Research Training

Research and scholarly work are a major priority of our program.

The research opportunities at the University of Maryland are numerous, and all faculty in our division are involved in basic science, translational or clinical research, or education/curriculum research efforts.

Fellows are expected to select a research mentor during the spring of their first year and spend 15 to 18 months during the subsequent years of fellowship participating in such projects under the guidance of their mentor and the program directors.

All research projects are complemented by didactic coursework, including a one-week course in clinical and translational research offered by the Department of Epidemiology.

The goal of the research time is to provide a structured, mentored experience in the fundamentals of research within critical care units, inpatient or outpatient services, pulmonary function laboratory, basic science laboratory or UME/GME education.

Support for research is derived from competitive peer-reviewed grants and contracts from the NIH, Veterans Administration, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and other funding sources. Fellows are expected to produce scholarly work as a result of their research efforts for publication in peer-reviewed journals or for presentation at national meetings.

Major Areas of Investigation

Below are the current major areas of investigation in our division. Please click on the links for further details, as well as information about specific investigators and their research.

• Acute lung injury and ARDS
• Asthma
• Clinical ICU medicine
• COPD
• Drug development
• Educational/curriculum research
• Glycobiology
• ICU infections
• ICU rehabilitation
• Interstitial lung disease/pulmonary fibrosis
• Lung cancer
• Lung infections
• Lung transplant/artificial lung
• Occupational/environmental lung diseases
• Sepsis and septic shock
• Sleep medicine
• Viral lung diseases/influenza

For fellows interested in pursuing an academic career, the division will fully support any fellow desiring an additional year of fellowship training in order to meet their academic goals. We will provide didactic training and expertise to help support the fellow's research project and will work towards obtaining extramural funding and improving their competitiveness for career development grants.

Fellow Highlights

• Mary Maldarelli, MD was selected as Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the T32 Epidemiology of Aging Training Program in 2024, evaluating the health impact of wildfires
  • Under mentorship of Bradley Maron, MD
• Dena Tran, MD completed the CARTI Clinica/Translational Research Training Track Pilot Program in 2024 – the only trainee selected for the cohort
  • Under mentorship of Avelino Verceles, MD, MS
• Andrew Gilmore, MD, MPH is a member of the ATS Vaccine Initiative Advisory Panel
  • Under mentorship of Justin Ortiz, MD, MS

Mentored career development awards accessible to the University of Maryland include the individual K08 and K23 awards and VA career development awards. Our division has access to a wealth of potential mentors and resources to support a transition to a faculty position.

Additionally, the Department of Epidemiology has established a K30-funded clinical research training program that offers a Master of Science in Epidemiology and Clinical Research for those fellows interested in pursuing an additional degree.