Ravi Bhatia, MD (Director, Hematology and Oncology) with Dr. Birrer at last weekend’s American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago.Michael J. Birrer, MD, PhD, a trailblazer in the early detection and treatment of gynecologic cancers, has been named director of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. He will start on August 1. Dr. Birrer comes to UAB from Massachusetts General Hospital, where he is director of Medical Gynecologic Oncology and director of the Gynecologic Cancer Research Program at the Gillette Cancer Center. He also serves as the leader of the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center program in gynecologic cancers and is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
More Good News for June 7, 2017
Anthony L. Back, MD, Professor of Medicine/Oncology and Co-Director of the Center for Excellence in Palliative Care at the University of Washington School of Medicine, presented the Annual Deane K. Corliss Palliative and Supportive Care Lecture “What does every physician need to know about communication with patients who are seriously ill?” If you missed the lecture, you can find plenty of info at Vitaltalk.org. You can also download his Vital Talk Tips app from iTunes or Google Play
Calvin Kennedy, a Post-Anesthesia Care Unit nurse at UAB, has undergone two kidney transplants here at UAB. When Kennedy saw this story about Bob Kuykendall, who donated a kidney to Greg Hasberry at UAB in 2015, Kennedy asked to join Kuykendall’s team on their upcoming trip to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. They should reach the apex tonight around midnight. Read more about “Team Mountain” here.
Jessica Merlin, MD, MBA (Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases) first-authored the Up-To-Date article “Palliative care: Issues in HIV/AIDS in adults.”
Salpy Pamboukian, MD, MSPH (Professor, Cardiovascular Disease) reports a terrific on-site Joint Commission Review of the ventricular assist device (VAD) program which delivers extraordinary patient care via a multi-disciplinary team including coordinators, inpatient staff in HTICU, 6N, CICU, physicians, surgeons, consultants. The UAB VAD program is the only such program in Alabama.
Monica Baskin, PhD (Professor, Preventive Medicine) was recently published in the Journal of Internal Medicine reporting on a weight loss trial among overweight or obese African American women in rural Alabama and Mississippi. She and co-authors James Shikany, DrPH, and Tiffany Carson, PhD, found similar results in their program led by lay health staff and volunteers as have been found in similar trials using professional staff.
Will Ferniany, PhD (CEO, UAB Health System) has been nominated for Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare in 2017. Voting is open until June 23. Cast your vote today!
The Department recently received a letter commending John Holcombe, MD (Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care) for his willingness to respond to a Code Blue in Dermatology Clinic, even though he’s not a part of the assigned code team. The Department salutes Dr. Holcombe for his willingness to cross boundaries and put patients first.
The 7th Annual Research and Innovations in Medical Education (RIME) Week celebrating excellence in medical education will be held September 13-15, 2017. If you’ve got a great idea for a workshop for fellows and faculty, please submit to www.uab.edu/RIME by Friday, June 16.
Next Week at MGR. Patricia W. Finn, MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago will present, "Emerging Opportunities in Lung Disease" at noon on Wednesday, June 14, in Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium.