Emily Johnston, M.D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, has been accepted to membership in the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB as an Associate Scientist in the Cancer Control and Population Sciences Program.
Congratulations Dr. Johnston!
The Alabama Child Health Improvement Alliance(ACHIA) hosted the 2018 National Improvement Partnership Network (NIPN) annual meeting November 12-13 at the Elyton Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama. Participants from 14 states were welcomed by Mr. Warren and Dr. Cohen. Cathy Caldwell, Director of Allkids, was the keynote speaker.
ACHIA partners participated in a panel “Closing Care Gaps: Synergy in State Improvement Partnerships” participants included: Lori Moler, Vice-President of Customer Service, Children’s of Alabama, Susan Coburn, Family Voices, Wes Stubblefield, M.D., Alabama American Academy of Pediatrics, Robert Moon, M.D., Alabama Medicaid, Katrina Trammell, M.D., Gulf Coast Regional Care Organization, David Gremse, M.D., University of South Alabama, and Melinda Davis, Children’s Rehabilitation Services.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Trainees and Early Career Neonatologists (TECaN) launched a national advocacy campaign titled "Navigating NAS" at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Florida, in early November. Anisha Bhatia Attawala, M.D., Second Year Fellow, Neonatology, is the District X representative to AAP TECaN and helped develop a section of the program and created the informational video.
The campaign will run for one year and aims to inspire neonatologists to learn more about neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and engage in national collaborations. Check out the campaign website for resources such as educational webinars, policy and legislation history, resources for families and staff, discharge preparation documents and guides for prenatal NAS consults.
The Department of Pediatrics is pleased to honor these faculty members. They have attained a level of excellence recognized by their peers due to their exceptional contributions for the development of the department and in turn, the achievers of tomorrow - our children.
Please join us in congratulating the winners in each category.
Educational Achievement Award: Chrystal Rutledge, M.D., Pediatric Critical Care
Service Achievement Award: Terry Wall, M.D., Academic General Pediatrics
Mentoring Achievement Award: Annalise Sorrentino, M.D., Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Research Achievement Award: Wally Carlo, M.D., Neonatology
Community Pediatric Educator Award: Hugh Cheek, M.D., Pediatrics West
Lifetime Achievement Award: Raymond Lyrene, M.D., Pediatric Pulmonology, Retired, and Edward Colvin, M.D., Pediatric Cardiology
Team Excellence Award: The Infectious Diseases Congenital CMV Research Team - Drs. Karen Fowler, Shannon A. Ross, Suresh B. Boppana, and William J. Britt (not pictured)
Jeffrey Lebensburger, D.O., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, has been selected to serve as the Incoming Clinical Research Training Institute (CRTI) Co-Director for the American Society of Hematology. Dr. Lebensburger will serve as Incoming Co-Director for a one-year term beginnging July 1, 2019. After serving as the Incoming Co-Director, he will serve as Junior Co-Director for a one-year term beginning July 1, 2020 and then serve as the Senior Co-Director for a one-year term beginning July 1, 2021.
Congratulations to Dr. Lebensburger on this new role!
Kate Prendergast, First-year Ph.D. Student in the Medical Psychology Program at UAB, was awarded the Marion and Donald Routh Student Research Grant from the Society of Pediatric Psychology. This competitive $5,000 research grant will help fund Kate's research project titled "Inflammatory Biomarkers, Executive Function, and Adiposity in Children With and Without Obesity." Kate is under the mentorship of Marissa Gowey, Ph.D., Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.
Congratulations Kate!
Laura Rochford, M.D., 2nd Year Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow, received a 2018 Trainee Tobacco Champion Honorable Mention for her project researching utilization of a new aversive tool to decrease smoking in parents of children. The long-range goal of her project is to decrease asthma visits in the children of these parents. The 2018 Trainee Tobacco Champion Awards and Honorable Mentions are given out by the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Tobacco Control.
Congratulations Dr. Rochford!
Jacinta Cooper, M.D., Ph.D., Third Year Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow, won first place in the Clinical Case Competition of the Section on Pediatric Trainees (SOPT) of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) at the AAP National Conference last weekend in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Cooper's wining case was titled "Paroxysmal Complete Heart Block In A Child With A Structurally Normal Heart." The SOPT has held the Clinical Case Competition since 2003. More than 300 abstracts were submitted and the top 30 authors were invited to present. First place is awarded to the best medical student, resident and fellow case.
Congratulations to Dr. Cooper for this honor!
We are pleased to announce that the UAB Cleft and Craniofacial Center at Children’s of Alabama has received the national distinction of being approved by the Commission on Approval of Teams by the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association.
Our center was approved as both a recognized Cleft Center and as a recognized Craniofacial center and remains the only such center in the state of Alabama.
A 5 year accreditation beginning January 2019, this confirms that our center exemplifies the standards set forth by the national governing body.
Pictured: Cassi Smola, M.D., member of the Cleft and Craniofacial Center
Congratulations to Shannon Ross, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Disease, on being elected to the American Pediatric Society! Membership in the American Pediatric Society is reserved for individuals who are child health leaders, teachers, scholars, policymakers and/or clinicians who make important contributions to pediatrics. Dr. Ross's membership will begin on January 1, 2019.