Practice Director of Surgery Retires from USA

Drew Krogsgard (right), who served as practice director of surgery at the University of South Alabama, recently retired after more than 16 years of service. A retirement reception was held for Krogsgard on Feb. 26, 2013.

Drew Krogsgard, practice director of orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery, and general surgery at the University of South Alabama, has retired after more than 16 years of service to the USA Health Services Foundation.

Krogsgard said he feels very blessed to have spent the last 16 years at USA and that it has been great to be a part of the University’s trifold mission of education, clinical service and research.

Becky S. Tate, chief executive officer of the USA Health Services Foundation, said Krogsgard has been a tremendous asset to the organization.

“Drew has provided strong leadership and guidance for the Health Services Foundation throughout his career at USA, and he will be missed by his colleagues and those who have worked with him,” said Tate. “We are grateful for his many years of faithful service to the practice and congratulate him on his retirement.”

Prior to Krogsgard’s promotion to practice director in 1997, he served as manager of clinical operations for the department of medicine at USA.

He said he is proud of the accomplishments he made during his tenure.

“I was able to provide the required administrative support to a number of chairs over my tenure, and together, we worked hard to provide clinical staff and facilities provided support to our physicians and their patients,” he said. “I was also integrally involved in the recruitment of many fine physician faculty that work here.”
Aside from that, Krogsgard said the accomplishment he is most proud of is the management team he has worked with in his three departments.

“I am leaving behind many fantastic people that I had the opportunity to work with, and it is the people that have made my time at the University so rewarding and enjoyable,” he said. “Becky Tate and Harvey Ikner have been fabulous leaders that have instilled a spirit of teamwork and cooperation in management. My peers and superiors have been terrific, and I will miss them deeply.”

Krogsgard said he and his wife are looking forward to what God has in store for this new chapter in their lives, and they hope to spend more time with their children in Birmingham, Ala. They also plan on taking a trip to Alaska in May.

Click here to view more photos from Krogsgard's retirement reception.

LCME Votes to Continue Full Accreditation of COM Medical Education Program

The Liaison Commission on Medical Education (LCME) at its February 2013 meeting voted to continue full accreditation of the University of South Alabama College of Medicine’s medical education program leading to the MD degree. LCME’s next full survey at USA will take place during the 2018-2019 academic year.

Significant effort was expended during the past year in the planning and implementation of a new organ-system, competency-based curriculum during the pre-clerkship years. This effort was led by Dr. Susan LeDoux, associate dean for medical education and student affairs, and a team of committed faculty from both the basic sciences and clinical disciplines.

“Many individuals contributed to our responses to the survey visit by the LCME accreditation team, but special recognition is given to members of the School of Medicine Action Response Team (SMART), the Curriculum Committee and to Dr. Mary Townsley, associate dean for faculty and postdoctoral affairs, who assumed the responsibility of assembling the data base required by the LCME,” said Dr. Samuel J. Strada, dean of the USA College of Medicine.

According to Dr. Strada, the medical school will continue full implementation of an extensively revised curriculum for each year of medical school during the coming academic years, addressing issues of diversity and cultural competency within all facets of the college, and seek novel ways to strengthen scholarly activity in all disciplines.

“Our strong work ethic and the number of productive collaborations during the forty-year history of our college is a strong indicator that we will continue to provide an excellent training environment for future leaders of the medical profession,” he added.

March 7th Distinguished Scientist Seminar to Feature Dr. Dean Burkin

The next Distinguished Scientist Seminar at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine will feature Dr. Dean J. Burkin, associate professor of pharmacology at the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Reno, Nev.

The lecture, titled "The Matrix Reloaded: Exploring Integrin and Laminin-Based Therapies for the Muscular Dystrophies," will take place March 7, 2013, at 4 p.m. in the Medical Sciences Building auditorium on USA's main campus.

Burkin, a New Zealand native, received undergraduate degrees in biology and developmental biology from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He completed his doctorate in biochemistry and genetics at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and postdoctoral training at Cambridge University, England. He then joined the University of Illinois to complete postdoctoral research before coming to the University of Nevada School of Medicine in 2003.

Dr. Burkin's research aims to define the signaling pathway(s) initiated by integrins during neuromuscular development.

To learn more about Dr. Burkin's research, click here.

USA Surgery to Host Greater Gulf Coast Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Symposium

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The University of South Alabama Department of Surgery will host the 4th annual Greater Gulf Coast Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Symposium on March 14-15, 2013, at Space 301, Centre for the Living Arts in Mobile, Ala.

The symposium will provide physicians, surgeons, nurses and technicians with current evidence-based concepts and techniques of resuscitation, diagnostic evaluation and therapeutic intervention.

Objectives of the symposium are to discuss standards of care and new techniques for diagnosing and managing hemorrhagic shock and orthopaedic, hepatic, and obstetrical trauma; enhance clinical skills in diagnosing and managing thermal injuries, pneumoperitoneum, ARDS, delirium and ischemic limbs; discuss ventilatory and hemodynamic management of the critically ill and/or injured patient; disucss management of pediatric surgical emergencies; and provide information regarding mass casualty preparedness and trauma system triage.

The 6th annual William A. L. Mitchell Endowed Lectureship in Traumatology and Surgical Critical Care will be held in conjunction with the seminar. This year’s lecture will feature Dr. Demetrios Demetriades, professor and vice chair of surgery and director of acute care surgery at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. The lecture, titled “Blunt Thoracic Aortic Injuries: Changing Perspectives,” will take place on March 14, 2013, at 6:30 p.m. at Space 301, Centre for the Living Arts in Mobile, Ala. A reception will take place prior to the lecture at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Demetriades will also lecture during the two-day symposium. Educational credits are available. For more information, visit www.usa-cme.com or contact Shera Butt at (251) 471-7501.

To view the event brochure, including the list of guest faculty and USA faculty lecturers, click here.

Renowned Surgeon to Speak at William A. L. Mitchell Endowed Lectureship

This year’s William A. L. Mitchell Endowed Lectureship in Traumatology and Surgical Care will feature Dr. Demetrios Demetriades, professor and vice chair of surgery and director of acute care surgery at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

The lecture, “Blunt Thoracic Aortic Injuries: Changing Perspectives,” will take place March 14, 2013, at 6:30 p.m. at Space 301, Centre for the Living Arts in Mobile, Ala. A welcome reception will be held at 5:30 p.m.

The lecture, which is held in conjunction with the 4th annual Greater Gulf Coast Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Symposium, is free and open to the public.

Since 1992, Dr. Demetriades has been director of the USC Division of Trauma and Surgical Intensive Care Unit, one of the largest trauma programs in the United States. With more than 330 peer review publications, six books and 60 chapters, he is one of the most published trauma surgeons in the country. Dr. Demetriades has also participated in more than 300 invited lectures in 28 countries and is part of editorial boards in eight journals.

Dr. Demetriades earned his medical degree from the University of Athens Medical School in Greece and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Witswatersand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The lecture is presented annually in memory of William A. L. Mitchell, who succumbed in 2005 from severe traumatic injuries sustained in a car crash. In appreciation for the care he received at the USA Trauma Center, his family established the endowed lecture series to memorialize their son and brother and to improve trauma patient care in our region through education. He was a senior at UMS-Wright Preparatory School at the time of his demise.

The USA Trauma Center is this region’s only Level I Trauma Center, serving as a community resource for citizens throughout the central Gulf Coast region. The center provides the highest level of care for critically ill and/or injured patients.

For more information about the lecture, contact Shera Butt at (251) 471-7501.