L to R: BCBS Executive VP Dow Briggs, MD, SOM Associate Dean of Rural and Primary Care William Curry, MD, and BCBS President and CEO Tim VinesThe School of Medicine and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama have created a scholarship program to increase the number of doctors practicing in rural areas of the state. BCBS has given UAB $3.6 million to train a total of 60 primary care physicians over five years. The physicians will then return to practice in an Alabama county with a primary care shortage after they complete their residencies. The scholarship will pay the tuition of 12 third and fourth-year students each year.
More Good News for May 23, 2018
Raegan Durant, MD, MPH (Associate Professor, Preventive Medicine) spoke at the United States Preventive Services Task Force briefing to discuss the new prostate cancer screening guidelines as they relate to men with higher risk—those with a family medical history and those of African American race.
In an article published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, graduating resident Stacey Watkins, MD describes how the “unpacking principle” helped to ultimately make the correct diagnosis of Neuro-Behçet’s disease, an uncommon neurological disorder.
Congratulations to Ganesh Halade, PhD (Assistant Professor, Cardiovascular Disease) who was selected as an SOM Featured Discovery investigator. His recent study entitled “Splenic leukocytes define the resolution of inflammation in heart failure” found that the active resolving phase after a heart attack coincides with the acute inflammatory response that facilitates cardiac repair after a heart attack, among other findings. We are extremely proud of the work done by Dr. Halade and his team!
The Division of Hematology/Oncology recently organized a donation drive to benefit the Blazer Kitchen, our on-campus food bank providing healthy food, resources and referrals to UAB employees, students, patients and their families. Other DOM groups can contribute time or wish list items, too!
Brigitta Brott, MD (Professor, Cardiovascular Disease) has been invited to co-chair an upcoming study section for the Surgical Sciences, Biomedical Imaging, and Bioengineering Integrated Review Group. Congrats to Dr. Brott!
Department of Medicine Staff Member Laura Gallitz (Office Associate, Preventive Medicine) was elected to the 2018-2020 UAB Staff Council. She will represent the more than 2,200 staff in the School of Medicine.
Coming next week to Medical Grand Rounds: Jinoos Yazdany, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco will present the Graciela S. Alarcón Lecture, “Applying Quality Measurement at Scale: Approach to a Learning Health System in Rheumatology” at noon on Wednesday, May 30, in the Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium.
Announcements:
Lace Up for a Cure, a 2K Walk benefitting the Comprehensive Cancer Center, will be held on Saturday, June 2nd at UAB Campus Green (1602 9th Avenue South).