Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center 250th Anniversary Clinical Symposium
Remarks as prepared
Thank you, Jennifer [Nickoles], and welcome all to this extraordinary milestone for Bayview.
Today, we commemorate an institution that, since its very inception as an almshouse at the dawn of the American Revolution, has marshaled medical expertise to serve the needs of its community, sparking moment after moment that has fueled discovery, inspired groundbreaking innovation, and transformed clinical care.
Moments like one that took place on a warm August morning in 1960, when a group of nine physicians, social workers, psychiatrists, and nurses filed into an administrative room poetically named: Building D.
They took their seats in a semi-circle, facing an elderly Greek-American man perched at the edge of his wheelchair.
For the next hour, he shared his life story—of fleeing his native Sparta for Baltimore at age 14, and of navigating countless barriers in a new nation to find success as the owner of a candy shop on the bustling grounds of Riverview and Carlin’s Parks.
But he then paused, a wistful look descending over his visage.
He recounted the fall in which he hurt himself, the limited physical mobility that led to financial loss and the closing of his candy store, and eventually, the chronic mental impairments that continued to worsen.
Standing behind the semi-circle was Dr. Mason Lord, a tall young man, impeccably dressed, white carnation affixed to the suit underneath his white coat.
Dr. Lord could have leaned on the prevailing wisdom of the time that the man remain in the hospital. This so-called wisdom was borne of a field-wide assumption that little could be done to mitigate the impacts of aging.
But Dr. Lord was determined to upend the status quo, holding a conviction that patients should not languish within the four walls of a hospital.
Indeed, he believed the role of a hospital was to treat patients with an eye to rehabilitation and ensure they could return to their neighborhoods—because it was better for them, and better for their communities.
And so, he conferred with that nine-person team gathered in front of him.
And they soon got to work.
They reached out to the Greek-American man’s family to take him for rides around town, to organize weekly excursions to senior social nights in his native Southeast Baltimore, and to provide him with opportunities to mentor younger Greek-Americans.
These might seem like small interventions, and perhaps only tenuously connected to the purview of a major clinical care facility, but the multidisciplinary weekly conference that inspired them would change that man’s life—and usher a sea change in geriatric care.
This is but one of many moments that comprise Bayview’s storied 250-year history. Moments that have inspired revolutions in, and across, countless medical fields.
You see, it was here where we were the first to administer the smallpox vaccine and set the national standard for burn treatment.
It was here where we opened the first ICU in the country with 24-hour coverage and a multidisciplinary focus.
And it was here where we charted new frontiers in the treatment of memory disorders and use of robot-aided procedures.
Today, we remain animated by the founding ethos of this institution—to harness interdisciplinary expertise, a spirit of clinical innovation, and an unceasing commitment to our neighbors and the communities we call home.
Indeed, we are combating medical challenges as far-reaching as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, diabetes, and vasculitis with a profusion of talent spanning more than 40 disciplines.
We are drawing on one of the nation’s first primary care residency program here to combat the alarming shortage of primary care physicians across our country—and here in our city and state.
And as a community hospital at our core, the spirit we shared with City Hospital still abounds in our partnerships with neighborhoods across Southeast Baltimore.
Shaped by ongoing community input, we are embedding community therapists in schools to support Latino youth, focusing preventive care and services outside traditional venues, and strengthening Bayview’s presence in senior centers—an intervention that long ago patient of Dr. Lord’s and others like him would have undoubtedly championed.
For all these reasons, I am delighted to be here with Governor Moore, Lieutenant Governor Miller, Maryland Senate President Ferguson, Councilwoman Danielle McCray, officials from across the City and county, Johns Hopkins leadership—past and present—as well as our faculty, trainees, students and friends, to celebrate a milestone marking the incredible transformation occurring here at Bayview, a transformation still fueled by a founding spirit of partnership with our community.
I look forward to seeing this commitment continue to flourish in Bayview’s next chapter. Now, I’d like to welcome Ted DeWeese to share more on Bayview’s impact on our academic mission.
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