From left are Lu Ann Brady, MSPH, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer; Funlola Famuyiwa, MD, Medical Director, Respiratory Care Services; respiratory therapist Lisa Pierson, RRT, holding the Apex Award; and Lyndsey Feather, RRT, Respiratory Care Services Manager.
Celebrating the recent Apex Award recognition are, from left, respiratory therapists Karen Anderson, RRT, and Stacy Barnette, RRT; Steve Eisemann, BS, RRT, LSSGB, Director of Respiratory Care Services; respiratory therapists Priscilla Berkey, RRT, Lisa Pierson, RRT, Kelly Runnels, RRT, and Jo Mills, RRT; Mary Beth Thompson, Respiratory Care Services Administrative Assistant; Lyndsey Feather, RRT, Respiratory Care Services Manager; and respiratory therapist Luke Lockwood, RRT.
EASTON, Md. (March 7, 2025) – UM Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) recently received the 2025-2026 American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) Apex Award for their exemplary demonstration of best practices in respiratory care and education in the Acute Care Hospital category. UM SRH is a member hospital of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). The University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s flagship academic hospital in Baltimore, also received this recognition.
“As one of only 28 hospitals to receive the 2025-2026 Apex Award, this speaks volumes about our Respiratory Care Services team and our commitment to high-quality patient care,” said Lu Ann Brady, MSPH, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, UM SRH. “This designation is a testament to UMMS and our journey to becoming a High Reliability Organization, which prioritizes maintaining the safety of patients and team members in all areas of patient care.”
AARC is the leading the advancement of the respiratory care profession around the world. The Apex Award distinguishes organizations for their commitment to excellence in professional development, evidence-based care and quality improvement. The Apex Award includes six recognition categories: Acute care hospitals, international acute care, long-term care facilities, education programs, home medical equipment companies and dedicated transport teams. The AARC Apex Recognition Award was developed in 2017 to recognize respiratory care departments and programs that demonstrate high-quality care and outstanding higher education.
UM SRH is among an elite group of hospitals who provide high-quality respiratory care and educational programs from across the U.S. who have met the stringent quality, clinical practice or educational program criteria of the award.
“The Apex Acute Care Hospital recognition is a direct reflection of the skill of our team members, their dedication to patient-centered care and the high-quality care they deliver to patients every day,” said Steve Eisemann BS, RRT, LSSGB, Director of Respiratory Care Services, UM SRH. “It highlights our Respiratory Care Services team’s commitment to adhering to evidence-based protocols that ensure safe and effective patient care delivery. I could not be prouder of our respiratory therapy team, who are the cornerstone of receiving this designation and are vital to providing life-saving respiratory support to patients.”
“Apex programs and departments dedicate themselves to ensuring superb care for patients everywhere. These clinical departments are a vital component to a patient’s healthcare team, making a positive impact for the hospital, families and patients. In addition, our accredited education programs consistently prepare RT students to meet the ever-expanding scope of the specialty,” said AARC President Carl Hinkson, MSc, RRT, RRT-ACCS, RRT-NPS, FAARC. “Earning the Apex Award illustrates how these teams maintain high standards and bring their specialized skills to their colleagues.”
About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
A member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of five counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore: Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot. UM SRH consists of approximately 2,000 team members, including more than 600 health care providers on the Medical Staff, who work with community partners to advance the values that are foundational to our mission: Compassion, Discovery, Excellence, Diversity and Integrity. For more information, visit https://www.umms.org/shore.
About the University of Maryland Medical System
The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.
