Mobile Medical Museum Director Recognized at MASA Awards Program

Sally Green, director of the Mobile Medical Museum, was presented the 2011 William Crawford Gorgas Award at the Medical Association of the State of Alabama’s (MASA) awards program on May 27.

The William Crawford Gorgas Award is presented to a citizen who is not actively engaged full time in the field of health, who has been outstanding in health work and who does not hold a medical degree. The award is named in memory of Dr. William Crawford Gorgas, surgeon general of the U.S. Army who is recognized as Alabama’s greatest contributor to science and humanitarianism.

Green graduated from the University of South Alabama in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in continuing education. From 1998-2000, she served as president of the Historic Mobile Preservation Society. While there she met the late Dr. Samuel Eichold, who was involved in preserving medical items, books and artifacts in Mobile. After serving the maximum number of terms as president, Green was named director of the museum.

Green’s commitment to the museum has brought together a coalition of museum directors, scholars, university leaders, professionals, citizens and students to preserve and value Mobile’s medical heritage.

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Board of Trustees Visits USA Medical Center Campus

Members of the University of South Alabama Board of Trustees visited the USA Medical Center Campus this week. The tour included visits to the Mastin clinics, the USA Heart Center, the Trauma Center, Teleradiology, and the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit.

Photos from the tour are shown below.

RSVP Today - June Med School Café

The June Med School Café lecture will feature nephrologist Dr. Gregory W. Rutecki, professor of internal medicine at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.

His lecture, titled “The Gift of Life: Reasons to Give If You Are Asked,” will take place June 16, 2011, at the Via! Health, Fitness and Enrichment Center in Mobile. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m., and the presentation begins at noon.

During the talk, he will discuss the value of organ transplantation in the treatment of many health conditions, including heart, kidney, lung and liver diseases.

Dr. Rutecki joined the USA College of Medicine faculty in 2009. His medical career has included 12 years of nephrology private practice, followed by educational roles at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, and the Ohio State University.

Dr. Rutecki earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois. He completed graduate training in internal medicine and nephrology at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and completed his renal fellowship at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Via! Health, Fitness & Enrichment Center is located at 1717 Dauphin St. in Mobile. To view a map, visit http://bit.ly/hZoFgl.

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 Partridge 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.

Orthopaedic Residency Program Graduates First Class Since Expansion



From left: Drs. Lee Wilson, Adam Handwerger, and Dennis Jorgensen are members of the first graduating class that has been a part of the newly expanded orthopaedic residency program at USA.

Drs. Dennis Jorgensen and Adam Handwerger, both orthopaedic residents in their final days at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, said their experiences at USA have prepared them well for their future in medicine. They will graduate from their residency training programs this month.

They are members of the first graduating class that has been a part of the newly expanded orthopaedic residency program, a program that now includes three orthopaedic residents – expanded from two – at a time.

“I have met a lot of people and I’ve learned a lot throughout the past nine years here,” said Dr. Handwerger, who earned his medical degree at USA and chose to stay at the university for five years of residency training. “I wouldn’t change a thing, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of residents to work with.”

Dr. Jorgensen said the work Dr. Frederick Meyer, professor and chair of orthopaedics at USA, has done to expand the residency program is great for the institution as a whole.

“This expanded program provides a larger impact for USA,” Dr. Jorgensen said. “With the residency number increasing from two to three, there will be more people interested in medical education here.”

“We all recognize that USA has a strong orthopaedic program – now with a full complement of orthopaedic faculty,” he added. “The experience of the faculty is extensive, and they are seasoned vets when it comes to musculoskeletal injury and care.”

Following graduation, Dr. Jorgensen plans to enter private practice in Macon, Ga., while Dr. Handwerger will complete a one-year pediatric orthopaedic fellowship at Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital in Atlanta, Ga.