Many regard primary care physicians - which include family doctors, pediatricians, obstetricians and internists - as the backbone of the health care system. According to results of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, primary care doctors handle nearly 59 percent of outpatient visits and provide 87 percent of all preventive care. But, due to lower pay, longer hours and fewer job offers, there is an increasing shortage in these front-line physicians. The shortage is already affecting 60 out of 67 counties in Alabama. This week, during National Primary Care Week, students and faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) hope to raise awareness about primary care’s importance. The following is a list of top experts at UAB available to answer questions regarding these issues.

October 8, 2007

Many regard primary care physicians - which include family doctors, pediatricians, obstetricians and internists - as the backbone of the health care system. According to results of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, primary care doctors handle nearly 59 percent of outpatient visits and provide 87 percent of all preventive care. But, due to lower pay, longer hours and fewer job offers, there is an increasing shortage in these front-line physicians. The shortage is already affecting 60 out of 67 counties in Alabama. This week, during National Primary Care Week, students and faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) hope to raise awareness about primary care’s importance. The following is a list of top experts at UAB available to answer questions regarding these issues.

William A. Curry, M.D. – professor of medicine and associate dean for primary care
Credentials: Curry is the past president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama and a member of the State Board of Medical Examiners and State Committee of Public Health. He graduated with honors from both the University of Alabama and Vanderbilt Medical School. Prior to joining UAB fulltime, Dr. Curry practiced general internal medicine in rural West Alabama.

Carolyn S. Ashworth, M.D. – professor and director of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at UAB
Credentials: Ashworth has been listed in the Best Doctors in America since 2001. She attended the Medical College of Georgia and completed a fellowship in Academic General Pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center. Before joining the team of pediatricians at UAB, Ashworth practiced at the Medical College of Georgia.

Mark Stafford, M.D. – professor of medicine
Credentials: Stafford is board certified in internal medicine and has 25 years of experience. He previously served as interim director of Primary Care for the UAB Health System.

Earl Salser, M.D. – assistant professor of medicine
Credentials: Salser is board certified in family medicine and serves as the director of the Family Medicine Pre-Doctoral Division at UAB. He previously served as the chief of family medicine at Trinity Medical Center.