USA Welcomes New Resident Physicians

Dr Ehab Molokhia, associate professor of family medicine at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine (far right), talks with first-year family medicine residents (from left) Dr. Paul Hixon, Dr. Zachary Logan and Dr. Andrew Warner at the USA Family Medicine Center.

This month, the University of South Alabama welcomed a new class of resident physicians to the graduate medical education programs based at USA Health.

The first-year residents will focus on advancing basic skills in communication, assessment and management in various healthcare environments. The skills learned during the first year of training vary by their chosen specialty and build on the foundation given to students during their years in medical school.

Dr. Samuel McQuiston, assistant dean of graduate medical education and associate professor of radiology, said GME training is a process of learning by doing. “As residents and fellows gain experience and demonstrate growth in their ability to care for patients, they assume roles that permit them to exercise those skills with greater independence, allowing for graded and progressive responsibility,” he said.

Currently there are 256 residents and fellows training within USA Health. Of these, 75 began their first year of training this month.

With a long history of training physicians, USA Health provides training in 19 fully ACGME-accredited residency and fellowship programs. Residents and fellows in USA’s training programs are integrated into USA Health with the majority of their training centered at USA Medical Center, USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital and USA Mitchell Cancer Institute and their affiliated outpatient clinics.

“An academic health center provides services that other hospitals do not,” Dr. McQuiston said. “This characteristic is one of the many strengths of the teaching environment for the training programs at USA.”

With 256 housestaff, the USA GME training programs are mid-size programs when compared to other institutions. “This means that we are small enough to allow residents to form a community of peers but large enough to provide diversity in their clinical experiences,” Dr. McQuiston said. “The acute and critical-care aspects of training in the hospitals combine with the various outpatient clinics to provide exposure to the full spectrum of training in our GME programs.”

“In particular, the trauma, stroke and heart centers at USA Medical Center; the evaluation center, the women's imaging center, the maternal-fetal specialists, and the neonatal and pediatric ICUs at USA Children's and Women's Hospital; and the diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of the USA Mitchell Cancer Institute provide incredible experiential opportunities for residents and fellows in numerous specialties,” Dr. McQuiston added.

This year, USA recruited its new residents and fellows from 45 different schools – with the largest representation coming from USA. Other top contributing schools include the University of Oklahoma and the University of Mississippi.

Dr. McQuiston said USA Health plays a critical role in supplying competent physicians for Mobile and the adjoining region. “During the past five years,” he said, “the largest number of our graduates practice in the state of Alabama and in other communities along the Gulf Coast.”

USA Welcomes Julie Seals, CRNP

Julie Seals recently joined the University of South Alabama as a nurse practitioner in the department of family medicine.

Prior to joining USA, Seals served as a family nurse practitioner at Bay Minette Family Practice in Bay Minette, Ala., and as a registered nurse at Providence Hospital in Mobile, Ala.

She earned her bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of Mobile in Mobile, Ala., and her master of science in nursing from USA. She is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Seals is currently seeing patients at USA Family Medicine Center located at 1504 Springhill Ave. in Mobile, Ala. To make an appointment, call (251) 434-3475.

USA Mourns Loss of Dr. Randall Powell

Dr. Randall Powell, retired professor of surgery and pediatrics at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, passed away on July 25, 2016. He was 70.

“Dr. Powell was a longstanding, dedicated faculty member with a passion for medical care of the pediatric patient,” said Dr. William O. Richards, chair of the USA department of surgery.  “During much of his career at USA, he was either the only pediatric surgeon or one of two pediatric surgeons in our region, caring for some of the most vulnerable patients -- neonates and critically-ill children with surgical diseases.”

Dr. Powell, a native of Richmond, Va., earned his bachelor of science degree from Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, Va., and his medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Va. He completed residency training in general surgery at Naval Hospital in San Diego and his fellowship in pediatric surgery at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

As a pediatric surgeon, Dr. Powell belonged to a very small group of surgeons who trained beyond general surgery residency in order to care for neonates and children with all the complex congenital defects and the different physiology of the growing child.  When he trained as a pediatric surgeon there were only 24 programs in the United States that trained pediatric surgeons.

Prior to joining USA in 1984 as assistant professor of surgery and pediatrics, Dr. Powell served at Northwestern University Medical School, Naval Hospital in San Diego, and University of California San Diego School of Medicine in San Diego. In 1991, Dr. Powell was promoted to professor of surgery and pediatrics at the USA College of Medicine and served in that role until his retirement in 2009.

Dr. Powell was exceptionally bright, as evidenced by his election to Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society and his encyclopedic knowledge of surgical history and techniques. He was equally passionate about the care of pediatric patients and the training of surgical residents.  He expected and demanded excellence in all aspects of patient care.

A true academician, Dr. Powell was an advocate for surgical residents and junior level faculty.  He would write encouraging notes to each chief resident in surgery regarding their training and chosen fellowship or future practice plans. During the last weeks of his life, Dr. Powell began sharing his prized book collection, with many of these books being first editions on pediatric surgery that were signed by the authors.  His legacy is one of the highest academic rigor, intellectual honesty, and never-ending self-reflection on how to be a better physician and surgeon. 

Dr. Powell touched the lives of countless medical students, residents and patients through his work as a faculty member and pediatric surgeon at the USA College of Medicine. Throughout his career, he invested considerable time and effort in the education, mentoring and training of both medical students and residents.

While at USA, Dr. Powell was also director of the division of pediatric surgery and professor of physician assistant studies. He served on numerous committees at USA, including the Resident Evaluation Committee, the Surgical Case Review Committee at USA Medical Center, the USA Faculty Senate, the College of Medicine Admissions Committee, and chairman of the Medical Student Research Committee.

Dr. Powell was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He was involved in several professional organizations including the American Pediatric Surgical Association, the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons, the Association for Academic Surgery, the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the Eastern Association for Surgery of Trauma, the Southeastern Surgical Congress, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the Southern Medical Association, and the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States.

Dr. Powell was preceded in death by his parents, Warren Douglas and Lucille Cole Powell. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Nola Rice Powell; children, Kendall Douglas Powell (Holly) and Julie Powell Edwards (Chris); grandchildren, Silas Bryan-Powell, Jackson Edwards, Bennett Edwards, Ryland Edwards, and Ella Francis Edwards; brother, Kenneth Allen Powell (Deborah); and nieces, nephews and cousins.

A memorial service will be held for Dr. Powell on Friday, July 29, at Dauphin Way United Methodist Church at noon; it will be preceded by a visitation at 11 a.m.  Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Randall W. Powell, M.D., Lectureship in Pediatric Surgery at the USA College of Medicine. Donations can be mailed to Development and Services Building, 300 Alumni Circle, Mobile, AL 36688.

USA Medicine Magazine - Mailing Now

Check your mailbox for the Summer 2016 issue of USA MEDICINE magazine, which features articles relating to the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.

This issue includes stories of the character and kindness of medical students, the success of alumni, and the commitment faculty members have made to medical excellence.

The magazine can be viewed online here. To request more copies of the magazine, email agivens@health.southalabama.edu.

USA Welcomes Dr. Charles Hartin Jr.

Dr. Charles Hartin Jr. recently joined the University of South Alabama College of Medicine as an associate professor of surgery and will serve as a pediatric surgeon with USA Physicians Group.

Prior to joining USA, Dr. Hartin worked at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, as an assistant professor in the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery.

He earned his bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, Ala., and his medical degree from USA. He completed an internship in general surgery at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke, Va. Dr. Hartin completed his residency training in general surgery at the State University of New York at Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y. He completed his research fellowship in pediatric surgery at Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y. He also completed his pediatric surgery fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine at Houston, Texas.

Dr. Hartin has authored dozens of publications and abstracts and is a member of several professional organizations including the American College of Surgeons, American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Pediatric Surgical Association.

To make an appointment, call 415-1475.

Mark Your Calendar: 43rd Annual Medical Student Research Day

The University of South Alabama College of Medicine will host the 43rd annual Medical Student Research Day on Friday, July 29, 2016, in the Medical Sciences Building.

Oral presentations begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by a keynote address at 11:15 a.m. The event will conclude with poster presentations from 12:45 until 2 p.m.

This year’s keynote address will be given by Dr. John Perfect, James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and chief of infectious diseases at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. Dr. Perfect is a member of the American Society of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases Society of America and International Society for Human and Animal Mycology.

Dr. Perfect is also a long time member of the Mycoses Study Group and provides advisory consultations for a series of pharmaceutical companies in antifungal drug development. He directs and designs clinical trials involving fungal infections and antifungal therapy, and he is the lead author of the 2012 IDSA Cryptococcal Treatment Guidelines.

The nine-week Medical Student Summer Research Program includes hands-on research related to basic science and/or clinical medicine; a seminar program that focuses on various scientific and clinical topics; and student presentations at Research Day. Through this program, students develop an appreciation of how research contributes to the knowledge and the practice of medicine. Support for the program is provided by the USA College of Medicine Dean’s Office and the National Institutes of Health.

Click here for additional information.

‘As I Cared for Them, They Cared for Me’

USA cardiologist Dr. Clara Massey has cared for patients between the ages of 19 and 103 – and for up to three generations within a family. Many of those patients have been with her since the start of her career.

“I am humbled by the trust and support of my patients,” she said. “As I cared for them, they cared for me.”

This year – after 25 years of dedicated service – Dr. Massey will retire from the University of South Alabama, where she served as professor of internal medicine and director of the division of cardiology.

“The last 25 years in cardiology have been a calling,” she said. “So many people sacrificed in order to give me this opportunity. I’ve had much to pay forward."

Dr. Massey grew up on a farm in the foothills of the Arkansas Ozarks – driving a tractor and hauling hay at the age of six. She played exhibition football in high school; her team was undefeated. After earning a degree in medical technology from Arkansas State University, she worked as a med tech and director of the chemistry lab at St. Bernard's Hospital in Jonesboro, Ark. It was there that she was urged to apply to medical school, and her tuition was paid for by her hometown family physician and by her family’s support.

After medical school, Dr. Massey chose to study the heart because in 1983, she thought, “how hard can it be? It’s just a pump with four chambers.”

Back then, medications were few, and catheter-based intervention and open heart surgery were in their infancy. Over the next few years, she watched and participated in the explosion of cardiovascular medicine. “I have been so fortunate,” she said. “It has been a magical time for cardiology, and more is on the horizon.”

Although her greatest joy has come from caring for patients, she said she’s also proud of her involvement in the development of the USA Heart Team. “It is an innovative way of providing evidence-based, high- quality, team-delivered care,” she said. “I am grateful for the partnership of Dr. Carl Maltese and Christy Paragone during this endeavor, in addition to my colleagues in the Division of Cardiology and the incredibly dedicated staff at USA. The development of the team was likely the most difficult task of my career, but also the most rewarding.”

Dr. Massey said her career has been enriched by so many people at USA that it would be impossible to list them all. “Hopefully my work ethic expressed my thank you to all of them,” she said. “However, there are two special employees who magnified my abilities and enriched my career – Kelley Day, my clinic nurse and partner in a commitment to patient-centered care, and Donna Gregory, my administrative support and moral compass throughout my career.”

During her time at USA, Dr. Massey participated in the training of more than 100 cardiology fellows and countless residents. “I’ve had a wonderful & rewarding career, and I believe I have succeeded in giving back,” she said. “It is now time to hand off to the next generation.”

If she could offer any advice to young physicians, it would be to "surround yourself with people who elevate your game, who place patient needs first and who hold you accountable for best care."

“It makes all the difference,” she said.

In the next phase of her life, Dr. Massey intends on taking care of herself and her family. She is looking forward to spending time with her daughter, Amanda, who is getting married next year; and her husband of more than 30 years, Dr. Charles Hamm.

The USA Department of Cardiology recently held a beach-themed sendoff for Dr. Massey. Click here to view more photos.

Dr. Simmons, USA Trauma Center awarded NIH Grant

As a trauma surgeon operating in an academic health center, Dr. Jon Simmons dedicates himself daily to providing each patient with leading-edge critical care.

He is one of five trauma surgeons that operate at the University of South Alabama’s Trauma Center – the only academic Level 1 Trauma Center on the Gulf Coast between New Orleans and Tampa. These highly specialized trauma surgeons are also board-certified as ICU doctors.

However, Dr. Simmons, who serves as associate professor of surgery at the USA College of Medicine, adds a unique feature to the group as he is also considered a physician-scientist. He balances being a trauma surgeon with an equally passionate curiosity for researching new ways to better treat severely injured patients.

Several weeks ago, Dr. Simmons was awarded a five-year, $945,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that will enable him to continue exploring a puzzling question that remains largely unanswered and therefore not adequately treated – why do patients who suffer similar traumatic injuries develop multiple system organ failure?

“One thing that intrigues me and most intensivists -- whether it be a trauma surgeon or a pulmonologist -- is that patients with severe infections or trauma usually do not die from the trauma or infection.” Dr. Simmons said. “These patients die from an inflammatory response that causes multiple organs to fail despite not being involved in the initial injury or infection.”

This award represents the fourth research grant recently obtained by Dr. Simmons to conduct research at the USA Trauma Center. The recent NIH award is designed to support the mentoring of physicians by more seasoned scientists, one of the core values of academic medicine. “A K08 grant is a mentored award, so you must demonstrate tremendous institutional support and have an excellent mentorship team,” Dr. Simmons said.

Dr. Simmons’ mentorship team is comprised of Dr. Mark Gillespie, professor and chair of pharmacology and a member of the Center for Lung Biology at the USA College of Medicine; Dr. Bill Richards, professor and chair of surgery; and several of his previously influential mentors at Johns Hopkins and Harvard.

“My role as Dr. Simmons' mentor is to be a full partner in his research, and to combine my skill set with his to make a stronger team,” Dr. Gillespie said. “I hope to provide opportunities for him to take what I know and use his enormous talents as a trauma surgeon-scientist and emerging clinician-scientist to make a transformative impact on care of severely injured patients at USA Medical Center.”

Dr. Gillespie said basic science efforts discovered a new biomarker and provided the proof-of-concept that it might be involved in multi-organ failure. Dr. Simmons’ work extended these observations into severely injured patients, showing that the new concept was likely valid, and he is now planning to test a re-purposed drug with a proven safety record as a means of preventing multi-organ failure. This process - of taking laboratory discoveries and extending them to human patients - is collectively called "translational medicine."

“When Dr. Simmons has an idea that has potential to improve patient care, he is absolutely relentless about determining whether the idea has merit,” Dr. Gillespie added. “It is physician-scientists like Dr. Simmons who are often responsible in catalyzing real advances in medicine.”

According to Dr. Simmons, the research ongoing at USA holds far-reaching potential to improve trauma care by developing new diagnostic strategies and drugs to treat multiple organ system failure after severe injury. The research partnership between Drs. Simmons and Gillespie has resulted in the development of new medications and the repurposing of older ones to treat this inflammatory response.

He also added that his research is an extension of other projects on-going at the USA Medical Center, noting that “as a Level 1 trauma center at an academic hospital, we take care of the most complex cases in the region. It is our goal never to miss an opportunity to improve outcomes in this vulnerable patient population.”

Dr. Richards said serving as Dr. Simmons’ mentor means guiding him through the process of learning how to be an independent investigator. This includes reading through his research proposals, making critical comments and advising on how to overcome hurdles that block scientific progress.

Because the competition to obtain funding from NIH has gotten very difficult, Dr. Richards said Dr. Simmons is to be heartedly congratulated on his efforts and perseverance to obtain the award. “Jon has outlined a plan of study to hone his research skills during the next five years in order to compete for NIH grant funding as an independent investigator. I have every expectation that Jon will be successful and that furthermore his research will ultimately led to dramatic improvements in survival.”

Dr. Simmons said the K08 grant is unique because it creates a clinician-scientist environment where the flow of information goes back and forth, accelerating the research process. According to Dr. Simmons, the grant validates the important work USA does in caring for trauma patients and is an important step in improving the care for trauma patients across the world.

USA Welcomes Dr. Steve Cordina

Dr. Steve Cordina recently rejoined the University of South Alabama College of Medicine as an associate professor of neurology. He serves as an interventional neurologist with special interest in stroke and aneurysm treatment.

Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Cordina served in neurointerventional and neurocritical care at Valley Baptist Medical System in Brownsville, Texas.

From 2011 to 2015, Dr. Cordina served in the departments of neurology, neurosurgery and radiology at the USA College of Medicine. He established the first academic neurointerventional facility and neurocritical service and re-established the first Primary Stroke Center on the eastern Gulf Coast. Under his direction, the USA Medical Center became the first facility in Alabama to receive the AHA/ASA Gold Plus Target Stroke Elite Plus Certification.

Dr. Cordina earned his medical degree from the University of Malta in Msida, Malta. He completed his residency training in neurology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Department of Neurosciences in Newark, N.J. This was followed by a vascular and critical care neurology fellowship as well as an endovascular surgical neuroradiology fellowship at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn.

He is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Neurology and Vascular Neurology and also holds certificates in neurocritical care and neurosonology. He serves as a member of the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery, Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology, American Society of Neuroimaging, American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association, American Academy of Neurology, Neurocritical Care Society and the Medical Association of Malta.

Dr. Cordina’s area of expertise includes clot retrieval and stent placement in patients suffering from stroke, as well as aneurysm and brain vascular malformation embolization treatment. He speaks fluent English, Maltese, Spanish and Italian.

Dr. Cordina is currently accepting new patients. For appointments, call (251) 660-5108.

USAMC First in State For Excellence in Stroke Care

The University of South Alabama Medical Center is the first hospital in the state to be recognized by the American Heart Association for the way stroke patients are cared for when they arrive at the emergency department. The Medical Center’s stroke team had to achieve specific results spanning a two-year period to receive the award. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S.

The USA Medical Center’s stroke team earned the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus award. USA Medical Center was the first hospital in Alabama to receive this honor for the rapid administration of a stroke-stopping medication called tPA.

“With a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and this award demonstrates our commitment to ensuring patients receive care based on nationally respected clinical guidelines,” said USA Medical Center Administrator Beth Anderson. “USA Medical Center is dedicated to improving the quality of stroke care and the guidelines help us achieve that goal.”

The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success in ensuring that stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. This recognition is granted to programs that have successfully rendered the high quality of care through the use of specific guidelines.

To qualify for the award, the hospital had to meet quality measures aimed at the reduction of time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with tPA. This clot buster is the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat acute ischemic strokes. If given intravenously within 3 to 4.5 hours following the onset of stroke symptoms, tPA has been shown to significantly reduce the debilitating effects of a stroke.

July Med School Café – Cancer Update 2016: The Significance of Familial Cancer Syndromes

The July Med School Café lecture will feature Dr. Spencer Liles, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and a surgical oncologist with USA Physicians Group.

His lecture, titled “Cancer Update 2016: The Significance of Familial Cancer Syndromes,” will be held on July 26, 2016, at the USA Faculty Club on USA’s main campus. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m., and the presentation begins at noon.

This interactive lecture will explore the current state of cancer treatment and care in 2016 with a review of the recently published American Cancer Society data. Dr. Liles will discuss the current state of prevention, screening and treatment with a focus on the emerging area of familial cancer syndromes.  Unfortunately, certain types of cancer do cluster in families and the audience will leave with a general understanding of these cancer syndromes and the current approach to diagnosis and treatment in these families.

The Med School Café lecture and lunch are provided free of charge, but reservations are required. For more information or to make reservations, call Kim Partridge at (251) 460-7770 or e-mail kepartridge@health.southalabama.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.

National Authority on Hospital Overcrowding, Patient Flow Speaks at USA

The University of South Alabama Department of Emergency Medicine hosted a lecture featuring Dr. Peter Viccellio, vice chair of the department of emergency medicine and associate chief medical officer at State University of New York in Stony Brook, N.Y.

Dr. Viccellio has instituted a full capacity protocol at Stony Brook University Hospital that has been emulated nationwide, with data demonstrating impact on patient flow, patient safety, length of stay and patient satisfaction. He is a national author on issues of patient flow, overcrowding, boarding and hospital efficiency.

Support for Dr. Viccellio’s presentation and visit was provided by the Dr. Richard Goldhamer Endowment.

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

Peter Viccellio MD Presents Crowding: Why Should You Care? from USA Health on Vimeo.

Pediatrics Hosting Grand Rounds July 15

Dr. Daniel Preud’Homme, director of the Pediatric Healthy Life Center and professor of pediatrics at the University of South Alabama, will present “From Metformin to Insulin: What Else is There in Management of Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Young Adults?” for July’s pediatric grand rounds.

The event will take place Friday, July 15, 2016, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. in the Atlantis Room in the CWEB-2 building behind USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital.

Dr. Preud’Homme will discuss the present guidelines for managing Type 2 diabetes and review bariatric approaches. He will also summarize the evidence-based data and practice for each new pharmaco-therapeutic approach to Type 2 diabetes.

The event is open to faculty, staff and students. Light breakfast, coffee and beverages will be provided.

For additional information, contact Katie Catlin at kncatlin@health.southalabama.edu. 

USA Team Presents at Injury Prevention Conference

From left: Dr. Ashley Marass, assistant professor in the USA College of Nursing; Dr. Anthony Martino, professor and chair of neurosurgery at USA; and Mary Wilstrup, pediatric nurse at USA Children's & Women's Hospital.

Dr. Anthony Martino, professor and chair of neurosurgery at the University of South Alabama, Mary Wilstrup, a pediatric nurse at USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital and Dr. Ashley Marass, assistant professor in the USA College of Nursing, recently presented their research at the 2016 ThinkFirst Conference on Injury Prevention in Chicago.

Dr. Martino and his concussion team presented “CAP for Improved Concussion Reporting.” Developed by the team in 2014, the Concussion Awareness Program (CAP) aims to change concussion safety behaviors among athletes.

“Our goal is to not only increase knowledge, but also to change attitudes,” Dr. Marass said.

Dr. Marass said the team discussed the creation, implementation and funding of CAP during the presentation. “Most of the speakers at the conference were talking about community outreach programs, and many speakers who experienced a head or spine injury discussed their experience,” Dr. Marass said. “We wanted to show how CAP was different."

In 2014, the NCAA and the U.S. Department of Defense began accepting proposals for the Mind Matters Challenge, an educational challenge aimed at changing concussion safety behaviors. The USA team was chosen as one of the top six education challenge winners and was awarded a $25,000 cash prize and a $75,000 production budget to develop their project.

The entire CAP program is housed on a webpage, which can be accessed via computer, tablet or smart phone. The multi-tiered program includes education on concussions, a pre- and post- test, neurocognitive testing, on-field assessment and referral to a specialized concussion clinic. Unique account profiles exist for athletes, parents and coaches so content is tailored to each individual.

All athletic teams at USA will use CAP by Fall Semester 2016, and the program was implemented in all Mobile County high schools earlier this year. The team is currently working to expand to surrounding counties.

The 2016 ThinkFirst Conference on Injury Prevention caters to nurses, occupational and physical therapists, injury prevention specialists, educators and physicians who work with and are dedicated to prevent traumatic brain injuries (TBI) or spinal cord injuries.

Click here to learn more about CAP.

Med School Cafe - Expert Advice for the Community

Dr. Kevin Green, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and an infectious disease specialist with USA Physicians Group, presented the June Med School Cafe lecture titled “Mosquito Borne Illnesses: What You Need To Know.”

During the talk, Dr. Green discussed the Zika virus as well as other mosquito-borne illnesses.

Med School Café is a free community lecture series sponsored by 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 6-22-16 from USA Health on Vimeo.

Nine USA Medical Students Recognized as Interprofessional Fellows

From left: Trevor Stevens, rising second-year medical student; Dr. Carol Motley, associate professor of family medicine and director of family medical student education at the USA College of Medicine; and Sana Ozair, rising second-year medical student. Stevens and Ozair, along with seven fellow classmates, were recognized as interprofessional fellows.

Nine rising second-year medical students at the University of South Alabama recently were recognized at the annual interprofessional fellows banquet for their exemplary service to the interprofessional collaborative practice clinical site at 15 Place, a homeless shelter in Mobile, Ala.

The following medical students were recognized as interprofessional fellows: Hala Al- Safarjalani, Shelby Bassett, Jemimah Chen, Connor Kimbrell, Peter Oakes, Sana Ozair, Ana Perry, Trevor Stevens and Kasey Stouton.

An interprofessional fellow is an honor bestowed on any health science student who has completed a semester at one of the interprofessional collaborative practice clinical sites.

The medical students participated in a year-long program providing wellness care and health education to the homeless population. The program is part of an educational initiative to teach students from different health disciplines to deliver team-based, patient-centered care.

Trevor Stevens, rising second-year medical student at USA, said communicating effectively and having a good attitude is key when working in an interprofessional team. “It is also critical for us to remember that patients are also a part of the interprofessional team,” Stevens said. “If you want to make a difference, everyone has to be on the same page.”

The interprofessional collaborative practice initiative at 15 Place is a partnership between the College of Medicine, College of Nursing and the Physician Assistant Department in the College of Allied Health. Dr. Jennifer Styron, assistant professor of community and mental health nursing and director of special projects and evaluation at USA, said the goal of the interprofessional clinic is to increase exposure to interprofessional education and clinical practice environments and to prepare students to work as members of an interprofessional team to provide safe, comprehensive and community population-oriented health care.

According to Dr. Carol Motley, associate professor of family medicine and director of family medical student education at the USA College of Medicine, participating in interprofessional training is important for medical students because the future practice of medicine is about working in inter-disciplinary teams.

“Skills that make an effective team member should be part of their training, since physicians will often find themselves team leaders in the future,” Dr. Motley said. At the clinic, “nursing students, physician assistant students and medical students learn about each other’s training and skills, teach each other and develop a respect for the value of a diverse interprofessional team.”

In addition to learning and applying the core competencies of interprofessional collaborative practice, Dr. Motley said students also learn valuable interview and basic exam skills at the clinic. “It is impressive to see the compassion and interest the student’s exhibit when working with the patients,” Dr. Motley said. The students also participate in an active learning curriculum, incorporating team-based learning as an instructional strategy.

At the clinic, Dr. Motley said students provide basic health screenings, education and wellness counseling. They also discuss medical problems and make referrals to community services. The interprofessional teams of students also work to develop a needs-based project that culminates in a wellness fair for the homeless guests at 15 Place.

Established in 2013, the interprofessional collaborative practice initiative is funded through a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant through the USA College of Nursing. The purpose of the clinic is to enhance wellness in under-deserved and vulnerable populations in Mobile, Ala. The clinic aims to provide experiential learning for students to practice clinical and communication skills while improving sensitivity to vulnerable populations and promoting a life-long commitment to service.

USA Welcomes Dr. Curtis Turner

Dr. Curtis Turner recently joined the University of South Alabama College of Medicine as a professor of pediatrics and medical director of the primary care division of the department of pediatrics. He will serve as a pediatrician with USA Physicians Group.

Prior to joining USA, Dr. Turner served as professor and associate dean of faculty development and affairs at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Amarillo, Texas.

He earned his bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., and his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C. He completed his residency training at Louisiana State University in New Orleans and he completed his fellowship in pediatric hematology, oncology and bone marrow transplantation at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Turner is currently seeing patients at USA Children’s Medical Center located at 1504 Springhill Ave. in Mobile, Ala. To make an appointment, call (251) 434-3915.