UAB Health System partnered with Baptist Health to open the UAB Medicine Multispecialty Clinic at Baptist Medical Center South in August. Ten new physicians have been hired to practice four much-needed specialties, including gastroenterology (2), endocrinology (2), rheumatology (3), and urology (3). The clinic is located on the first and second floors of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine building on the campus of BMC South.

Results from the recent Department-wide strategic planning meeting are online now. Work Groups will be using this input to determine a manageable number of priorities for 2016-2017. We’ll share progress at the State of the Department lecture in November and in subsequent quarterly updates.

The Department of Medicine has awarded four faculty members the Walter B. Frommeyer, Jr., Fellowship in Investigative Medicine: Pankaj Arora, MD (Cardiovascular Disease), Latesha Elopre, MD (Infectious Diseases) Nathan Erdmann, MD, PhD (Infectious Diseases), and Sunad Rangarajan, MD (Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care). The award will support a two-year intensive, mentored research experience designed to foster the development of independent physician-scientists.

Congratulations to the 2016 UAB Alpha Omega Alpha Chapter Inductees! Among the 38 new members were Harrish Doppalapudi, MD (Cardiovascular Disease) Paul Fitzmorris, MD (Fellow, Gastroenterology and Hepatology) and Victor J. Thannickal, MD (Director, Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine).

Kirk Habegger, PhD (Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism) is one of four nominees for the prestigious Helmholtz Young Investigator Diabetes award honoring a “rising star” in diabetes research. He will present his research the 4th Annual Helmholtz-Nature Medicine Diabetes Conference in Munich later this month.

U.S. News and World Report has ranked five of the specialties within the Department of Medicine in the top 50 according to its annual Best Hospitals list! Among these high performers is the Division of Nephrology, which ranks #20 in the country. Kudos to all involved for this national recognition!

Coming next week to Medical Grand Rounds: David O. Freedman, MD, UAB Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and Founder of the UAB Travelers Health Clinic will present, “Zika. What We Know and What We Don’t.”

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

View this week's slides here.