University of Maryland Shore Medical Group – Cardiology recently welcomed two new providers to the practice based at UM Shore Medical Pavilion at Easton, 500 Cadmus Lane, suite 207; Robert Malacoff, MD, FACC, FSCAI, FHRS, CCDS, and Robyn Lanasa, CRNP, FNP-BC.

Dr. Malacoff’s career includes extensive clinical cardiology experience. He previously served as Director of the Cardiac Catheterization and EP Laboratories at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass.; as Medical Director and Chief of Cardiology and Director of Electrophysiology at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Bethlehem, Pa; and as Medical Director of Cardiology at Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown, N.Y. Most recently, he served three years with the Veterans Administration Hospital in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and the Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic in Allentown, Pa. He also has lectured and published widely in the field of cardiology, and organized several cardiology symposia.

A graduate of Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science in New York, N.Y., Dr. Malacoff earned his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., and completed his residency at Yale New Haven Hospital. He also completed research and clinical fellowships in electrophysiology and cardiovascular medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, respectively, in Boston, Mass.

Lanasa completed her Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner at Simmons College in Boston, Mass. During her clinical rotations, she gained experience in internal medicine/geriatrics, women’s health, emergency medicine, cardiology and pediatrics. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Maryland School of Nursing in Baltimore. Prior to her nursing career, she received her Bachelor of Science in Emergency Services from University of Maryland Baltimore County and worked as an emergency medical services coordinator for University of Maryland Medical Center’s R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center.

Lanasa was employed by Luminis Health Kent Island Primary Care for several years after obtaining her nurse practitioner degree. Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, she worked in pre-operative/post-anesthesia care at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, and in cardiac surgery intensive care at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. She also worked in several emergency departments, including at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton.

Dr. Malacoff and Lanasa are accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment, please call 410-822-5571.

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.

University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton, a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), has received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade in The Leapfrog Group’s fall 2022 reporting period. This marks the fifth consecutive period that the hospital has received an ‘A’.

Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grade is a national distinction recognizing a hospital’s achievements in providing safer healthcare by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors.

“We are extremely pleased to once again achieve The Leapfrog Group’s highest safety grade,” said Ken Kozel, President and CEO, UM Shore Regional Health. “This national award reflects the tremendous dedication and commitment of our doctors, nurses and all team members who work hard every day to provide the highest-quality medical care to our patients.”

“I applaud the hospital leadership and workforce for their strong commitment to safety and transparency,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is a sign that hospitals are continuously evaluating their performance, so that they can best protect patients. Your hospital team should be extremely proud of their dedication and achievement.”

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization with a 10-year history of assigning letter grades to general hospitals throughout the United States, based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public. Hospital Safety Grade results are based on more than 30 national performance measures and are updated each fall and spring.

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.

Milford Mace “Mickey” Foxwell, MD, and Ida Jane Baker, distinguished lifelong residents of Dorchester County, were honored in memoriam at a reception on October 27, 2022 at University of Maryland Shore Regional Health at Cambridge.

Led by University of Maryland Shore Regional Health Board President David Milligan and attended by more than 50 family members and former colleagues of the honorees, the event commemorated the many years of dedicated service Dr. Foxwell and Mrs. Baker devoted to advancing health care in Dorchester County and beyond. The occasion included the unveiling of portraits of both honorees, both painted by Laura Era, well-known local artist, also a friend of the Foxwell and Baker families. Dr. Foxwell’s portrait was donated by the Cambridge High School Class of 1971. Mrs. Baker’s was commissioned and donated by the Dorchester General Hospital Auxiliary.

Mr. Milligan began by welcoming the guests and noting that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the occasion marked the first time an event could be held inside UM Shore Regional Health at Cambridge and on the eve of the anniversary of the new facility’s opening.

“The completion of this wonderful facility was a key step in our ongoing transformation of health care delivery throughout our five-county region,” he said. “On behalf of the Board, I share our appreciation to everyone who made this facility possible, to those who now arrive here each day to care for our patients, and to those whose tireless work, over several decades, has supported the continued advancement of health services in Dorchester.”

Testimonials about the life and service of Dr. Foxwell were provided by Ken Kozel, UM SRH President and CEO; and Eugene Newmeier, MD, and Adebowale Prest, MD, of Rose Hill Family Physicians.

Born and raised in Cambridge, Maryland, Dr. Foxwell was a member of the Cambridge High School in 1971. After graduating from the University of Maryland at College Park in 1975 and the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1980, Dr. Foxwell completed his internship at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, after which he returned to Maryland and served as Chief Resident in the Department of Medicine of the University of Maryland Hospital Veterans Administration Medical Center. He remained with the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) throughout the duration of his career, serving in teaching, clinical and administrative capacities.

In 1989, Dr. Foxwell was named Dean of Admissions for the medical school, and continued to serve and lead in that role for nearly three decades before his death in 2020. During his tenure, he oversaw the acceptance of more than 4,000 students. Remaining a resident of Cambridge throughout his life, he was known for encouraging many Eastern Shore natives to attend the School of Medicine and likewise, for actively recruiting UMSOM graduates to practice in Dorchester and surrounding counties. He received numerous awards and accolades, but was most proud of the Golden Apple Award for best clinical teacher, awarded to him by UMSOM Class of 1988.

Ida Jane Baker’s decades of leadership and service in fundraising and volunteerism were highlighted by Kozel, Dorchester General Hospital Auxiliary member Debbie Thomas and Dorchester General Hospital Foundation Secretary Tom Merryweather.

Kozel thanked the Foundation Board for their generous donations to cover the cost of furniture and AV equipment for the community room in the new facility, now known as the Ida Jane Baker Community Room, and for the Foundation’s funding of the building’s exterior roof signage. He also acknowledged the Dorchester Auxiliary’s ongoing fundraising and volunteer support for the advancement of patient care in the county.

Like Dr. Foxwell, Ida Jane Baker was born and raised in Dorchester County. She joined the hospital Auxiliary in 1959 and helped establish the Dorchester General Hospital Foundation in 1988. For more than a half-century, thanks to her strong organizational and leadership skills as well as her unwavering dedication to the betterment of health care in her home county, the Foundation and the Auxiliary successfully raised funds for important hospital renovations and medical equipment purchases, and also to support nurses in advancing their skills through specialized training and certifications.

In recent years, as population and health care trends pointed to a critical need for greater outpatient health services in the region and also for a new emergency department, Mrs. Baker made sure that the Foundation and the Auxiliary continued their important work benefitting patient care programs in Dorchester County.

“Dr. Foxwell and Ida Jane Baker exemplified the talent, dedication and leadership that all team members serving patients at UM Shore Regional Health at Cambridge can appreciate,” Kozel said. “Having their portraits on view will remind patients and visitors, as well as providers and staff, of their significant contributions to the advancement of quality health care in Dorchester County.”

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 work 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 University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) will visibly demonstrate support for the state’s veterans this week by illuminating all of its hospitals in green. Each evening, as part of the national Operation Green Light initiative, member hospitals will literally shine the light on veterans and available resources to help them transition into civilian culture.

This is the inaugural year of Operation Green Light. Governor Hogan recently announced Maryland’s participation in the initiative, which at the state level is being led by the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs among other state organizations. Landmark buildings throughout the state will light up in green as part of Operation Green Light – including 12 UMMShospitals and medical facilities.

“We are grateful to all of Maryland’s veterans, including those who have continued their selfless service for others as health care professionals in our System. On behalf of all our team members we thank veterans this week and beyond,” said Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, President and CEO of UMMS.

Participating UMMS sites:

Anne Arundel County:

• UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center (301 Hospital Drive, Glen Burnie)

Baltimore City:

• University of Maryland Medical Center—Downtown Campus (22 S. Greene St)
• University of Maryland Medical Center—Midtown Campus (827 Linden Avenue)
• University of Maryland Rehabilitation & Orthopaedic Institute (2200 Kernan Drive)

Baltimore County:

• UM St. Joseph Medical Center (7601 Osler Drive, Towson)

Charles County:

• UM Charles Regional Medical Center (5 Garrett Avenue, La Plata)

Dorchester County

• UM Shore Medical Center and Pavilion at Cambridge (713-715 Cambridge Marketplace Blvd., Cambridge)

Kent County:

• UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown (100 Brown Street, Chestertown)

Harford County:

• UM Upper Chesapeake Medical Center (500 Upper Chesapeake Drive, Bel Air)
• UM Harford Memorial Hospital (501 South Union Avenue, Havre de Grace)

Prince George’s County:

• UM Capital Region Medical Center (901 Harry S. Truman Drive North, Largo)
• UM Laurel Medical Center (7300 Van Dusen Road, Laurel)

Talbot County:

• UM Shore Medical Center at Easton (219 South Washington Street, Easton)

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.