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The UAB Cleft and Craniofacial Center at Children’s of Alabama, which includes Dr. John Grant, Dr. René Myers and Dr. Timothy King, received approval from the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association in January.

The UAB Cleft and Craniofacial Center at Children’s of Alabama is now home to the only American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association-approved teams in the state. The center’s cleft team and craniofacial team both recently received approval from the ACPA, making its comprehensive program the first of its kind to receive this distinction in Alabama.

By Daniel Bracker

The Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery’s James George, Ph.D., recently received funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health in support of his project, “Mononuclear phagocytes in the pathogenesis of acute kidney injury.”

By Daniel Bracker

General surgery research resident Margaux Mustian, M.D., recently received a Young Investigator Award from the American Transplant Congress Planning Committee to attend the 2019 ATC.

The Division of Surgical Oncology’s Marty Heslin, M.D., MSHA, executive vice-chair of the Department of Surgery and chief of the medical staff at UAB Hospital, was recently named the Leadership Vestavia Hills Distinguished Citizen of the Year. Heslin was honored for this award at the 29th Annual Community Leadership Award Banquet last Tuesday, Feb. 26, at the Vestavia Hills Country Club.

Dr. Mary T. Hawn presents the 2019 Kirby I. Bland, M.D., Visiting Lectureship on Tuesday, Feb. 26, in Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium. (Photo courtesy of @danileacm on Twitter)

Stanford University’s Mary T. Hawn, M.D., MPH, FACS, stressed the importance of careful interpretation when handling big data in her talk last Tuesday, as this year’s Kirby I. Bland, M.D., Visiting Professor. Hawn talked about the importance of interpretation in finding results at the 2019 lectureship, held in Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium at Surgery Grand Rounds.

Dr. Colin Martin

The Division of Pediatric Surgery’s Colin Martin, M.D., was recently asked to serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Surgical Research for a second term. Having already completed one three-year term on the board, Martin will continue to provide manuscript reviews for the journal in this role for another three years, beginning immediately and ending in December 2021.

The Division of Surgical Oncology’s Renata Jaskula-Sztul, Ph.D., was recently awarded a $40,000 Junior Faculty Development Grant for her pilot project, “Pharmacological overexpression of somatostatin receptor type 2 (SSTR2) in neuroendocrine tumors for improved {₆₈Ga]DOTATATE imaging and treatment.”

The UAB Department of Surgery was recently awarded a training grant from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to support research fellowships for eight medical students, as part of the department’s Short-Term Research Experiences Advancing Medical Students program.

Dr. Colin Martin

The Division of Pediatric Surgery’s Colin Martin, M.D., was recently selected to serve as the Society of Black Academic Surgeons representative to the Association for Academic Surgery.

Martin’s two-year term in this role will begin after the 15th Annual Academic Surgical Congress in Orlando, Florida, next February, and will also earn him a seat on the AAS Executive Council.

With more than $5.5 million in 2018 research funding from the National Institutes of Health, UAB comes in at No. 22, nationally, among the 75 other departments of surgery recently ranked by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. Jumping seven spots since Blue Ridge’s 2017 rankings, the UAB Department of Surgery saw a roughly 59-percent increase in NIH funding since last year when it placed No. 29.

UAB as a whole placed No. 23 on Blue Ridge’s ranking of universities who received NIH funding in 2018, with nearly $300 million. About $233 million of that total was awarded to the School of Medicine, which came in at No. 21 on Blue Ridge’s list of the country’s medical schools, up from No. 31 just five years ago.

Read more about UAB’s 2018 rankings here.

The Division of Acute Care Surgery’s Kimberly Hendershot, M.D., FACS, was recently appointed the chair of the American College of Surgeons Alabama Committee on Trauma.

Associate Professor in the Division of Plastic Surgery Timothy King, M.D., Ph.D., was recently elected to the board of directors of the Wound Healing Society.

The UAB Department of Surgery recently welcomed a new associate professor to the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery with the addition of Enrique Gongora, M.D.

General surgery research resident Margaux Mustian, M.D., was recently named a recipient of the Dale Benos Scholar Award by the UAB Nephrology Research Training Center.

Lauren Tanner, M.D., has been named the new director of the UAB Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship. A 2016 graduate of the fellowship, Tanner steps into this position as an assistant professor in the Division of Acute Care Surgery, associate program director of the UAB General Surgery Residency and co-director of the UAB Women in Surgery Program.

The UAB Department of Surgery gathers for a photo while attending the 14th Annual Academic Surgical Congress in Houston, Texas, Feb. 5-7, 2019.

The Department of Surgery traveled to Houston, Texas, this week for the 14th Annual Academic Surgical Congress, where numerous faculty, residents, fellows and medical students from UAB gave talks, presented research or moderated sessions. Continuing its streak, UAB Surgery again led the pack in abstract submissions at ASC, boasting a total of 84 presentations — 13 more than last year — and roughly 70 presenters.

Associate Professor in the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Jamie Cannon, M.D., was recently elected treasurer of the Alabama Chapter of the American College of Surgeons. She begins her term immediately and will serve in this role at the annual chapter meeting this summer.

The Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery’s Daniel Chu, M.D., recently served as the editor of the December 2018 issue of Surgical Clinics of North America.

This spring, the UAB Department of Surgery will join the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin, Stanford University and the Brigham and Woman’s Hospital of Harvard University in a new multi-institutional partnership that seeks to help faculty and trainees reach their professional goals.

Guest speaker Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi speaks on his techniques for the surgical management of Crohn's disease at the third annual UAB Surgery CME Course on Feb. 1, 2019, at the Hilton Birmingham at UAB.

More than 70 physicians and researchers traveled to the Hilton Birmingham at UAB last week to attend the third annual UAB Department of Surgery CME Course, "Best Practices in General Surgery."

The Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery’s Daniel Chu, M.D., has been awarded an American College of Surgeons Traveling Fellowship to Japan for 2020, where he will attend meetings and visit surgical centers for his research and practice. While in Japan, Chu will write about his experiences in the ACS Bulletin.

UAB advance GI and minimally invasive surgery fellow Aimal Khan, M.D., and third-year integrated vascular surgery resident Victoria Aucoin, M.D., were each recently named a recipient of a travel award from the American College of Surgeons to attend the 2019 ACS Leadership and Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C., March 30 – April 2.

UAB Department of Surgery Chair Dr. Herbert Chen presents his annual State of the Department of Surgery address at Surgery Grand Rounds on Jan. 15, 2019, in Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium. (Photo Courtesy of Danilea Carmona-Matos, @danileacm on Twitter)

On Tuesday, Jan. 15, UAB Department of Surgery Chair Herbert Chen, M.D., delivered his annual State of the Department of Surgery address at Surgery Grand Rounds in Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium.

UAB Medicine wants to hear your ideas for its medical education and clinical information podcast series, UAB Medcast. These podcasts – which are eligible for CME credit – are ideal for physicians, nurses, technicians and other medical professionals interested in staying abreast of clinical and research developments at UAB Medicine while helping satisfy their ongoing professional education requirements.

General surgery resident Raoud Marayati, M.D., was recently named the recipient of the Spring 2019 Office of Postdoctoral Education Travel Award.

The UAB Department of Surgery gathers for a photo at the 2018 Academic Surgical Congress in Jacksonville, Floriday, Jan. 30 – Feb. 1.

As the UAB Department of Surgery prepares for the 14th Annual Academic Surgical Congress next month in Houston, Texas – where UAB is again expected to win the ASC abstract submission contest with a total of 85 abstracts – we’ve made available a spreadsheet of presenters who are affiliated with UAB or who have authored presentations affiliated with our UAB Surgery faculty.

Second-year general surgery resident Cozette Kale, M.D., MPH, has been selected to receive a 2019 American College of Surgeons Resident Research Scholarship.

The Division of Pediatric Surgery’s Colin Martin, M.D., was recently selected to receive the 2019 Academic Surgical Congress 10x10 Career Development Traveling Fellowship. This award will provide Martin with a $2,000 stipend to visit a scholar or clinician at the institution of his choosing for one week.

Four Department of Surgery residents were recently elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society at UAB.

Dr. Brenessa Lindeman

UAB Assistant Professor of Surgical Oncology Brenessa Lindeman, M.D., MEHP, recently received funding for her research project, “What Is Meaningful in Medicine? A Mixed Methods Examination of How Healthcare Professionals Define and Enhance Meaning in Their Work,” from the Association of American Medical Colleges Southern Group on Educational Affairs.