Pictured: Dr. Seth Landefeld, Department of Medicine Chair, Dr. Bob Bourge, Dr. Suzanne Oparil, Inaugural Holder, and Dr. Sumanth Prabhu
Suzanne Oparil, MD (Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease) was appointed as the inaugural holder of the United Therapeutics Endowed Professorship at the Board of Trustees meeting in June. The Department was delighted to celebrate her many achievements and the generous philanthropy that made this professorship possible at a reception last week.
More Good News for October 2, 2019
The Argus Society offers medical students a way to recognize faculty who exhibit excellence in medical education. We are proud to celebrate the seven outstanding DOM clinician-educators that our students recognized this year:
- Best MS1 Organ Module: Cardiovascular. Co-Director Harish Doppalapudi, MD
- Best MS2 Organ Module: Musculoskeletal & Skin. Co-Director, Samir Dalvi, MD
- Best MS2 Organ Module: Musculoskeletal & Skin. Co-Director, Samir Dalvi, MD
- Best Cardiovascular Educator – Harish Doppalapudi, MD
- Best Patient, Doctor & Society Educator – Michael Saag, MD
- Best Pulmonary Educator – James Johnson, MD
- Best GI Educator – James Willig, MD
- Best Renal Educator – Ashita Tolwani, MD
- Best Endocrine Educator – Shawn Galin, PhD
The Department extends hearty congratulations to Drs. Lindsey Shipley, Dane Johnson, and Abirami Thiyangarjan for their winning posters at the 2019 Update in Gastroenterology & Hepatology! Their prize-winning science focused on esophageal dysphagia, endoscopy procedures, and treating recurring hepatitis in liver transplant patients. Three cheers!
- Lindsey C. Shipley, MD, won first place for “Twelve-year-old Male with Esophageal Dysphagia: A Diagnostic Dilemma!”
- Dane Johnson, MD, won second place for “Differences in Post-ERCP Adverse Event Rates Between Post-Liver Transplant Patients and Patients with Native Hepatobiliary Anatomy”
- Abirami Thiyagarajan, MD, won third place for “Early Treatment of Recurrent Hepatitis C Post Liver Transplant”
Randall Davis, MD (Professor, Hematology and Oncology) has received a V Foundation program grant to pursue research that may one day provide cancer patients with an alternative to toxic chemotherapy. New drugs, named immune ‘checkpoint’ inhibitors, kick-start immune cells to reject tumors, but over time, the tumors can adapt and outsmart the immune system. Through this research, Davis hopes to understand how this resistance develops and identifies possible solutions. Good luck with this promising investigation!
Congratulations to the Center for Palliative and Supportive Care on their recent approval to become a pilot UWIRC--University Wide Research Center. This step formalizes the impressive work of a team whose advocacy and leadership have had a tremendous impact on our understanding of the value of palliative care at every stage of serious illness. Keep up the great work!
Dana Rizk, MD (Associate Professor, Nephrology) and microbiology collaborator Jan Novak, PhD, have discovered a way to detect the immunoglobulin IgG, and they have tied it to the development of IgA nephropathy. Their findings were published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Kudos on this exemplary science.
Kristen Watts, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in palliative care, has been named UAB Extraordinary First-Year Postdoc. Her contributions have also been recognized with a four-year MERIT scholarship which she will pursue under the mentorship of Drs. Ronit Elk and Pauline Jolly. Congrats!
Marc Cribbs, MD (Assistant Professor, Cardiovascular Disease) has been asked to serve on the American College of Cardiology's task force on structural heart disease. The working group is comprised of one representative from each of the ACC's subsections. Kudos, Dr. Cribbs!
Homecoming Parade!
Noon, Friday, October 18The Blazers take on Old Dominion October 19, for Homecoming 2019. Be Seen in Green at the Parade on University Boulevard
Next week at Medical Grand Rounds: Brooks Vaughan, MD, Associate Professor in the UAB Division of Endocrinology, will present "Testosterone: Sexy, Sassy, or Sorry? A Case-based discussion of Common Dilemmas" at Medical Grand Rounds, at noon on Wednesday, October 9, in Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium.