Pediatric Faculty Accepted into 2016 CCTS CTS Training Program
Congratulations to Jennifer Guimbellot, M.D., Pediatric Pulmonology, Justin Schwartz, M.D., Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, and Lauren Shipman, M.D., Pediatric Rheumatology fellow, on being accepted into the 2016 CCTS Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) Program. The CTS Training Program, as part of the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) places UAB in an elite group of academic institutions that conduct broad-based clinical and translational research and provide educational programs for individuals starting in this type of research. The program is a six-month certificate program that includes approximately 50 hours of didactic instruction and interactive experience.
Children's and Department of Pediatrics Represented at Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society Meeting
Ten members of our Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) team were in Houston, TX representing Children's of Alabama and UAB at the 11th annual meeting of the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society on Dec. 9-11. The international conference allows our team to present quality improvement initiatives, research and clinical innovations to other ICU teams from around the globe. The group included five nurses, one nurse practitioner and four physicians.See the details about the presentations below.
Hundreds of UAB physicians Named to Prestigious 2015-16 Best Doctors in America List
The 2015 list recognizes 391 UAB physicians, the most in Alabama, in 38 specialties listed who are among the top 5 percent of clinicians in the United States, as voted by their peers. For a link to the UAB press release, click here. To view the complete database of UAB physicians on the Best Doctors list, click here.
Dr. Bhatia Elected to APS Membership & COG Executive Committee Member At-Large
Congratulations to Smita Bhatia, M.D., M.P.H., on her election to membership in the American Pediatric Society (APS). Dr. Bhatia and other new members will be honored during the 2016 PAS meeting in Baltimore, MD, in May 2016. The mission of the American Pediatric Society is to advance academic pediatrics. This is accomplished through promoting pediatric research and scholarship, serving as a strong and effective advocate for academic pediatrics, recognizing and honoring achievement, and cultivating excellence, diversity, and equity in the field of pediatrics through advocacy, scholarship, education and leadership development. Congratulations to Dr. Bhatia on this distinctive honor!
Additional congratulations are in order for Dr. Bhatia, as she was recently elected to the position of Children's Oncology Group (COG) Executive Committee Member At-Large representing the Hematology/Oncology Discipline for a term of three years.
Kulture City Selected as the Top Nonprofit in Alabama by Tom's of Maine
Tom’s of Maine rewards 52 nonprofits across the country with more than $1 million in funding through their 50 States for Good community giving program. Each nonprofit will receive $20,000 to advance important community projects such as helping families find affordable housing, providing assistance to those affected by autism and developing sustainable gardens in urban areas. Department of Pediatrics faculty,Michele Kong, M.D., and her husband Julian Maha, M.D., recognized gaps in service for children with autism and their families and cofounded Kulture City, a nonprofit organization specializing in providing direct assistance to children with special needs and their families. Kulture City has directly impacted more than 13,000 families through scholarships, art and music camps, and educational curriculums. For more information about Kulture City, visit the website. For a list of winners from each state click here.
Dr. Hartig Selected as the Top Recipient of the 2015 RIME Faculty Development Award
Jason Hartig, M.D., med-peds residency director, was selected as the top recipient of the 2015 Research and Innovations in Medical Education (RIME) Faculty Development UASOM Award; a program funded by an HSF-GEF grant. The main purpose of the RIME award is to promote teaching skills in medical education, foster curriculum innovation and showcase scholarship and research findings in medical education for the 21st century.
Happy Holidays from UAB Pediatrics and Children's of Alabama
On behalf of the Department of Pediatrics and Children’s of Alabama, Happy Holidays. Thanks for all you have done this past year, all that you are doing now and all that you will do in the next year for the children of Alabama.
A UAB/Children's of Alabama/Cincinnati Children's Study Find Genetic Risk for Fatal Inflammatory Disorder Linked to Viral Infection
A group of people with fatal H1N1 flu died after their viral infections triggered a deadly hyperinflammatory disorder in susceptible individuals with gene mutations linked to the overactive immune response, according to a study in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. Randy Cron, M.D., Ph.D., pediatric rheumatology, is a senior investigator on this study. Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the University of Alabama Birmingham and Children’s of Alabama led the study, published online Nov. 23. They suggest people with other types of infections and identical gene mutations also may be prone to the disorder, known as reactive HLH (rHLH), or hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.
To continue reading the article on UAB News, click here.
Dr. Stoll and Pediatric Spondyloarthritics Clinic Featued in Birmingham Medical News Blog
Click here to view the blog post from Matthew Stoll, M.D., Ph.D., MSCS, pediatric rheumatology, which discusses the Pediatric Spondyloarthritis Clinic at Children's of Alabama.
Just Keep Smiling Foundation Honors Dr. Colvin
Edward Colvin, M.D., pediatric cardiology, was recently honored at the Just Keep Smiling annual dinner and live auction. Dr. Colvin played a key role, particularly at the beginning stages of the organization, and his contributions were essential in jump starting this impactful organization, which has made the trauma of having a sick child easier for many families in our community. Just Keep Smiling is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Just Keep Smiling is a local organization that exists to help support families with seriously ill children. Over the 10 years, they have disbursed more than $450,000 in monetary support and helped over 2000 families.
Click here to visit the Just Keep Smiling website and find out more about their mission.
SSPR/AAP Announces Travel Award Recipients
The Southern Society of Pediatric Research (SSPR)/Academic Pediatric Association (APA) announced the 2015 Trainee Travel Award Recipients. Among the winners: Shae A. Duerring, M.D., pediatric emergency medicine fellow, and Aaron Yee, M.D., neonatology fellow. The Trainee Travel Award program aims to encourage meeting attendance by students, house officers, and fellows
SSPR Announces Clinical Science Young Investigator Award
The Southern Society for Pediatric Research (SSPR) selected Charitharth 'Vivek' Lal, M.D., neonatology, as one of three finalist for the SSPR Clinical Science Young Investigator Award. For more information about the Young Investigator Award, click here.
UAB Hospital recognized as First Baby-Friendly Hospital in Birmingham Area
UAB Hospital is now recognized as Baby-Friendly Designated birth facility. This prestigious international recognition comes from Baby Friendly USA’s Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, a global program that encourages and recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies by practicing the World Health Organization’s Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. This collaborative three year effort involves everyone who cares for pregnant or post-partum women and newborns from pre-natal clinics to Labor and Delivery through providers on the Mother Baby Unit, Newborn Nursery, and the Regional Newborn Intensive Care Unit/Continuing Care Nursery. Through this effort exclusive breastfeeding rates for healthy term newborns increased from 6.8% in 2012 to 50% currently.
The Southeast U.S. has the lowest breastfeeding rates in the country and the highest rates of adverse health conditions associated with lack of breastfeeding such as childhood obesity and diabetes. UAB Women and Infants services will continue to use the skills gained through this initiative to further increase breastfeeding rates for our patients and to serve as a community leader and resource for positive change where breastfeeding becomes the cultural norm for newborn nutrition. Further information can be found here.
Dr. Sims Welcomed to SPR Membership
Congratulations to Brian Sims, M.D., Neonatology, on his recent election to the Society of Pediatric Research (SPR). Dr. Sims joins Drs. Trent Tipple and Gregory Friedman as this year's new SPR members from UAB.
Dr. Lebensburger Receives 2016 Clinical Research Training Institute Faculty Invitation
Congratulations to Jeffrey Lebensburger, M.D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, for his invitation from the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Clinical Research Training Institute (CRTI) to be a 2016 CRTI Summer Workshop Faculty Member. Jeff attended this workshop as a trainee. As a successful faculty member, he is now being asked to give back! This is a special honor!
100 Percent of Pediatric Residents Pass American Board of Pediatrics Certification Exam
We are very excited to report that 100 percent of our 2015 Med-Peds and Pediatric Graduates have passed the American Board of Pediatrics Certification Exam on their first attempt---for the 4th year in a row! We are extremely proud of our graduates, and the hard work they have invested. We want to thank our awesome Faculty and Fellows for their strong dedication and commitment to helping our residents accomplish their goals.
New Specialty Clinic - Developmental Medicine
The Department of Pediatrics would like to formally announce its recently launched Developmental Medicine Clinic (DMC). The clinic, which is located in Clinic A at Children’s of Alabama’s Park Place Building, serves children of all ages for whom parents, health care providers, or other caregivers have identified concerns related to development, behavior, social skills, and/or learning. Drs. Justin Schwartz and Snehal Khatri, developmental-behavioral pediatricians, staff the clinic and provide expertise in conditions such as:
- Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Intellectual Disabilities
- Learning Disabilities
- Developmental Delays
- Developmental or behavioral assessment of children with genetic conditions (e.g. Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, Prader-Willi, etc.) or other medical conditions
- Management of common behavioral conditions (sleep, toileting, etc.)
Two Faculty Members Elected to Society of Pediatric Research (SPR)
Congratulations to Trent Tipple, M.D., Neonatology, and Gregory Friedman, M.D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, on their recent election to the Society of Pediatric Research (SPR).
Drs. Martin and McCormick Receive $612,000 Grant from JDRF
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) recently awarded Alexandra Martin, M.D., and Ken MCormick, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinology, a grant for their clinical research trial titled, "The Effect of GABA or Combination GABA/GAD on the Progression of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Children." The project is funded for $612,000.
Children's of Alabama Selected as CHA Pediatric Quality Award Semifinalist
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) project, “Decreasing Hospital Length of Stay for Post-operative Adolescent Spinal Fusion Patients,” was selected as one of three finalists in the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) Pediatric Quality Award (PQA) in the category of Waste Reduction/Improved Efficiency. This project represents an inter-professional effort led by Leslie Hayes, M.D., in concert with PICU nursing, PICU nurse practitioners and Joe Khoury, M.D., from the Children's of Alabama orthopedic group. All semifinalists present their projects at the National CHA Quality and Safety Conference in New Orleans, LA in March 2016, where the overall winner will be selected.