Faculty Feature: Mary Beth Howard

Mary Beth Howard, MD MSc, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her research interests include maternal-child health disparities with a focus on injury prevention and infant mortality.

How did you get into the field of injury prevention?  

Working as a physician in the Pediatric Emergency Department, I was moved by the children I took care of that had experienced mortality and morbidity from unintentional injury. It was devastating how many of these injuries and deaths could have been prevented with education, behavior change, and environmental modification. As a pediatric emergency medicine physician, I became committed to a career in injury prevention research and advocacy. My focus in on delivery of injury prevention education in the Pediatric Emergency Department, in particular safe sleep education to prevent sudden unexpected infant death (SUID).  

Tell us about an active project that you are currently working on.  

Baltimore (and the rest of the country) experienced a surge in SUID during the viral surge of 2022/23.  I am working on learning more about how infant sleep practices change when infants are sick, with the hypothesis being that changes to unsafe sleep practices may increase an infant’s risk of SUID when he/she is ill. We are surveying caregivers in the emergency department about how they are putting their baby to sleep while he/she is sick, as well as follow up surveys to see if changes in sleep practices are sustained following an illness. The results of this work will be used to tailor safe sleep education and SUID prevention efforts to ultimately decrease infant mortality from unsafe sleep practices.  

What is your hidden talent?

Making embarrassingly easy, delicious desserts from boxed cake, brownie, and cookie mixes. (My ‘secret’ recipe – just don’t tell Betty Crocker)

If you could make an office rule that everyone had to follow for a day, what would it be?

Each person gets one exclamation point per one thousand words. Any unused exclamation points can be redeemed at the end of the day for cash prizes. (Don’t get me wrong – I love exclamation points, just hate when they are overused)

What is your favorite part about being affiliated with the Injury Center?  

The chance to collaborate with and learn from a group of talented, passionate injury prevention researchers and advocates.