USA Welcomes Ali Shropshire, MSN, FNP-BC

Ali Shropshire, MSN, FNP-BC, recently joined the University of South Alabama department of internal medicine and will serve as a family nurse practitioner at USA Stanton Road Clinic.

Prior to her appointment at USA, Shropshire was a nurse practitioner with Compass Urgent Care in Mobile.

Shropshire earned her bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., and her master’s of science in nursing at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga.

In 2010, Shropshire began her career as a family nurse practitioner at Bulloch Pediatrics in Statesboro, Ga. From 2011-2014 she served as a family nurse practitioner at Georgia Southern University.

She also previously worked as a staff nurse in the pediatric unit at East Georgia Regional Medical Center in Statesboro, Ga., and served as a clinical adjunct professor at Georgia Southern University. 

Shropshire is currently seeing patients at the USA Stanton Road Clinic. To make an appointment, call (251) 471-7207.

Med School Cafe - Expert Advice for the Community

Dr. Angus McBryde, professor and acting chair of orthopaedics at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, presented the September Med School Cafe lecture titled "Young Athletes: Injury Prevention and Treatment" on Sept. 17, 2015.

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.

Watch the video below to view the lecture in its entirety.
Med School Cafe 9-17-15 from USA Health System on Vimeo.

USA Welcomes Dr. Raymond Langley

Dr. Raymond Langley recently was appointed assistant professor of pharmacology at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.

Prior to joining USA, Dr. Langley worked with the National Center for Genome Resources and the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute. His research focuses on sepsis, which is a leading cause of death in the United States.

Dr. Langley earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism and a bachelor of arts degree in biology from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, N.M. He completed his graduate degree in biomedical sciences at the University of New Mexico. He has received the Young Investigator Travel Award for the Society of Neurolmmune Pharmacology and the Graduate Student Travel Award for the 2004 Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology.

Dr. James W. Fleshman Jr. to Present Frazer/Leigh Memorial Lecture

James W. Fleshman Jr., M.D., chief of surgery and Helen Buchanan and Stanley Joseph Seeger Endowed Professor and Chairman in the department of surgery at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, will present two AMA/PRA/CME-accredited lectures in November.

Both lectures are open to the public and to all medical, nursing and allied health professionals and are made possible through the Emmett B. Frazer, M.D., F.A.C.S., and Milton M. Leigh, M.D., F.A.C.S., Memorial Endowments at the University of South Alabama department of surgery.

Dr. Fleshman will present the first lecture, ”Management of Diverticulitis in the 21st Century,” on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015, at 5 p.m. in the USA Medical Center second floor conference room.

His second lecture, “Emotional Intelligence for the Surgeon,” will be delivered Friday, Nov. 6, 2015, at 7 a.m. in the second floor conference room at the USA Medical Center.

Dr. Fleshman earned his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo. Following his residency in general surgery at the Jewish Hospital of St. Louis in St. Louis, Mo., Dr. Fleshman completed a colon and rectal surgery fellowship at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada.

At Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, Dr. Fleshman is on a variety of committees within the hospital including the patient safety committee, credentials committee, graduate medical education committee and the medical executive committee. Dr. Fleshman also serves on the faculty plan governance council, the medical board and the surgical services practice council.  His professional concentration is the treatment of patients with colorectal diseases.

Dr. Fleshman’s research interests focus on colorectal and laparoscopic surgery and are funded by both private and public sources. His educational achievements have been recognized with multiple awards, including an Award of Appreciation; Distinguished Alumni Scholarship Honoree; Eagle Foundation Award; and the Ethicon Research Award from the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.

Dr. Fleshman is a member of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons where he is on the rectal cancer coordinating committee. He is a representative to the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons and former president of the Piedmont Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.  He has also served as president for the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery. Dr. Fleshman is the past director of the American Board of Surgery and former vice president to the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract.

This annual Memorial Lectureship is given to honor the legacies 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 contact the USA Department of Surgery at (251) 471-7992.

Harvey Ikner Leads USA Employee Campaign for United Way

Harvey Ikner, associate administrator for ambulatory clinics at the University of South Alabama Health System, is serving as the 2015 campaign chair for the USA Employee Campaign for the United Way.

The campaign chair is appointed by the president based on leadership ability, respect of colleagues and willingness to support the campaign cause.

A kickoff breakfast for the USA Employee Campaign for the United Way was held at the USA Mitchell Center on Sept. 29. Aimee Risser, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Alabama, was the event’s guest speaker.

Ikner said USA’s employees have been exceptional contributors to the United Way for many years. The United Way brings together the people, ideas and resources necessary to best serve the thousands of individuals and families who face hard times and truly need assistance. The United Way of Southwest Alabama and its 50 partner agencies continue to provide vital services to people in need, making our community a better place to live.

“It is my privilege to lead the University’s efforts to support the United Way and its partner agencies for the outstanding services they provide our community,” Ikner said. “I thank you in advance for considering a gift to the 2015 USA Employee Campaign for the United Way. Your support will have a meaningful impact in our community.”

The United Way serves Mobile, Clarke, Washington and Choctaw counties with programs that are focused on education, health, financial stability and life’s basic essentials.

The deadline to return pledge cards is Nov. 3, 2015.

USA Medical Students Cook for Families at Ronald McDonald House

From left: Gabby Hood, GHHS member; Gretchen Vandiver, GHHS member; Olivia Butters, GHHS member; Karen Braswell, chapter advisor; Rebekah Frazier, GHHS member; Lindsey Stewart, GHHS member; and Patty Wang, GHHS member.

Members of the Class of 2016 Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society (GHHS) at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine recently cooked dinner for the guests of the Ronald McDonald house.

The members felt that giving back to the Ronald McDonald house would be a great service project for their honor society.

There were six GHHS members who participated in preparing a meal for the families at the Ronald McDonald house. Of those six students was fourth-year medical student Gretchen Vandiver.

Vandiver is the social coordinator for GHHS and believes that participating in volunteer opportunities is a great study break and enables the members to serve others in the Mobile community.

Vandiver is planning for a career in pediatrics and said that “it was wonderful to see the safe and welcoming environment that the Ronald McDonald house provides to the families of the pediatric patients.”

“Our experience at the Ronald McDonald house was absolutely wonderful,” Vandiver added. “We were able to provide dinner to several families and they were all extremely appreciative of a warm meal.”

The mission of GHHS is to recognize individuals who are exemplars of humanistic patient care and who can serve as role models, mentors and leaders in medicine. Every year, 10 senior medical students, three residents and one faculty member are selected by their classmates to be named to the USA chapter of the GHHS. The next election for the Class of 2017 will take place in January 2016.

USA Medical Alumni Association Lecture to Feature COM Alum Dr. John LeDoux

The University of South Alabama Medical Alumni Association is hosting a lecture featuring Dr. John LeDoux, cardiologist at Cardiology Associates of Mobile.

The event will be held Oct. 28, 2015, at the USA Medical Sciences Building first floor auditorium from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., as part of the Medical Alumni Speaker Series.  Dr. LeDoux’s lecture is titled “Integrated Work and Life: Pathways in Cardiology.” Dr. Ledoux will discuss the recent advances in cardiology care and how to achieve a balance between the demands of work and life.

Dr. LeDoux, a 2002 graduate of the USA College of Medicine, completed his undergraduate degree at Louisiana State University in chemical engineering. He worked as a process engineer prior to starting medical school at USA. He completed his residency at USA and a fellowship in adult cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology at the University of Texas health and Science Center.

If you plan to attend, notify the medical alumni office at (251) 460-6805 by Oct. 26, 2015.

USA Welcomes Dr. Steven Kahn

Dr. Steven Kahn recently was appointed assistant professor of surgery at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and director of the Arnold Luterman Regional Burn Center. He will serve as a burn, trauma, and critical care surgeon with USA Physicians Group.

Dr. Kahn earned his medical degree from East Tennessee State University, Quillen College of Medicine, located in Johnson City, Tenn. He completed a residency in general surgery, as well as a thermal injury research fellowship at the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y. He then completed a fellowship in surgical critical care, a fellowship in trauma/acute care surgery, and a burn fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center located in Nashville, Tenn.

Dr. Kahn’s research is focused on resuscitation, burn injury, and firefighter injury prevention. For his contributions to the field of firefighter safety, he received the 2015 Nashville Business Journal “Healthcare Heroes Award.”

Dr. Kahn is a member of the American Medical Association, the American College of Surgeons, the International Society for Burn Injuries, the American Burn Association, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and the Surgical Infection Society.