From Oct. 3-7, the UAB Heersink School of Medicine will be celebrating Primary Care Week.
Primary care is critically important to overall health, especially in the early detection and prevention of both acute and chronic disease. One study, for example, found that adults with primary care providers are more likely to complete preventative services including regular cancer screenings, diagnostic testing, diabetes checkups and counseling.
Primary care specialties also allow physicians to build longitudinal relationships with patients and their families, getting to know them over time and helping them address both short- and long-term health challenges. Many primary care providers cite these relationships as the most rewarding part of their practice as they see growth and positive change through the years.
In a series of news stories this week, you will learn about how UAB is addressing Alabama’s shortage of primary care physicians, meet some of our future primary care physicians, see how UAB Pediatrics is integrating mental health into primary care, and meet a primary care physician who saw a unique need and worked to address it.
These stories offer a glimpse into the work that UAB primary care providers do every day, and the work that many of our medical students are preparing to do in the communities they will serve. Enjoy, and remember to thank a primary care provider this week!
- Building Alabama's primary care pipline: Irfan Asif, M.D., chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine and associate dean for primary care and rural health, discusses how UAB is addressing primary care provider shortages in Alabama and preparing the next generation of primary care physicians.
- Heaner, Carrithers, and Mehra Kick Off Weeklong Celebration of Primary Care: Primary Care Scholars Drs. Natasha Mehra, David Heaner and Bria Carrithers share their training experiences and vision for their future careers.
- Providing mental health and additional services in primary care treats the whole patient: Margaret Canter, Ph.D., and Alexis Laster, LMSW, reflect on the importance of including mental health care in primary care and their work at the Pediatric Primary Care Clinic.