Ronit Elk, PhD, (Professor, Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care) and colleagues have collaborated with community members to develop a culturally appropriate approach to palliative care. Their study will compare the culturally-based intervention to standard protocols to determine its impact on patient quality of life and the burden of care for caregivers. Enrollment began last month in three rural hospitals in Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina. We look forward to learning more about this exciting research!
More Good News for February 19, 2020
As we focus on matters of heart health this month, Greg Chapman, MD (Professor, Cardiovascular Disease) reminds us that a "broken heart" can have more than symbolic meaning. In fact, there is a direct link between severe emotional or physical stress and a serious cardiac condition. What some have called "broken heart syndrome" is, in fact, stress-induced cardiomyopathy that produces swelling in the left heart ventricle. Read more about this diagnosis and its treatments online.
Patients identified with lung nodules will now be able to receive care through a pilot telemedicine project, saving time in possible lung cancer diagnosis and treatment. Joseph Thachuthara-George, MD (Assistant Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care) leads this project in conjunction with UAB eMedicine that will treat patients in rural Bibb County communities at Bibb Medical Center. Kudos on this important access initiative, Dr. George!
Jennifer Pollock, PhD (Professor, Nephrology) has been elected president-elect of the American Physiological Society. The APS connects a global, multidisciplinary community of scientists and educators in physiology and related disciplines. She will begin her terms at the close of the annual meeting in April. Three cheers, Dr. Pollock!
Win Williams, MD (Assistant Professor, GIM) has been elected President-Elect of the Southern Society of General Internal Medicine. The organization is a member-based internal medical association of over 3,300 academic general internists, and we are thrilled to congratulate Dr. Williams on this exciting new leadership role.
Several senior fellows recently passed the ABIM Pulmonary Board Exam and are now Board-Certified Pulmonologists. We congratulate them on this achievement. Cristina Bardita, Kevin Dsouza, Chao He (who has joined our faculty), Sheylan Patel, Bruno Pereira, and Sarah Robison.
In celebration of Black History month, the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities is recognizing pioneer researchers whose career trajectories have been shaped by NIMHD-sponsored research grants. Monica Baskin, PhD (Professor, Preventive Medicine) who specializes in population health and lifestyle behaviors for the prevention and management of chronic disease, was featured in these online interviews.
Susan Bal, MD, joins UAB as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. Dr. Bal’s clinical practice will be focused on the care of patients with plasma cell disorders including Multiple Myeloma and AL Amyloidosis. Dr. Bal's training includes a fellowship in Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center preceded by a Hematology and Medical Oncology fellowship at the ersity of Cincinnati Medical Center, where she was also chief fellow. She completed residency at Kettering Medical Center/Wright State University after earning her medical degree at Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College in India. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Bal to UAB and the Department of Medicine!
Steve Rowe, MD, MSPH, Professor in the UAB Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care will present “The Transformation of Cystic Fibrosis Therapy (and Lessons for other Diseases of Mucus)” at noon on Wednesday, February 26, in Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium.