A new 25-bed skilled nursing facility for patients with COVID-19 will open in Hoover early this month. The special unit is designed to isolate nursing home residents who test positive and are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, while providing the appropriate level of skilled nursing care that these patients require. Kellie Flood, MD (Associate Professor, Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care) has worked with UAB Medicine leaders, the Jefferson County Commission, and NHS Management to bring this vital community health effort to fruition. Kudos to all involved on advancing an innovative new model to care for this vulnerable population! Read more here.
More Good News for July 1, 2020
Dr. Seth Landefeld offers his reflection on our nation's birthday in a time of COVID: "We know that we have much work to do to root out inequality in our country. Our homes, our communities, and our institutions must deliver on the promise of 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' for us all." Watch video here.
Eric Wallace, MD (Associate Professor, Nephrology) has been named to a new Broadband Working Group to guide the allocation of CARES Act funds for projects related to technology and infrastructure. His appointment offers our state telemedicine expertise to guide its investment in digital connectivity to provide more equitable health care.
Christian Faul, PhD (Associate Professor, Nephrology) will conduct a translational study to determine whether blocking the effects of altered phosphate metabolism on the liver can help protect patients with chronic kidney disease from anemia and skeletal muscle wasting. Congrats on landing your third RO1, Dr. Faul!
Preventive Medicine faculty Professor Monica Baskin, PhD, and Assistant Professor Tiffany Carson, PhD, MPH, collaborated with colleagues to develop an evidence-based policy statement for the Society of Behavioral Medicine urging Congress to reform policing and to increase funding for anti-racist research.
Tom Buford, PhD (Associate Professor, Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care) and colleagues in the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium recently published a paper in the journal Cell detailing their project's aim to increase our understanding of the molecular effects of exercise. Great work, Dr. Buford!
Effective August 1, Ken Saag, MD, MSc (Professor & Director, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology) will direct the Comprehensive Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, Bone, and Autoimmunity Center at UAB; and Mike Mugavero, MD, MHSc (Professor, Infectious Diseases) will direct the Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research & Education. Read more here.
The Myelodysplastic Syndromes Foundation recently named the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center as a "Center of Excellence." Kimo Bachiashvili, MD (Assistant Professor, Hematology and Oncology) notes that patients with MDS will now have improved care through access to this international consortium.