Pictured above: Dr. Cindy Joiner receives her vaccination.
Many in our Department were part of UAB Medicine's Phase 1 vaccine distribution plan which aims to provide vaccine for all UAB Medicine employees by the end of the month. From the initial shipment, nearly 7,000 UAB Medicine employees have received a vaccination, and additional vaccine is arriving soon. We are grateful to be part of the first wave of people receiving the safe and highly effective Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. For a primer on the science behind the COVID vaccines, take a moment to watch the JAMA video.
More Good News for January 6, 2020
Nathaniel Erdmann, MD, PhD (Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases) was highlighted as the latest SOM featured discovery recipient for his study titled “Sustained cellular immune dysregulation in individuals recovering from SARS-CoV-2 infection,” published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Charles O. Elson, MD (Professor, Gastroenterology & Hepatology) and colleagues recently conducted a study that could lead to a potential immunotherapy for Crohn's disease. The investigators were able to prevent colitis in a mouse model by removing T memory cells and increasing T regulatory cells to control inflammatory response.
UAB's 1917 Clinic is the largest HIV health care unit in Alabama. On December 15, the clinic officially began operating in new space that tripled the size of its old location. Housed in the Dewberry Building in Birmingham's Lakeview district, the 1917 Clinic now boasts 27 exam rooms and provides dedicated space for counseling services.
Steve Rowe, MD, MSPH (Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care) recently received a grant from the NHLBI for the project “Therapeutic targeting of MUC5B in a novel ferret model of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.” The funds will help his team apply lessons learned from their Cystic Fibrosis research to other lung diseases.
The Southern Society for Clinical Investigation has named two DOM faculty members as Mentors of the Year. Anupam Agarwal, MD (Director, Nephrology) was recognized in the post-graduate category; and Sumanth Prabhu, MD (Director, Cardiovascular Disease) was recognized in the junior faculty category. Congrats to you both!
Christina Muzny, MD, MSPH (Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases) has been awarded a UAB AMC 21 grant to further study the natural history and epidemiology of trichomoniasis in men in a project entitled "Trichomonas vaginalis repeat infections among men who have sex with women."
It always feels good to think about a fresh start, wiping down the old chalkboard to start over without the burdens of the past, but after living through 2020, that notion of a clean slate is even more appealing. In this essay, Dr. Well-Be advises us on how to wipe away unproductive anger with forgiveness.
Jada Bussey-Jones, MD, FACP (General Medicine and Geriatrics, Emory University) will present "Inclusive Leadership: Strategies for Supporting Diverse Teams" at Medical Grand Rounds at noon on Wednesday, January 13, via Zoom.