UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center Empowers Community to Lead More Resilient Lives through New Speaker Series

More than 200 community members attended a special event this month at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UM BWMC) – a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) – to hear about resiliency strategies from one of baseball's greatest players. Maryland native Cal Ripken, Jr. shared his personal journey with the Baltimore Orioles and Major League Baseball, and how his perseverance, endurance and everyday work ethic created new opportunities for his success on and off the diamond.

The Courtney Speaker Series is a new initiative offered by UM BWMC to residents of Anne Arundel County and the surrounding region and is sponsored by philanthropists Dr. Leo and Mrs. Liz Courtney through the Baltimore Washington Medical Center Foundation. The program helps participants learn how to build a resilient mindset and enhance overall well-being through dynamic discussions. Former patients, community members and UM BWMC team members gathered in the Courtney Conference Center at the hospital's Outpatient Care Center to learn from Ripken's experiences.

"It takes dedication and a strong set of values to achieve what can seem impossible, and I see those values demonstrated here at UM BWMC in the drive and dedication that our team members bring to work every day," said Kathy McCollum, President and CEO of UM BWMC. "There are important lessons we can all learn from Cal's journey and apply to our own lives and work. As an anchor institution for our community, I'm proud we're able to bring this important conversation to our neighbors and employees so that they can build strategies that help them better navigate difficult situations."

"Our hope is that UM BWMC will continue to be seen as a positive gathering place for enhanced community education and engagement," said Liz Courtney, the former chair of the UM BWMC Board of Directors, whose generous donation with her husband, Dr. Leo Courtney, made the new speaker series possible. "The heart of our gift is sharing this knowledge by promoting resilience, understanding and inclusion by effective speakers."

In the fireside chat, baseball's legendary Iron Man reflected on his life and career, offering valuable insights that can be applied to living well while working towards professional and personal success. As an inspirational speaker and philanthropist, Ripken is committed to teaching critical life lessons that propelled him to success during his baseball career and his business endeavors. He shared a candid account of what it meant to bring the World Series to Baltimore, the values he lived by to keep his winning streak alive and how he's used the insights he's gathered from sports and business to start new ventures and ultimately purchase an ownership stake in the Baltimore Orioles.

"If someone were to describe my career as a person willing to meet the challenges each and every day and to move the game forward, that would be the highest compliment," said Ripken. "If you can be counted on by everybody else to be there in the tough times, that is the motivation."

During the program, Ripken also announced a new collaboration between the foundation he co-founded in honor of his father and UMMS. Thanks to a three-year, $500,000 grant from UMMS, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (CRSF) will open 10 new STEM Centers in schools and community centers across the state of Maryland, in areas where UMMS already has a strong footprint. This partnership represents an opportunity to introduce students to the field of STEM and supports the System's community outreach efforts through strengthened relationships with local organizations and schools.

To find upcoming community events and available volunteer opportunities, visit UM BWMC's website.

About the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center:

The University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UM BWMC) is a 306-bed medical center committed to improving the health outcomes of the communities it serves. A member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), UM BWMC is located in Glen Burnie (Anne Arundel County) and has more than 3,100 team members and 1,200 medical providers on staff. The medical group provides primary and specialty care services to individuals throughout the region. Together with community providers and faculty from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, UM BWMC offers a wide range of clinical programs including cancer, critical care, emergency, heart, lung, neurosciences, orthopedics, pediatric, primary care, vascular, and women's health. For more information, visit umbwmc.org.

About the Baltimore Washington Medical Center Foundation

The Baltimore Washington Medical Center Foundation is the philanthropic arm of UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center. Its mission is to build and grow relationships and financial resources to help UM BWMC provide the highest quality healthcare to the communities we serve. With hospital spending margins of less than 3%, the BWMC Foundation helps fill the gap between UM BWMC's operations and reimbursements, and the need for capital initiatives, technology, programs, and services that allow us to provide state-of-the-art, unparalleled care to our community. To learn more about giving opportunities through the foundation, visit umbwmc.org/giving.

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, visitumms.org.