National news reports are pointing out that many in our community are grappling with uncertainty over whether to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Given the fact that the virus is unlike any health threat we've seen before, some hesitancy is only natural. This week, the Department of Medicine has shared a series of messages to address these common concerns and to explore how our own DOM faculty, staff, and trainees have answered these questions—for themselves, and for their patients.
More Good News for January 15, 2020
Subhashini Bolisetty, PhD (Assistant Professor, Nephrology) recently earned her first R01 grant to investigate the role of ferritin light chain in lessening sepsis-induced acute kidney injury. The study could lead to new treatments that could diminish the serious detrimental effects of sepsis on the kidneys, and ultimately mortality.
Randall Davis, MD (Professor, Hematology and Oncology) and colleagues have published a study on a patient with advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia who was hospitalized for over a month due to COVID-19 infection. 48 hours after convalescent plasma therapy, the patient improved clinically and was able to be discharged.
Lisa Jackson, MD, MPH (Professor, Cardiovascular Disease) and colleagues recently published an analysis from the NIH Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation. In it, they demonstrate that statin use among women who would benefit is low, with Black women having lower odds of statin use than White women.
Ricardo Franco, MD (Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases) is leading UAB's multi-disciplinary team of the AHRQ ECHO National Nursing Home COVID-19 Action Network. The telemedicine program provides free training to nursing homes across the state to increase evidence-based infection prevention and safety practices.
The development of a COVID-19 vaccine is modern miracle, yet many have concerns about its safety. Dr. Well-Be joins his trusted DOM colleagues in encouraging everyone to take the vaccine when it becomes available to you. Doubt and concern is natural, but if we trust the science, we can end this pandemic.
Gretchen L. Wells, MD, PhD, FACC (Professor, Cardiology; University of Kentucky) will present "An Update on Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection: An Under Recognized Cause of Myocardial Infarction" at Medical Grand Rounds at noon on Wednesday, January 20, via Zoom.