Two UM School of Nursing faculty members appointed to health care commissions

Two University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) faculty members have been named to Maryland health care commissions.

Margaret Hammersla, PhD, CRNP-A, assistant professor and senior director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, has been appointed to the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) and assistant professor Crystal DeVance-Wilson, PhD, MBA, PHCNS-BC was appointed to the Montgomery County Commission on Health (COH).

Hammersla will work with the MHCC to continue its efforts to modernize the state’s certificate of need program, intended to insure that new health care facilities and services are only developed as needed, supporting the state’s goals under Maryland’s all-payer model. She will also support the MHCC’s efforts to increase the use of data, including expanding the Wear the Cost initiative, which seeks to increase transparency and raise public awareness of health care costs. The MHCC is an independent state regulatory agency that plans for health system needs, promotes informed decision-making, increases accountability, and improves access to care in a rapidly changing health care environment.

Appointed by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Hammersla will serve a four-year term ending Sept. 30, 2022.

DeVance-Wilson will serve on the Montgomery County COH, which advises the county executive and the county council on public health issues, programs, services, and the allocation of public health funding.

The commission is also responsible for monitoring and assessing Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (MCDHHS) health priorities. As a commissioner, she will interface and collaborate with the MCDHHS and various county boards and commissions to identify gaps, deficiencies, or duplication of efforts.

She was appointed by former Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and will serve a three-year term ending June 30, 2021.