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.