E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA
CARTI Endowed Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
Director, Center for Advanced Research Training and Innovation (CARTI)
Senior Scientist, Center for Birth Defects Research
University of Maryland School of Medicine
*Will be honored at the 2025 Convocation
E. Albert Reece is an internationally recognized physician-scientist, scholar, distinguished leader, and sought-after visiting professor who recently completed a transformational 16-year tenure as dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and executive vice president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB).
Dr. Reece led UMSOM through a period of exponential growth and achievements across all areas of its operation, enabling the school to reach major milestones in research, clinical care, reputation, and global impact. He also presided over dramatic growth of an academic enterprise that now totals 45 academic units, including 25 departments and 20 research centers, institutes, and programs, with UMSOM rising to the top tier of all medical schools and ranked in the top 10 among public medical schools.
In addition, he launched an overhaul of the medical education curriculum, now called the Renaissance Curriculum, which takes a systems-based, holistic approach to learning, combining instruction in both the health and disease processes of the body related to major organ systems.
During his deanship, Reece remained active in his National Institutes of Health multimillion-dollar research laboratory group, studying the biomolecular mechanisms of diabetes-induced birth defects, and making a number of discoveries for which he holds multiple patents. This laboratory was transitioned to become the Center for Birth Defects Research.
As the director of CARTI, he leads a diversified research training and research professional development center for all faculty and senior fellows across UMSOM and other UMB schools as well. CARTI has become an institutional hub for supporting the pursuit of federal grant funding by all faculty.
Reece is a member of the prestigious National Academy of Medicine and has served on its Governing Council, Executive Committee, and, most recently, as Scholar-in-Residence. He also has served on many medical, governmental, and civic organizations and committees, and he currently sits on the board of Research America, the Lasker Foundation, and others.
He has published extensively in scientific literature — 12 books including revisions and more than 500 scientific publications. Reece also has received numerous awards, citations, and honorary degrees from universities and government organizations in recognition of his distinguished leadership, lifetime achievement, and major contributions to science and medicine.
Reece earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Long Island University, a medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine, a PhD in biochemistry from the University of the West Indies, and an MBA from the Fox School of Business and Management of Temple University.
