On Wednesday, nearly 200 Last month, UAB Heersink School of Medicine celebrated its annual Argus Awards, where medical students recognized outstanding faculty, courses, and course directors in various categories. The Department of Medicine was represented in eight categories. Congratulations to the following 2024 Argus Award recipients:

Good News for December 6, 2024

Best Clinical Department, Birmingham Campus
IM Clerkship Co-Directors Jeremy Walker, M.D., assistant professor in Infectious Diseases, and Rebekah Weil, M.D., and Win Williams, M.D., associate professors in General Internal Medicine and Population Science

Best MS1 Course, Cardiovascular
Module Co-Director: Harish Doppalapudi, M.D., professor in Cardiovascular Disease

Best Block Leader: Fundamentals of Medicine
Mukesh Patel, M.D., associate professor in Infectious Diseases, and Jeremey Walker, M.D., assistant professor in Infectious Diseases

Best Educator: Cardiovascular Disease
Harish Doppalapudi, M.D., professor in Cardiovascular Disease

Best Educator: Pulmonary
Kevin Leon, M.D., professor in Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine

Best Educator: Renal
Eric Judd, M.D., associate professor in Nephrology

Best Educator: Endocrine Systems
Shawn Galin, Ph.D., professor in Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine

Best Educator, Preparation for Residency
Kevin Leon, M.D., professor in Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine

L to R: Education Coordinator Suzanne Gray, and IM Clerkship Co-Directors Drs. Jeremey Walker, Rebekah Weil, and Win Williams.

Mehra Earns HSF-GEF Grant to Enhance EAB Patient Care

Natasha Mehra, M.D., assistant professor in GIMPOP, received an HSF General Endowment Fund grant to expand care for Equal Access Birmingham patients by acquiring new equipment and technologies. The upgrades will enhance lab capabilities, reduce repeat clinic visits, and enable faster medication decisions.

Zhao Expands Understanding of Crohn’s Disease

Assistant Professor in GI/Hep Qing Zhao, Ph.D., and colleagues found that both patients with Crohn's disease and healthy infants show a strong antibody response to a common region on a group of bacteria that typically live harmlessly in our bodies, suggesting that failure to establish a balanced relationship with these bacteria early in life may increase the risk of developing Crohn's disease.

Anderson Honored During Kidney Week

Amanda Anderson, Ph.D., MPH, professor in Nephrology, received the American Society of Nephrology Mid-Career Distinguished Leader Award in recognition of her leadership across research, education, and administration to reduce the burden of kidney disease.

👋 DOM Warmly Welcomes...

We are thrilled to welcome former resident Jeanette Brown, M.D., M.S., to the Division of GIMPOP. She will provide primary care at Whitaker Clinic and work with residents in the Internal Medicine IV Clinic at the Birmingham VA Hospital. Welcome back, Dr. Brown.

Dransfield Hosts Virtual DOM Town Hall, Dec. 12 at 7:30 a.m.

Please join Interim Chair Mark Dransfield, M.D., for a department-wide Town Hall meeting to discuss key issues on your mind. The Department of Medicine will host a virtual session Thursday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 a.m. via Zoom. You may submit questions anonymously via this link.