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L to R: Andre Lessears, MBA, Jessy Deshane, Ph.D., and Division Director Mark Dransfield, M.D.

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for the UAB Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine partnered with UAB Medicine to address the misidentification of non-white and non-male providers by patients and staff. A survey had revealed that this issue was common in UAB clinical settings, so Jessy Deshane, Ph.D., (Associate Professor and Committee leader) worked with former fellow, Taku Mkorimbindo, M.D., to find solutions. Mkorimbindo suggested implementing a badge system, like those used at peer institutions. UAB Chief Diversity Officer, Andre Lessears, MBA, supported the idea and proposed the solution to UAB Medicine leadership. This month, the Division will distributed badges that clearly identify each provider’s role on the health care team. The team will evaluate whether badges improve identification and inclusion to determine next steps. Kudos to the Division of PACCM for their innovation!

L to R: Aaliyah Spivey, Emily Welch, Aquila Brown, Dr. Mona Fouad, Kaitlyn Waugaman, and Erin Carley

The Department of Medicine is delighted to celebrate Aquila Brown-Galvan, Program Director II in the Division of Preventive Medicine, as the Winter 2022 recipient of the DOM STAR Award for Staff Excellence. Her colleagues sent raving nomination letters detailing Brown-Galvan's communication style, mentorship, and ability to consider and adapt diverse perspectives during her decision-making process. Congratulations, Aquila, for being named a DOM Staff Star!

 2022 DOM Argus Award Winners

The Department of Medicine is thrilled to announce its 2022 Argus Award Winners. Created in 1996, the Argus Awards give medical students the chance to honor their mentors, professors, courses, and course directors for outstanding service to medical education. Faculty members are nominated by course evaluations, and students vote to select award winners in each category. DOM faculty took home 12 awards, out of 36 nominations across 17 categories. Congratulations to each of you for your extraordinary investment in training medical students.

The Heudebert family pose in front of a painting of Tavo located in BDB Conference Room 334. L to R: Alonso, Tavo, and JP Heudebert

When the elevator doors opened to the residency hall on the third floor of the Boshell Diabetes Building, a wave of laughter filled the previously quiet hallway. Gustavo "Tavo" Heudebert, M.D., MACP, entered the conference room with a cheerful smile. Following behind were Alonso Heudebert, M.D., MPH, with a Christmas sweater in hand, and JP Heudebert, bashfully amused by the pictures that decorated the walls.One by one, the Heudeberts claimed their seats around the large wooden table. Each sat with their hands resting comfortably on their stomachs and leaned ever so slightly to the left. As the interview began, the Heudeberts’ story unfolded, highlighting how Tavo’s enthusiasm for patient care and medical education inspired the next generation of physicians — right inside his home.

Keith Barron, Noah Blackney, Carolyn Walsh, Shane Wiley, Jeremie Kirkwood, Lisa Jinright, Dawn Self, Francine Montgomery, Whitney Mosely, Dhiral Panjwani. Not pictured: Lauryn Schultz and Terrance Reed

In the spirit of the holidays, Department of Medicine staff gave the gift of time as volunteers to the UAB Blazer Kitchen — a program which provides healthy food and resources for patients, students, and staff who experience food insecurity. The team helped stock the pantry with much needed food items and toiletries, and they encourage other teams to consider taking part in making a difference in our community.