Above: Hamm is greeted by friends, family and media after 187 days of admission.
On January 10, medevac helicopter pilot Ricky Hamm was admitted to the hospital for severe breathing issues caused by COVID-19. His condition was severe, and physicians had to treat Hamm with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for an unbelievable 147 days. ECMO is delivered by a device that’s similar to the heart-lung bypass machine used in open-heart surgery. It pumps and oxygenates a patient's blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest. Fortunately for Hamm, the treatment worked, and Hamm was well enough to be discharged on July 16—the day before his 51st birthday. Thanks to the entire care team for their perseverance and expertise!
More Good News for July 23, 2021
The Department of Medicine continues its Faculty Honors series this week by celebrating the winners of the 2021 Outstanding Teaching Award and DOM's Top Ten Teachers. Each award recognizes our exceptional clinician-educators for their dedication to training the next generation of researchers and physicians..
Alana Nichols, MD, (R-1, Med-Peds) was named the director-elect of the subcommittee for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion of the National Med-Peds Residents’ Association, which aims to develop a pipeline program for those from backgrounds under-represented in medicine who are interested in Medicine-Pediatrics.
In Cell Reports, Ravi Bhatia, M.D. (Professor and Director, Hematology and Oncology), former fellow, Puneet Agarwal, Ph.D., and colleagues have published their findings on the microenvironment signals that regulate the persistent leukemia stem cells that can cause post-treatment relapses.
Yulia Khodneva, M.D., Ph.D. (Assistant Professor, Preventive Medicine) is a 2021 Center for Clinical and Translational Science Interdisciplinary Network Pilot Program Awardee. Her project will address patient-reported barriers to exercise and evaluate the acceptability of a remote cardiac rehabilitation program.
Drs. Amit Mehta and Luciano Costa from the Division of Hematology and Oncology discuss the risks and benefits of the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy. Many now consider immunotherapy like CAR-T as the fourth pillar of cancer treatment in addition to surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Louis Dell’Italia, M.D., (Cardiovascular Disease) was appointed professor emeritus for his exceptional achievements and contributions by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees in June. He retired in March after 33 years of service at UAB. Kudos, Dr. Dell’Italia!
We are pleased to welcome former resident, Lauren Shea, M.D. (Assistant Professor, Hematology and Oncology) back to UAB. She began serving as a clinician on July 1 after completing her hematology-oncology fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. Glad to have you back, Dr. Shea!