About Us - eAntidote

About Us

The Maryland Poison Center (MPC) is certified by the American Association of Poison Control Centers as the regional poison control center for the State of Maryland and District of Columbia. It has provided poisoning treatment advice, education, and prevention services to Marylanders since 1972.

Within the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, the MPC is staffed by nurses and pharmacists who are certified as specialists in poison information by the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Over the past 50 years, they have helped more than 2 million Marylanders with calls about:

Drugs and medicines
Household, garden, and personal care products
Chemicals
Plants
Bites and stings
Gases and fumes
Food Poisoning
Any items that give individuals an unwanted or unexpected reaction

Why eAntidote?

We believe that the antidote for every exposure is the experience and expertise of a poison specialist. More than 37,000 people experience that for themselves each year when they call the Maryland Poison Center. eAntidote provides a behind the scenes look at life at a poison center, practical tips to keep your family safe, and a hard look at current poison news and trends. It’s Maryland’s electronic link to essential information from the poison experts.

About the bloggers

ANGEL BIVENS
PHARMACIST AND CERTIFIED SPECIALIST IN POISON INFORMATION

Angel has been with the Maryland Poison Center for more than 20 years. As a pharmacist and certified specialist in poison information, she answers poison emergency calls to the MPC and is also the coordinator of public education and outreach efforts. As a mom of a teen and a young adult, Angel is passionate about helping parents communicate poison safety to their kids.

EMILY PATERSON
HEALTH EDUCATOR

Emily is responsible for public education and outreach at the MPC. This includes curating the content on MPC’s social media pages, including Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and this blog! Emily loves working with people of all ages, and as a Maryland native, wants to reach out to all Marylanders with our poison safety messages.

GUEST STAFF
PHARMACIST, NURSE, OR TOXICOLOGY FELLOW

From time to time, we’ll feature posts from one of our staff members. We have 19 Specialists in Poison Information (we call them “SPIs,” pronounced like “spy”) who are pharmacists or nurses that have more than 250 combined years of experience answering our phones, and who have all passed an additional certification exam that tests their knowledge of poisons of all kinds. We also have Toxicology Fellows who are completing a two-year fellowship in clinical toxicology to develop their knowledge and skills to prepare them for their future career. Before joining our team, they worked in pharmacies, clinics, or hospitals. It’s safe to say they’ve heard it all.