UMD School of Medicine Wins $680K Grant to Launch AHEAD Mentorship Program With Morgan State

The University of Maryland School of Medicine secured a $680,000 grant from the nonprofit Burroughs Wellcome Fund to launch AHEAD, a mentorship and funding program built around a formal partnership with Morgan State University aimed at cultivating early-career physician-scientists and undergraduate researchers.

The program, whose full name is Advancing Physician-Scientist Development, Community Engagement and Dissemination, will combine the Burroughs Wellcome money with additional UMSOM funding to generate up to $225,000 in awards annually over four years, bringing the total investment to $900,000. Awards will be distributed to AHEAD scholars across three categories, though UMSOM has not yet publicly specified what those categories are.

The collaboration with Morgan State adds an undergraduate pipeline component: five MSU students interested in medical school and research careers will be selected each year for a summer research program. Those students will shadow clinical providers or AHEAD program scholars, with placements matched to individual interests.

Dean Mark T. Gladwin, Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, framed the timing as urgent. "This support from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund comes at a critical time as early career physician scientists are facing significant and increasing challenges," Gladwin said. "I appreciate the leadership of Dean Drake and Dean Davis who are committed to nurturing the next generation of researchers, including Morgan State University undergraduates, and ensuring that our UMSOM investigators remain deeply engaged with the communities we serve."

The partnership between UMSOM, based in West Baltimore, and Morgan State, a historically Black university in Northeast Baltimore, reflects a broader effort to deepen research ties between the city's major academic institutions. Wonder Drake, MD is identified in UMSOM's announcement in connection with the MSU partnership, though the school has not formally specified Drake's title or role within the AHEAD program structure.

UMSOM announced the grant on March 11. Questions about the three award categories, student selection criteria, and the application timeline for prospective AHEAD scholars have not yet been addressed in public materials released by the school.