Dr. Ronald Franks Shares Viewpoint in AAMC Publication

Dr. Ronald Franks, vice president for health sciences at the University of South Alabama, is featured in February's AAMC Reporter.  In the article, Dr. Franks gives his view on the MCAT Exam's Fifth Comprehensive Review



Follow this link to read - http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/reporter/feb10/viewpoint.htm .

USA Medicine Magazine - Mailing Next Week

Check your mailbox next week for the latest issue of USA Medicine magazine.  In the cover story - "The Big Heads" - we catch up with members of the Class of 1976 and capture their first-hand experiences as members of the Charter Class at our newly established medical school.

Match Day - March 18th - Mark Your Calendars

Senior medical students at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine will participate in Match Day on Thursday, March 18, 2010. The event will take place at the USA Brookley Campus.

For more information, contact Kimberlee Nodine at (251) 460-7174 or krnodine@usouthal.edu

Center For Healthy Community Holds Fourth Annual "Go Red With A Purpose" Brunch

The University of South Alabama’s Center for Healthy Communities held its fourth annual Go Red with a Purpose brunch on Saturday, Feb. 20, at Spot of Tea, in Downtown Mobile. The event was held in support of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. Ninety three women were in attendance, including sorority women, social clubs and church groups, to discuss the factors that lead to heart disease and how to prevent it. The brunch was a fun way to inform women of the risks of heart disease and stroke, the number one killer of women in the United States.

The brunch featured several speakers, including USA Chair of Internal Medicine Dr. Errol Crook, Sen. Vivian Figures and Dr. Clara Massey. Each spoke on the dangers of heart disease in women and how heart attacks and strokes can be prevented.

Dr. Massey, professor of internal medicine and chief of cardiology at the University of South Alabama, was the keynote speaker of the afternoon. She shared local statistics about heart disease in women here in Mobile and throughout Alabama.

The afternoon of speakers and conversation came to a close in the park across from Spot of Tea where the women took part in DanceFit, a program led by Shannon Woods, R.N. The participants enjoyed a fun and healthy way to work out and help prevent heart disease.

The information shared at the event was designed to impower the women who attended with the knowledge to prevent heart disease in our community.

Surgeon-In-Chief At The Johns Hopkins Hospital To Present Frazer/Leigh Memorial Lecture

Dr. Julie A. Freischlag, chair of the department of surgery and surgeon-in-chief at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, will present two lectures in March. Both talks are open to all medical professionals and are through the Dr. Emmett B. Frazer and Dr. Milton M. Leigh Endowments at the University of South Alabama department of surgery.

Dr. Freischlag will present the first lecture, “Leadership During Times of Change,” on March 11, 2010, at 6:30 p.m. at the Health Sciences Building at the corner of University Boulevard and USA North Drive. Her second lecture, titled “Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: How Things Have Changed Over 50 Years,” will take place March 12, 2010, at 7 a.m. at the University of South Alabama Medical Center.

Dr. Freischlag is an international expert in thoracic outlet surgery, a syndrome that causes problems in the upper extremities. She is the first woman to head any large clinical department at Hopkins Hospital. Prior to moving to Baltimore, Dr. Freischlag was the chief of vascular surgery and director of the Gonda (Goldschmied) Vascular Center at the University of California in Los Angeles. She completed her surgical residency and post residency Vascular Fellowship at UCLA.

This annual memorial lecture, funded by community surgeons and the USA Department of Surgery, is given to honor the legacy of Dr. Emmett B. Frazer and Dr. Milton M. Leigh as leaders in clinical service and graduate surgical education in the Mobile community.

For more information on both lectures, contact the department of surgery at (251) 471-7993. A flyer is also available at - http://www.southalabama.edu/com/surgery/pdf/frazerlecture.pdf .

March Med School Cafe' - “2010 Update: Prevention of Heart Disease in Women”

The March Med School Café lecture will feature Dr. Clara Massey, professor of internal medicine and chief of cardiology at the USA College of Medicine. Her lecture, titled “2010 Update: Prevention of Heart Disease in Women,” will take place Thursday, March 11, 2010, in the Fellowship Hall of Christ United Methodist Church at 6101 Grelot Road in Mobile. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m., and the presentation begins at noon.

Dr. Massey will lecture on the latest research involving cardiovascular care and the latest news from the American College of Cardiology on heart disease prevention in women.

During her talk, Dr. Massey will outline cardiovascular risk factors, as well as explain how these risk factors differ in men and women. She will also provide important information on how to assess your family history and your personal risk factor panel.

According to data from both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women. One out of every three women in the United States over the age of 21 will die of heart disease.

The Med School Café lecture and lunch are provided free of charge, but reservations are required. For more information or to make reservations, please call Kim Barnes at (251) 460-7770 or e-mail kebarnes@usouthal.edu .

Med School Café is a free community lecture series sponsored by the USA Physicians Group. Each month, faculty from the USA College of Medicine share their expertise on a specific medical condition, providing insight on the latest treatment available as well as promising new research.

Watch February's Med School Cafe' Online

Miss last month's Med School Cafe?  It's now available online.  Click here - http://www.southalabama.edu/usahealthsystem/medcafe/021810.html - to view a lecture given by Dr. William Richards, professor and chair of surgery at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.  Dr. Richards' talk discusses the surgical treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Good Eats. Great Fun. Support A Worthy Cause.

The second annual Gumbo Chili Showdown will take place tomorrow (March 6, 2010) from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the University of South Alabama’s track. This annual event benefits the Regan Robinson Young Scholarship Fund at the USA College of Medicine.

The event will feature both gumbo and chili from more than 50 competing teams representing area medical practices and local businesses.  Tickets are available online for $8 in advance or at the event for $10. To purchase tickets online, visit http://www.gumbochili.com/ . 

All proceeds support the Regan Robinson Young Scholarship.

The Gumbo Chili Showdown was created in 2008 by USA medical students and continues to be a project organized by students at the USA College of Medicine. The event supports a scholarship created in memory of Regan Robinson, a medical student at USA who was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer in 2003 at the age of 23. The scholarship provides assistance to a rising senior medical student who embodies Regan’s spirit and character. 

Earlier this year, Jamie Caudill was awarded the first scholarship.  To find out more about Jamie, follow this link - http://medschoolwatercooler.blogspot.com/2010/01/jamie-caudill-first-recipient-of-regan.html .

Gumbo Chili Showdown for med student | Fox10tv.com

Gumbo Chili Showdown for med student Fox10tv.com