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New cancer therapy being studied at UAB could one day offer complete radiation treatment in milliseconds
Flash radiation therapy delivers an ultra-fast, ultra-high burst that has the same deadly effect on tumors with fewer side effects for patients.
Smell training is brain training, parosmia success — and five other insights from a new UAB clinicKey takeaways on retraining the nose after COVID, a drug that can take away persistent bad smells and more from Do-Yeon Cho, M.D., director of UAB’s Comprehensive Smell and Taste Clinic.
This diabetes technology is transforming care one meal at a time, expert saysContinuous glucose monitors are “such a useful and impactful behavior modification tool” that half of his patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes now use these devices, said Fernando Ovalle, M.D., director of UAB’s Multidisciplinary Comprehensive Diabetes Clinic. Learn how data leads to better decisions and better control of diabetes.New grafts, seat belts, more recovery: Expert updates on treating and preventing ACL injuriesEach year, some 100,000 Americans have surgery to repair the knee’s anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL. But treatment and prevention best practices continue to evolve. Hear from a surgeon and a physical therapist on the latest thinking at UAB.
Inside a high-tech heart clinic, doctors look to the past for clues to the futureThe Cardiogenomics Clinic at UAB, one of only two in the Southeast, uses genetic testing to develop a personalized plan for patients at risk of hereditary cardiovascular conditions. “We’re not just treating one patient, but the whole family,” doctors say.
No filling, no drilling: An expert’s guide to the top tooth tech of 2022Modern dentists can fix early cavities with resin, use bioactive materials to defend fillings from bacteria and print new retainers on demand. Learn what these innovations mean for patients and why the UAB School of Dentistry is a go-to destination for testing the latest.
New snakebite program at UAB, one of the nation’s first, offers cutting-edge careAfter the emergency has passed, where can a snakebite survivor go for answers on healing? UAB’s follow-up clinic, launched in 2021, is part of a comprehensive program evaluating new diagnostics, coordinated care and other innovations.3D Problem-Solving means listening, tearing down silos and sending people home happyUAB Hospital’s Clinical Practice Transformation group has developed a unique method for helping teams come together to create change and boost employee satisfaction. Although it was designed for health care, it can work in any setting, they say.
Testing a promising treatment for functional seizures in childrenClinical psychologist Aaron Fobian, Ph.D., has developed a therapy for this debilitating condition that she is now testing in a major NIH-sponsored clinical trial.Opioid overdoses are surging, but 'we have the tools to help,' UAB doctor saysMedications to treat opioid use disorder include methadone, naltrexone and buprenorphine. Leah Leisch, M.D., medical director of Substance Use Services at UAB Beacon Recovery Services, explains how each is used and prescribed.
Medicine without the mileage2020 was the year for telehealth: Pandemic safety restrictions led to a 2,000% increase in telehealth patient volume for UAB eMedicine this past year and saved patients more than a quarter of a million hours of travel time.
How a UAB lab tracks risky COVID-19 variants, and why that mattersSkills and sequencing combine to gather the first data on the UK variant in Alabama in Pathology’s Fungal Reference Laboratory.
Simulations help vaccine rollout and cut the wait in UAB clinicsBefore patients arrive, experts use computer models to design the safest, most efficient workflows for staff and providers and reduce wait times.
Trial studying technique to clear ‘brain fog’ after COVID-19Constraint-Induced Therapy, developed at UAB and used worldwide to help patients regain function after stroke, will be tested as therapy for patients with cognitive difficulties following COVID-19 infection.
Five lies keeping you awake at nightBehavioral sleep medicine specialist Justin Thomas, Ph.D., answers one of Google’s most-searched questions of 2020: “Why can’t I fall asleep?”
Fauci, Neuzil explain what we’ve learned about COVID-19 and where we stand on vaccinesIn keynote addresses at UAB’s COVID-19 Research Symposium, Anthony Fauci, M.D., and Kathleen Neuzil, M.D., shared the latest science on how COVID-19 spreads and the safety and efficacy of vaccines in late-stage trials.
Diagnosed or been exposed to COVID-19? New studies are testing desperately needed therapies.Clinical trials of monoclonal antibodies and convalescent plasma offer new options to outpatients in the first days after a COVID-19 diagnosis.
New studies test convalescent plasma for COVID-19 treatment — and preventionUAB is enrolling patients as part of randomized controlled trials that experts say are necessary to prove the efficacy of the much-discussed COVID-19 treatment.
Should you get COVID antibody testing? And what do the results mean? UAB experts respond.Many people are looking to antibody tests for peace of mind. But the results aren’t actionable at this point, an infectious diseases expert says. Learn more about UAB’s current and future antibody testing efforts.
Convalescent plasma therapy is treating coronavirus patients in UAB researchUAB is part of several trials to test whether an infusion of antibodies from people who have beaten COVID-19 can help those dealing with infection or at risk for infection. Donors are needed.
Coronavirus antibody testing now is available at UAB. Here’s what that means — and what it doesn’t.Antibody testing can reveal if a person has been exposed to the novel coronavirus in the past. More research needs to be done before we know if that means they are “protected” from COVID-19.
‘People want to tell their stories’: UAB chaplains keep connecting through COVID–19As UAB Hospital copes with coronavirus, Pastoral Care chaplains walk the halls to support “a lot of really tired, amazing employees.”
See how health tech is cutting miles and changing lives across AlabamaWireless glucose monitors, HD cameras and talking scales: UAB eMedicine has saved Alabamians nearly 200,000 miles of driving and sliced stroke treatment times for rural patients from hours to minutes.
CRRT dialysis in the ICU — what patients and families want to knowNephrologist Ashita Tolwani, M.D., is internationally renowned for her expertise in continuous renal replacement therapy. UAB’s CRRT Queen explains this powerful, complex therapy and how UAB became a global leader in the field.
As molecular testing changes patient care, UAB lab aims to set the standardThe Precision Diagnostics Laboratory effort, led by Craig Mackinnon, M.D., Ph.D., will support surgeons, oncologists and other clinicians with the latest tests and custom assays, starting with gene panels for cancer and drug metabolism that return answers in hours, not weeks.
Open source: How data scientist Liz Worthey is bringing precision medicine to the peopleA decade ago, Liz Worthey’s computational skills saved a life and earned her a profile in a Pulitzer-winning article. Now at UAB, this new recruit is creating tools and building collaborations to transform these extraordinary efforts into a routine part of patient care.
Now see this: Myopia control can slash the toll of nearsightednessSpecial contact lenses or eye drops can reduce a patient’s final prescription by half in the School of Optometry’s Myopia Control Clinic. That means thinner lenses and also a much lower risk of serious eye problems, including glaucoma and cataracts.
New clinic to help medically at-risk women prevent pregnancyPhysicians in the Complex Contraception Clinic can develop a temporary or permanent contraception plan for women battling other health conditions.
UAB Hospital again highly ranked by U.S. News & World ReportFour medical specialties are ranked in the top 20 in the nation, and six more are ranked in the top 50.
Art therapy helps liberate emotions when words failOnly 12 art therapists in Alabama are credentialed, and UAB is home to two of those — EACC Counselor Carrie Ezell and Christianne Strang, a neurobiologist.UAB joins national research partnership to innovate health careUAB is one of 18 sites in a national network to advance interprofessional practice and education through simulation.Researcher to explore unexpected fertility among women with CFA new drug hailed as a game-changer in the cystic fibrosis community is improving life expectancies for patients — and unplanned pregnancies among women who believed CF made them infertile. Nursing Assistant Professor Sigrid Ladores, Ph.D., is undertaking a study to provide a roadmap for more comprehensive care for their reproductive health. For Ladores, this is personal.UAB leads Alabama universities in U.S. News global rankingsUAB was first in Alabama, among the top 75 universities in the nation and No. 200 in the world, according to the 2016 Best Global Universities ranked by US News and World Report. Microbiology, immunology and clinical medicine programs ranked in the top 50.UAB expands downtown urgent care facilitySix new exam rooms were added and additional staff have been hired to expedite care and reduce wait times at UAB Medicine Urgent Care, located at 125 20th St. South, Suite 103. Hours are 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.Newsweek includes 21 UAB physicians among its 'Top Cancer Docs'Twenty-one UAB physicians are included in Newsweek’s list of more than 2,600 leading cancer specialists in America. “We know that our physicians are some of the best in the world, but now the world knows it too,” said Edward Partridge, director of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.New clinic offers hope for patients with rare spinal cord diseaseUAB has established the third multidisciplinary comprehensive clinic in the world for transverse myelitis, which can cause loss of motor function or paralysis. It will provide a place each patient can see all the medical professionals who have a role in their care at one time and in one place.Investigators intent on improving quality of life among women with cancerUAB physicians are assessing ways to improve coordination between women's health providers to deliver more comprehensive care for those undergoing surgery for endometrial cancer. New surgical protocols that combine reconstruction could offer a longtime improvement in quality of life, researchers say.UAB Baseball helps Mississippi family cope with loss of father, husband
At a time when a young boy needed a friend and a role model, UAB students stepped up to help provide that for him.Kaul gift to help launch personalized medicineUAB’s new Personalized Medicine Institute will use a $7 million gift from the Hugh Kaul Foundation to advance this emerging discipline, which uses an individual’s own genetic profile to prevent, diagnose and treat disease.Nursing receives grant to open heart-failure clinicThe University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing has received a $1.5 million Nurse Education Practice Quality Retention grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to open a new nurse-managed, population-based, transitional care clinic for heart-failure patients recently discharged from UAB Hospital.