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Congratulations to our UAB Pediatric Fellowship Class of 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were not able to hold an in-person banquet. Please the video above that was created to celebrate the graduates.

Please see below where they will be going after completing fellowship training.

Congratulations to Brooke Goar, M.D., Pediatric Resident PGY-3, on being chosen as this year's recipient of the Carolyn Ashworth, M.D. Pediatric Primary Care Award.

The Division of Pediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes and Children's of Alabama have received a Merle S. and Mack C. Hunt Diabetes Fund Field of Interest Grant from the Central Alabama Community Foundation to help fund a monthly diabetes clinic in Montgomery County.

The 2020 graduating class presented the following awards at their Graduation Banquet on Friday, June 5.

We would like to congratulate the Pediatric Residents, The Combined Med-Peds Residents and the Combined Peds-Genetics Residents for completing their residency.

Below is what our graduates will be doing after residency:

The Chu Family has generously donated funds to Children's of Alabama and the Department of Pediatrics to support educational initiatives. A portion of this donation has been set aside for the pediatric fellows to fund scholarships for fellows who apply. Candidates were selected on a competitive basis. These awards will provide funds for tuition, books and fees related to their educational endeavors.

Please join us in congratulating the Chu Family Educational Scholarship recipients for the 2020-2021 academic year:

Samantha Hanna, M.D.
Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellow
Educational Initiative:  UAB Quality Academy Certificate Course

Alexandra Healy, M.D.
Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellow
Educational Initiative:  UAB Quality Academy Certificate Course

The Dixon Foundation supports the Dixon Pediatric Fellowship training program for fellows who intend to pursue an academic career with a research emphasis (ranging from basic and translational science to education or QI-centric research) in approved pediatric subspecialties. As part of this prestigious award, recipients benefit from salary support and an additional $5,000 per year discretionary fund to support research and continuing education activities. The selection committee for the Dixon Fellowship recently met and selected five Dixon scholars on a competitive basis.  

Please join us in congratulating the recipients for the 2020-2021 academic year:

Miles Fowler, M.D., Pediatric Pulmonology, Title: Adrenal Insufficiency (AI) in Cystic Fibrosis. Dr. Fowler’s research involves screening pediatric patients with CF for AI using a survey based on signs and symptoms and a morning cortisol level as well as testing for the presence of the SNP that was associated with AI in patients with asthma. His mentors are Jennifer Guimbellot, M.D., Isabel Virella-Lowell, M.D., and Michael Stalvey, M.D.

Amy Freeman, M.D., Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Title: The Nff2 Pathway Protects against Hyperoxia-Induced Lung Injury in Murine Models of Airway Microbial Dysbiosis. Dr. Freeman will be exploring the direct role of microbiome on the lungs and the effect of dysbiosis on the redox balance during the development of BPD. Her mentor is Vivek Lal, M.D., Ph.D.

Snehashis Hazra, M.D., Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Title: Characteristics of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) derived from Wharton's Jelly of Umbilical Cord of Extremely Preterm Infants in Relation to Outcome of Survival without Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia. Dr. Hazra’s research involves delineating the characteristics of the MSC and MSC derived media/exosomes in infants with and without BPD, and to understand the molecular pathway through which MSC prevent and improve BPD. His mentor is Namasivayam Ambalavanan, MD.

Vivek Shukla, M.D., Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Title: Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Radiomics Risk Prediction for Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Neonates with Hypoxia-Ischemic Encephalopathy. Dr. Shukla will use novel machine learning-based models for developing a risk prediction algorithm for neurodevelopmental impairments in neonates suffering from perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy using MRI images acquired at or before one week after birth. His mentor is Namasivayam Ambalavanan, MD.

Mary Silverberg, M.D., Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Title: Oral Nitrate Supplementation in a Murine Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Model. Dr. Silverberg’s research involves testing oral nitrate supplementation to reduce histological lung injury and improve pulmonary function in a murine model of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD). Her mentors are Rakesh Patel, Ph.D. and Samuel Gentle, M.D.

Graduating Dixon Fellows are:

Abdulsalam Alsulami, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Diseases, will be joining The Department of Pediatrics at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 

Aditi Dhir, M.D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, will be joining the University of Miami as an assistant professor

Veronica Godsey, M.D., Pediatric Critical Care, will remain at UAB to complete a Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care fellowship

Nazia Kabani, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Neonatology, will continue her combined Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Neonatology Fellowship here at UAB

Charles Schlappi, M.D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, will be joining Pediatrics West Bessemer Clinic

Michele Nichols, M.D., Pediatric Emergency Medicine, has been named the 2020 recipient of the Robert S. Holm, M.D., Award. This award is presented by the Association of Pediatric Program Directors (APPD) each year to honor a member of the APPD for their outstanding contribution to mentorship and support for other program directors in the APPD and for their service as a role model to program leadership across the organization.

Dr. Nichols served as the co-program director for the UAB Pediatric Residency Program from 1995 to 2008 with Ray Watts, M.D., and took over as the program director in 2008. During her tenure, the program has graduated 554 residents working in pediatrics across the United States. Her commitment to creating a strong educational foundation and fostering outreach and advocacy opportunities has been instrumental in the residency program graduating well-rounded residents. As the vice chair for Education in the Department of Pediatrics, she has been a dedicated leader for education initiatives across the department.

Dr. Nichols’ leadership and commitment extend outside of the department with positions on University-wide committees and membership in regional and national associations. As part of the APPD, Dr. Nichols has led several workshops and presentations to help mentor and teach other program directors across the nations.

“I am both honored and humbled to be receiving this award from the APPD,” said Dr. Nichols. “I share this award with many people including program and department leadership as well as our amazing residents. I have had incredible support and teaching from my mentors and leaders over the years and hope I have been able, in turn, to pay it forward and help others find their passion in pediatrics.”  

Congratulations Dr. Nichols!

As the novel coronavirus began to spread across the United States, shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) started to become a major concern for hospitals and healthcare professionals. In response to these potential shortages, Nitin Arora, M.D., an assistant professor in the Division of Neonatology at UAB, began to search for solutions for alternative PPE options that could be used at UAB and in Alabama. Dr. Arora had been following the COVID-19 pandemic as information began to come out in December 2019.

Hussein Abdullatif, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes, received with the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award at the 2020 School of Medicine Commencement this Saturday, May 16. Sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, this honor is given each year to a graduating student and faculty member in recognition of their value of humanism in the delivery of care to patients and their families. Zach Gentry, M.D., was the student winner of the award this year.

“I feel honored that I demonstrated to the medical students a positive example of treating patients with love, care, empathy and compassion,” said Dr. Latif on receiving the award. “I am humbled that I was chosen because I am certain that UAB and the Department of Pediatrics are filled with physicians that demonstrate wonderful examples of humanism in medicine.”

Congratulations Dr. Latif!

Matthew Stoll, M.D., Pediatric Rheumatology, has been appointed the treasurer for the Spondyloarthritis Research and Treatment Network (SPARTAN). Dr. Stoll will serve a two-year term from May 2019 to May 2021. As the treasurer, he will be responsible for keeping track of the organization’s finances and sending reports to the rest of the Board of Directors. As treasurer, Dr. Stoll also plans on helping SPARTAN optimize its investment approach. SPARTAN is an organization dedicated to advance research and education to improve the care of patients with spondyloarthritis (a form of arthritis that often involves the axial skeleton.) 

Congratulations Dr. Stoll!

Tamera Coyne-Beasley, M.D., Adolescent Medicine, and Matthew Kutny, M.D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, recently completed the UAB Healthcare Leadership Academy (HLA). They presented their final projects over Zoom on Wednesday, May 13. 

Dr. Coyne-Beasley was part of the team project titled "Improving Email." Dr. Kutny was a member of the team project titled "Sustainability at UAB Medicine."

The HLA is a collaboration between the Collat School of Business and the School of Medicine. The program offers training opportunities and develops leadership skills essential to academic healthcare. 24 members were accepted into the academy for the 2019-2020 class. The program began in October 2019 and conclude in May 2020 with the closing session and graduation. 

Congratulations Drs. Coyne-Beasley and Kutny!

David Askenazi, MD, MSPH, FAAP, Pediatric Nephrology, in coordination with the Pediatric Academic Society (PAS), American Society of Pediatric Nephrology (ASPN), and the Neonatal Kidney Collaborative (NKC), hosted a virtual platform and poster presentations on neonatal nephrology on Monday, May 4. This session was made virtual after the 2020 PAS Annual Meeting was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The four-hour virtual meeting was developed to assure that the neonatal nephrology community had a platform to share novel insights into basic and science research in the field. The 2020 PAS meeting had important milestones in the field of neonatal nephrology including the largest number of abstracts submitted on the subject (over 30) and the first ever oral platform session dedicated to highlight the top abstracts in neonatal nephrology.  Over 50% of these abstracts were submitted by medical students, residents and fellows in neonatology and pediatric nephrology. For these reasons, Dr. Askenazi and the NKC hosted this free virtual event on Zoom with a livestream on YouTube. Namasivayam Ambalavanan, M.D., Neonatology, presented a platform session. Dr. Askenazi and Christine Stoops, M.D., Neonatology, served as moderators for the platform and poster sessions respectively. The conference was an incredible success with 450 participants. Other metrics on the conference can be below. A recording of the meeting is available at the NKC website www.babykidney.org.

Congratulations Dr. Askenazi, Dr. Stoops and the Neonatal Kidney Collaborative.

Sergio Stagno, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Diseases, was selected to be a member of the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame, Class of 2020. The Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame was established in 1997 and honors those who have made major contributions to the service of healthcare in the state of Alabama. Dr. Stagno will be honored with the other 11 members of the Class of 2020 at the Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony in September.

Dr. Stagno began his healthcare career in Alabama in 1971 when he joined the lab of Charles Alford, M.D., to study congenital infections. He would go on to become a long serving member and chair of the Department of Pediatrics. After 25 years as chair of the department, Dr. Stagno announced his retirement in 2013. He continues to contribute to healthcare in Alabama through his service in medical education.

Congratulations Dr. Stagno!

Anna Hoppmann, M.D., MPH, a second-year fellow in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and post-doctoral trainee in UAB’s T32 Cancer Prevention and Control Training Program, received one of the 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting Merit Awards. These distinguished awards are sponsored by Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, and the 2020 Scientific Program Committee to honor oncology trainees who selected to present their first author abstract at the ASCO Annual Meeting.

Dr. Hoppmann received this award for her abstract titled, “Individual prediction of non-adherence to oral mercaptopurine (6MP) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL): Results from COG AALL03N1 study.” Co-authors include Yanjun Chen, Wendy Landier, Lindsey Hageman, Mary V. Relling, F. Lennie Wong, Smita Bhatia.

"Dr. Bhatia and her team have shown that when children with leukemia are non-adherent to oral chemotherapy with mercaptopurine, they are more likely to suffer leukemia relapse,” explains Dr. Hoppmann. “This work builds an individual risk prediction model to determine which patients are at highest risk for chemotherapy non-adherence in real time in order to provide targeted interventions to families with poor adherence. The 2020 Conquer Cancer Merit Award will promote the original research at the annual ASCO meeting and provides meeting registration and a monetary award and this is a huge affirmation of this work."

This year, Conquer Cancer recognized 104 Merit Award recipients for research achievements and advancements in their respective field within the cancer care community with Merit Awards.

Congratulations Dr. Hoppmann!

Girish Dhall, M.D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, will join the O’Neal Cancer Clinical Trials Taskforce. The mission of this taskforce is to develop a strategic plan to improve the clinical trials process at the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center and UAB. Members of the taskforce span the clinical trials spectrum.

Congratulations Dr. Dhall!

L to R: Erinn Schmitt, M.D., assistant program director, Hannah Gardner, M.D., 2nd Year Fellow, Alexandra Healy, M.D., 1st Year Fellow, Jennifer Hoefert, M.D., 2nd Year Fellow, Samantha Hanna, M.D., 1st Year Fellow, and Chang Wu, M.D., program director.We are proud to announce that the UAB Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) Fellowship Program has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). “We are extremely excited to be one of the first pediatric hospital medicine fellowships to receive ACGME accreditation in the certification’s inaugural year,” said Chang Wu, M.D., program director for the UAB PHM Fellowship. The subspecialty of pediatric hospital medicine has been working to receive recognition and certification from the American Board of Pediatrics as well as accreditation for training programs from the ACGME since the early 2010s. This certification cycle of the ACGME marks the first opportunity for pediatric hospital medicine fellowship programs to be accredited.  

Since it was established in 2012 by Robert Pass, M.D., division director of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, the UAB PHM Fellowship Program has successfully trained many academic hospitalists to date, a majority of whom now hold formal leadership roles in their respective institutions. Currently, under the leadership of Dr. Chang Wu, program director, and Erinn Schmit, M.D., assistant program director, the UAB PHM Fellowship Program continues to attract ever-growing numbers of competitive fellowship applications as the subspecialty of pediatric hospital medicine becomes established. 

“ACGME accreditation will see our program join the current panel of subspecialty fellowships that promote the department’s vision of academic excellence,” said Dr. Wu. “For our trainees, we will continue to emphasize quality clinical care, education, and scholarly pursuit as we strive to cultivate the future leaders of our specialty while providing optimal care to the hospitalized child.”

Congratulations to the UAB PHM Fellowship Program, our PHM fellows and program directors!

Ambika Ashraf, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinology, has been named a Fellow of the National Lipid Association (FNLA). This award recognizes her excellence and leadership in clinical lipidology. The NLA reserves the honor of FNLA for members who have made a significant contribution regionally or nationally to clinical lipidology research and practice.

Congratulations Dr. Ashraf!

Michael Stalvey, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinology, served on the planning committee of ResearchCon 2020, a free virtual event for the cystic fibrosis (CF) community on Thursday, April 16. ResearchCon2020 focused on the next stage of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) science and genetic-based therapies. The conference was sponsored by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and included live virtual presentations by researchers, clinicians and community members on CFTR. Dr. Stalvey also co-hosted one of the sessions titled “Wait – CFTR isn’t Just in the Lungs?!?”.  During this session, Dr. Stalvey discussed the complications of CF outside of the lung, particularly CF-related diabetes, growth and bone health, providing patients and families with a better understanding of how today’s research and novel therapies apply to them. The conference was a huge success with more than 1,400 participants from across the United States attending the virtual event.

Congratulations Dr. Stalvey!

Randy Cron, M.D., Ph.D., Pediatric Rheumatology, and Winn Chatham, M.D., Rheumatology, have been awarded a grant to study the treatment of Cytokine Storm Syndrome in COVID-19 patients. They will serve as co-PIs on their project titled, “Early Identification and Treatment of Cytokine Storm Syndrome in COVID-19.”

The grant was awarded by the School of Medicine and Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute from COVID-19 research funding. It was one of 14 projects selected to receive funding to study various implications of COVID-19. Over 50 applications were submitted for consideration.

The project is a small clinical trial to compare standard of care to standard of care plus anakinra treatment in COVID-19+ adults at UAB with signs of cytokine storm syndrome. Drs. Cron and Chatham and will use the funding for whole genome sequencing and laboratory explorations as related to cytokine storm syndrome.

Congratulations Dr. Cron!