USA Physicians Group Cardiology Participates in Employee Benefits Fair

USA Cardiology Nurses Beverly Blount and Kelley Day answered questions and provided heart-healthy advice to USA employees during this week's Employee Benefits Fair hosted by Human Resources.  Approximately 1,000 employees attended the 2-day event.

USA Biomedical Library Honored with 2009 Distinguished Library Award

The University of South Alabama Biomedical Library was recently awarded the Distinguished Library Award for 2009 by the Consortium of Southern Biomedical Libraries (CONBLS).

The award was given in recognition of the success of the 2008 and 2009 Summer STARS and STRIPES Programs. USA biomedical librarians Beverly Rossini, Andrea Wright and Judy Burnham all worked on this project.

The STARS (Student Training for Academic Reinforcement in the Sciences) and STRIPES (Special Training to Raise Interest and Prepare for Entry into the Sciences) programs are part of the Center of Excellence/Center for Healthy Communities. The purpose of the programs is to enhance students’ preparation in math, science, communication skills and test preparation so that they will be better prepared for college and careers in the health sciences.

Librarians from USA’s Biomedical Library helped the students to develop their research and study skills. The students were from schools serving disadvantaged populations, and they had an interest in a career in health care.

The Distinguished Library Award recognizes innovation, sustainability and programs that contribute to the library's mission of service to the academic institution and the community.

The award plaque was accepted by Judy Burnham, director of USA’s Biomedical Library, at the annual meeting of the Southern Chapter of the Medical Library Association.

Faculty Appreciation Tent at this Saturday's Homecoming Game

Judy Burnham - on behalf of the USA Faculty Senate - extends and invitiation to all faculty to the Faculty Appreciation/Recognition tent at Saturday's Homecoming Game.  The tent is open from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

Spouses/children are invited. A great meal will be provided, along with beer and coca cola products. Many gifts and prizes will be given for adults and children.

Guests will include Miss America, who will be available for photos with your children (or with you). As well as the USA Cheerleaders.

Former COM Associate Dean Confirmed As Surgeon General

Last week the United States Senate unanimously confirmed former University of South Alabama College of Medicine associate dean, Dr. Regina Benjamin, as the nation's Surgeon General.

"Dr. Benjamin will quickly become America's doctor as our next Surgeon General.  Her deep knowledge and strong medical skills, her commitment to her patients, and her ability to inspire the people she interacts with every day will serve her well as Surgeon General," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. "She will be an integral part of our H1N1 response effort, and America can expect to see her very soon communicating important information about how to stay healthy and safe this flu season. I commend the Senate for their unanimous vote, and I look forward to working with Dr. Benjamin in the days ahead."

In 1997, Dr. Benjamin joined the medical school faculty as an associate professor of family medicine. In 1998, she was named assistant dean for rural health, and from 1999 to 2004 served as associate dean for rural health.

For more information on the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, follow this link:
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/index.html .

COM Fall Faculty Assembly

The COM Fall Faculty Assembly is scheduled for Nov. 18, 2009, at 4 p.m. in the Medical Sciences Building Freshman Auditorium (Second Floor).  All College of Medicine faculty are invited to attend.

Abstract Deadline Extended - 3rd Annual USA COM Research Forum

Deadline Extended - November 6th.

Please go to http://www.southalabama.edu/com/forum.html for detailed instructions regarding preparation and submission of abstracts. The deadline for abstract submission has been extended to Nov. 6, 2009. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Jody Brewer (jbrewer@jaguar1.usouthal.edu) or Dr. Donna Cioffi (dlcioffi@usouthal.edu).

Please remember that graduate students, post-docs and clinical fellows are strongly encouraged to submit abstracts for posters and/or short talks about their research. Undergraduate research fellows and new faculty members are also invited to present their work.

USA COM Grad & Surgery Resident Remembered

Dr. Ralph Edward Newsome Jr., a 1990 graduate of the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and a graduate of the USA surgery residency program was killed at his New Orleans home on Oct. 31.

After completing his surgery residency at USA in 1995, the Huntsville, Ala., native moved to Mississippi and started a private practice in general surgery and emergency medicine. He then completed a plastic surgery residency program at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia before joining Tulane’s medical school faculty in 1998.

Dr. Newsome worked his way to assistant dean for graduate medical education at Tulane and served as the chief of the division of plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Newsome was described as a surgeon who always had a strong passion for healing patients, specifically patients wounded in car accidents and physical assaults, as well as those stricken with skin cancer.

Memorial donations can be made in Dr. Newsome’s honor to the USA department of surgery’s John W. Donald Award Fund – an award honoring the senior medical student who excels in the surgical clerkship and expresses and interest in academic medicine. Donations can be mailed to the Medical Development & Alumni Relations, University of South Alabama, Technology & Research Park III, Suite 2150, Mobile, AL 36688.

Redox Regulation of IFG-I and Integrin Signaling in Chondrocytes - This Week's DSS

The next Distinguished Scientist Seminar will be presented by Dr. Richard F. Loeser Jr. on Nov. 5, 2009, at 4 p.m. in the Medical Sciences Building auditorium. His seminar is titled “Redox Regulation of IFG-I and Integrin Signaling in Chondrocytes.”

Currently, Dr. Loeser serves as The Dororthy Rhyne Kimbrell and Willard Duke Kimbrell Professor of Arthritis and Rheumatology at Wake Forest University, as well as professor for internal medicine and  molecular medicine and rheumatology.

His laboratory studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate cartilage destruction in  osteoarthritis and the role of aging. His clinical studies involve the genetics of osteoarthritis, including exercise and weight loss interventions for osteoarthritis.

Dr. Loeser received his medical degree from West Virginia University School of Medicine, and he completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in rheumatology at Bowman Gray School of Medicine. He was also a Hartford Faculty Development Scholar in geriatrics and a visiting scholar at Bristol
University.

For more information on Dr. Loeser’s research, visit http://www1.wfubmc.edu/MolMed_Section/Faculty/RichardLoeser.htm .

For additional information, contact Natalie Kent at 461-1548.

Sickle Cell Today - Now Online

Standing Room Only attendance at this year's annual conference - click link below to read more.

The latest newsletter "Sickle Cell Today" is available on a new link at the USA Comprehensive Sickle Cell website.

In this issue:
- Practical advice on the flu vaccine
- Overview of this year's educational conference
- From the Director - More primary care involvement needed
- Acute splenic sequestration crisis

Follow this link to read the newsletter - http://www.southalabama.edu/usahealthsystem/sicklecell/pdf/september2009.pdf .