Explore UAB

Life has not been easy for 2-year-old Wryn Graydon of Moody, Alabama. She was born July 6, 2015, a seemingly healthy 7-pound, 10-ounce girl whom mom, Haley Graydon, had carried full term with no health issues for either her or her baby. The only abnormality — which may have been a clue of the difficulties to come — was that Haley had an abnormally large placenta and measured far ahead of schedule halfway through the pregnancy.

A newborn screening suggested Wryn had congenital hypothyroidism, an inadequate thyroid hormone production in newborns. But a few weeks later, Wryn began doing worse despite treatment. She developed widespread swelling of the skin and sepsis, which led to an intensive care admission at just over 2 months of age. Wryn was dehydrated, and it was difficult to draw the blood needed to help accurately diagnose what was wrong.

Daniel Feig, M.D., division director of Pediatric Nephrology at UAB and medical director of Renal Transplantation at Children’s of Alabama, and his nephrology team were able to definitively diagnose a 10-week-old Wryn with congenital nephrotic syndrome of the Finnish type, a rare and severe disease seen in one in 50,000 children worldwide. 

Read the story at UAB News. 

The UAB Department of Pediatrics welcomed seven new faculty members during the month of July.  Please join us in making them feel at home!

Nick CaJacob, M.D., Assistant Professor, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, earned his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Cincinnati, OH. Dr. CaJacob completed his pediatric residency and Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition fellowship in the UAB Department of Pediatrics. In addition, he earned a graduate certificate in healthcare quality and safety from UAB in 2016. His interests include clinical research in eosinophilic esophagitis and quality improvement with a focus on inpatient gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition.

Courtney Campbell, M.D., Instructor, General Pediatrics, earned her medical degree from Louisiana State University Health in Shreveport, LA. Dr. Campbell completed her pediatric residency in the UAB Department of Pediatrics. In addition, she has served as a Chief Resident for our Pediatric Residency program this past year. Her clinical interests include community advocacy, medical education, and care of medically complex children. 

 

Marissa Gowey, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. Dr. Gowey completed her APA accredited predoctoral internship in clinical psychology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, OH. In addition, she just recently completed an NIH T32 postdoctoral fellowship in obesity research at UAB in the Nutrition Obesity Research Center. Overall clinical/research focus is on pediatric obesity and family-based healthy lifestyle intervention, including biopsychosocial models of assessment and treatment. Specific research interests include (a) the development and implementation of novel behavioral interventions for pediatric and family-based health promotion to prevent and treat pediatric obesity, (b) understanding the role of executive functioning in the development, maintenance, and treatment of obesity and dysregulated eating behavior, and (c) addressing pediatric healthcare disparities and underserved populations.

Gillian Noel, M.D., MSCS, Assistant Professor, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, earned her medical degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colorado. Dr. Noel completed her pediatric residency and Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition fellowship at the Children’s Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado School of Medicine. In addition, Dr. Noel earned her Masters of Science in Clinical Science from the University of Colorado Graduate School at the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. She joins us after recently completing a Pediatric Transplant Hepatology/Advanced Hepatology Fellowship at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine. Her clinical/research interests include pediatric liver allograft survival, health disparities and the impact of culturally responsive medical care on chronic disease management.    

Robert Richter, M.D., Assistant Professor, Pediatric Critical Care, earned his medical degree from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, SC. Dr. Richter completed his pediatric residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, OH. Most recently, he completed a Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship and a Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship at the UAB Department of Pediatrics. His clinical/research interests include respiratory support for infants post-cardiac surgery and elucidating mechanisms of and treatment for endotheliopathy in pediatric sepsis.

 

Amanda Soong, M.D., Assistant Professor, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, earned her medical degree from UAB School of Medicine. Dr. Soong completed her Pediatric Residency at the UAB Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Soong previously served as an Instructor and Assistant Professor with the UAB Department of Pediatrics for eight years. She currently practices at Acton Road Pediatrics and will return part-time as an Assistant Professor in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition. Her clinical interests include management of constipation, reflux and failure to thrive.

Tennille Webb, M.D., Assistant Professor, Pediatric Nephrology, earned her medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. She completed her pediatric residency at Advocate Christ Medical Center at Hope Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, IL. Dr. Webb completed her Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship training at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA. In addition, she completed an Acute Care Nephrology Fellowship at the Center for Acute Care Nephrology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Her research interest is in Acute Kidney Injury in the pediatric population.

Judson Barber, M.D., Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) physician and Medical Director of the PEM Sedation Service, was recognized at the 2017 Society for Pediatric Sedation (SPS) Conference in Orlando, Florida, for his six years of service on the board of Directors for the Society. Dr. Barber is also a founding member of the SPS and serves as the chairman of the communications subcommittee. The SPS was founded in 2007 to promote safe, high quality care, innovative research and quality professional education in pediatric sedation.

Candice Dye, M.D., General Pediatrics, with support from the Pediatric Office of Faculty Development, was selected to attend the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Early Career Women Faculty Professional Development Seminar, held July 15-18, 2017 in Stevenson, Washington. This awarded seminar is designed for women physicians and scientists holding medical school faculty appointments at the assistant professor level, and considering leadership positions within their discipline, department, or institution. This comprehensive and engaging program provides an introduction to the knowledge and skills needed to pursue leadership roles within academic medicine.

Marissa Gowey, Ph.D., Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, received funding from Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NORC) Pilot/Feasibility Grant Program for the proposal titled, “Using executive function to predict outcomes and adherence in family-based behavioral weight management.” The pilot program advisory committee of the NORC recommended funding of the application for $25,000.

Children’s of Alabama will begin construction of a parking deck and office building on the 1600 block of 4th Avenue South in August.

On Thursday, July 27, Children’s Board of Trustees approved the construction of a 12-story parking deck that will provide 1,500 parking spaces and will be located between 16th and 17th Streets on the Children’s campus. The lot is currently used for surface parking for Children’s employees. Once construction is completed in Spring 2019, a six-story, 115,000-square foot office building will be on the 4th Avenue side of the project and will house non-clinical support services, many of which have been located off Children’s main campus since construction began on the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children building in 2008.

Brasfield & Gorrie was chosen as construction manager and Williams Blackstock Architects as architect for the project, which is estimated to cost $54 million for construction.

Read the story on ChildrensAL.org.

In today’s world, children are very active, being pushed and pulled into various extracurricular activities. Parents sometimes struggle with listening to their children to determine their likes, dislikes, wants and needs, while helping navigate their children through a well-rounded childhood.

“Children, like adults, have different personalities; some are energetic and like to be on-the-go, and others are more comfortable at home,” said Heather Austin, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAB division of adolescent medicine. “Sometimes parents make executive decisions about what activities are best, but listening to what the child has to say about their interests is a great step in determining the best activities for them.”

Continue reading Dr. Austin's advice about parents choosing the right activity, preventing burnout, and getting out of your comfort zone. 

Read the story at UAB News. 

UAB has been awarded two grants totaling $262,824 from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-powered charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research. Corey Falcon, M.D., fellow in the UAB Department of Pediatrics, was awarded a grant to continue looking for cures and better treatments for childhood cancers. Dr. Falcon received a $163,449 grant from the Not All Who Wander Are Lost Fund to continue his research aimed at creating a novel strategy around cellular suicide gene, or cells that kill themselves through apoptosis. 

Read the story at UAB News. 

New data shows three triple-combination regimens are "highly effective" for up to 90 percent of cystic fibrosis patients.In what medical researchers are calling a first but very important step for three-drug modulator studies in patients with cystic fibrosis, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated recently announced positive data from Phase I and Phase 2 studies of three different triple-combination regimens in people with CF, and evaluated two groups of patients — those who have one F508del gene mutation and a second minimal function mutation (F508del/Min) and those with two copies of the F508del mutation.

The data shows approximately 90 percent of those with CF could potentially be positively impacted by these new treatments. 

UAB Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics — both part of the School of Medicine, along with UAB Hospital and Children’s of Alabama, support UAB’s Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program and the Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis Program. The program is accredited by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and currently cares for more than 450 individuals with CF. 

The Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center and the adult and pediatric CF programs are integrated with the UAB CF clinical trials unit, co-led by said Steven Rowe, M.D., director of the UAB Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, and Isabel Virella Lowell, M.D., an associate professor of pediatric pulmonology and sleep medicine. The center is recognized internationally for its transformative clinical and basic research, including the development of new therapies for the treatment of this devastating disease.

Read the story on UAB News. 

Children’s of Alabama and the Kaul Pediatric Research Institute have released the announcement and guidelines for the 2017-2018 KPRI grant application process. The major goal of the New and Established Investigator KPRI grant program is to allow investigators to obtain data that will advantage applications for additional extramural funding. This will bring new knowledge to the care of children, leverage the investment of the KPRI, and allow projects to be competitive for the very best science on the national stage. A second, but important, goal is to ensure that a dedicated funding source is available to unique segments of the pediatric research, education, and quality improvement enterprise. The goal of the quality/safety/educational awards is to further advance and stimulate projects that will advance child health in these areas. A goal of future extramural funding is not a requirement for these awards. Awards are open to all faculty in pediatric disciplines and all employees at Children’s of Alabama.
 
This year, once again, there are three categories of grants that will be funded:  Established Investigator Awards, New Investigator Awards, and Quality/Safety/Educational Awards.  All funded applications will be directed toward the improvement of child health care.
 
Established Investigator Awards:  Up to two awards will be funded, one named in honor of Dr. Sergio Stagno and one named in memory of Dr. Rud Polhill, at an amount of $50,000 per year each for a maximum of two years.
 
New Investigator Awards:  Up to five awards will be funded, at an amount of $35,000 per year each for a maximum of two years.
 
Quality/Safety/Educational Awards:  Up to two Quality/Safety/Educational awards will be funded, at an amount of $10,000 each for one year.
 
Applications for all awards must be submitted electronically to mary.aiken@childrensal.orgby 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017.  In addition,  - to ensure accuracy, completeness, and proper processing through UAB OSP – all Established and New Investigator grant applications from Department of Pediatrics Faculty should also be submitted to David Ingram (dingram@peds.uab.edu) for internal review on or before Wednesday, September 20.
 
Application guidelines and forms can be found on the Pediatric Research Office (PRO) website, along with an FAQ section, at the following link: http://www.uab.edu/medicine/peds/research/funding/kpri. The PRO is available to assist all investigators with application development. Please do not hesitate reaching out to David Ingram (dingram@peds.uab.edu), Cheryl Perry (cperry@uab.edu), or Melissa McBrayer (mcbrayer@uab.edu) with any questions.

More information. | Frequently Asked Questions.

Krista Casazza, Ph.D., Adolescent Medicine, has been selected for the 2017-2018 Faculty Fellows in Engaged Scholarship Program, sponsored by the Office of Service Learning and Undergraduate Research. UAB’s Faculty Fellows in Engaged Scholarship program is a one-year fellowship designed to accelerate the work of faculty members eager to develop exemplary curricular approaches to education. Dr. Casazza's application outlines a course idea for Nutrition as Medicine. 

More information.

Lee Hilliard, M.D., Pediatric Hematology & Oncology, has been invited to participate in the seventh annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) Advocacy Leadership Institute, which is scheduled for September 27-28, 2017 in Washington, D.C. The ASH Advocacy Leadership Institute is a unique opportunity for a select group of ASH members to learn about legislation and health policy that affects hematology. Participants will receive intensive training in the policy making process and advocacy. 

More information.

The start of the upcoming school year is quickly approaching, which means school supplies, backpacks, new shoes and perhaps a new outfit or two will quickly become top of mind for parents.

UAB physicians are asking parents to take inventory of another school-year need for many children — vaccines.

Each state and the District of Columbia have their own vaccination requirements to attend public school, and if you are a parent who has not vaccinated your child according to the Centers for Disease Control’s recommended schedule but need to now that they are school age, you still can. UAB physician David Kimberlin, M.D., vice chair of Pediatrics, co-director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, and also the American Academy of Pediatrics liaison to the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, says it’s not too late to start getting your child caught up and back on the recommended schedule.

Read the story on UAB News. 

Pankaj Dangle, M.D., pediatric urologist and Director of Robotic Surgery at Children’s of Alabama and Assistant Professor UAB, provides advise on keeping Children safe during the summer months. Also find highlights on the pediatric robotic surgery program at Children's. 

Read the story on AL.com. 

The past four years have been busy for Michele Kong, M.D. In addition to being an associate professor of pediatrics, she is the co-founder of KultureCity, a nonprofit dedicated to creating a culture of acceptance for children and others with disabilities. Her work with KultureCity has earned her the 2017 Odessa Woolfolk Community Service Award, established by UAB to recognize a faculty member who has rendered outstanding service to the Birmingham community through education, economic development, health care delivery, the arts, social services, human rights or urban and public affairs. She will be recognized during the faculty convocation ceremony this fall.

Read the story on UAB Reporter.

Full scale recruitment for the Alabama Genomic Health Initiative has begun at UAB clinics in Birmingham. The AGHI is one of the nation’s first statewide efforts to harness the power of genomic analysis to identify those at high risk for genetic disease.

The AGHI, a partnership between UAB, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, and Children's of Alabama, was announced on March 9. It will recruit a diverse group of participants from every county in Alabama and provide genomic analysis and interpretation to this group free of charge.

Following the conclusion in May of a pilot project that recruited the first 100 participants, the AGHI has now opened widespread recruitment with the intent of adding 2,000 individuals in the first year. Over a five-year period, the goal will be to increase the number of participants to more than 10,000 persons.

To learn more about the Alabama Genomic Health Initiative please visit www.aghi.org. To participate, call 1-855-462-6850.

Read the story on Childrensal.org.

Bob Sarnecki joined Children’s as the Interim Chief Information Officer in mid-April. Since that time, he has shared his wide experience gained from other health care settings and has quickly becoming an integral part of the Children's of Alabama senior leadership group. Children's has named Bob the Chief Information Officer; the interim designation has been removed.

Please welcome Bob Sarnecki officially to the Children's of Alabama team.

To view the original announcement of Bob's hire, click here. 

Over 35 female physicians from UAB Pediatrics and Children's of Alabama were honored in the 2017 B-Metro “Top Women in Medicine” list. Congratulations on this recognition!

Click here to view the full list.

Vivek Lal, M.D., Neonatology, has been selected for an award under the PRS Young Investigator program to attend the upcoming Perinatal Research Society Annual Meeting and the NIH - Abbott Nutrition Pre-meeting Workshop September 6-10, 2017. In addition, Dr. Lal has also been selected as an Early Career Speaker. 

Bill Britt, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Disease, will be the Keynote Speaker at the 42nd Annual International Herpesvirus Workshop (IHW) in Ghent, Belgium, on July 29 - Aug. 2, 2017. He will present, "Cellular Membrane Reorganization and HCMV Assembly."