$10 Million Gift to UMCP & UMB Brings Collaboration and Expansion to the Fischell Department of Bioengineering through New St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) are thrilled to announce a transformative $10 million gift from Edward and Jennifer St. John and the Edward St. John Foundation. This landmark investment will launch the Edward & Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine (CTEM), a collaboration uniting the A. James Clark School of Engineering’s Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE) at UMCP with the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) at UMB. Together, researchers from these distinct disciplines will tackle a broad spectrum of generational health challenges and drive medical innovations that benefit patients in Maryland and beyond.

Occupying the fourth floor of 4MLK — a new state-of-the-art facility in the University of Maryland BioPark in Baltimore — the Edward & Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine will foster face-to-face collaboration among clinicians and engineers as they develop next-generation medical solutions.Their proximity will ensure that the real-world medical needs of healthcare professionals and patients directly inform the development of devices, diagnostics, and treatments, and accelerate the pathway from research to patient care.

“The opening of the Edward & Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering & Medicine marks an exciting next step in our department’s growth,” says Distinguished University Professor and Department Chair John P. Fisher. “This center will serve as a nexus for collaboration between engineering and medicine, providing a second home for BIOE and fostering partnerships to solve today’s most pressing health challenges.”

“Engineers are stewards of technological innovations for the public good, proudly creating and collaborating to improve the human condition. By embedding engineers with doctors, we will improve diagnostics tools, disease treatment and ultimately patient care — helping people live healthier lives,” said Samuel Graham, Jr., dean of the A. James Clark School of Engineering. “We look forward to the CTEM and its associated educational programs growing the long-standing partnership between the UMSOM and the Clark School’s Fischell Department of Bioengineering, one of the most prestigious bioengineering programs in the country.”

BIOE Associate Professor Giuliano Scarcelli will lead the Edward & Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine as co-director alongside Osamah J. Saeedi, clinical co-director and Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at UMSOM. Their collaborative work using cutting-edge ophthalmologic imaging to address ocular diseases such as glaucoma exemplifies the center’s mission of fostering cross-campus partnerships in the development of interventions that improve patients’ lives. BIOE Associate Professor Joe Huang will join Scarcelli at 4MLK, bringing his NIH-funded cancer research into the collaborative space. Huang’s lab focuses on developing light-based nanotechnologies to enhance drug delivery for glioblastoma and ovarian cancer.

“This collaboration will be one of the premier partnerships in the country that fully bridges the gap between engineering and medicine to rapidly accelerate solutions on public health, disease and wellness,” said UMCP President Darryll J. Pines. “Whether it is the invention of new devices and instruments or improved analysis, this center will be leading the way in advancing how clinicians work and how patients heal."

“This significant gift allows us to unite the expertise of UMB’s clinicians with the engineering ingenuity of UMCP’s faculty, who together will discover innovative treatments and breakthrough technologies that simply cannot emerge when each works in isolation,” said UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS. “This synergy opens exciting new possibilities for translating research into tangible solutions that will address today’s most pressing health challenges.”

Edward St. John graduated from UMCP with an engineering degree and went on to become a noted Baltimore-based business leader and philanthropist. He previously gave $10 million to help build the Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center, a 187,000-square-foot facility that fosters student-centered learning on the College Park campus. This new gift will establish endowed and current-use professorships in bioengineering, undergraduate and graduate student awards in translational engineering and medicine, and ongoing operating funds for the center.

“The opening of the Edward & Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering & Medicine marks an exciting next step in our department’s growth. This center will serve as a nexus for collaboration between engineering and medicine, providing a second home for BIOE and fostering partnerships to solve today’s most pressing health challenges”.

Distinguished University Professor and Department Chair John P. Fisher

He has long championed UMB’s mission to improve the human condition and serve the public good through research, healthcare innovation and education. Building on his early $1 million gift to support the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center and his ongoing commitment to UMB’s CURE Scholars Program, St. John pledged another $1 million in 2021 to establish a Clinical Stem Cell Laboratory at the University of Maryland Medical Center. This newest contribution underscores his and Jennifer St. John’s enduring dedication to improving lives and fueling scientific progress across the state.

“It is our great pleasure to support this transformational, lifesaving and life-altering work, knowing that our contribution helps pave the way for groundbreaking discoveries that will improve and extend lives for years to come,” said Jennifer St. John.

“The Edward and Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine — where diverse minds unite, each contributing their unique expertise, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in medicine,” added Edward St. John.

Born out of Edward St. John’s commitment to giving back, the Edward St. John Foundation operates on the belief that education has the power to transform lives and provides the foundation for success. Over the years, it has provided financial assistance for educational programs across Maryland and beyond.

Sharon Akers, president of the Edward St. John Foundation, said, “The Edward and Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine will provide transformative solutions that will revolutionize healthcare and save lives. It will drive groundbreaking innovation and serve as a platform for recruitment and retention, attracting the best and brightest talent right here to the University of Maryland."

"We are profoundly grateful to Ed and Jennifer St. John for their leadership and commitment to pioneering the next generation of biomedical technology and innovation,” said Mark T. Gladwin, MD, dean of UMSOM. “This new center marks the beginning of a new era in biomedical innovation – a bold vision to break down traditional educational and research silos and create a dynamic ecosystem where engineers and medical professionals work hand-in-hand to solve some of the most pressing health challenges of our time. Imagine a future where biomedical engineers and physician-scientists work together to engineer and rebuild new organs, and use artificial intelligence, wearable devices and robotics to diagnose and treat diseases in the home.”

Its location in 4MLK, the most recent addition to UMB’s 14-acre BioPark, places the center at the heart of a thriving biomedical innovation hub that is transforming Baltimore’s biotechnology landscape. By fostering groundbreaking research and cross-disciplinary collaboration, the center will not only advance medical science but also reinforce the critical role of the biotechnology sector in driving economic growth and scientific progress throughout Baltimore and the greater region.

“We are thrilled to have the Edward & Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine locate in 4MLK,” commented Jim Hughes, chief enterprise and economic development officer and senior vice president at UMB and president of the BioPark. “In addition to providing cutting-edge facilities for life and health science innovation, one of the BioPark’s core missions is to create connections that further strengthens Baltimore’s thriving life science industry. CTEM researchers will join a vibrant, collaborative community in the BioPark and be well-supported as they advance their innovative health care technologies.”

Published January 10, 2025