University Health Center Director Named

The University of Maryland has named Dr. Spyridon (Spiro) Marinopoulos director of the University Health Center. He will be responsible for overall strategic leadership of the center, which provides health care services for students, faculty, staff and visitors, as well as oversight of the Maryland Athletics medical staff. Also serving as the university’s chief medical officer, he will lead and consult on all campus health and safety decisions related to COVID-19. 

Marinopoulos currently is director of University Health Services at Johns Hopkins University, where he is responsible for the health care and wellness offerings for students and trainees at the East Baltimore campus. In this role, he oversees the campus clinical services, including primary care and mental health, benefits and billing, and the Office of Wellness and Health Promotion. With an emphasis on student well-being, he has improved access to student services by increasing the availability of health care providers, achieved a decrease in the cost of student health insurance by creating a new funding mechanism for patient visits, and oversaw the relocation of the health center to help facilitate high-quality care. 

Marinopoulos will begin at UMD in January 2021, as Dr. Sacared Bodison concludes her term as interim director. She will continue at the university in an advisory role to ensure a smooth transition of leadership at this critical time. 

“With health and safety as a top university priority, our campus is incredibly grateful for the strength of the University Health Center under Dr. Sacared Bodison, whose service to the University of Maryland spans nearly 35 years,” said university President Darryll J. Pines. “While we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, I am encouraged that there will be no lapse in fearless leadership as we welcome Dr. Spiro Marinopoulos to this important role.”

“I am proud to accept this leadership role at the University of Maryland at such a crucial time for health and wellness in academia - and the world,” said Marinopoulos. “I look forward to contributing to the robust service offerings and student-focused approach to university health, and stand eager to address the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Concurrently, Marinopoulos is an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine with an extensive teaching and research background, having authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications, including in the New England Journal of Medicine. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, he completed his internal medicine training at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center.

“Dr. Marinopoulos’ proven leadership at Johns Hopkins, in addition to his emphasis on student wellness and care for staff, makes me confident that he will immediately make an impact here at Maryland,” says Patty Perillo, vice president for student affairs. “The exceptional University Health Center staff will continue to lead the way as we partner with state and county health officials, on behalf of the entire campus community. We are excited to have Dr. Marinopoulos at the helm.”

Marinopoulos is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the Society of General Internal Medicine, and the American College Health Association. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.