Pictured: HEA Co-director, Dr. Lisa Willett with Dr. Rebekah Weil, DOM's inaugural mentee.
Last week, the School of Medicine joined the Schools of Dentistry, Health Professions, Public Health, and Nursing to launch the UAB Healthcare Educators Academy. The inaugural class of 12 health profession educators will partner with faculty mentors to further teaching excellence, foster innovation, and educational scholarship, and promote the careers and wellbeing of health profession faculty educators. Our Department of Medicine mentee is Rebekah Weil, MD (Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine) who will work with Jessica Williams, PhD, MPH, to further develop the Health Disparities Track curriculum for internal medicine residents.
More Good News for September 25, 2019
Lori Brand Bateman, PhD, RD (Instructor, Preventive Medicine) received a Health and Human Services grant to support the project "YES! We can PLAY: A Physical Activity and Nutrition After School Program for 6th Graders." The study is designed to promote the health of children and their families in Birmingham City Schools. Kudos, Dr. Bateman!
Marty Solomon, MD (Assistant Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care) and Marie Bakitas, DNSc, CRNP (Professor, Nursing) have received a grant from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to conduct a randomized trial to integrate a Palliative Care specialist into usual outpatient Cystic Fibrosis care. We look forward to hearing your results!
Infectious Diseases researchers in the Center for AIDS Research have received three one-year supplemental awards. Latesha Elopre, MD (Assistant Professor) and Lynn Matthews, MD (Associate Professor) will use the awards to help develop plans for diagnosing, treating and preventing HIV in local communities, many of which are areas with high rates of new cases. Congratulations!
James Cimino, MD (Director, Informatics Institute) has been invited to serve on the Alabama Commission on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Associated technologies with Governor Kay Ivey. It is only the third such commission in the country, and it will develop recommendations to advance AI's growth in the state's tech sector. The report will be delivered next May. Three cheers, Dr. Cimino!
Andre Ballesteros-Tato, PhD (Associate Professor, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology) has examined how two interleukin signaling proteins interact to affect the development of T follicular helper cells. His findings on how their interplay either maintains or disrupts the balancing act of the immune system were published in Science Immunology. Kudos on this exemplary science, Dr. Ballesteros!
Kartik Gupta, MD (Instructor, Cardiovascular Disease) has earned a travel award from the Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin to present his abstract at the upcoming AACIO meeting in November. Congratulations on this recognition of your work, Dr. Gupta!
Renae Glover is the September Employee of the Month! Renae has been an Administrative Support Specialist in the Division of Preventive Medicine for several years. She is integrally involved in numerous research related tasks, including IRB submissions, amendments and renewals, grant submissions and various aspects of the application process. Renae is a true team player, always remaining calm in a high-stress environment with multiple competing demands. The Department salutes you, Renae! Think of others you know and nominate them with our new and improved online nomination form!
The AMA is celebrating women in medicine this month. I join them in saluting the trailblazers, innovators, and leaders. In particular, I could not do this without vice chairs Lisa Willett, Cynthia Brown, Elizabeth Turnipseed, Monica Baskin, Cindy Joiner & division directors Mona Fouad and Jeanne Marazzo. I encourage each of you to take a moment to think of someone who inspires you, and recognize their contribution to our Department, School, and University.
Next Week for Medical Grand Rounds: Robert C. Bourge, MD, Professor in the UAB Division of Cardiovascular Disease, will present "Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Have we changed the diagnosis from a “death sentence” to a “forgettable” disease?" at Medical Grand Rounds at noon on Wednesday, October 2, in Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium.