University of Maryland School of Medicine – Baltimore Magazine

Advice for Selecting Your Primary Care Provider

Megan McGaha — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 11:00:57 +0000

“Many patient-primary care relationships can last a lifetime, therefore find a PCP that you feel comfortable having open conversations with regarding your health.”

Dr. Danielle Baek became a physician because she enjoys developing strong relationships with patients over time, and successfully tackling their medical conditions together. Here she talks about the role of a primary care physician, and why it’s so important to overall health.

Explain the role of the primary care physician (PCP) in healthcare today?
A primary care physician is your main point of contact for most health care needs. We provide routine visits focused on preventative care, as well as visits for new medical concerns and management of chronic conditions. PCPs can also quickly refer you to specialty providers when needed.

What should patients consider when choosing their PCP?
Many patient-primary care relationships can last a lifetime, therefore find a PCP that you feel comfortable having open conversations with regarding your health. Besides choosing someone who is “in-network” for your health insurance plan, we also recommend asking about access to urgent visits, ways to reach your provider (online portal and after-hours access), and other resources available to patients (specialists, pharmacy, lab, and imaging services, etc.).

What are the benefits to having a PCP in addition to other specialists?
As primary care physicians, we’re your partners for better health. We really focus on coordinating your care across all specialists on your care team, and make sure that the changes made by one specialist don’t interfere with the medical plan of another. If you have a new medical concern and don’t quite know who to reach out to for help, we are also there to assist.

Tell us about the most significant preventative measures patients can take to age well.
While not always required, a full physical exam and some “baseline” lab work is always a great place to start. And we encourage our patients to stay active in the best way they can.

What are key preventative screenings you recommend patients receive?
There are so many! It really does depend on your medical history, but we definitely screen for certain cancers (for example: colon cancer, cervical cancer, and breast cancer), osteoporosis, sexually transmitted infections, blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. We also love to review your vaccine history.

How often should patients visit their PCP?
Everyone should have at least a check-up once a year. A lot can happen in a year and we want to make sure you are as healthy as possible. For people with chronic but stable medical conditions, we usually see them somewhere between two to four times a year.

When should a patient seek medical care?
It’s never wrong to check in with your doctor if you have a concern about your health. Most physicians have online patient portals where you can start that conversation via messaging. With advancement in telemedicine, we often can see you quickly for a check-in by phone or video. Given the long-term, supportive relationships PCPs build with patients, sometime we can more easily determine whether a symptom is related to a chronic condition versus something new that we need to work up.

What is your overall best health tip?
Every little bit helps! We want to help you find incremental, sustainable changes to your daily routines, diet, and health habits to help manage your medical conditions for a long and healthy future.

MEET THE EXPERT:

Danielle Baek, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Associate Division Chief, General Internal Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine

Locations: Baltimore City & Owings Mills
Appointments: 667-214-1515

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Regenerative Medicine: The Body’s Ability to Self-Heal

Megan McGaha — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 17:45:11 +0000

“The potential for this innovative treatment to decrease pain and increase function is really compelling for me.”

Whether you’re an athlete, labor worker, or have a history of orthopedic injury, chronic pain can negatively affect your daily activities, disrupt sleep, and even cause depression. The good news is, there’s an innovative procedure using the body’s own healing powers that can provide long-term pain relief when traditional methods no longer work.

To find out more about this unique treatment, we spoke with Idris Amin, MD, from University of Maryland Orthopaedics.

What is regenerative medicine, also known as orthobiologics?
Regenerative medicine addresses the underlying root causes of injuries and pain, not just the outward symptoms. These procedures work by activating the healing processes our bodies naturally go through when we are hurt, and enhance their effectiveness.

How did you become interested in this clinical specialty?
I’m fellowship-trained in sports medicine and treat a wide range of musculoskeletal disorders for all types of patients, from the well-trained athlete to the weekend warrior and casual jogger. The field of orthobiologics has been around for more than twenty years and has grown rapidly in the past decade, fueled by exciting new research and development of new procedures. The potential for this innovative treatment to decrease pain and increase function is really compelling for me. Tell us about the regenerative medicine procedures offered. The most commonly known procedure is Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP). Platelets are derived from our blood and are packed with proteins which stimulate growth and healing. When injected into the injury site, platelets provide nourishment and signal the body to bring in other healing cells. PRP can be helpful for many orthopedic conditions, including tendonitis and arthritis.

Another common procedure is Prolotherapy. This is a mixture of sugar, water, and numbing medication. When combined, they act as an irritant stimulating the body to bring in healing cells to repair the problem at the injury site. Prolotherapy also targets and destroys some of the pain-causing signals. Patients suffering from arthritis, tendon or muscle strains, and joint or ligament sprains, may find relief from prolotherapy.

Who is a good candidate for regenerative medicine?
Patients with long-term chronic pain that has not responded to conventional treatment. For instance, patients with arthritis, long-term sports injuries, and tendon injuries that have not healed within three months.

How should patients prepare for their treatment?
It’s recommended patients drink plenty of water, follow a healthy diet, and avoid certain pain medications, like NSAIDs – Ibuprofen or Aleve, for at least a week. This will help maximize success from the procedure.

How many orthobiologics sessions are usually needed?

Depending on the problem, one treatment session may be enough to see positive results. A follow-up appointment is scheduled for six to eight weeks after the procedure, where we discuss the rehabilitation program further. At completion of the program, about three months post-procedure, we determine if additional treatments are needed.

Tell us about the recovery process.
Patients may experience increased pain for about a week, but the level of pain is usually mild and manageable without pain medications. I typically advise my patients to take things easy after the procedure, and not plan any strenuous activities.

How is University of Maryland unique in their approach to regenerative medicine?
Our understanding and involvement in research related to orthopedic uses for orthobiologics is unique for an academic medical center in this region. I believe it is important for patients to go to a provider they can trust, and one that is up to date on this constantly evolving field of medicine.

MEET OUR EXPERT:

Idris Amin, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology and Orthopaedics, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Physiatrist & Sports Medicine Specialist

To schedule a Regenerative Medicine consultation in Columbia or Downtown Baltimore, please call 410-448-6400.

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Baltimore Pediatric Doctors Monitor Deadly Virus Outbreak

Ken Iglehart — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 11:37:14 +0000

Strains of a rare virus that has been blamed so far for killing 10 children and sickening dozens of others in New Jersey pediatric-care facilities have Baltimore doctors on alert for an outbreak here.

According to New Jersey state health authorities, there have been 27 cases of the adenovirus infection at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation center in Haskell, New Jersey, where the affected children had severely compromised immune systems. One death was a young adult.

The state also confirmed to the Associated Press four adenovirus cases among pediatric patients at New Jersey’s Voorhees Pediatric Facility, just across the river from Philadelphia, but preliminary tests suggest it’s a different strain of the virus.

The department said it’s working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor the illness and announced earlier this week that infection control teams were being sent to New Jersey’s four long-term pediatric centers to help with training.

At Baltimore hospitals, doctors are watching carefully for the spread of the virus, says pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. James Campbell, who is also a professor of pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

“We have been following the events of this institutional adenovirus outbreak and our hearts go out to the patients, families, and staff [in New Jersey],” says Campbell. “Adenoviruses are a common cause of respiratory diseases and may also cause gastrointestinal illness. The illnesses they cause range from very mild to life-threatening. More common manifestations are things like the common cold, sore throat with pink eye, and ear infections. In some people, they can cause pneumonia, heart infections, or other serious diseases.”

Particularly at risk are those with compromised health, he says. “These more serious problems tend to occur in people with underlying medical problems or problems with fighting off infections. Institutional epidemics of pneumonia can occur in dormitories, military barracks, and other places, like chronic-care facilities.”

Campbell says adenoviruses are spread by “respiratory droplets,” just like other viruses that cause colds and pneumonias. “That means that you get them when people sneeze or cough near you or you shake hands or touch surfaces where others were sneezing or coughing,” he says. “The best way to reduce your risk of infection is by hand washing.”

At Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, infection prevention coordinator and R.N. Erica Jones echoed the increased danger such viruses pose to the very young, medically fragile, or hospitalized children.

Jones says that, besides hand washing (use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water aren’t available), there are other steps people can take to avoid spreading viruses. “Avoid close contact with other people, especially infants or children who may be immune-compromised, stay home from work and school when you are sick to help prevent spreading illness, and cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing,” she says.

As someone who deals with very sick kids every day, Jones tries to empower parents to speak up for the safety of their children.

“Parents often tell me they are uncomfortable speaking up when strangers approach their infant or child wanting to touch their hands or belongings,” she says. “A well-intended gesture can prove harmful if germs are passed along. I also let parents know that when their child goes home, it is okay to remind family members and friends not to visit when sick and to wash their hands.”

Hospitals take other steps, too, to avoid spreading illnesses, says Dr. Aaron Milstone,
a Johns Hopkins Hospital epidemiologist and associate professor of pediatrics at Hopkins School of Medicine. “In a health-care setting, we also require our staff to wear personal protective equipment, such as gloves and gowns, when treating patients with contagious infectious diseases,” he says.

And they’re always on the lookout for such viruses: “Adenoviruses are common and can be detected with available tests, but at Johns Hopkins’ five hospitals in Maryland and Washington, D.C., we are seeing a low and typical number of cases.”

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Partial Eclipse, Lots of Clouds, and Total Fun

Ron Cassie — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 20:21:00 +0000

Rider Fulks, wearing a T-shirt that read “Big Dreamer,” patiently awaited a break in the cloud cover atop the Maryland Science Center rooftop Monday afternoon, hoping to glimpse the first eclipse in nearly a century to sweep across the country.

Suddenly, at about 1:15 p.m., the sky broke clear.

The awestruck Parkton 7-year-old, donning safety glasses, tried to describe the rare celestial occurrence to his mother and 5-year-old brother: “It looks like the moon is taking a bite out of the sun,” he said.

The line outside the Science Center began forming a couple of hours before the Inner Harbor institution opened in anticipation of the eclipse, which turned night into day in a stretch of the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina over the course of 90 minutes. In Baltimore, the eclipse wasn’t total, but estimated at 80 percent—though that hardly dimmed enthusiasm for the witnessing the historic alignment.

“We sold out all 300 tickets for each of our five rooftop viewing time slots,” said Science Center program manager Samantha Blau. “We expect more 3,000 people overall. It’ll be our busiest day of the year.”

Eclipses actually occur every 18 months or so, but they rarely darken a path that traverses the entire length of the country; instead dropping the moon’s shadow across one of the oceans or some other continent. The next eclipse path across a significant swath of the United States will arrive in 2024 when the shadow of the moon will move from Texas to New England, coming closest to Baltimore—about 300 miles away—somewhere in its swing between Cleveland and Buffalo.

The Science Center passed out special eclipse safety glasses to all those purchasing a timed pass to the rooftop viewing party, which also included a special exhibition on the sun. The Science Center had also ordered small, unused pizza boxes in advance of the event, assisting visitors in making their own pinhole viewing devices. Many families came equipped with their own pinhole devices made from cereal boxes, which seemed to work better for some than others.

“The tin foil got wrinkled on the drive over here,” said one mother, smiling as she shared safety glasses with her 5-year-old daughter. “Apparently, I needed to keep a better eye on the cereal box in the car.”

Dr. Lisa Schocket, ophthalmologist, and associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, was on hand as well to remind visitors not to look at the sun without proper precautions—not just during eclipses, but anytime—because of the potential harm to the retina.

Inside the Maryland Science Center, NASA’s livestream and coverage of the eclipse was screened at the Davis Planetarium.

In 2012, the Science Center partnered with NASA on a then-new permanent exhibition, Life Beyond Earth, which explores the solar system, and beyond, and also proved a popular destination for visitors Monday.

“The really cool thing is that today you don’t need to be an astronomer and you don’t need a telescope to watch something really cool in the sky,” said Blau.

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University of Maryland to Test HIV Vaccine on Humans

Jess Mayhugh — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 14:59:00 +0000

Just a few months ago, we got HIV/AIDS pioneer Dr. Robert Gallo and city health commissioner Dr. Leana Wen in a room together for September’s “Conversation Issue.” The two doctors discussed many things, including drug addiction and how to make a healthier Baltimore.

Dr. Gallo also broke the news about an exciting development: “Within a month or two, we’ll be having an announcement here, from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, that our candidate vaccine starts Phase I.”

Last week that announcement became official and, after 15 years of developing the HIV vaccine, University of Maryland’s Institute of Human Virology is launching its first clinical trial on humans. Enrollment for the trials began on October 1.

Known as a Phase I study, the trial expects to enroll 60 people and will assess safety and immune responses of the vaccine, which uniquely targets parts of the surface proteins that HIV tries to hide. The goal is that antibodies produced by the vaccine will bind to those parts and prevent infection.

“While we still have more important basic research to do to crack the antibody protection challenge,” Dr. Gallo said in a statement, “this first step is an important one for us to learn how people [rather than test animals] respond.”

To read more about Dr. Gallo’s advancement in HIV/AIDS and how it relates to Baltimore, see the full conversation here.

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