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Congratulations to our UAB Pediatric Fellowship Class of 2017. Thank you to all who helped us celebrate the graduates at a reception in their honor on May 23.  Please click on link below to see more photos.

https://goo.gl/photos/YWrk5bwMgvvE4Zsv8

Two outstanding Department of Pediatrics faculty members were named recipients of the 2017 Dean's Excellence Awards, an honor recognizing exceptional contributions made by the School of Medicine faculty in service, teaching, research, diversity enhancement and mentorship. 

Hussein Abdul-Latif, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinology, has been selected for the 2017 Dean's Excellence Award in Teaching, Senior Faculty. 
Nicole Jones, M.D., Pediatric Emergency Medicine, has been selected for the 2017 Dean's Excellence Award in Diversity Enhancement, Junior Faculty.
Click here to read about each of the 2017 winners and their accomplishments. 

 

 

A reception to honor the award recipients will be held on Tuesday, June 6 at 4 p.m. inside the Wallace Tumor Institute. All Department of Pediatrics faculty and staff are invited to attend in support and celebration of their colleagues. Congratulations to Drs. Abdul-Latif and Jones and all other Department of Pediatrics nominees. Click here to view the reception invitation.

The American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) has selected Mike Chen, M.D., Pediatric Surgery, to be on the APSA Board of Governors. Dr. Chen will serve as the APSA treasurer for a three-year term.

More information.

Ariel Salas, M.D., Neonatology, has been selected as the Southern SPR Awardee of the SPR Travel Awards to Enhance Diversity in the Research Workforce. Dr. Salas was nominated by the Southern Society for Pediatric Research (SSPR). 

Children's of Alabama and the Department of Pediatrics receives a generous donation from the Chu Family to support educational initiatives. From this donation, a portion has been set aside for Pediatric Fellows. The selection committee for the Chu Family Educational Scholarship recently met on Wednesday, May 17, and selected two fellows to receive this educational scholarship. 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 2017-2018 academic year:

Courtney Crayne, M.D. – Upcoming 2nd year Pediatric Rheumatology Fellow.
Dr. Crayne will use funds to obtain a Certificate in Public Health through the UAB School of Public Health.

Erinn Schmit, M.D. – Upcoming 2nd year Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellow.
Dr. Schmit will use funds towards completing a Medical Education Certificate Program through the University of Cincinnati.

Since 1988, the Dixon Foundation has endowed a fellowship training program in Pediatrics expressly aimed at supporting postdoctoral training and research in Pediatric subspecialties. The selection committee met on Tuesday, May 16, and selected three fellows for 2017. Candidates were selected on a competitive basis. These awards will provide funds for tuition, and an educational stipend.
 
Please join us in congratulating the Dixon Fellow recipients for the 2017-2018 academic year: 
 
Jamie Aye, M.D., Pediatric Hematology & Oncology.
Project: “Investigation of Focal Adhesion Kinase and the Kinome in Metastatic Wilms Tumor.” Her Mentor is Dr. Elizabeth Beierle.

Miranda L. Curtiss, M.D., Ph.D., Pediatric Allergy & Immunology.
Project: “Location Dependent Signals Fine Tune Dendritic Cell Control of TH2 Responses.”
Her Mentor is Dr. Fran Lund.

Corey Falcon, M.D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.
Project: “Generation of novel suicide gene modified anti-CD19 CAR redirected T cells.”
His Mentor is Dr. Fred Goldman.
 
Current Dixon Fellow, Claudette Poole, MD, Infectious Diseases, will continue the second year of her award.

If you were not able to attend last week’s CHRU open house, you missed some great cookies and a wonderful new child-friendly facility. The Unit is officially open and several researchers are already scheduling patients. If you are interested in using the Unit or would like to set up a tour, please contact Cheryl Perry. Click here to see photos from the event.  For more information, visit www.uab.edu/chru.

Traveling with children can be stressful, but preparation can significantly improve the situation, according to Candice Dye, M.D., General Pediatrics. 

“First and foremost, be safe and think safe,” said Dye, assistant director of the UAB Department of Pediatrics Residency Program. “Plan ahead for the needs of your infant. Think ahead for how you will keep your infant safe. Go ahead and enjoy traveling with your child.”

Read the UAB News story. 
Watch the segment on WBRC Fox 6

Regions Bank recently announced efforts to make its 1,500 branches autism friendly. Justin Schwartz, M.D., Developmental Pediatrics, worked with Regions Bank in this effort. In addition this story features KultureCity, and its focus on accessibility for those with autism.

Listen to the story on WBHM.

The Department of Pediatrics elects members to the Appointment, Promotion and Tenure Committee (APTC). This year, 118 faculty participated in the vote for a new faculty representative on our APTC. Smita Bhatia, M.D., MPH, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Professor/Director, Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship and Vice Chair for Outcomes in the Department of Pediatrics was elected by a vote of the faculty.  Ambika Ashraf, M.D., Professor in the Division of Endocrinology, was appointed to the Committee. Each will serve a three-year term. Many thanks to Drs. Michele Nichols and Randy Cron, for their long-standing commitment to the success of the faculty. Michele and Randy are completing their terms of appointment and will rotate off the committee.