New Internal Medicine Clerkship Directors Selected. Winter Williams, MD (General Internal Medicine) will join James Willig, MD, as co-director of the MS3 Internal Medicine Clerkship. Win did his residency (2009-2012) and chief residency (2012-2013) at UAB, and is active in teaching, simulation, and patient safety. Brooks Vaughn, MD (Endocrinology and Metabolism) will be the director of the MS4 Acting Intern rotations and develop curriculum for senior students. He has been heavily involved in teaching the fellows in endocrinology, is a clinical skills scholar for the students, and core clinical faculty for the Internal Medicine Residency. Brooks has an interest in ambulatory medicine, and interprofessional team development. The Department looks forward to their leadership in developing our students for a career in medicine.

The Department has selected three outstanding faculty members to receive the Walter B. Frommeyer, Jr., Fellowship in Investigative Medicine. The award is designed to foster the development of outstanding physician-scientists by supporting a two-year intensive, mentored research experience for junior faculty. Sameer Ather, MD, PhD (Cardiovascular Disease) will study Clinical and Genetic Predictors of Beta Blocker Therapy in Non-ischemic Heart Failure. Antonio Di Stasi, MD (Hematology and Oncology) will investigate CD34 and MUC1 Directed Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy as a Novel Preparative Regimen Prior to Allogenic Stem Cell Transplantation in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Gabrielle Rocque, MD (Hematology and Oncology) will evaluate Concordance with Guidelines in Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Qiana Matthews, PhD (Infectious Diseases) recently completed a “Biguan” or cloistered session for grant application development writing. The week-long intensive retreat is open for up to five faculty members to work on grant proposals they want to PI. Resources such as graphics, statisticians, and business officers are made available, and a retired NIH Program Officer serves as consultant. DOM faculty who wish to attend one of these monthly intensives should contact Chad Steele, PhD (Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine).

Victor Thannickal, MD (Director, Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine) was appointed to the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Training Committee and elected to the ATS Nominating Committee of the Assembly on Respiratory Cell & Molecular Biology. Joao de Andrade, MD (Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine) was elected to the ATS Nominating Committee of the Assembly on Clinical Problems.

Sheela Lohiya, MD (Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism) won first place in the poster competition at the Southern States American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists meeting for “Cardiogenic Shock: An Initial Presentation of Primary Adrenal Insufficiency: A rare, interesting case of a nineteen year old girl with Hashimoto's thyroiditis presenting with cardiogenic shock, improving with steroids.”  Her prize-winning work has been submitted to the journal Endocrine Practice for publication.

Cynthia Brown, MD, MSPH (Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care) was selected as one of the top eight reviewers among several hundred reviewers for the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society for the calendar year 2014.

NO MGR NEXT WEEK. Medical Grand Rounds is taking a two-week summer break. Lectures will resume July 1.

View this week's slides here.

Do you have Good News to share? If so, please email the Department of Medicine's Director of Communications, Carolyn Walsh.