The Tinsley Harrison Internal Medicine Residency Program reached beyond the campus into the community with a presentation to local fifth graders at Hueytown Elementary School last week. Drs. Karla Williams, Anezi Uzendu, and Keandrea Titer led a "Sugar Savvy" demonstration that encouraged kids to guess how many teaspoons of sugar were in common food items. The residents also helped the kids dream up “good food” restaurant ideas with menu items that both tasted good and were nutritious choices.

Charles Dasher, MD (Gastroenterology and Hepatology) recently performed a colonoscopy for Department of Surgery Chair Herb Chen, MD, as a part of the UAB ”80% by 2018” Initiative. The goal of the campaign is to have 80 percent of adults ages 50 and older regularly screened for colorectal cancer by 2018, combating the disease that is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.

Paul Goepfert, MD (Infectious Diseases) has been published in Nature Medicine. The article Impact of pre-adapted HIV transmission shows that viral adaptation in HIV can predict a person’s current disease status, as well as the degree to which newly transmitted HIV-1 is adapted to their new host. The researchers hope these findings will enable them to develop better methods to train the immune system to more efficiently target HIV. Anju Bansal, PhD, and Victor Du were co-authors in the study.

Frank Wolschendorf, PhD (Infectious Diseases) was recently published in Metallomics, with illustrations appearing inside the issue’s front cover. The study details their pioneering work in harnessing the intrinsic antimicrobial activity of copper ions as a vehicle to discover novel staphylococcal inhibitors. Alex Dalecki was co-author in the study.

Stuart Frank, MD (Director, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism), Amit Gaggar, MD (Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine), and William Geisler, MD (Infectious Diseases) were among the 15 honorees for the 2016 Graduate School Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentorship.

Kenneth Saag, MD (Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology) has been elected president of the National Osteoporosis Foundation Board of Trustees.

David Pollock, PhD (Nephrology) was awarded the American Physiological Society’s Ernest H. Starling Distinguished Lectureship. He presented “Time to re-think sodium homeostasis?” at the 2016 Experimental Biology Conference.

Must see TV? Inspired by the documentary of the same name, a new television series will be based on the documentary "The Man From Muscle Shoals: My Journey from Shame to Fame" which highlights legendary music producer Rick Hall and his small Alabama recording studio that fundamentally transformed the music industry. Three production companies, including one led by film actor Johnn Depp, will develop the project. #AwesomeAlabama

Medscape’s 2016 Best and Worst Places to Practice report ranks Alabama in the top three best states, and Birmingham its top city.

Upcoming Events

• 2016 RIME Week. Mark the fourth week in September for Research and Innovations in Medical Education. Louis Pangaro, MD, MACP (Uniformed Services University) will present at Medical Grand Rounds on Wednesday, September 21. Workshops follow on Thursday and Friday.
• DOM Clinical Research Seminar. Marie Kenzik, PhD, will present "Catching the Research Bug: Navigating Post-Doctoral Pathways" on Monday, May 23, at 12:00 noon in West Pavilion Conference Room E. Dr. Kenzik is Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. She will be joined by Research Fellows Drs. Anand Iyer and Ellen Eaton.
• Medical Grand Rounds. T. Brooks Vaughan, MD, UAB Associate Professor of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism and MS-4 Clerkship Director will present: The Fourth Year of Medical School: The end, the beginning, or a waste of time?