On July 10, 2020 Governor Kay Ivey announced a $375,000 grant to Children’s of Alabama and the UAB Department of Pediatrics to establish a statewide medical network to ensure that victims of child abuse receive immediate and professional care. The network, the Alabama Child Abuse Medical System (ALCAMS), is a joint effort between UAB and the Alabama Network of Child Advocacy Centers.
Donna Murdaugh, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, received one of 53 grants recently awarded by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Dr. Murdaugh was awarded a Supportive Care Research Grant to help fund her research project title, “Feasibility of cognitive remediation via telemedicine in cancer survivors.” Her study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive remediation interventions via telemedicine for cancer survivors between the ages of 10 and 18 years old.
Gabriela Oates, Ph.D., Pediatric Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine, has been accepted to membership in the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) as an Associate Scientist.
Jeffery Lebensburger, D.O., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, has been selected to serve on the Scientific Review Subcommittee for the American Society of Hematology Sickle Cell Disease Clinical Trials Network.
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2020-2021 Founder's Fund Grants!
The Founders' Fund was established by the UAB Department of Pediatrics to honor the exceptional lifetime achievements of the founders Drs. John W. "Bill" Benton, Ralph E. Tiller and Paul A. Palmisano. For more than a decade, the Founders' Fund has been used to encourage and support educational endeavors in the Pediatric Residency Program through educational grants. These educational grants support new, innovative educational research or programs related to the curriculum or quality and outcomes research of the residency program.
Ten Founders' Fund Awards were given this year:
Obesity Prevention Birth-to-Two Years in Primary Care Clinic
Cason Benton (PI)
Kelsey Thetford
STEP-PREP
Joe Bradsher (PI)
Neha Teekappanavar
Andrew Marshall
Channing Brown
Kirollos Roman
Rachel Klein
Carlie Stein
Well Child Check that is Anything But Well: Suicidal Teenager
Candice Dye (PI)
Nancy Tofil
Baby Safety Shower for Young Mothers
Meghan Harrison (PI)
Abigail Martin
Grace Spears
Kathleen Vincent
Terri Coco
Kathy Monroe
Pediatric RAP
Kylee Miller (PI)
Kathy Monroe
Michele Nichols
Brad Troxler
Chang Wu
Pediatric Neurology at UAB Podcast
Salman Rashid (PI)
Khaled Al-Robaidi
Improving Residency Physician History and Physical in Challenging Situations
Nicholas Rockwell (PI)
Nancy Tofil
Michele Kong
Chrystal Rutledge
Procedural Competence in Pediatric Residents
Jeremy Ruhlmann (PI)
Alexis Ricci
Jordan Ashcraft
Michele Nichols
Nancy Tofil
Erinn Schmit
Kids CAN DO Telehealth
Stephen Russell (PI)
Channing Brown
Ryan Sheets
Andrew Watson
Improving Firearm Safety Counseling in Primary Clinic
Austin Wheeler (PI)
Katie Mascia
Abby Martin
Christina Hunley
Jennifer Joseph
Morissa Ladinsky
We are excited to announce Chrystal Rutledge, M.D., Pediatric Critical Care, and Ana Xavier, M.D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, have been appointed as the co-directors of Diversity and Inclusion for the UAB Pediatrics Residency Program. Tina Simpson, M.D., Adolescent Medicine will serve as the faculty liaison. Our main goals are to increase recruitment and retention of underrepresented within medicine (URiM) pediatric residents, foster relationships amongst current URiM pediatric residents, fellows and faculty, and promote a more inclusive environment with the department.
Tamera Coyne-Beasley, M.D., Adolescent Medicine, has been selected to serve on the Healthcare Leadership Academy (HLA) Advisory Board. 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.
The UAB Pediatric Primary Care Clinic has been awarded recognition by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Patient-Centered Medical Home Program.
In order to achieve NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition, the UAB Pediatric Primary Care Clinic must meet certain standards that emphasize the use of systematic, patient-centered, coordinated care. This recognition will help the Pediatric Primary Care Clinic support their patients through access, communication and patient involvement.
In the UAB Pediatric Primary Care Clinic, we have already been providing many aspects of the level of care required for Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition,” said Candice Dye, M.D., medical director for the Pediatric Primary Care Clinic. “Having the official recognition and certification from the NCQA is a huge gain for our patients and clinic. Our team worked extremely hard to organize and submit the various needed documents to achieve this. We are very excited to partner with NCQA with this Patient-Centered Medical Home certification to provide even more comprehensive care to our wonderful and deserving patients and their families in Primary Care Clinic.”
The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home program reflects the input of the American College of Physicians (ACP), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and others. It was developed to assess whether clinician practices are functioning as medical homes and recognize them for these efforts.
“NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition raises the bar in defining high-quality care by emphasizing access, health information technology and coordinated care focused on patients,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “Recognition shows that the UAB Pediatric Primary Care Clinic has the tools, systems and resources to provide its patients with the right care, at the right time.”
Tamera Coyne-Beasley, M.D., has been elected to the board of directors for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID). Dr. Coyne-Beasley will serve a three-year term from July 2020 to June 2023. As part of her role on the board of directors, Dr. Coyne-Beasley will also serve on the NFID Continuing Professional Education Committee and the Work Group on Strategic Opportunities.
Please join us in congratulating Connie Trieu, M.D., Second Year Fellow- Pediatric Infectious Diseases, on receiving the 2019-2020 Spring Fellow Research Roundtable/Fellow Core Conference Attendance Award. This allows her to attend a scientific meeting of her choice, within the continental United States.
- Dr. Wilson selected to participate in the American Society of Hematology Clinical Research Training Institute
- Dr. Cochran receives Pediatric Emergency Medicine Instructor of the Year Award
- The Joe LaRussa Interns of the Year for 2020 announced
- Nine Children's of Alabama pediatric specialities recognized among nation's best by U.S. News & World Report