UAB School of Health Professions Current News
AAHIM Student Forum held at School of Health Professions
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AAHIM Student ForumMore than 65 students from three universities attended the Alabama Association of Health Information Management Student Forum at the UAB School of Health Professions’ Executive Learning Center. The day-long session covered a variety of topics to prepare the HIM students for the next steps beyond graduation. Lectures included “Compliance: An Alternative to the Traditional HIM Setting,” “Professionalism and Social Media” and “Planning Your Professional HIM Career.”SEE MORE: see photos from the meeting on the SHP Flickr page
The three institutions, all accredited Health Information Technology and Health Information Administration programs, were Alabama State University, UAB Health Information Management and Wallace State Community College – Hanceville (HIT). The undergraduate students also learned about the Master’s level courses they would qualify for at UAB: Healthcare Quality and Safety (Master’s Degree and Graduate Certificate) and Health Informatics.
#InnoHack2015 success, Health Care Management senior on runner-up team
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Seth Bynum (left) presenting at #InnoHack2015(Photo courtesy Jesse Parks)The #InnoHack2015 asked the question: What can be done to improve health outcomes in Alabama? Ten groups competed for the winning solution, but in the end the real answer may just be to have more events like this.
#InnoHack2015, sponsored by the Baptist Health System and the UAB Department of Health Services Administration, brought together everyone from software developers to engineers to health administrators to students like Seth Bynum, a senior in the UAB Health Care Management program. His team, Community H.U.B. (Health Utilization Base) had never met before they were teamed up at #InnoHack2015.
“It is truly amazing to think that four strangers could come together and in such a short amount of time, propose a solution to one of Alabama’s healthcare barriers that is not only creative and innovative, but also able to be implemented,” said Bynum, who grew up in Fayette, Alabama with a population of around 4,600. “Our idea was to establish a Community H.U.B. that would address the geographic barrier, which is a huge obstacle to Alabama’s many rural residents, through the use of telemedicine with hospital-based specialties.”
Biomedical Science’s Newcomer, Walker win major Student Excellence Awards
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Brooke Walker, Bradley Newcomer with Student Excellence awardsTwo members of the new UAB Biomedical Sciences program won major Student Excellence Awards during an event held at the UAB National Alumni Society House on April 14, 2015.Bradley R. Newcomer, Ph.D., program director and assistant dean in the UAB School of Health Professions, received the Faculty of Character Award. Brooke Walker, student counselor for the BMD program, was named Adviser of the Year.
“This is only the first year of our Biomedical Sciences program and these honors exemplify what an immediate and positive impact that Brad, Brooke and the entire BMD team have already had across the UAB campus,” said Janelle Chiasera, Ph.D., chair, Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences. “This is a wonderful honor for their program and our department, but this is so much more for the BMD students because it means they are learning from and working with the best UAB has to offer.”
New UAB research laboratory to study concussion biomarkers, recovery
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From left: Mark Swanson, Katherine Weise, Jennifer Christy, Claudio Busettini in the VORLab.A new research laboratory at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the first of this kind in Alabama and one of only a few in America, could lead to a better understanding of the effects of concussions.
The Vestibular and Oculomotor Research Laboratory, or VORLab, is conducting research to identify markers of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), also known as concussion, in athletes. It is co-directed by Claudio Busettini, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Vision Sciences, and Jennifer Christy, Ph.D., P.T., associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy in the UAB School of Health Professions. Its executive committee includes Katherine Weise, O.D., MBA, FAAO, associate professor in the Department of Optometry, Mark Swanson, O.D., MSPH, professor in the Department of Optometry, and James Johnston, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery.
Annually, more than 2 million cases of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are diagnosed; of those, 75 percent are labeled as mTBI, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms typically include headache, dizziness and balance problems.
“Dizziness in patients with mTBI often is associated with blurred vision during head movements as well as vomiting and nausea. These symptoms likely are related to altered function of the vestibular system and/or subtle abnormalities in eye movements,” Busettini said. “The Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex (VOR) system works to keep vision clear while the head is in motion, such as during reading from your cellphone while walking or, on the field, throwing a football while avoiding an opposing player.”
McGilvray is only PA named to Governor’s Health Care Task Force
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Gov. Bentley creates healthcare task forceStephanie McGilvray, MMSc, PA-C, assistant professor in the UAB Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, is the only Physician Assistant named to the Alabama Health Care Improvement Task Force. The task force, created by Gov. Robert Bentley through Executive Order Number 4, is asked to recommend ways to provide Alabamians “more-accessible and more-affordable health care.”“I see Physician Assistants being a big part of the overall solution by providing quality care to those living in rural areas of Alabama that have traditionally been underserved,” said McGilvray, clinical coordinator for the UAB Physician Assistant Program. “People do better with their health when their care provider is an active member of their community – knowing they will see their PA any given day at the grocery store or a restaurant or a church directly impacts their mindset and their success.”
Knighton wins the FORUM essay contest
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Emily Knighton, HCM programEmily Knighton, a senior in the UAB Health Care Management Program, recently won the FORUM essay contest and a trip to the ACHE Congress in Chicago. She is the first undergraduate to represent UAB at the American College of Healthcare Executives annual event.“My favorite student seminar was Major General (Ret.) David A. Rubenstein, FACHE, who refused to tell us what to do – which was refreshing,” said Knighton. “He wanted us to understand and explore the ‘whys’ behind everything which is advice I will carry with me my entire career.”
Knighton said the ACHE Congress also included a strong mix of inspiration like the lecture from Grant Korgan, author of “Two Feet Back,” who has overcome a spinal cord injury to continue an active lifestyle and ultimately reach the South Pole.
Lemak study says "fee for value" model works
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Story written by Bob Shepard, UAB News
Fee-for-value — a physician reimbursement model that maintains the traditional fee-for-service arrangement but includes quality and spending incentives — can reduce spending and improve quality in primary care, according to findings reported in the April issue of Health Affairs.
A new study, led by Christy Harris Lemak, Ph.D., the chair of the University of Alabama at BirminghamDepartment of Health Services Administration, suggests that it is possible to transform reimbursement within a fee-for-service framework to encourage and incentivize physicians to provide high-quality care, while also reducing costs.
“This payment strategy maintains the traditional fee-for-service arrangement but includes quality and spending incentives,” Lemak said. “Our findings contribute to the growing body of evidence about the potential effectiveness of models that align payment with cost and quality performance.”
Allison receives F1000 Faculty Member of Year award
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David B. Allison, Ph.D., associate dean for science in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health and secondary faculty member in the School of Health Professions, has been awarded the F1000 Faculty Member of the Year Award 2014 for the Diabetes and Endocrinology Faculty.
F1000 comprises more than 10,000 leading biomedical experts who help scientists discover, discuss and publish biology and medicine research worldwide. Each year, they recognize faculty who have made the most significant contribution to the F1000 recommendation service during the past year.
The winners are selected on the basis of several criteria, including how their commentaries have been received by the readership of F1000, the number of recommendations they have made during the course of the year and the editorial quality of the work they have submitted. When all of these criteria were considered, F1000 says, Allison’s contributions were considered to be the most worthy for the Diabetes and Endocrinology Faculty.
Chiasera named Fellow of American Council on Education
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*Story written by Bob Shepard, UAB News
Janelle M. Chiasera, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences in the School of Health Professions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has been selected as one of 47 emerging college and university leaders for the 2015-16 class of the American Council on Education. Established in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program — the longest running leadership-development program in the United States — focuses on identifying and preparing the next generation of senior leadership for the nation's colleges and universities.
Chiasera joined UAB in 2006 as program director for the Clinical Laboratory Science Program. She is a member of the American Association of Clinical Chemistry and the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.
The ACE Fellows Program is celebrating its 50th anniversary this academic year. During the past five decades, nearly 2,000 higher education leaders have participated in the fellows Program, with more than 300 fellows having served as chief executive officers of colleges or universities and more than 1,300 having served as provosts, vice presidents and deans.
“We’re extremely proud of Dr. Chiasera and gratified that one of our rising faculty stars has been recognized by ACE for this honor,” said UAB Provost Linda Lucas, Ph.D. “"The intensive experience of the ACE Fellows Program will help Dr. Chiasera and the other fellows strengthen their leadership skills, expand their networks and prepare to successfully confront the many challenges facing higher education today.”
