Media contact: Bob Shepard
The Pancreatobiliary Disease Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine has been named a National Pancreas Foundation Center of Academic and Clinical Excellence.
The prestigious designation means the UAB PDC is a premier health care facility that focuses on multidisciplinary treatment of pancreas disease, treating the whole patient with a focus on the best possible outcomes and improved quality of life.
The UAB Pancreatobiliary Disease Center was established just five years ago, and now joins 145 NPF-designated Centers of Excellence around the nation. UAB is one of only five institutions selected during this application cycle and is the only NPF Academic Center of Excellence in Alabama.
NPF Centers of Excellence undergo an extensive auditing process and meet criteria developed by a task force composed of subject matter experts and patient advocates. The criteria include required expert physician specialties such as gastroenterologists, pancreas surgeons and interventional radiologists, along with more patient-focused programs such as a pain management service, psychosocial support and more.
J. Bart Rose, M.D., director of the UAB Pancreatobiliary Disease Center“We know that our center has been providing high-quality, personalized patient care since we opened our doors,” said J. Bart Rose, M.D., director of the UAB PDC and chief of the Section of Hepatopancreatobiliary Disease. “It is wonderful to see our team receive national recognition for this. Our patients always come first, and we will continue to advance pancreatic disease care and research.”
The UAB PDC’s multidisciplinary approach to treatment ensures patients with complex benign or malignant problems involving the pancreas or bile ducts will be offered appropriate and modern treatment, in an expedited fashion, all done in conjunction with their local providers.
The UAB PDC has more than 30 faculty members across seven medical specialties supporting the center. Each faculty member brings an expert perspective that the PDC harnesses toward patient care through impactful, interprofessional collaboration.