USM Engages Experts to Review University of Maryland, College Park's Response to Adenovirus on Campus in Fall 2018

Baltimore, MD (July 12, 2019) -- The University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents today announced the selection of five individuals who will participate in a review of the University of Maryland, College Park’s (UMCP) response to the presence of adenovirus on campus during the Fall 2018 semester.

On November 18, 2018, UMCP undergraduate student Olivia Paregol died of an illness related to adenovirus. On May 30, 2019 Governor Hogan requested that the USM Board review the matter.

Those chosen to participate in the review have specialties and expertise in the areas of infectious diseases, public health and communication, and facilities management.  Those serving as experts on the review are:

Melanie J. Bernitz, MD, MPH
Associate Vice President and Medical Director
Columbia Health, Columbia University
Expertise: College and University Health

Shane R. Conklin
Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities and Campus Services
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Expertise: University Facilities

Timothy M. Duffy, CIH, PE, RS
Vice President of Engineering
Compliance Environmental International, Inc. (CEI)
Expertise: Certified Industrial Hygienist, Professional Engineer

Tara N. Palmore, MD
Hospital Epidemiologist
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center
Expertise: Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases

Laura Herrera Scott, MD, MPH
Vice President of Medicaid Clinical Operations
Anthem
Expertise: Public Health, Public Health Communication

E. Mitchell Swann, P.E., FCIBSE, LEED AP
Principal
MDCSystems
Expertise: Building Engineering, Design and HVAC Systems

As approved by the USM Board at its most recent meeting on June 21, the USM review will focus on UMCP’s actions and communications relating to the presence of adenovirus on campus in Fall 2018.  It will also focus on UMCP’s response to the presence of mold in campus residence halls during the same time period. The review will not assess any current or potential legal claims. The group will identify generally accepted protocols, policies, rules, regulations, statutes and/or other standards pertaining to incidents of adenovirus and mold on university campuses, assess the actions taken by UMCP in the Fall 2018 pertinent to these standards, and make recommendations to enhance the safety and well-being of students.

As approved by the regents, the review will be conducted under the following charge:
 

• Identify generally accepted protocols, policies, rules, regulations, statutes and/or other standards pertaining to incidents of adenovirus and mold on university campuses and assess the actions taken by UMCP in the Fall 2018 pertinent to these standards.

 

• Develop a comprehensive timeline of events from August 2018 through the end of the fall 2018 semester to include: dates of reported illnesses; dates of diagnoses of adenovirus; dates specific UMCP officials were notified or otherwise became aware of such illnesses or diagnoses; and actions taken by the UMCP leadership—including those associated with the University Health Center, housing, facilities, communications, and any other UMCP departments and/or individuals.

 

• Review UMCP’s response to the first reported cases of potential adenovirus-related illness and to students experiencing potential adenovirus-related illness thereafter.

 

• Review the University Health Center’s response and service to students experiencing influenza-like symptoms during the Fall 2018 semester.

 

• Review the University Health Center’s response and service to students experiencing upper-respiratory symptoms during the Fall 2018 semester.

 

• Review UMCP’s communication and coordination with public health agencies regarding adenovirus during the Fall 2018 semester.

 

• Review UMCP’s communication and coordination with hospitals and other medical care facilities regarding adenovirus during the Fall 2018 semester.

 

• Make recommendations, based on the investigation’s findings, with respect to protocols, policies and procedures, to enhance the safety and well-being of students. 

“A priority among the academic and administrative responsibilities of the regents is overseeing enterprise risk management for every campus and center in the system. No element of this management effort is more paramount than the health, wellness and safety of our students, faculty and staff. This is our number one priority,” said board chair Linda Gooden. “Every aspect of the teaching, research and service mission of our system and institutions flows from providing an open, safe and healthy learning environment.”

The review is expected to be completed by early October and a report delivered to the Board of Regents soon thereafter. Following the board's receipt of the report, it will be made available to the public. Attorney Charles L. Simmons, Jr., will staff the review group. He heads the business and insurance litigation practice at the law firm of Gorman & Williams. The firm's principal offices are in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.



BIOGRAPHIES


Melanie J. Bernitz, MD, MPH
Associate Vice President and Medical Director
Columbia Health, Columbia University
Expertise: College and University Health

Dr. Melanie Bernitz joined Columbia Health in 2016 as associate vice president and medical director. Previously she served as the executive director of the Student Health Service at Columbia University Medical Center. Prior to that position, Dr. Bernitz was a resident, chief resident, and faculty member in Columbia’s Center for Family and Community Medicine. Growing up in the United Kingdom, she received both her bachelor’s degree in psychology and a degree in medicine at University College London. She then received her master’s degree in public health at Columbia University.

Dr. Bernitz's professional experience includes teaching and training of medical students and residents as well as inpatient and outpatient primary care. She is an associate professor of clinical medicine in the Center of Family and Community Medicine and remains committed to ensuring that college students have direct access to high-quality, timely medical care.

Shane R. Conklin
Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities and Campus Services
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Expertise: University Facilities

Shane Conklin is responsible for leading more than 900 staff in planning, design, construction, operations & maintenance, sustainability, transit services and parking, and a centralized business service center. Before joining the Amherst campus, he held various positions in the University of Massachusetts system office, including director of capital finance, and consulted with a number of higher education institutions and construction companies while at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Timothy M. Duffy, CIH, PE, RS
Vice President of Engineering
Compliance Environmental International, Inc. (CEI)
Expertise: Certified Industrial Hygienist, Professional Engineer

Timothy Duffy serves as the Certified Industrial Hygienist, Professional Engineer and Registered Sanitarian for CEI and possesses over 30 years of experience performing industrial hygiene and engineering assessments of real estate, health care and business operations. Mr. Duffy directs the environmental engineering and industrial hygiene activities of CEI, serving clients which include local government agencies, property management companies, insurance companies, attorneys, and corporate clients. His work has included: expert witness testimoney in court, exposure assessments, cause and origin investigations, building forensics, remediation designs, and engineering control implementation. 

Before joining CEI, Mr. Duffy served as an Environmental Sanitarian for the Baltimore County Department of the Environment. While there, Mr. Duffy provided enforcement of public health regulations including waste management, water quality, air quality, food handling, sanitation, and community hygiene. He has served in a variety of environmental cases serving as the state's witness in the District Court system of Maryland.
 
Mr. Duffy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Towson University and a Masters degree in Environmental Engineering from Columbia Southern University


Tara N. Palmore, MD
Hospital Epidemiologist
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center
Expertise: Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases

Dr. Tara Palmore earned her undergraduate degree from Harvard College and her MD from the University of Virginia School of Medicine. She completed her internal medicine residency at the New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weil Cornell Medical Center and her fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.
 
Dr. Palmore has been an attending physician in Infectious Diseases at the NIH since 2005. She became Deputy Hospital Epidemiologist in the NIH Clinical Center in 2007 and Hospital Epidemiologist in 2014. As Hospital Epidemiologist, Dr. Palmore aims to optimize patient safety through prevention and control of hospital-acquired infections.


Laura Herrera Scott, MD, MPH
Vice President of Medicaid Clinical Operations
Anthem
Expertise: Public Health, Public Health Communication

Dr. Laura Herrera Scott is a board-certified family practitioner with extensive experience in public health policy and management.  She currently serves as the VP of Medicaid Clinical Operations for Anthem, where she oversees the administration of medical services for the company’s Medicaid health plans. With nearly two decades of experience, Dr. Herrera Scott has held several prominent leadership positions in the Baltimore area and Maryland. These roles include; the Deputy Secretary for Public Health for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Acting Deputy Chief Officer, Office of Patient Care Services and Office of Public Health at the Veterans Health Administration, as well as the Deputy Commissioner of Health and Chief Medical Officer in the Baltimore City Health Department.  

Dr. Herrera Scott served as a medical officer in the United States Army Reserve and has been deployed domestically to care for active duty soldiers in 2004 and 2005 and briefly served overseas in Iraq in 2008.  She is a graduate of CUNY Baruch College, received her MD from SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn and her MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She completed her internship and residency in family medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

E. Mitchell Swann, PE, FCIBSE, LEED AP
Principal
MDCSystems
Expertise: Engineering, Design and HVAC Systems

Mr. Swann has over 30 years of experience on both domestic and international projects in the areas of consulting, design engineering, construction, project management, forensic engineering and claims analysis. His career includes the engineering and design of mechanical and control systems across a wide range of commercial, industrial and institutional projects and building types including central utility plants, laboratories and research facilities, microelectronic facilities, pharmaceutical facilities, broadcasting, computer centers, correctional facilities and shipboard systems. Mr. Swann has served as Chair on several ASHRAE Technical Committees and co-authored design guidelines for ASHRAE and ISPE. He also served as Vice-Chair of the ABA’s Committee on ADR in Construction and currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for The Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation. He is frequently a national and international speaker and lecturer for professional organizations and is a member of ASHRAE’s Distinguished Lecturer roster since 2005.





 

Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu