Barbarajean (BJ) Shaneman-Robinson is the senior program specialist for the PATIENTS Program in the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research (PHSR) at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.
About Barbarajean:
Her love for health and community, BJ Shaneman is a positive and strong community nurse advocate. The first Native American/Black female student to attend the nursing program at the University of Virginia, she graduated with honors. She continued her education in nursing, sociology, and psychology by attending Coppin State University and Catonsville Community College with several degrees obtained. During her education at Catonsville Community College, she served as president of the Black Student Union for two years during the time when people of color were often shunned. As a military brat and a nurse at the Quantico Navy and Marine Base in Virginia, many of her experiences opened pathways for the work she now does in many statewide communities, as well as in other states.
Co-founder of the Park West Medical Center, 44 years ago, and Mind, Heart, and Body Program, 30 years ago, her path of giving back to the community began. Her medical practice in research of hypertension, diabetes, and other health-related disparities with Dr. Elijah Sanders for more than 25 years allotted her continued work within the communities she loves.
Now retired, BJ volunteers her time, health care skills, and knowledge, providing free health care services and is the accredited developer and/or founder for several community health care programs: “Our Community Comes First,” a provider of hypertension research with the National Institute of Health; “Mind, Heart, and Body Program,” provider of health care awareness knowledge and hands-on services during community health fairs; Park West Medical Center, founded in Brown’s Memorial Church, provider of needed community health care; Baltimore American Indian Center, serving health needs through traditional verses Western medicine to this population; co-developer for the Men and Family Center in which she changed the name from "Men Center" in order to give dignity to the men served, a new meaning in family nurturing; St. Matthew’s Community Long-Term Outreach Program/Center, founded in the St. Matthew’s Gospel Tabernacle Apostolic Faith Church, based on a real dream of Bishop William A. and Elder Roselee Thomas to give back to the community through health care and education in the community where the church sits; Grant Writing 101, “Meat and Potatoes” of Grant Writing developed to strengthen the community in giving back to their communities and entrepreneurship, and the BJ Women’s Wellness Center, host site Women Accepting Responsibility, Inc., provider of women’s health care.
She is published in many medical journals for her research in hypertension, vaccines, and drug therapy. Authoring several health education tools on men’s health for Morgan State University’s “New Minority Men’s Health Consortium”; cancer among men for “Bishops Annual Meeting,” St. Matthew’s Gospel Tabernacle Apostolic Faith Church, and health navigator for women and breast cancer for “Total Health Care Medical Center” staff through the Komen for the Cure Foundation.
She wears many hats to bring and to assure partnerships of health care services will benefit the community residents and clients she serve.
Contact Information:
To contact BJ:
- Email her at brobinson@rx.umaryland.edu.