Bham Black Pride held their inaugural banquet on Friday, August 17, where Tina Simpson,. M.D., Adolescent Medicine, was named the first recipient of the “Dr. Tina Simpson Invisible Warrior Award.” The award, named in her honor, recognizes Dr. Simpson as the longest serving African American physician caring for children, adolescents and young adults with HIV in the Birmingham area. In the future, this award will recognize those who have made contributions to advance equality and create strong connections in the lives of LGBTQ Alabamians.
Congratulations Dr. Simpson!
The Pediatric Resident Wellness Committee was awarded a GME Works for Well-being Grant for their proposal "Wellness Through Fitness: A Fitness and Nutritional Program for Residents and Fellows.”
The grant will be used to fund weekly fitness classes available to all pediatric residents (and fellows if availability is not an issue) with a certified trainer and nutritionist and will also provide a volunteer study group with body assessments (BMI, body fat percentage, etc) and assess progress over a 10 week span of exercise. The goal of the program is to empower residents to seek activities for physical fitness and wellness during their education!
In February 2018, the UAB GME Office announced GME Works for Well-Being, a call for proposals to increase efforts within UAB GME to support innovated ideas and programs to improve physician well-being and foster a sense of meaning in work.
Team members for the proposal include Malena Gutierrez, M.D., Pediatrics PGY-3, Alicia Webb, M.D., Pediatrics PGY-3, Spandana Induru, M.D., Pediatrics PGY-3 and faculty mentor Michael Stalvey, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinology.
Residents after their weekly Wellness Workout at Resolute Running Training Center. These workouts are part of the residency wellness program.
Photo credit: Spandana Induru
Veronica Givhan, Morissa Ladinsky, Sandy Thurmond, Stefanie McKerley and Lori Moler at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama (RMCHA) Gala on August 10
Dr. Lauren Nassetta and audience power posing at grand rounds Thursday, August 16
Photo credit: Rachely Cawley
Margaux Barnes, Ph.D., Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, was accepted into the Clinical Investigator Training Program at UAB. This program is a first of its kind at UAB, a collaborative effort of UAB’s School of Medicine, Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Department of Medicine and supported by funding from the HSF-GEF/CCTS. Fifteen candidates are chosen from across campus. The program is a pragmatic and hands-on program focused on preparing new investigators to plan and implement human subject investigation in a GCP compliant manner.
Congratulations to Michele Kong, M.D., Pediatric Critical Care, on being chosen as a 2018 Woman of Distinction for the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama. The Girl Scouts have been honoring Women of Distinction in Alabama since 1993. The Women of Distinction Award honors women who have made special contributions to their communities through civic, academic, or professional efforts and who are exemplary role models for today’s girls. Dr. Kong will be honored at the One Smart Cookie Celebration on August 30.
Laura McGuinn, M.D., has accepted our offer to be the Division Director for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (DDBP) beginning January 1, 2019. Dr. McGuinn is currently the fellowship program director at the University of Oklahoma and is nationally recognized for her leadership positions in the American Academy of Pediatrics relating to developmental and behavioral pediatrics. Dr. McGuinn completed medical school and residency at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas and a fellowship in developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. McGuinn will work closely with her division, colleagues in the Sparks Clinics and Children’s Behavioral Health, child psychiatry, Tony Fargason, M.D., director of neurodevelopmental initiatives, and Craig Powell, M.D., incoming chair of Neurobiology and The Civitan International Research Center (CIRC). Dr. McGuinn will be a terrific addition to our growing commitment to diagnosis and treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders, developmental delay, cognitive/intellectual disabilities, and attention deficit disorders/learning concerns. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. McGuinn to Birmingham and are very excited about what this means for the children of Alabama.
Christine Stoops, D.O., Neonatology, was recently awarded a P&F Grant to continue the Baby NINJA (Nephrotoxic Injury Negated by Just-in-Time Action) project at Children's of Alabama and incorporate other NICUs in the NINJA Collaborative. The award is from the pilot and feasibility program of the O'Brien Center of Excellence in Pediatric Nephrology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. The 2018 UAB Perinatal Conference will be held Friday, August 17 at the Bradley Lecture Center. This year’s conference is titled "No Guts Still Glory.” This one-day conference will begin at 7:30 a.m. with registration and breakfast and conclude at 5:00 p.m. Click here for the informational brochure and to register.
The UAB Department of Pediatrics welcomes eleven new faculty members during the month of July. Please join us in making them feel at home!
Matthew Digman, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Emily Gantz, D.O., Instructor in Pediatric Neurology
Samuel Gentle, M.D., Assistant Professor in Neonatology
Emily Johnston, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Claire Keith, M.D., Instructor in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Michael Lopez, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Neurology
Adolfo Molina, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Swetha Pinninti, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Infectious Disease
Erinn Schmit, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Carter Wallace, M.D., Instructor in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Mark Anthony Zanni, M.D., Instructor in Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Matthew Digman, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Emergency Medicine, earned his medical degree from University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas. Dr. Digman completed his pediatric residency and Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellowship at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas. His research/clinical interests include procalcitonin and its role in pediatric sepsis.
Emily Gantz, D.O., Instructor in Pediatric Neurology, earned her medical degree from University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Gantz completed her child neurology residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. She will be joining the Movement Disorders Program led by Dr. Dure.
Samuel Gentle, M.D., Assistant Professor in Neonatology, earned his medical degree from University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Gentle completed his pediatric residency at Mount Sinai in New York, New York and a Neonatology fellowship at UAB. Areas of interest include both local and statewide quality improvement initiatives, education specifically curriculum development, and a research interest in the relationship between nitrate metabolism and co-morbidities of prematurity.
Emily Johnston, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Hematology Oncology and Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship, earned her medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California. Dr. Johnston completed her pediatric residency and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellowship as well as her Masters in Health Service Research at Stanford. In addition, she is working on a Master’s in Health Services Research. She will be joining the solid tumor team in oncology and will continue her research on health disparities in end-of-life care for children. In particular, she is interested in how we determine what good end-of-life care is for children with chronic conditions and how we can ensure everyone has access to the end-of-life care they deserve.
Claire Keith, M.D., Instructor in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nurition, earned her medical degree from University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Keith completed her pediatric residency at UAB. Her research/clinical interests include: inflammatory bowel disease, constipation and quality improvement.
Michael A. Lopez, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Neurology, earned his medical degree from University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Lopez completed his child neurology residency at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas and a pediatric neuromuscular fellowship at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California. In addition, he received his Ph.D. in Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics from Baylor College of Medicine. His research focus is on childhood-onset neuromuscular disease with particular interest in muscular dystrophies. His prior research involved understanding the role of mechanical signal transduction in skeletal muscle and uncovering its dysregulation in several mouse models of muscular dystrophy. Presently, he is working with Drs. Matt Alexander and Peter King on the role of aberrantly regulated muscle-enriched microRNAs in promoting inflammation in muscular dystrophy. In addition to muscular dystrophies, his clinical interests include congenital myopathies, neuromuscular junction disorders, spinal muscular atrophy, and acquired/inherited polyneuropathies.
Adolfo Molina, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Hospital Medicine, earned his medical degree from University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, Florida. Dr. Molina completed his pediatric residency and Pediatric Hospital Medicine fellowship at UAB. He served as Chief Resident for the UAB Pediatric Residency Program between his residency and fellowship. His research/clinical interests include: pediatric asthma readmissions and health disparities as well as the care of children who are internationally adopted or in foster care.
Swetha Pinninti, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Infectious Disease, earned her medical degree from Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad, India. Dr. Pinninti completed her pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey and a Pediatric Infectious Disease fellowship at UAB. Dr. Pinninti previously served as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease at UAB and then as an Assistant Professor in the Divisions of Urgent Care and General Pediatrics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska. Her clinical interests include perinatal infections, vaccine advocacy and pediatric osteoarticular infections. Her research interests include defining the extent of vestibular dysfunction in infants with congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) and determining the association between sexually transmitted infections and Cytomegalovirus in pregnancy.
Erinn Schmit, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Hospital Medicine, earned her medical degree from University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Schmit completed her pediatric residency and Pediatric Hospital Medicine fellowship at UAB. She served as Chief Resident for the UAB Pediatric Residency Program between her residency and fellowship. Her research/clinical interests include: graduate medical education, specifically faculty evaluation of medical students and procedural competence in pediatric residents, as well as infant safe sleep education.
Mark Anthony Zanni, M.D., Instructor in Pediatric Hospital Medicine, earned his medical degree from University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Zanni completed his pediatric residency at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. Previously he worked as a neonatal hospitalist at Children’s Specialty Group in Norfolk, Virginia.
Congratulations to the Pediatric and Medicine/Pediatric residents selected for the honor of being mentors within the UAB School of Medicine Housestaff Learning Community. This program is an outstanding opportunity for residents who have a passion for working with students to gain experience in medical education. The residents who were selected are listed below.
Pediatrics
Emily Foreman, M.D., PGY-3
Spandana Induru, M.D., PGY-3
Nathan Menaker, M.D., PGY-3
Andrew Watson, M.D., PGY-2
Med-Peds
Emily Bufkin, M.D., PGY-3
Madeline Eckenrode, M.D., PGY-4
David Windler, M.D., PGY-4