Buford's Trio of New NIH Grants Advances Aging Research at UAB
Tom Buford, PhD (Associate Professor, Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care) has recently earned three NIH awards for age-related research. He is an MPI with Dr. Steven Austad on the Nathan Shock Center P30 grant to explore the basic biology of aging; he will examine interconnections between physical function, cognitive function, and pain in aging with a K02 independent scientist award; and he'll evaluate the role of the gut microbiome in regulating physical resilience in aging with an R56 grant. Dr. Buford adds these new awards to two RO1s and a T32. Kudos on these exciting new investigations!
UAB eMedicine Surpasses 200,000 Telehealth Visits
UAB Medicine passed an impressive milestone last Friday: successful completion of 200,000 ambulatory telehealth visits since March 16, 2020. Medical Director for Telehealth Eric Wallace, MD (Associate Professor, Nephrology) reports that our speedy adoption of the UAB e-Medicine platform was vital to provide necessary healthcare for our patients during the pandemic, and it will continue to expand our access to patients for years to come. To every patient care provider from schedulers, to the MSO office, informatics, CMAs, nurses, compliance and clinicians, we salute you!
UAB Physicians Provide Safe Cardiovascular Care During COVID
In the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, cardiologists began to notice a disturbing trend in their caseload: a precipitous drop in hospital admissions due to heart attack. Dr. Mustafa Ahmed (Associate Professor, Cardiovascular Disease) attributes the decline to an obvious cause. People delayed coming to the hospital because they were afraid of contracting COVID-19. However, through rapid expansion of telemedicine and safety protocols, UAB is able to deliver needed cardiovascular care without potentially dangerous delays.
O'Neal Cancer Center Names Costa Associate Director for Clinical Research
The Department is delighted to celebrate the appointment of Luciano Costa, MD, PhD (Associate Professor, Hematology and Oncology) as the new Associate Director for Clinical Research in the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Costa currently directs the Multiple Myeloma and the Immune Effector Cellular Therapy programs at UAB, and his primary research focus is the development of new therapies for plasma cell malignancies. In this new role, Dr. Costa will work with the team of O’Neal clinical investigators to expand the number of potentially disease-altering clinical trials that we can offer our cancer patients, and to accelerate the transition of research discoveries to clinical care.
DOM Initiates Infusion Clinic for Patients with COVID-19
When patients with chronic illness like sickle cell disease or cancer also test positive for COVID-19, they still need access to their intravenous medicines. Similarly, people who are participating in COVID research, such as convalescent plasma therapy or development of new treatments, also need a dedicated space for infusion care. Now, thanks to a collaborative effort between leaders in Ambulatory Services and the Department of Medicine, a new clinic space in West Pavilion provides a 9-chair space to safely cohort both patients and research subjects as they receive infusions. We are thrilled to be proactively providing this standard of care with partners across the institution.