The Office of Research and Development received a generous grant from the Rathmann Family Foundation to create a fellowship opportunity for a junior scientist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.   The Fellowship aims to accelerate the bench to bedside development of a technology discovered at UMB by providing funds for translational research conducted by the recipient.

Research proposals were submitted to the Office of Research and Development (ORD) and competitively selected by internal committee comprised of both ORD and Academic Affairs.   Proposals were reviewed based on the following criteria:

Technical merits

Potential impact the technology may have on health care treatment or costs; and’

Training opportunity for the post-doctoral fellow in the field of translational research.

Rathmann Biotechnology Fellowship recipients:

2010       Professor Asaf Keller, School of Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology for a potential treatment for Central Pain Syndrome

2009       Assistant Professor Koji Tamada, School of Medicine, Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery for

2008       Professor Angela Wilks, School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences for a promising new class of antibiotics.

In 1991, the Rathmann Family Foundation was founded by George and Joy Rathmann to support education with priority given to science and math as well as the arts.  George Rathmann is a co-founder of Amgen, Inc., the California-based biotechnology firm of which he was also first chairman and CEO.