construction and walkway repair was completed by KRM Construction Company LLC; tree removal was performed by Sharp Lawn and Tree; and Lywood Electric Company provided electrical services.

Additional funds are being raised through donations to the Foundation’s annual appeal. To make a donation, visit umcrhf.org/donate.

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 a university-based regional health care system focused on serving the health care needs of Maryland, bringing innovation, discovery and research to the care we provide and educating the state’s future physician and health care professionals through our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore professional schools (Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry) in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s more than 29,500 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations, including 13 hospitals and 9 University of Maryland Urgent Care centers. The UMMS flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, is recognized regionally and nationally for excellence and innovation in specialized care. Our acute care and specialty rehabilitation hospitals serve urban, suburban and rural communities and are located in 13 counties across the State. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

UM SMC at Easton Recognized as High Performing in Maternity Care

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University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton has been recognized for the second time as High Performing in Maternity Care (Uncomplicated Pregnancy) by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals for Maternity Care. Among nearly 650 hospitals providing labor and delivery services nationwide, fewer than half received the “high performing” designation; in Maryland, UM Shore Medical Center at Easton was one of only five hospitals so designated.

Earning this recognition required the hospital to excel on quality metrics that matter to expectant families, including newborn complication rates, C-sections among lower-risk pregnancies, early elective delivery rates, the hospital’s ability to meet new federal criteria for birth-friendly practices, and how successfully the hospital supported breastfeeding.

From left are Angie Wicks, DNP, RNC-OB, Nurse Manager at The Birthing Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton; Jenny Bowie, Senior Vice President, Patient Care Services, and Chief Nursing Officer; Javier Cajina, MD, Medical Director for UM Shore Medical Group – Women’s Health and The Birthing Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton; and Ken Kozel, President and Chief Executive Officer, UM Shore Regional Health.

“The Birthing Center and UM Shore Medical Group-Women’s Health teams deserve tremendous credit for maintaining this strong rating from U.S. News & World Report,” said Javier Cajina, MD, Medical Director for UM Shore Medical Group – Women’s Health and The Birthing Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton.

On average, 1,000 babies a year are delivered at the hospital’s Birthing Center.

“It was such an honor to receive this designation for the second time,” said Angie Wicks, DNP, RNC-OB, Nurse Manager at The Birthing Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton.“It’s a reflection of the dedication our obstetrics providers, nurses and techs maintain as they provide quality patient care.”

In addition to continuing the focus on providing the highest quality patient experience, in just the past year, UM Shore Medical Group-Women’s Health has expanded access to obstetric, maternity and the full continuum of women’s health care by adding four new providers – three certified nurse midwives and one nurse practitioner.

For information about The Birthing Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, visit umshoreregional.org/birthing. UM Shore Medical Group – Women’s Health can be reached by calling 410-820-4888.

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 Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

UM Shore Regional Health Cancer Program Welcomes New Radiation Oncologist

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Rashmi Benda, MD

The Cancer Program at University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) has welcomed Rashmi Benda, MD, as Medical Director of the Requard Radiation Oncology Center. In this role, Dr. Benda will work closely with John Mastandrea, MD, Chief of Radiation Oncology at UM SRH, to further develop the robust clinical program at the radiation therapy center with state-of-the-art technology, including brachytherapy and stereotactic radiation services.

Dr. Benda also has joined the faculty of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). In this capacity, she will further define and implement processes to ensure that UM SRH remains fully integrated into the UMSOM radiation oncology program, the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center and the University of Maryland Medical System.

Working with Dr. Mastandrea, Mark Mishra, MD, Associate Director of the University of Maryland Cancer Network and Director of Radiation Oncology Clinical Research, and other members of the Clinical Trial Research leadership team, Dr. Benda will promote and grow existing radiation oncology clinical trials and research protocols.

Dr. Benda is a board-certified radiation oncologist with more than 24 years of clinical experience in both private practice and academic settings. She received her medical degree from the University of Miami’s Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, and completed an internal medicine internship at the Sinai Hospital of Detroit and a radiation oncology residency at Wayne State University, also in Detroit. Dr. Benda’s areas of expertise include clinical radiation oncology, clinical trials, and establishing and growing multidisciplinary clinics in academic and community-based cancer centers. She most recently worked for Baptist Health South Florida where she served as Chief of Breast Services at the Lynn Cancer Institute Radiation Oncology Department.

“Dr. Benda’s experience across the full range of radiation treatment techniques in cancer will be an asset to patients and colleagues at UM SRH,” said William F. Regine, MD, FASTRO, FACRO, FACRO, the Isadore and Fannie Schneider Foxman Chair and Professor of Radiation Oncology at UMSOM. “We are looking forward to having her on the UM radiation oncology team as an integral part of our academic, research, educational, and patient outreach activities.”

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Benda to the UM Shore Regional HealthCancer Program,” said Jeanie Scott, Director of Oncology Services for UM SRH. “Her wide expertise makes her an excellent addition to the Requard Radiation Center team, and in particular, her experience in treating breast cancer will be most welcome to team members and patients in the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center.”

To learn more about the Cancer Program at UM SRH, visit umshoreregional.org/cancer.

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 Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

UM SRH’s Population Health Team Promotes Advance Directives, Diabetes Prevention

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The University of Maryland Shore Regional Health’s Population Health team is off to a strong start this year with two projects – promoting advance directives for UM SRH team members, patients and community residents, and encouraging enrollment in the new Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP).

To show appreciation for community partners participating in these projects, Population Health team members Kathy Sellers and Terry Satchell, MHA, BSN, RN created gift baskets — one delivered to Ellen Sellers, LMSW, Social Worker at Bayleigh Chase in Easton, for her help with the advanced directives campaign, and the other delivered to Kim Herman, MD, University of Maryland Shore Medical Group – Primary Care in Denton, recognizing her leadership as the first UM SMG provider to refer a patient to the DPP program.“In addition to physician referrals, people who are high risk for prediabetes may enroll inthe Diabetes Prevention Program without a referral,” said Satchell.

Photo: Kathy Sellers, Transitional Care Liaison, UM SRH (left) and Terry Satchell, Population Health Manager, UM SRH (right) presented a gift basket to Ellen Sellers, Social Worker, Bayleigh Chase in recognition of her support for the UM SRH Advance Directives campaign. 

The DPP program will be offered beginning this month online through Eastern Shore Area Higher Education Center (ESAHEC) in Cambridge and also in-person at Eastern Shore Wellness Solutions, local county health departments, and Easton YMCA of the Chesapeake.

It is estimated that prediabetes affects one in three residents of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. A risk assessment test for pre-diabetes is available online at https://www.cdc.gov/prediabetes/takethetest/.

To learn more about assistance available in completing an advance directive, contact Kathy Sellers, Transitional Care Liaison, UM SRH, 443-786-7027, [email protected]. To learn more about the Diabetes Prevention Program, visit https://esahec.org/dpp/.

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 Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Luke Whalen, MD, Named Medical Director of SRH Emergency Department at Cambridge

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Luke Whalen, MD

University of Maryland Shore Emergency Center at Cambridge has named Luke Whalen, MD, as medical director. Dr. Whalen has served UM Shore Regional Health as an emergency medicine physician since 2018.

A cum laude graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland in St, Mary’s City, Md., Dr. Whalen earned his medical degree in 2014 from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond, Va. and completed a four-year residency in emergency medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital in 2018.

Dr. Whalen’s experience includes research and teaching as well as the practice of emergency medicine. While pursuing his medical degree, he participated in research on intervention to reduce inappropriate coagulation testing, and comparison of attending physician and nursing evaluations of emergency resident evaluations. As an undergraduate student, he completed a summer research fellowship at the National Cancer Institute at the National Institute of Health.

During his residency, Dr. Whalen’s teaching experience included proctoring and debriefing case and procedural simulations for medical students and residents. He also provided hands-on training on the use of bedside ultrasound to Yale Medical School students and residents.

“Dr. Whalen is a fantastic addition to our leadership team in emergency medicine at Shore,” said Walt Atha, MD, Regional Director of Emergency Medicine at UM SRH. “He is committed to his career here; in fact, he secured a position with our practice early in his residency long before beginning his formal employment. He is a stellar emergency physician who is highly respected by all of his colleagues and coworkers. His careful and astute observation of the needs and opportunities in the Cambridge Emergency Department and his calm, steady leadership style will add tremendously to our ability to care for the patients of Dorchester County and beyond.”

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 Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Chestertown Mammography Patients Being Scheduled at Other UM SRH Sites Due to Equipment Replacement at Leh Women’s Center

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Due to an unforeseen construction event, mammography equipment at the Eleanor and Ethel Leh Women’s Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown is non-operational. University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is in the process of replacing the mammography machine with new, state-of-the-art equipment.

While the new mammography machine is being acquired and installed, patients are being directed to UM SRH breast imaging sites in Denton, Easton and Queenstown for screening and diagnostic services. We anticipate this temporary service downtime to last three to four months, with a goal to be operational again in Chestertown by May 2023. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Nelson Goldberg, MD and Roberta Lilly, MD will continue to see patients in the Leh Women’s Center, and DEXA scans may still be scheduled at this location.

Thank you for your understanding as we work to bring our community this new state-of-the-art equipment.

To schedule imaging services throughout the five-county region UM SRH serves, please call Central Scheduling at 443-225-7474.

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 Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

UM Shore Regional Health Cancer Program Welcomes New Radiation Oncologist

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Rashmi Benda, MD

The Cancer Program at University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) has welcomed Rashmi Benda, MD, as Medical Director of the Requard Radiation Oncology Center. In this role, Dr. Benda will work closely with John Mastandrea, MD, Chief of Radiation Oncology at UM SRH, to further develop the robust clinical program at the radiation therapy center with state-of-the-art technology, including brachytherapy and stereotactic radiation services.

Dr. Benda also has joined the faculty of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). In this capacity, she will further define and implement processes to ensure that UM SRH remains fully integrated into the UMSOM radiation oncology program, the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center and the University of Maryland Medical System.

Working with Dr. Mastandrea, Mark Mishra, MD, Associate Director of the University of Maryland Cancer Network and Director of Radiation Oncology Clinical Research, and other members of the Clinical Trial Research leadership team, Dr. Benda will promote and grow existing radiation oncology clinical trials and research protocols.

Dr. Benda is a board-certified radiation oncologist with more than 24 years of clinical experience in both private practice and academic settings. She received her medical degree from the University of Miami’s Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, and completed an internal medicine internship at the Sinai Hospital of Detroit and a radiation oncology residency at Wayne State University, also in Detroit. Dr. Benda’s areas of expertise include clinical radiation oncology, clinical trials, and establishing and growing multidisciplinary clinics in academic and community-based cancer centers. She most recently worked for Baptist Health South Florida where she served as Chief of Breast Services at the Lynn Cancer Institute Radiation Oncology Department.

“Dr. Benda’s experience across the full range of radiation treatment techniques in cancer will be an asset to patients and colleagues at UM SRH,” said William F. Regine, MD, FASTRO, FACRO, FACRO, the Isadore and Fannie Schneider Foxman Chair and Professor of Radiation Oncology at UMSOM. “We are looking forward to having her on the UM radiation oncology team as an integral part of our academic, research, educational, and patient outreach activities.”

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Benda to the UM Shore Regional HealthCancer Program,” said Jeanie Scott, Director of Oncology Services for UM SRH. “Her wide expertise makes her an excellent addition to the Requard Radiation Center team, and in particular, her experience in treating breast cancer will be most welcome to team members and patients in the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center.”

To learn more about the Cancer Program at UM SRH, visit umshoreregional.org/cancer.

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 Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Three Nurse Practitioners Join UM Shore Medical Group – Primary Care

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University of Maryland Shore Medical Group (UM SMG) – Primary Care recently welcomed three new nurse practitioners. Kathryn Wilson, MSN, CRNP, FNP-C and Melissa Wood, MSN, CRNP, FNP-C joined the Easton practice. Ashley Schreppel, MSN, CRNP, FNP-B, FNP-BC joined the Denton practice. All three providers are natives to the Eastern Shore.

L-R: Kathryn Wilson, Melissa Wood, and Ashley Schreppel

Wilson earned her Associate of Science in Nursing from Chesapeake College in Wye Mills and her Master of Science – Family Nurse Practitioner from Walden University. Previously, she served as a family nurse practitioner for a local medical practice, and also served as a staff nurse for UM Shore Regional Health, Peninsula Regional Medical Center and Compass Regional Hospice.

Wood earned her Associate of Science in Nursing from Chesapeake College, her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Wilmington College in New Castle, Del., and her Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner track from Chamberlain University in Addison, Ill. Her past experience includes working in maternity, medical-surgical, home health care, pain management, and radiation oncology. Wood is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the Oncology Nursing Society, where she served as a board member for the Upper Eastern Shore chapter for two years.

Schreppel earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Salisbury University and her Master of Science –Family Nurse Practitioner from Walden University. Schreppel has worked at several area hospitals, including University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton as clinical nurse coordinator and charge nurse.

“We are fortunate to expand our primary care team on the Mid-Shore with excellent local talent,” said Timothy Shanahan, DO, Medical Director, UM SMG. “The addition of three highly qualified family nurse practitioners will help us better serve the needs of our community.”

To make an appointment with Wilson or Wood in Easton, call 410-820-4880. To make an appointment with Schreppel in Denton, call 410-479-5900.

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 a university-based regional health care system focused on serving the health care needs of Maryland, bringing innovation, discovery and research to the care we provide and educating the state’s future physician and health care professionals through our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore professional schools (Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry) in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s more than 29,500 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations, including 12 hospitals and 10 University of Maryland Urgent Care centers. The UMMS flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, is recognized regionally and nationally for excellence and innovation in specialized care. Our acute care and specialty rehabilitation hospitals serve urban, suburban and rural communities and are located in 13 counties across the State. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.