Retirement Reception Honors Rynn Toifel

The University of South Alabama recently hosted a retirement reception honoring Rynn Toifel, secretary in the USA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The reception was held on May 28, 2014, at USA Children's & Women's Hospital.

Toifel is retiring after more than 30 years of service to the University and the USA Physicians Group.

Toifel came to USA in 1976, working in the radiation safety office at the USA College of Medicine. She then moved to the radiology department at USA Medical Center, eventually becoming secretary to the department chair. From there, she served as a secretary in the orthopaedics department. In 1992, Toifel began working in the obstetrics and gynecology department, where she served until her retirement.

"Rynn is an individual that sincerely cares about all of her coworkers and would do anything that was asked of her," said Danny Rickert, practice director for the USA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "She always put that extra effort into being not just a coworker, but also a friend to everyone in the department. She will be missed, but we wish her well in her retirement." 

USA Health System Recognized for Successful eMarketing

The University of South Alabama Health System received an eHealth Excellence Award during the MEDSEEK Client Congress in Nevada earlier this month. The award was accepted by Bernell Dorrough, web marketing coordinator for the health system, and Daniela Werner, web marketing specialist. Dorrough and Werner gave a presentation at the conference about USA’s success using digital marketing to promote its bariatric surgery program.

The award recognized USA’s use of search engine optimization and online marketing to increase its website traffic and brand awareness. It was one of several eHealth awards given to various health systems across the nation for reaching significant milestones in their digital marketing strategies.

“University of South Alabama Health System has successfully executed SEO and eMarketing campaigns to increase site traffic and service awareness, specifically for weight loss,” said Shaun Priest, MEDSEEK’s senior vice president for strategic accounts and business development. “USA Health System is successfully increasing consumer awareness about bariatric surgery’s effectiveness as a weight loss tool to improve health and longevity of life.”

During their presentation at the conference, Dorrough and Werner explained how USA used online marketing to double its number of bariatric surgery procedures in two years by reaching out to more potential patients using ads on Google and Facebook. The talk included an overview of the procedures offered at USA, background on why USA switched from print to digital marketing, a description of the campaign, and “pro tips” for health care marketing teams looking to launch similar campaigns.

USA Health System uses MEDSEEK’s Convert Community software to manage content on its website, www.usahealthsystem.com. The software allows team members from each of USA’s hospitals, clinics and academic departments to maintain informative and patient-friendly webpages about their part of the health system.

Crawfish Boil Benefits Burn Center

Donan, FRSTeam and Servpro of Southwest Mobile held Crawfish Because We Care on May 22 at Moe’s Original Bar B Que in Mobile. The proceeds from Crawfish Because We Care benefit the Arnold Luterman Regional Burn Center at USA Medical Center.

The even featured fresh food, live entertainment and door prizes.

Click here to view more photos from the event. To learn more about USA Medical Center, visit facebook.com/usamedicalcenter.

Med School Café - Expert Advice for the Community

Last week, Dr. Anne-Marie Kaulfers, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and a pediatric endocrinologist with USA Physicians Group, presented the May Med School Cafe lecture.

The lecture, titled “Your Brain is What You Feed It: Effects of Nutrition on the Brain,” had a total of 64 attendees.

During the talk, Dr. Kaulfers discussed nutrition and how what you eat can affect how you think. She also included information on the hormones that are involved in food addiction, as well as foods that are good for your brain.

Watch the video below to view the lecture in its entirety.

May Med School Cafe - The Brain is What You Feed It: Effects of Nutrition on the Brain from USA Health System on Vimeo.