MOU signing at USG on May 30th. From left to right: Uma S. Ahluwalia, Director, Montgomery County DHHS, Joy Nurmi, Special Assistant to the County Executive, and Dr. Stewart Edelstein, Executive Director, USG. 

Officials from the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) met with representatives from the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) on Wednesday, May 30th, to sign a memorandum of understanding that initiated a collaborative partnership between the two organizations, with a focus on enhancing interprofessional experiences for each group through coordinated efforts with academic programs at USG.

 “USG’s partnership with the Montgomery County DHHS is a meaningful and important relationship for students at USG, the dedicated employees of DHHS, and Montgomery County as a whole,” said Dr. Stewart Edelstein. “This will allow us to be more planful and more engaged as we carry out our overlapping missions to educate, serve, and advance the county and region.

 “We are very excited to have reached this stage in our collaboration of establishing a formal Memorandum of Understanding with our colleagues at The Universities at Shady Grove,” said Uma S. Ahluwalia, Director of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.  “We are eager to continue the partnership to improve clinical practice, research, professional development, educational outreach and grant opportunities.  We could not have better or more visionary partners than Dr. Stewart Edelstein and his faculty in pursuing these joint endeavors.“

Under the ongoing partnership, a designated team of individuals representing both organizations will develop and execute activities of mutual interest that may include curriculum and professional development, research and evaluation, grant opportunities, educational outreach, and more.