University of Maryland Children’s Hospital Announces New Board of Advisors Chair, Stephen Lazinsky

April 05, 2023

The University of Maryland Children’s Hospital (UMCH) announced today that Maryland business owner Steve Lazinsky has been named chair of its Board of Advisors. Lazinsky, who has served on the board since 2017, replaces George “Chip” Doetsch III, who has stepped down after a decade holding the board leadership role. Doetsch recently joined the University of Maryland School of Medicine Board of Visitors.

Lazinsky is a longtime member of the University of Maryland family, receiving his bachelor’s degree from University of Maryland Baltimore County in 1971. He has served in leadership roles with the University System of Maryland Foundation for over 25 years, including as chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, vice-chairman of the Foundation Board, and currently as an Honorary Director. Lazinsky is also a volunteer for the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center, and a passionate advocate of the national Stop the Bleed initiative.

He traces his interest in health care volunteerism back to his teen years, when he was a volunteer at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Now, years later, he is advancing pediatrics in a board leadership role with the medical center’s nationally ranked children’s hospital. For five years in a row, U.S News & World Report has ranked UMCH as a “Best Children’s Hospital for Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery,” and among the top 15 children’s hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic region, which encompasses seven states and the District of Columbia.

UMCH’s Board of Advisors has championed many transformative initiatives, including a major expansion of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), one of only two Level IV NICUs in Maryland; the upcoming state-of-the-art pediatric cardiac catheterization lab renovation; and Maryland’s first inpatient psychiatric unit that is both architecturally and clinically designed to deliver trauma-informed care for children and adolescents. Trauma-informed care is a framework for treating patients who have endured abuse, neglect, violence, school issues, or other traumatic events.

“I am grateful for the time that Chip spent at the helm and look forward to working more closely with Steve Lazinsky,” said Steven J. Czinn, MD, Director of the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital and the Drs. Rouben and Violet Jiji Endowed Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Dr. Czinn continued, “I am excited to see where we can go under his leadership. As a board member, Steve goes above and beyond to make patients—and staff—feel special, arranging visits from sports mascots, handing out Ravens and Orioles gear, and donating winter pajamas and gifts around the holidays.”

In the business sector, Lazinsky is chair and past-president of Comeq, Inc., a leading importer of metal fabrication machinery that powers a broad range of industries, from medical to government to theme parks. Founded in 1971 by Lazinsky and his father, Irv Lazinsky, Comeq is based in White Marsh.

“I want to thank Dr. Czinn and the board members for the confidence they are placing in me. Serving on this board is really an impactful role given our unique opportunities to improve the health and quality of life for thousands of children. As chair, my priorities will be to champion our incredible staff, who fearlessly and with great compassion take on the toughest cases, and to recruit additional members to the board who can help us advance into new communities,” Lazinsky said.

UMCH, located inside the University of Maryland Medical Center, is commemorating its 75th anniversary this year. It was the first children’s hospital in Maryland to perform a dual lung and heart transplant, and the first in the state to create a neonatal intensive care unit for critically ill newborns--one of only two Level IV NICUs in Maryland. UMCH also established the state’s first neonatal air transport program. As a result, countless infants from multiple states have received lifesaving care in the NICU.

“Steve Lazinsky is someone I admire for his choice to use his influence, time and resources in service to the medical community. He is a true friend to our employees and the children of Baltimore. As chair of the Board of Advisors, he will be a powerful advocate for them,” said Bert W. O’Malley, MD, President and CEO of the University of Maryland Medical Center.