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To view all the activities, events and ways to get involved in heart month, click here. 

Michele Kong, M.D., Pediatric Critical Care and her husband,Julian Maha, M.D., were selected to receive Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award given by Leadership Vestavia Hills at the 26th Annual Community Leadership Awards held on March 3. The event recognizes and celebrates exceptional members of the Vestavia Hills community whom have invested substantial efforts to improve the quality of life throughout the community and beyond. Drs. Kong and Maha are being honored in regards to their work with the non-profit they co-founded, KultureCity. 

The issue highlights the school’s efforts in innovation and integration to better serve its tripartite mission, as well as successes from the 2014-2015 academic year. Among the pediatric highlights: the cancer outcomes work of Smita Bhatia, M.D., M.P.H, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, as well as, Waldemar F. Carlo, M.D., Pediatric Cardiology, quoted for a patient care story on hypoplastic left-heart syndrome. Click here to view the report. 

At the Center for Genomic Medicine Symposium 2016, you will learn more about the capabilities and benefits surrounding our synergistic approach to genomics. Hear talks from specialists and gain the opportunity to ask questions of a distinguished panel of experts. You will have the chance to tour the innovative HudsonAlpha facility, enjoy a networking lunch with your peers and discuss with colleagues over cocktails at the evening reception. Click here to register. 

WHEN: Wednesday, May 4, 2016 from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (CDT)
WHERE: Jackson Center - 6001 Moquin Drive Northwest Huntsville, AL 35806

During African-American History Month, several pediatrics faculty will engage Birmingham City Schools with a presentation outlining the significant impact of African-Americans in Medicine. The presentation which highlights various doctors and their contributions is titled, “African-Americans in Medicine: The ABCs.” For example, the influence of Dr. Charles Drew (represented by the letter ‘D’) to the science of transfusion medicine and general surgery will be discussed. Dr. Drew developed techniques to improve blood storage during World War II, which led to the formation of the American Red Cross. The presentation is designed to engage students regarding health careers and will end with questions and answers. Drs. Brian Sims, Tom Harris, and Susan Walley welcome any interested faculty or staff to join them during these presentations. 

It is important that we reflect and celebrate the tremendous contributions of past generations and observe overcoming adversity as a platform and inspiration for future growth.

In honor of African-American History Month, the UAB History Department, Office of Multicultural Affairs & the African American Studies Program is sponsoring an evening with James Meredith. Join the discussion recounting the 1962 integration of the University of Mississippi on Feb, 12 at 6 p.m. in the Hill Center Ballroom. 

Click here to view the flyer.

The Alabama Child Health Improvement Alliance (ACHIA) recently published its first newsletter. Click here to read about current quality improvement initiatives, collaborative outcomes and more.

The UAB Department of Pediatrics welcomed Matthew Alexander, PhD, in the month of January. Dr. Alexander earned his PhD in Genetics and Developmental Biology in the laboratory of Dr. Daniel Garry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. His graduate training focused on the characterization of forkhead transcription factors in skeletal muscle and cardiac progenitor cells. He moved to Boston in 2008 to join the laboratory of Dr. Louis Kunkel as a postdoctoral fellow where he focused on characterizing the role of non-coding RNAs in skeletal muscle diseases. He was promoted to an Instructor in Pediatrics and Genetics & Genomics in 2013. His laboratory in the Department of Pediatrics, division of Neurology, at Children’s of Alabama will be focused on exploring the roles of epigenetic modifiers of human neuromuscular diseases in addition to generating novel zebrafish models of muscular dystrophies for drug library screens.

Thomas Howard, M.D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, will deliver the 13th Annual Reid McDaniel Lectureship at noon on Feb. 25, 2016, at Children’s of Alabama. The yearly lecture focuses on progress in treatment of Childhood Blood Disorders and Cancer. Dr. Howard’s talk is titled “State of the Art Care for Sickle Cell Disease: Successes and Challenges to Care Implementation in 2016.” University faculty, students, staff and community supporters are encouraged to attend. Lunch is provided. The lecture is held in the 4th Floor Bradley Lecture Center at Children’s of Alabama.

The ASCO Post recently released a series of interviews by and with leaders in oncology. Smita Bhatia, M.D., MPH, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, discusses long-term and late effects experienced by cancer survivors. To view the video with Dr. Bhatia on the science of survivorship, click here. 

 

As surgeon-in-chief, Dr. Chen will lead one of the largest pediatric surgical services in the country. Dr. Chen is the Joseph M. Farley Chair in Pediatric Surgery at Children’s and also a professor of pediatric surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He received his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Dr. Chen completed his residency in general surgery and a transplantation fellowship at the University of Florida. He then completed a fellowship in pediatric surgery at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis.
To view the full press release, click here. 

Alan Percy, M.D., Child Neurology, presented the inaugural Bengt Hagberg Memorial lecture at the annual Swedish Neuropediatric Society meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, on Thursday, January 21st at the Swedish Society of Medicine, Svenska Läkarsällskapet.  Dr. Hagberg was a renowned child neurologist who is credited with establishing child neurology in Sweden, creating training programs both for child neurologists and neuropediatricians in Sweden, and making seminal contributions to our current understanding of static encephalopathy (cerebral palsy), neonatal hydrocephalus, and a number of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders including Krabbe disease, metachromatic leukodystrophy, and Rett syndrome.  Dr. Hagberg died in the Spring of 2015.  This lecture acknowledges his illustrious career.
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John J. Brewington,  M.D.,  is a clinical fellow in pediatric and pulmonary medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Dr.Brewington will present “Bedside-to-Bench Theratype Studies in Cystic Fibrosis" on Thursday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. in Tinsley Harrison Tower (THT) 740, 1900 University Blvd. 

The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center recently released the latest issue of its magazine. This issue featured women in science, which highlights Smita Bhatia, M.D., Ph.D., and her internationally renowned expertise in cancer outcomes research. Of the Cancer Center's senior leadership team, almost half are women. Click here to read the latest issue of the magazine where you will find the center profile on Dr. Bhatia.

The third annual Rare Disease Genomics Symposium will be held on Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 from 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. It is located in the Bradley Lecture Center on the 4th floor of the Children's Harbor Building located at Children's of Alabama. The cost to attend is $15. To register, visit www.childrensal.org/genetics. 

Please contact Shaila Handattu with any questions. To view the informational flyer, click here.

Congratulations to Lindy Winter, M.D., Pediatric Neonatology, on presenting two of her research efforts in simulation education at the 8th International Pediatric Simulation Symposia and Workshops (IPSSW2016) in Glasgow, Scotland on May 9 - 11, 2016. In addition, she will lead a workshop demonstrating the implementation of Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice in training simulations. Nancy Tofil, M.D., Pediatric Critical Care, and Crystal Rutledge, M.D., Pediatric Critical Care, are co-instructors for the workshop, representing the UAB Department of Pediatrics at this international conference. Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice is a new training methodology capitalizing on immediate and rapid correction of learner errors, using repetition, to achieve learner mastery.

We are excited to announce that Drs. Bry Lewis, Spencer Poore, and Michelle Udine will serve as our Pediatric Co-Chief Residents for the 2017-2018 academic year.

 Stephanie and Christopher Smith have been on a long, difficult and often frustrating journey to find answers for the mysterious health issues of their children. It started 24 years ago when their third child, Gage, was born. Gage, his younger brother Aiden and then sister Mandalynn, now 13, all developed mysterious symptoms that mystified doctors. All had severe inflammation of their joints, and delayed intellectual development. But no one knew why.

Through luck, or fate, or divine providence, the family ended up in Boaz, Alabama. The children became patients of Children’s of Alabama and pediatric rheumatologist Robb Lowe, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics.Their timing was fortunate, because UAB had just created the Undiagnosed Diseases Program, a multidisciplinary effort aimed at unraveling the most perplexing medical cases that have defied diagnosis.

Click here for the full article

Congratulations to Reed Dimmitt, M.D., Pediatric Gastroenterology, on his term as President Elect of the Medical Executive committee and Children's Medical staff. His two-year term began Jan. 1, 2016 through Dec. 31, 2017. Beginning Jan. 1, 2018, Dr. Dimmitt will serve as President of the Medical Staff and chair of the Medical Executive committee. Congratulations to Dr. Dimmitt!

Chrystal Rutledge, M.D., Pediatric Critical Care, has been awarded a UAB Center for Teaching and Learning grant for her project, "High Repetition Team-based Simulation to Improve Resident Pediatric Resuscitation Skills," in the amount of $5,000. Congratulations! 

The Department of Pediatrics would like to extend a warm welcome to Suzanne Gray, our newly appointed Pediatric Clerkship Coordinator. Suzanne has years of experience in corporate event coordination and communications. She will work alongside Drs. Latif, Berger and Sasser to organize schedules, activities, and evaluations of UASOM students rotating in the Department. She will also assist with coordination of international medical student rotations. Please join us in welcoming her to the team!