Dr. Seth Landefeld, MD, Professor and Chair, UAB Department of Medicine

Welcome back to Letters to Tinsley.  Here in Birmingham, recruitment season is in full swing. We are thrilled with the caliber of candidates who are interviewing to follow in your footsteps. As you well know, our residency program is the heart and soul of the Department, and I am delighted to report that it is thriving.

We are extremely fortunate to have several former Chief Medical Residents joining our faculty this year.  Rebekah Weil has returned from OHSU, Joshua Stripling has come home from the MGH, Adam Edwards joined our GI Division, Sam McElwee joined Cardiology and Critical Care, and Karla Williams, Rob Smola, and Mack Brown have joined GIM. All chose to call UAB home for their first steps as academic medical professionals, and we couldn’t be more excited to have them here with us. I know you’ll want to reach out and wish them well.

We are also thrilled with the exciting progress Department of Medicine faculty are making in the research domain. The past several months have been filled with discoveries that impact idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, diabetes and heart failure, along with tremendous advances in management of cystic fibrosis, acute coronary ischemia, and gonnorhea that will change the way we treat these.

Of special note is the tremendous commitment we’ve made at the Department level to step up and lead in the national conversation on wellness among physicians and scientists alike. We have appointed John Kennedy, Jr., as Senior Advisor and Director for Wellness, and he is collaborating with Jason Morris and the Resident Wellness Committee to help promote both personal and institutional improvements that will keep everyone safer, healthier and more fulfilled. He’s also taking to social media as “Dr. Well-Be” to champion the cause. You owe it to yourself to watch his #TakeTheStairs videos from this September’s campaign.

And while you’re watching, be sure to jump over and view the spectacular MedEd Moments production that Drs. Lisa Willett, Jason Morris, and J.R. Hartig filmed for faculty development. Their first in a series on “Setting Expectations” offers clinician-educators of all levels the opportunity to hone their skills. Check it out online for free.

Our lapel pin proclaims Tinsley Harrison’s education equation E=hH2 where the small "h" represents the head, or knowledge, and the large "H" represents the heart. We’d love to see you back home, where your heart is. Please drop by for a visit any time.

Sincerely,

C. Seth Landefeld, M.D.
Professor and Chair, UAB Department of Medicine