February 13, 2003

BIRMINGHAM, AL — As the United States and Iraq go to war, the following experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) are available to provide analysis:

France and the War in Iraq
Serge Bokobza, Ph.D., is an expert on 20th century French culture and civilization, French cinema and literature. He is available to discuss French opinions on the war in Iraq, French politics and media. Bokobza is an associate professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. Contact Gail Short, Media Relations, (205) 934-8931 or gshort@uab.edu.

The Middle East and Turkey
Kevin Freeman, Ph.D., is an expert on the Middle East and Turkey. He has taught classes on war and peace in the Middle East, international relations, comparative politics, global policy issues, international organizations and politics and the media. Freeman is an adjunct professor in the UAB Department of Government. Contact Gail Short, Media Relations, (205) 934-8931 or gshort@uab.edu.

The United Nations, NATO and the European Union
Nikolaos Zahariadis, Ph.D., is an expert on European public policy, security in southeastern Europe, nationalism, the European Union and foreign aid. Zahariadis is an associate professor in the UAB Department of Government. He has published articles in numerous journals, including International Studies Quarterly, Comparative Politics and Comparative Political Studies. Contact Gail Short, Media Relations, (205) 934-8931 or gshort@uab.edu.

Talking to Children About War / When a Parent Goes to War
Jerry Aldridge, Ed.D., is a nationally renowned expert in child development and personality development. He is author of several books, including Self Esteem: Loving Yourself at Every Age. He has published over 100 articles in such journals as Psychological Reports, Journal of Instructional Psychology and Academic Therapy. Aldridge is a professor in the UAB School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Contact Gail Short, Media Relations, (205) 934-8931 or gshort@uab.edu.

Medical Lessons Learned from Gulf War
The Middle East and Indian subcontinent of the globe are hosts to a long list of infectious diseases, including malaria, dengue fever, filariasis, leishmaniasis and plague. But UAB's Traveler's Health Clinic Director David Freedman, M.D., says that military personnel and civilians being deployed to the area should not fret too much about those diseases. "We know from the Gulf War just 10 years ago, that our military troops did not come back home with the standard infectious diseases like we expected," he said. "Plus, because of our military's experience in the area, they know what diseases are out there, how to prevent them and how to treat them. If an outbreak occurs, they will be prepared." Contact Tracy Bischoff, Media Relations, (205) 934-8935 or tracy@uab.edu. Freedman can be reached at (205) 934-1630 or freedman@uab.edu.

Advances for Amputees
When a land mine, mortar shell or other wartime event causes the loss of a leg, the wounded can expect a prosthetic limb to be much more stable and functional than those used only a decade ago. UAB chief prosthetist Michael Dumars helps operate an amputee clinic at the UAB Spain Rehabilitation Clinic. “Computer technology in prosthetics has advanced tremendously since the last Gulf War, especially for the above-knee amputee. The patient’s biggest fear is that the knee will buckle if the terrain changes. Products now on the market can automatically evaluate conditions 50 times a second so that it’s impossible for the patient to make any movement faster than the prosthesis can compensate for.” Contact Hank Black, Media Relations, (205) 934-8938 or hblack@uab.edu.

Public Health and Refugee Issues
Michael Kimerling, M.D., is an associate professor of internal medicine and international health. As a member of Doctors Without Borders, a world health aid agency, Kimerling spent five years working in refugee camps in Thailand and Cambodia. "From a public health standpoint, nutrition and sanitation are the first problems to address in order to prevent sickness — cholera, diarrhea and malnutrition." Contact Joy Carter, Media Relations, (205) 934-1676 or mjcarter@uab.edu.

Emergency Medicine at War
Guillermo Pierluisi, M.D., is a UAB Emergency Medicine physician and commander of Alabama’s Disaster Medical Assist Team (AL1-DMAT), most recently deployed during the Salt Lake Olympics. That unit maintains equipment and supplies to deploy, stage and operate a tent hospital, including acute and critical care beds, completely self-sustainable for the first 72 hours. He is also an Army reservist who was deployed to Afghanistan last year. He can discuss emergency medicine, disaster response, field hospital operations, and medical treatment of war casualties. Contact Joy Carter, Media Relations, (205) 934-1676 or mjcarter@uab.edu.