The residents kicked off their Annual Spring Party and Banquet with a champagne toast to those who were graduating the program. It was a time to celebrate their hard work and commitment to patient care, as well as a time to recognize residents who have excelled in research, global health, resident teaching, overall attitude, and clinical excellence.

The Department salutes this year’s participants in the IM Residency Program’s Global Health Track. They presented posters of their learning experiences on Global Health Day last week.

• Kyle Brown, MD (Med/Peds R4) studied at Tenwek Hospital in Bomet, Kenya.
• David Dougherty, MD (PGY3) studied at University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia.
• Sarah French, MD (PGY3) studied at Clinica Esperanza in Roatan, Honduras.
• Jake Lancaster, MD (PGY3) studied at Cayetano Heredia Hospital in Lima, Peru.
• Jill Neely, MD (PGY3) took the Gorgas Course in Tropical Medicine, studying at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru.

Ty Whitfield, MD (Fellow, Cardiovascular Disease) was voted 2016 Emergency Medicine Top Consultant. This distinction is voted on by the Emergency Medicine residents each year and recognizes him among all fellows in all departments across UAB.

Four in the Department of Medicine were among the 2016 Healthcare Leadership Academy Graduates: Emily Boohaker, MD (General Internal Medicine) Roslyn Mannon, MD (Nephrology) Elizabeth Kvale, MD (Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care) and Anitra Baylor, BS (Preventive Medicine).

Lisa Willett, MD (DOM Vice Chair for Education) and graduating medical student Davis Bradford were presented with 2016 Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Awards during the SOM Spring Commencement ceremony. As honoree, Dr. Willett will lead the incoming class in the Hippocratic Oath during the White Coat Ceremony in August.

Keith Wille, MD (Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine) was quoted in a recent Medscape article on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, recapping information presented during the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation 2016 Scientific Sessions.

UAB’s multi-disciplinary Ventricular Assist Device Program passed its intra-cycle review with flying colors, maintaining its Joint Commission “Gold Seal” status. Kudos to Salpy Pamboukian, MD, and José Tallaj, MD (Cardiovascular Disease) for their leadership in this program.

Mike Saag, MD, and Division Director Jeanne Marrazzo, MD (Infectious Diseases) were recently featured in a Fox 6 News story on the HIV public health crisis, promoting preventive treatment to reduce infections. Their comments address the recent report revealing the South is home to 21 of the 25 metropolitan areas with the highest HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men.

Matthew Tucker (MS4) won the Tinsley R. Harrison Award in recognition of outstanding commitment to patient care during the Internal Medicine Clerkship.  

Elizabeth McAlister (IM Residency Program) has been published in the Aura Literary Arts Review. Her poem was submitted on the theme of “beauty in decay.”

The Department salutes our April and May employees of the month: Brandy Freiger, Program Administrator in the IM Residency Program, and Sherry Morgan, Administrative Associate in General Internal Medicine.

Upcoming Events

• 2016 RIME Week. Mark the fourth week in September for Research and Innovations in Medical Education. Louis Pangaro, MD, MACP (Uniformed Services University) will present at Medical Grand Rounds on Wednesday, September 21. Workshops follow on Thursday and Friday.
• Medical Grand Rounds. Jasvinder Singh, MD, MPH, UAB Professor of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology will present: Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2016.