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The Emergency Department presented Shreyas Makwana, M.D., Plastic Surgery with the Friend of the ED Award. Dr. Makwana is a plastic surgery resident who goes above and beyond for our pediatric patients and families. A thank you note from one of our ED patients is evidence of his excellence

Congratulations Dr. Makwana!

For the 10th consecutive year, Children’s of Alabama is ranked among the nation’s best children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.
 
Six of Children’s pediatric specialty services – Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Neonatology, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery and Pulmonology –  are among the top 50 in the United States in the magazine’s 2019-20 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. Currently, U.S. News & World Report ranks 10 specialties. The complete listing and corresponding rankings may be found at http://www.usnews.com/best-hospitals.

Read the full story at https://www.childrensal.org/body.cfm?id=1730&action=detail&ref=787. 

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Mark Prichard, Ph.D., Pediatric Infectious Diseases. He died peacefully at home with his entire family present. We must all remember Mark for the real joy he brought to our lives. His continuing smile through trying times will be remembered by all of us and never forgotten. Further, Mark was a true scholar. As his family loved him, so did all of us. He leaves behind his wife and two sons.
 
Mark joined the Department of Pediatrics in 2003. He ascended to the rank of Professor and, recently, was awarded Emeritus status by the UA Board of Trustees. He was responsible for the Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory. He directed a laboratory that evaluated new drugs to treat viral infections. He published over 150 peer reviewed publications. He will be greatly missed.

Rich Whitley

Friday, July 19 | 7:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. | Bradley Lecture Center

The 2019 UAB Perinatal Conference will be held Friday, July 19 at the Bradley Lecture Center. This year’s conference is titled "Brains and Things”. This one-day conference will begin at 7:30 a.m. with registration and breakfast and conclude at 5:15 p.m. Click here for the informational brochure and to register.

Pediatric faculty elected David Kimberlin, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Diseases, to serve a three-year term on the Pediatric Appointment, Promotion and Tenure Committee. Tim Coghill, M.D., Neonatology, was re-elected to serve a second three-year term. The Department thanks you for agreeing to represent our pediatric faculty peers on this important committee!

Donna Murdaugh, Ph.D., Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, has been appointed as Associate Scientist in the Cancer Control and Population Sciences Program by the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

Congratulations Dr. Murdaugh! 

Tamera Coyne-Beasley, M.D., Adolescent Medicine, has been selected as the 2020 Adele D. Hofmann Visiting Professor in Adolescent Medicine and Health. The Hofmann Professorship is one of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine's (SAHM) highest honors. Her selection will be announced at the 2020 Annual Meeting in San Diego, California.


Congratulations Dr. Coyne-Beasley!

Congratulations to Aman Wadhwa, M.D., Third Year Fellow, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology on receiving the UAB Subspecialty Research Achievement Award. Under the guidance of Smita Bhatia, M.D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, he has worked on investigating the association of body composition in treatment-related toxicities among children undergoing treatment for cancer. This award honors a graduating fellow who has made achievements and advancements in research during his or her fellowship.

Below is what our graduates will be doing after residency:

Matthew Adams, M.D.          Fellowship, Cardiology, Indianapolis, IN
Hilary Anderson, M.D.          General Pediatrics, Birmingham, AL
A. Reid Burks, M.D.              Chief Resident 2019-2020, UAB, Birmingham, AL
Joshua K. Cooper, M.D.        Fellowship, Critical Care/ID, UAB, Birmingham, AL
Eunice E. A. Dixon, M.D.      Chief Resident 2019-2020, UAB, Birmingham, AL
Austin Doss, M.D.                 General Pediatrics, Auburn,  AL
Emily Foreman, M.D.             Fellowship, Critical Care, San Diego, CA
Amelia B. Freeman, M.D.      Fellowship, Neonatology, UAB, Birmingham, AL
Maria Gutierrez, M.D.            Fellowship, Cardiology, Houston, TX
Spandana Induru, M.D.         Chief Resident 2019-2020, UAB, Birmingham, AL
Kristyn Jeffries, M.D.            Fellowship, Hospital Medicine, Kansas City, MO  
Eric Jorge, IV, M.D.               Fellowship, Emergency Medicine, UAB, Birmingham, AL
Ashley Love, M.D.                General Pediatrics, Auburn, AL
Anna Magliolo, M.D.             General Pediatrics, Birmingham, AL        
Margaret Marks, M.D.           Fellowship, Endocrinology, UAB, Birmingham, AL
Leen Matalka, M.D.                Fellowship, Endocrinology, UAB, Birmingham, AL
S. Taylor McClanahan, M.D. General Pediatrics, Birmingham, AL
Nathan Menaker, M.D.          Residency, Adult Emergency Medicine, Austin, TX
Jamie Oakley, M.D.               Fellowship, Hematology-Oncology, Atlanta, GA
Nicholas Rockwell, M.D.       Fellowship, Critical Care, UAB, Birmingham, AL
Victoria Sivils, M.D.              General Pediatrics, UAB, Birmingham, AL
Colm Travers, M.D.               Faculty, Neonatology, UAB, Birmingham, AL
Alicia Webb, M.D.                 Fellowship, Emergency Medicine, UAB, Birmingham, AL
Madeline Eckenrode, M.D.    Faculty, Medicine & COA Nocturnist, UAB, Birmingham, AL
Jane Marie F. Freeman, M.D. Fellowship, Allergy Immunology, UAB, Birmingham, AL
Christa R. Nevin, M.D.          Faculty, Adolescent & Adult HIV Care, UAB, Birmingham, AL
David  W. Windler, M.D.        Fellowship, Palliative Care, UAB, Birmingham, AL  

Congratulations to Brad Anding, M.D., and Emily Floyd, M.D., for winning the Joe LaRussa Intern of the Year Award!

Pictured L to R: Drs. Will Sasser, Michele Nichols, Emily Floyd, Brad Anding, Candice Dye and Lauren Nassetta

Anisha Bhatia Attawala, M.D., Second Year Fellow, Neonatology, has been selected to participate in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Young Physicians Leadership Alliance (YPLA) presented by the Section on Early Career Physicians (SOECP). The YPLA is designed to develop leaders and build a leadership community among early career pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists. The program incorporates a longitudinal, developmental curriculum that is delivered face-to face annually at three sequential AAP National Conferences and in intersession learning modules held three times a year between conferences.

Congratulations Dr. Attawala!

Congratulations to Taylor McClanahan, M.D., Pediatric Resident PGY-3,  on being chosen as this year's recipient of The Carolyn Ashworth, M.D. Pediatric Primary Care Award. This award is given in recognition of a graduating resident’s excellence in primary care pediatrics; in their provision and coordination of care to meet the patient's medical, social, emotional and psychological needs which define high-quality, comprehensive care in the context of the family and society; and for a demonstrated commitment to life-long learning and advocacy.

Eleven Pediatric faculty members have been appointed to the Center for Women's Reproductive Health (CWRH). The mission of the CWRH is to conduct research aimed at improving the reproductive health and survival of all women, especially minority and under-served women and offspring, and their families, and to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration between UAB researchers and others and developing scholars interested in women's reproductive health.

UAB Faculty Appointed
Namasivayam Ambalavanan, M.D., Neonatology
Suresh Boppana, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Disease
William Britt, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Disease
Waldemar Carlo, M.D., Neonatology
Krista Casazza, Ph.D., Adolescent Medicine
Karen Fowler, Ph.D., Pediatric Infectious Disease
David Kimberlin, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Disease
Charitharth Lal, M.D., Neonatology
Myriam Peralta, M.D., Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
Shannon Ross, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Disease
Brian Sims, M.D., Neonatology

Congratulations!

Matthew Stoll, M.D., Pediatric Rheumatology, has been named to the Spondyloarthritis Research and Treatment Network (SPARTAN) Board of Directors. He will serve a three-year term beginning in May 2019 through May 2022.

Congratulations Dr. Stoll!

Jennifer Guimbellot, M.D., Ph.D., Pediatric Pulmonology, was recently elected to serve as a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Executive Committee. Her three year term will begin on November 1, 2019 and run through 2022. The SOCPT serves to advance the mission and vision of the section and ultimately the health of infants and children.

Congratulations Dr. Guimbellot!

Margaux Barnes, Ph.D., Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, and Robby Richter, M.D., Pediatric Critical Care, have been awarded funding from the UAB Faculty Development Grant Program (FDGP) for their proposed projects. 

Dr. Barnes' project is titled "Resistance Training Intervention to Promote Lean Mass in Youth with IBD." Dr. Richter's project is titled "Evaluation of Roneparstat as a Novel Treatment Strategy in Sepsis." As part of the program all participants are required to present a poster detailing their project at a poster session hosted by the Provost and Faculty Senate in Fall 2020. 

Congratulations Drs. Barnes and Richter! 

Shannon Ross, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Disease, is a member of the inaugural Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) Leadership Institute. The IDSA gathered 30 diverse leaders from across the United States (and Malawi) for the launch of the inaugural IDSA Leadership Institute in early May. As the first program of its kind, designed exclusively for infectious diseases and HIV specialists, attendees built upon existing leadership skills common to the ID professional and developed new tools to enhance their leadership capacity.

Over two-and-a-half days, attendees engaged with a curriculum built on daily themes: Personal Leadership, Team Leadership, and Accountability. On the first day, attendees worked to come to a better understanding of their knowledge and opinions concerning organizational and individual leadership. On the second day, they examined strategies for integrating contemporary leadership theory and practice into the teams they manage. Finally, they explored tools and practices for evaluating and communicating the necessity of their work to individuals who do not share in their expertise.

Read more here

The Chu Family has generously donated funds to Children's of Alabama and the Department of Pediatrics to support educational initiatives. A portion of this donation has been set aside for the pediatric fellows to fund scholarships for fellows who apply. The selection committee for the Chu Family Educational Scholarship recently met on Friday, May 17th, and selected two fellows to receive this scholarship. Candidates were selected on a competitive basis. These awards will provide funds for tuition, books and fees related to their educational endeavors.

Please join us in congratulating the Chu Family Educational Scholarship recipients for the 2019-2020 academic year:

Jennifer Hoefert, M.D. – Upcoming Second Year Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellow.
Dr. Hoefert will use the scholarship towards completing a UAB Quality Academy Certificate Course.

Hannah Hulsey, M.D. – Upcoming Second Year Adolescent Medicine Fellow.
Dr. Hulsey will use the scholarship towards completing an Individualized Curriculum to enhance health disparities education which includes Community Engagement Training and conferences directed at health disparities and health equity.

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have been awarded a $6.38 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to determine the long-term burden of morbidity borne by blood cancer patients treated with or without blood or marrow transplantation, or BMT.  

In 2018, an estimated 175,000 individuals were diagnosed with a hematologic malignancy — or blood cancer, such as leukemia, myeloma or lymphoma — in the United States. Such cancers are typically managed through high-intensity chemotherapy with or without radiation. Patients with progressive disease or high risk of relapse are treated with even higher-intensity chemotherapy/radiation and BMT.

“Survival rates after BMT are improving at the rate of 10 percent per decade — steady improvements in outcome have resulted in a growing number of BMT survivors, a population uniquely vulnerable to long-term life-threatening chronic morbidity,” said Smita Bhatia, M.D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, principal investigator of the study, director of the Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship, and senior scientist in the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center. “A better understanding of post-BMT health care needs could result in the deployment of targeted strategies that yield better quality of survival and reduced utilization of health care resources.”

The study will construct a cohort of more than 10,000 patients treated with BMT between 1974 and 2014 at three transplant sites — UAB, University of Minnesota and City of Hope — as well as a cohort of 3,000 patients treated with conventional therapy without BMT, which will amount to the largest cohort ever studied.

Read full story at UAB News