Explore UAB

L to R: Pankaj Arora, M.D., (Professor, Cardiovascular Disease) Vibhu Parcha, M.D., (Former CVD Fellow, PGY-1), Meghan Bartos (Clinical and Research Genetic Counselor), Taylor McClinchey (Clinical and Research Genetic Counselor), and Jonathan Murphy, LPN (Clinic Manger) 

Pankaj Arora, M.D., (Associate Professor, Cardiovascular Disease) and colleagues are working to change the trajectory of hereditary cardiovascular conditions at UAB’s Cardiogenomics Clinic. Established in 2021, the clinic provides patients with a comprehensive cardiovascular assessment that includes special genetic testing, genomic counseling, and a treatment plan for patients and their families designed to mitigate inherited cardiovascular diseases. The clinic is one of two in the Southeast and has already received multiple family referrals.

Mark Dransfield, M.D., Professor and Director in the UAB Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Caren 

In a new report from the Lancet Commission on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, the Commission reframes the conversation on COPD. Mark Dransfield, M.D., (Professor and Director, Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care) co-chaired the Commission and notes that COPD has long been perceived as a self-inflicted disease caused by smoking, but there are four other distinct causes of COPD: genetics, early-life events, infections, and environmental exposures. He also highlights the need to broaden the diagnostic criteria, because spirometry alone is insufficient to diagnose COPD. The report findings were presented at the European Respiratory Society 2022 International Congress this week.

Back Row: Drs. Brian May, Adolfo Molina, Alana Nichols, Tamera Coyne-Beasley, Carlie Stein, Lisa Willet, Mitch Cohen. Front Row: Karla Williams and Channing Brown 

Medicine-Pediatrics resident Alana Nichols, J.D., M.D., has been named a Birmingham Business Journal Top 40 Under 40 honoree for 2022. The recognition highlights her accomplishments in two challenging professions: law and medicine. Nichols’ scholarship has been a key to her success, as evidenced by the innovative program she co-developed with MSTP student Alana Jones. The program teaches analytical test taking skills that help students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine succeed on standardized tests. Thus far, the program has helped 10 students improve 50 points from baseline scores and pass their USMLE Step 1 Exam — remarkable results that she presented at the AAME/Ottawa 2022 Conference. We salute you, Dr. Nichols!

Above L to R: Internists Andy Marshall, Lisa Willett, Rebekah Weil, Ben Taylor, and Raegan Durant 

An exciting collaboration between Cooper Green Mercy Health Services and the Tinsley Harrison Internal Medicine Residency Program now provides residents the opportunity to provide primary care to underserved populations. Drs. Raegan Durant and Lisa Willett recognized the opportunity to marry the need for clinical care with ambulatory training and enlisted three internists — Drs. Andy Marshall, Rebekah Weil, and Ben Taylor — to be the attending physicians for a new clinic at Cooper Green. Residents now see patients enrolled in the primary care clinic at Cooper Green for their acute issues and intermittent needs related to chronic disease.

Above L to R: Jeremey Walker, M.D., (Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases), Aditi Jani, M.D., (Chief Medical Resident), Starr Steinhilber, M.D., (Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine), and Mauricio Khan, M.D., (Infectious Diseases Fellow) 

For five years, the Heersink School of Medicine has incorporated resident and fellow volunteers known as Housestaff Mentors to its faculty-led Learning Communities. Housestaff have enriched the program by providing medical students with near-peer mentorship and a safe space for medical students to openly discuss their perspectives, opinions, and experiences while navigating medical school. Housestaff Program Director Starr Steinhilber, M.D., (Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine) explains that the incorporation of volunteers — including 32 from the Department of Medicine — will allow each student access to seven additional mentors, creating a more vibrant learning community.