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The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery is pleased to welcome Scott Mabry, M.D. as assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery. Mabry will specialize in joint preservation surgery.

Mabry received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, where he received high honors and three scholarships for merit. He completed his residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. There, he researched the prevention of joint infections, femoral neck fractures and diseases of the cervical and thoracolumbar spine.

Before joining the department in 2022, Mabry completed his fellowship in adult reconstruction, joint preservation and resurfacing at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. There, he further researched cervical spine injuries and acetabular fractures.

The UAB Orthopaedic Surgery Hand Department represented UAB at the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) 2022 Annual Meeting this past September.

The ASSH annual meetings allow members to display their research findings alongside their peers by hosting lectures, laboratory sessions, seminars and workshops.

UAB Orthopaedic Surgery Associate Professor Richard Meyer, M.D., and Assistant Professor Erin Ransom, M.D., presented an instructional course lecture on Thoracic Outlet Syndrome titled "Neurogenic Thoracic Outlet: Primer for the Hand Surgeon.”
Meyers and Ransom presented alongside colleagues from Carilion Clinic and Wake Forest and the international guest lecturer of ASSH, Dr. Jayme Bertelli.

Additionally, Orthopaedic Surgery Assistant Professor Mohamed Morsy, M.D., presented his paper “Results of Zone II Flexor Tendon Repair Under WALANT vs General Anesthesia: A Randomized Control Trial,” in which he touches on the superiority of using the Wide Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT) technique for hand surgery over the use of general anesthesia. Morsy’s paper ranked one of the Top 5 Best Papers at the meeting.

The Department also hosted its’ first annual UAB Hand Fellowship Reunion at the meeting, including past and present fellows such as Drs. Thomas Sellers, Joshua Hammond, Corianne Rogers, Tyler Ward, Mohamed Morsy, Matt McCarley, Will Zimmerman, Emily Compton, Rachel Aliotta, Ashley Bentley, Kathleen McKeon, Allison Hunter, Erin Ransom, Jean Oakes, John McGuigan and Richard Meyer.

This year’s meeting was held in Boston, Massachusetts, from September 29 to October 1, 2022, at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center.

UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Associate Professor and Section Chief of Sports Medicine Amit Momaya, M.D., was selected to speak at the National Strength and Conditioning Association Alabama State Clinic in November.Amit Momaya, M.D.

NSCA State Clinic meetings are designed to give sports medicine medical staff and students the opportunity to engage with industry experts, gaining specific knowledge in areas of nutrition, mobility, endurance training, and sports-specific training.

Momaya was selected to present his work “Strength Training After Orthopedic Surgery” in which he touches on the types of exercises patients can safely use immediately after surgery to better recover from their injuries.

This year’s meeting will take place in Birmingham, Alabama, on Nov. 13 at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham-The Wynfrey Hotel.

“I am excited to speak at the National Strength and Conditioning Association Clinic. Linking surgeons with strength and conditioning coaches will help improve the outcomes for many athletes as they return to sport play,” says Momaya.

Joseph Elphingstone, M.D.UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Research Fellow Joseph Elphingstone, M.D., won the Clinical Orthopaedic Society (COS) Rapid-Fire Presentation Award for his work on extensor mechanism reconstruction.

In September, Elphingstone received his award and presented his abstract titled “Extensor Mechanism Reconstruction for Chronic Patellar Tendon Tears” at the Clinical Orthopaedic Society Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to represent UAB Orthopaedic Surgery on a national stage. And am thankful for the mentorship and collaboration from the faculty and my fellow authors,” said Elphingstone.

According to COS, the Rapid Fire Presentation Awards are given to residents or fellows with one of the top-ranked abstracts submitted to the conference. The Clinical Orthopaedic Society is a national organization with close ties to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

To read more, visit their webpage here.

UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Resident David Patch, M.D., alongside Associate Professor Clay Spitler, M.D., published a study focusing on the effects of prophylactic piperacillin-tazobactam (PT) on inpatient acute kidney injury (AKI) and fracture-related infection (FRI) in patients with open fractures.David Patch, M.D.

The study was published in late August in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma and is titled “Risk of Acute Kidney Injury and Fracture Related Infection after Antibiotic Prophylaxis with Piperacillin-Tazobactam in Open Fractures.”

Recent studies have called into question the risks of acute kidney injury and fracture-related infection in patients with open fractures after PT (Penicillin Class) was given.

Authors of the study reviewed 358 Gustilo-Anderson type ll and lll open fracture inpatients over a five-year period. There were 176 patients in the PT group and 182 patients in the historical control group. With a 5.7 to 2.7% comparison, there was no difference in the rate of AKI between the PT and control groups. With a 23.6 to 19.6% comparison, there also was no difference in the rate of FRI between the two groups.

The study concludes that the use of PT in prophylactic antimicrobial treatment in patients with Gustilo-Anderson type II and III open fractures does not increase the rate of AKI or FRI.

To read more about the study and its results, click here.

UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Assistant Professor Eugene Brabston, M.D., was selected to speak at the 2022 Annual American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Meeting.

UAB Orthopaedic Surgery Workers’ Compensation RN Workers’ Comp Coordinator Natasha B. Hatch, MSHQS, BSN, RN, along with physician representative Dr. Richard Meyer and Andrea Boohaker, DNP, CRNP, ACNP-BC, RNFA , Manager of Advanced Practice Providersrepresented UAB as Gold Sponsors at the 2022 Summer Conference hosted by the Alabama Self-Insurers Association (ASIA).

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery research fellow Logan Reed alongside Associate Professors Dr. Michael Johnson and Dr. Clay Spitler, published a study focusing on complication rates in calcaneus fractures between patients of various ages using the sinus tarsi (ST) approach.

University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Associate Professor and Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program Director Michael D. Johnson, M.D., and Orthopaedic Surgery Resident David Patch, M.D., recently published the first quantitative comparison of the lateral extensile approach (LEA) and sinus tarsi approach (STA) for calcaneal fractures.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Professor Herrick Siegel, M.D., was invited to present his research at the International Society of Limb Salvage (ISOLS) meeting on September 6-9 in Los Angeles, CA.

With The World Games 2022 just around the corner, UAB Sports and Exercise Medicine is gearing up to support several events, like outdoor tug of war, as the official medical provider.

The Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program honored its chief residents, as well as supporting faculty and residents across the program, at Resident Research Day as well as a chief resident graduation dinner last week.

On January 4, 2022, the Henry family– father, mother, daughter, and girlfriend– were driving to Washington, D.C. to do some sightseeing. With daughter Amy Henry, BSN RN, a nurse at UAB Medicine, driving the vehicle, they enjoyed the Virginia mountains covered in snow and the last few hours of a family road trip.

In addition to her position as a nurse with UAB Medicine, Amy Henry’s girlfriend Sara Bauer, BSN, RN is also a nurse at UAB.

In a flash

Seemingly out of nowhere, a car careened across the median between I-81 East and I-81 West, went airborne, and landed directly in the Henry family’s path. They hit head-on, going 75 mph.

After the impact, the vehicle made its way about 20 yards off the interstate and into the snow. Chaos ensued after the wreck, and Amy encouraged everyone who was able to get out of the vehicle, in case of a fire or other safety hazard. Everyone was alive, but they soon began to realize that each one of them had serious injuries.

“I am a nurse and have worked in UAB's operating room for five years, but the shock was keeping me from being able to recall any helpful knowledge for either of my parents,” said Amy Henry. “I realized that I was also sitting in the snow because I felt a lot of pain in my right hand.”

The paramedics arrived within five minutes and each family member was ushered to separate ambulances. Everyone was transported to a hospital in Winchester, TN, where they were seen in the emergency room.

The diagnoses

Amy Henry was diagnosed with a torn UCL in her right hand and had surgery in Virginia about two weeks after the wreck to correct it. Following that surgery, an MRI of her right foot revealed a torn bone, ligament, and muscle that required a boot for about six weeks. Finally, an MRI of her shoulder revealed a SLAP tear of her right shoulder.

Both of Amy Henry’s parents were taken to critical care units while she was sent to get x-rays of her right foot, right hand, and right shoulder– all of these sites were becoming very bruised and stiff, but thankfully, nothing was broken.

Amy Henry’s mother was diagnosed with six broken ribs, a broken sternum, and a broken hand. Her father was diagnosed with a shattered left ankle and leg, 12 broken ribs, a fractured sternum, internal bleeding, and a perforated bowel, so he had to undergo two surgeries over the course of two days.

“Once we realized the severity of the situation, my first instinct was to get my parents to UAB to continue their care. I reached out to my colleagues from the UAB OR, and they were able to coordinate getting my dad a life flight back to UAB, despite mechanical issues with the jet and a snowstorm” said Amy Henry.

Amy Henry credits the help of Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Associate Professor Michael Johnson, M.D., Department of Surgery Assistant Professor Virginia Pierce, M.D., and Assistant Nurse Manager Kayla Evans to get her parents transferred to UAB.

“A huge shout out to Drs. Michael Johnson and Virginia Pierce for accepting my parents and also pushing to get them transferred. I feel very fortunate and humbled to have such caring friends in such high places,” says Amy Henry. “Kayla Evans put in so much leg work to get the jet off the ground. She endured many texts and phone calls, and we’re so grateful.”

Amy Henry’s father ended up having an ex-fix by Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Assistant Professor Agarwal, Abhinav, M.D., followed by a tibial nail and an eight-inch plate to his left leg and ankle by Section Chief of Orthoapedic Trauma Jonathan Quade, M.D. Henry is grateful to her colleagues that were in her father’s surgeries.

Grateful hearts

Eventually, the rest of the family reconvened in Birmingham.

“I have never been more thankful to know that my family was in Birmingham receiving elite care from UAB. Once they were home, Kayla Evans and Andrea Tyson coordinated next-day doctor appointments for my mom with Drs. Amit Momaya and Rachel Aliotta,” said Amy Henry. “Dr. Momaya's athletic trainer, Sarah Kasprow, played a major role in coordinating appointments with Dr. Momaya for my mom, myself, and later my girlfriend.”

In those appointments, Amy Henry’s mother was diagnosed with three complete tears in her left elbow and a SLAP tear to her right shoulder and is currently doing physical therapy for all three injuries.

About two months after the wreck, Amy Henry’s girlfriend, who was seemingly unscathed, got a left knee MRI to err on the side of caution and was diagnosed with a meniscus tear. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Associate Professor and Section Chief of Sports Medicine Amit Momaya, M.D., performed repair surgery.

Amy Henry is grateful to each person who played a role in her family’s healing process.

“Long story short, we got in the worst car accident of our lives in a state where we had no close friends or connections, and we were unfamiliar with the hospital systems,” said Amy Henry. “Somehow, from 682 miles away, UAB still found a way to make us a priority and took over the care of my dad and later the care of my mother, Sara, and myself.”

Amy Henry’s father is also grateful for the care he and the family received.

“Praise the nurses that go above and beyond every day. UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center and my therapists were amazing to get me back walking– so many great people at UAB!”

Amy Henry notes that the quality of care was a key reason that the family is recovering and able to get back to doing what they love in life. For Amy and her girlfriend, that is nursing.

“All because of the fantastic people at UAB, we now feel confident that we have received and continue to receive the most advanced and research-based care possible, surrounded by friends and people who care for us. Words cannot express my gratitude for these amazing people that I consider family,” said Amy Henry.

For the first time in two year, UAB Heersink School of Medicine Match Day was held in person. Fourth-year medical students across the country engaged online through social media, sharing where they were matched. While it was impossible to have everyone in the same room at one time, the excitement could still be virtually felt.

The Alabama Orthopaedic Society (AOS) hosted their annual meeting May 19-21 at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Alabama, and several UAB Orthopaedic Surgery faculty and trainees attended, networked, and presented their research.

The UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Adult Reconstructive and Total Joints Fellowship has matched with its first fellow, Waleed Hardan, M.D., who will join the department this summer.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery incoming resident David Patch, M.D., alongside his colleagues, published a review article titled “Diagnosis and Management of Traumatic Hemipelvectomy” in the Journal of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Each year, over 250,000 individuals in the United States will suffer an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, according to the Center for Disease Control. For competitive or recreational athletes, this can be a debilitating injury that takes many months to heal from.

UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery PGY3 Resident Kevin Wall, M.D., MPH, received the American College of Surgeons Excellence in Research Award in the orthopaedic surgery category.