Baltimore Local Hero A 'Trailblazer' Leading Fight Against COVID

BALTIMORE, MD — When times are tough, heroes emerge. We all know someone who's making a difference right now as we live through unprecedented and changing times.

Here at Patch, we've launched an initiative to help recognize these heroes making a difference in their communities. We’re working on letting all your neighbors know about these outstanding people and their stories.

This submission comes from Damita McDonald who nominated Dr. Reem Abdullah of Baltimore.

Local hero’s full name

Dr. Reem Abdullah

Local hero’s home state

Maryland

Local hero’s Patch

Baltimore

How do you know the local hero?

She is a 2016 graduate of the pharmacy program at Notre Dame of Maryland University, where I work. She also graduated from the pharmacy technician program at Caroline Center in Baltimore.

What does the local hero do?

In her role as a clinical pharmacist for both the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital (BCCFH) Task Force and Mercy Medical Center, she uses her expertise to give back to the Baltimore community. She received some of the earliest COVID patients in her role as a clinical pharmacist at Mercy, and she added a new position on the frontline when BCCFH opened downtown in March 2020.

When the hospital at the Convention Center closed in June 2021, Dr. Abdullah joined the BCCFH's COVID Task Force to continue the ambulatory missions of vaccinating, testing and providing outpatient treatment of COVID-19 infections.

When she wasn’t at Mercy or the Convention Center, Dr. Abdullah would support mass vaccination and testing initiatives across Baltimore, assisting with initiatives organized by CASA Baltimore and volunteering at several churches in the city. Her work today for the task force includes prescribing Paxlovid to newly infected high-risk COVID patients.

Why do you believe the local hero should be recognized or honored?

When she first arrived in the United States with her two young daughters as an Iraqi refugee in 2009, Dr. Abdullah had a clear goal in mind. The prospect of starting a new life in a foreign country might have seemed daunting, but she was always focused on putting herself in a position to help others. Her priority in life was to provide medical assistance to those who needed it the most.

She has been a trailblazer throughout her professional career, dating back to her time in Iraq. When the United States helped form the Iraqi Radiological Source Regulatory Authority (IRSRA) during the war, she was the lone woman working in her department. It was through that role that she was able to bring her family overseas after obtaining a Special Immigrant Visa.

What's one thing you want everyone to know about the local hero?

She is the true definition of a hero because of the personal sacrifices that she makes to impact her community and people in need.

Thank you for all you do, Dr. Reem Abdullah!

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Know someone making a difference in town? Nominate them as a local hero here.