Wednesday, October 29, 2014

USA Mourns Loss of Dr. Hollis J. Wiseman

Dr. Hollis J. Wiseman, emeritus professor in the department of pediatrics at the USA College of Medicine, passed away on Oct. 28, 2014. He was 87 years old.

"Dr. Wiseman was one of the early pioneers within the College of Medicine in developing the curriculum for our medical students and providing unique opportunities for training in pediatrics," said Dr. Samuel Strada, dean of the USA College of Medicine.

A native of Mobile, Ala., Dr. Wiseman graduated from Murphy High School and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. He completed two years of medical school at Louisiana State University School of Medicine before earning his medical degree at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Mass., in 1952. Dr. Wiseman completed his residency in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, and an international rotary fellowship at Children’s Hospital at the University of Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland.

From 1967-1972, Dr. Wiseman was director of the department of pediatrics and director of medical education at Mobile General Hospital. During this time he also served as director of the Newborn Intensive Care Nursery at USA Medical Center. From 1972-1993, Dr. Wiseman was professor of pediatrics at the USA College of Medicine, where he also served as acting chair for one year. He was named emeritus professor in 1994.

“Dr. Wiseman was ahead of his time in envisioning a regional care network for the care of critically ill infants in Alabama,” said Dr. David Gremse, professor and chair of pediatrics at the USA College of Medicine.

Dr. Gremse trained under Dr. Wiseman when he was a medical student and resident physician at USA. “He was a role model for all of us – he set very high standards for himself and those that worked with him. He was very inspiring and he made you want to do your best to take care of the premature infants in the NICU.”

Dr. Gremse said Dr. Wiseman had an impact on his decision to pursue academic medicine and pediatric gastroenterology. “At the time, there were no pediatric gastroenterologists in Mobile,” he said. “Dr. Wiseman said the community would greatly benefit from a pediatric gastroenterologist, and I took his advice.”

During his career, Dr. Wiseman served as chair of the Fetus and Newborn Committee, Alabama Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics; chair of the Perinatal Advisory Committee, State and Regional; chair of the Perinatal Social Marketing Committee, State of Alabama, Department of Public Health; chair of the Alabama State Governor’s Task Force on Infant Mortality; and chair of the Subcommittee of the State Medicaid Advisory Board and “Healthy Beginnings.”

Dr. Wiseman has received numerous awards, including the American Academy of Pediatrics Award for Leadership as Chairman of the Perinatal Advisory Committee; the Alabama Perinatal Association Award for Outstanding Perinatal Services; the Alabama Hospital Association’s Distinguished Service Award; and Endowed Chair, department of pediatrics, USA College of Medicine. He was also named one of 50 outstanding faculty members by the USA Faculty Senate.

Dr. Wiseman received an honorable discharge in 1946 following his service in the U.S. Naval Reserve. In addition, he volunteered during a 2-month expedition with the Hospital Ship Hope in Brazil in 1973 and was a Project Hope Neonatal Consultant to Egypt in 1978.

The Hollis Wiseman Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital is named in his honor. The Hollis J. Wiseman Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a Level III unit with the most advanced care for premature and critically ill newborns, and the area's only neonatal transport vehicle.

Each year, the USA College of Medicine awards the Hollis J. Wiseman Award for Excellence in Pediatrics to the medical graduate of USA who during the pediatric clerkship best exemplified Dr. Wiseman’s outstanding qualities.

Dr. Wiseman was preceded in death by his wife, Janice “Teko” Wiseman. She was known for her work in the library systems in Mobile and Fairhope, for her part in the founding of Keep Mobile Beautiful and for efforts to organize bike and walking trails in Baldwin County.

Dr. Wiseman is survived by six children – Holly Lee Wiseman, Merrell Wiseman, Valery De Laney, Dr. Carol Norden, Jay Wiseman and David Wiseman.

A memorial service will be held at Dauphin Way United Methodist Church on Friday, Oct. 31, 2014, at noon. Visitation will be at 11 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall at the church.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

USA Health System Honors Employees at Jags Game

Several USA Health System employees were recognized during an on-field presentation at the USA Jaguars vs. Troy University football game Oct. 24, 2014. 
The University of South Alabama Health System recently showed appreciation to its employees at the USA Jaguars vs. Troy University football game on Oct. 24, 2014.

Prior to the game, employees enjoyed a tailgate dinner provided by Sonny's BBQ. Several Health System employees were selected to walk onto the field during the game to be recognized.

Click here or watch the video below to view more photos from the event.


USA Health System Game Day from USA Health System on Vimeo.

USA Welcomes New COM Associate Registrar

Frank Lucas was recently appointed the associate registrar for the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.

Prior to joining the staff at USA, Lucas was the assistant registrar for Spring Hill College. He also previously served as the help desk manager/specialist at Spring Hill College. Lucas will work in the medical school’s office of student affairs on USA’s main campus.

Lucas earned his bachelor of science degree in business administration at the University of Mobile and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in liberal arts with a concentration in leadership and ethics at Spring Hill College.

USA College of Medicine Researchers Featured in Lagniappe

Two University of South Alabama College of Medicine research projects were featured in the Oct. 23rd issue of Lagniappe.

Dr. Richard Honkanen, professor of biochemistry at the USA College of Medicine, was featured on the issue's cover. The article includes an overview of Dr. Honkanen's research involving the PP5 protein inhibitor. The article also mentions Dr. Thomas Rich, associate professor of pharmacology, and his work on real-time hyperspectral imaging.

Click here to read the full story.

Department of Pediatrics Hosts Residents Day

The University of South Alabama Department of Pediatrics hosted its 12th annual Residents Day on Oct. 17, 2014.  At the event, 12 senior residents in the pediatrics residency program presented their scholarly work to fellow residents, faculty and students.

Dr. Rosina Connelly, associate director of the pediatrics and residency program and associate professor of pediatrics at USA, said the program requires scholarly activity in one of three options: research, quality improvement or community advocacy projects.

Residents choose a topic and faculty adviser. With guidance from their faculty adviser, residents complete their scholarly work during their training.

“It is a great opportunity to foster scholarly work and collaboration between residents and faculty within the department,” Dr. Connelly said. “Participation in scholarly activities furthers the medical career for residents who are pursuing fellowship training by helping them become familiar with scientific methodology and research procedures.”

Many senior resident projects have been and will be presented at the American Federation for Medical Research's Southern Regional Meetings in New Orleans.

The Department of Pediatrics bestows the Charles Jay Hoff Award for excellence in scholarly activity to the resident and his/her faculty adviser with the best scholarly work project, as chosen by evaluations from faculty members in attendance during the Pediatric Residents Day. The recipient of this award is announced at the end of the academic year.

To view more photos from the event, click here.

The residents' abstracts can be viewed here.

Nov. 6 DSS to Feature Dr. Jose F. Perez-Zoghbi

The next Distinguished Scientist Seminar at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine will feature Dr. Jose F. Perez-Zoghbi, assistant professor of physiology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences in Lubbock, Texas.

The lecture, titled “Regulation of Smooth Muscle Contraction in Small Airways and the Potential Use of Flavonoids to Treat Asthma,” will take place Nov. 6, 2014, at 4 p.m. in the first floor auditorium of the Medical Sciences Building on USA’s main campus.

Dr. Perez-Zoghbi's laboratory is interested in understanding cellular mechanisms underlying lung diseases such as asthma, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and pulmonary hypertension.

The lecture series is comprised of distinguished scientists from other academic institutions who are invited by the USA College of Medicine basic science departments to present a seminar showcasing their latest research findings. Faculty, staff and students are strongly encouraged to attend.

To learn more about Dr. Perez-Zoghbi, click here.