By Office of the Maryland Comptroller Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman today announced that Chief of Staff Rianna Matthews-Brown will depart the Office of the Comptroller of Maryland on April 30, concluding her tenure as a senior leader in the agency during a period of significant transformation and growth. Matthews-Brown was the first African-American person to […]
Tag: Johns Hopkins Hospital
Posted inWord In Black
Another win for Lacks heirs in fight over her cells
The family of Henrietta Lacks has reached an undisclosed settlement with pharmaceutical company Novartis, marking another legal victory in their effort to hold companies accountable for profiting from her cells without consent. Lacks’ “immortal” HeLa cells, taken during cancer treatment in 1951, became foundational to major scientific breakthroughs while her family remained unaware for decades and received no compensation.
Posted inOpinion
Measuring progress: Johns Hopkins, Black Baltimore and this moment
By Steven K. Ragsdale We have to say it aloud. Five Black surgeons now lead the trauma service at Johns Hopkins Hospital: Dr. Zachary Obinna Enumah, M.D., Ph.D., M.A., ninth-year resident and critical care fellowDr. Lawrence B. Brown, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., a seventh-year residentDr. Ivy Mannoh, M.D., third-year residentDr. Ifeoluwa “Ife” Shoyombo, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Executive Alliance names 64 companies to the Honor Roll Award for Women’s Representation in Maryland
Executive Alliance has recognized 64 Maryland-based companies and nonprofit organizations with its 2026 Honor Roll Award for Women’s Representation. Each honoree maintains at least 30 percent women in executive leadership and on boards, setting a benchmark highlighted in the group’s Annual Census of Women Board Directors. Awardees will be celebrated March 18, 2026, at Maryland Jockey Club in Laurel.
Posted inINTERNATIONAL
Novartis settles with Henrietta Lacks’ estate over use of her ‘stolen’ cells to advance medicine
Novartis AG has reached an undisclosed settlement with the estate of Henrietta Lacks over claims it profited from her cells, taken without consent in 1951 and used in groundbreaking medical research. The case is one of several lawsuits filed by her family seeking compensation for the use of the HeLa cell line.
Posted inBaltimore News
Clean-up underway after 2,000-gallon fuel spill in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
A coordinated response is underway following a 2,000-gallon diesel spill in Harbor East, caused by the overfilling of fuel tanks at a Johns Hopkins Hospital facility. Officials from Baltimore City, Maryland and the U.S. Coast Guard are working with environmental contractors to contain and clean the spill, which is currently confined to a marina near the South Central Avenue Bridge.
Posted inBaltimore News
Morgan State University unveils new Henrietta Lacks statue for National Blacks in Wax Museum
By Alexis TaylorAFRO Managing Editor Henrietta Lacks, the woman whose immortal cells have circled the globe, contributing to medical breakthroughs, research and vaccines, was honored at Morgan State University (MSU) with a wax figure on March 15. Lacks, born in August 1920, is the Black woman responsible for giving the world the first cells capable […]
Posted inBUSINESS
The Madison 801 brings elevated cafe dining to East Baltimore
The Madison 801, a casual fine dining cafe, has opened on the 800 block of North Chester St. in East Baltimore, offering elevated dishes and healthy options, and is a product of Black collaboration, from development to financing and construction.
Posted inBlack History
Ben Crump announces lawsuit against big pharma on behalf of Henrietta Lacks family
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and attorney Christopher Seeger have filed a lawsuit on behalf of the family of Henrietta Lacks against Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., Novartis Gene Therapies Inc., Viatris Inc. and Mylan Pharmaceuticals for the wrongful and unauthorized commercialization of her cells.
Posted in!Front Page Baltimore News, Baltimore Community, Baltimore County Government, Baltimore News, Health, Homepage Slider, News, NEWS, Uncategorized
Baltimore’s health officer departs role
Dr. Gregory Wm. Branch has resigned as Baltimore County’s health officer, and Della Leister has been named the interim health officer and acting director.
Posted in!Front Page Baltimore News
Baltimore County police officer indicted on excessive force and other charges
By Lea SkeneThe Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — A Baltimore County police officer is accused of using excessive force when he pepper sprayed a handcuffed man in the face and closed him inside a hot patrol car, even as the man repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe. In addition to excessive force, Cpl. Zachary Small has […]