Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Dr. Strada Honored with Retirement Reception

The University of South Alabama College of Medicine hosted a retirement reception honoring Dr. Samuel J. Strada, dean emeritus of the USA College of Medicine, on Oct. 25, 2016.

Dr. Strada began his career at the USA College of Medicine in 1983 when he was recruited as chair and professor of the department of pharmacology. He was named senior associate dean for the USA College of Medicine in 1994. During his career at USA, he also served as acting director of the graduate program in basic medical sciences, assistant dean for admissions and acting chair of psychiatry.  An avid Jags supporter, he also served as chair of the Athletic Council and as Faculty Athletic Representative from 1990-1997.

Throughout his lengthy career at USA, Dr. Strada has made significant contributions to medical education and research in the state of Alabama, as well as the nation.

Earlier this year, the USA Board of Trustees honored Dr. Strada and his late wife Judy by naming the new clinical care building that will open in November, the Strada Patient Care Center.  This building will house much of the USA Physicians Group clinical practice.

View more photos from the reception here.

USA Resident Presents Multiple Research Posters at ACG Meeting

Dr. Andrew Berry, second-year internal medicine resident at USA, presents research at the GI American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting and Postgraduate Course.
Dr. Andrew Berry, a second-year internal medicine resident physician at the University of South Alabama, recently presented multiple research posters at the national GI American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Scientific Meeting and Postgraduate Course in Las Vegas, Nev.

Dr. Berry said the projects were multidisciplinary and multi-institutional, representing a group collaboration of hard work. “It was a great opportunity to represent USA and be part of such collaborative efforts,” he said.

Four of his research projects included involvement from USA medical students, nursing administration and College of Medicine faculty members including—Dr. Brooks Cash, professor of internal medicine in the division of gastroenterology; Dr. Jack Di Palma, professor of internal medicine in the division of gastroenterology; Dr. Phillip Henderson, professor of internal medicine in the division of gastroenterology; Dr. Alana Schilithuis, assistant professor of internal medicine; and Dr. T.J. Hundley, assistant dean for medical education and student affairs.

Dr. Berry served as lead author for six of the research presentations and co-author for the remaining six. Of the 12 research projects, seven were full studies and five were clinical vignettes.

Ultimately, Dr. Berry said the goal is to have his research published in impactful journals. “As one of our projects suggests, only a mere 20 percent of all abstracts at the national GI conference are published in three years,” he said. “We aim to get all of our research published in sooner than three years.”

Dr. Berry said publishing the articles is not only important academically, but the literature can be quickly utilized in patient care. “One of the studies is part of a series of studies with Dr. Cash related to online symptom checker use among patients and clinicians, a topic that is already garnering public appeal,” he said.

The ACG was founded in 1932 and holds yearly meetings and regional postgraduate training courses. The ACG establishes research grants and also publishes The American Journal of Gastroenterology. More than 12,000 physicians from 82 countries are members of the ACG. Through annual scientific meetings, regional postgraduate training courses and research grants, the ACG provides its members with the most accurate and up-to-date scientific information on digestive health and the etiology, symptomatology and treatment of GI disorders.

To view Dr. Berry’s abstracts, click here

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Dr. Allen Perkins Awarded HRSA Grant

Dr. Allen Perkins, professor and chair of family medicine at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and a family medicine physician with USA Physicians Group, recently was awarded a $2.3 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The purpose of this award is to help establish an inter-professional training environment focused on population health and improving care for complex patients at the USA Family Medicine Center.

The project, titled “The Complex Patient in the Primary Care Medical Home,” focuses on team-based care in the family medicine, mental health and pharmacy training environment.

Dr. Perkins said he is very excited about the possibilities that this funding provides. “Through the incorporation of the enhanced use of data, population metrics, mental health access and team-based care we will be able to provide better care at lower costs to patients,” he said. “By utilizing medical professionals in training, not only will the patients in the center receive better care, but as those in training move into their practice setting they will take their skills with them. Our hope is that we will improve access to mental healthcare and improve the health and well-being of many in lower Alabama.”

“Aside from the transformative value the grant will have for family medicine in the management of complex patients, the lessons from this project will ultimately improve the health of the broader population,” said Beverly Kellen, chief administrator for the department. “The collaborative approach with professionals from medicine, nursing, nutrition, social work, pharmacy and health education is unique but necessary to provide care to complex patients.”

Dr. Perkins will be the guest speaker at the USA Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP) Interest Group inaugural meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016, at 3:30 p.m. on USA’s main campus. He will discuss this project along with additional opportunities for interprofessional research and training.

Monday, October 31, 2016

Dr. Herbert Chen to Present Frazer/Leigh Memorial Lecture

Herbert Chen, M.D., F.A.C.S., surgeon-in-chief chair of the department of surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will present two AMA/PRA/ CME accredited lectures in November.

Both lectures are open to the public 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. Chen will present the first lecture, "Success in Academic Surgery,” Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. in the USA Medical Center conference room.

His second lecture, “Medullary Thyroid Cancer,” will take place Friday, Nov. 4, 2016, at 7 a.m. in the USA Medical Center conference room.

Dr. Chen earned his medical degree from the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C. He completed his surgical residency at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md., along with a postdoctoral research fellowship and a surgical oncology and endocrinology fellowship. Dr. Chen came to UAB from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wis., where he was the Layton F. Rikkers, M.D., Chair in Surgical Leadership, chair of the division of general surgery, vice chair of research for the department of surgery and professor in the departments of surgery, biomedical engineering and pediatrics.

Dr. Chen has mentored more than 100 faculty, post-doctoral fellows, residents, medical students, and undergraduates in his lab.  He has published more than 430 original research and review articles and has edited 12 textbooks.

Dr. Chen is an associate/section editor for Annals of Surgery, Annals of Surgical Oncology, Scientific American Surgery, The Oncologist, and Journal of Surgical Research, and serves on six other editorial boards. He is also the past-president of the Association for Academic Surgery, the current secretary-treasurer for Surgical Biology Club II, and the current president-elect for the Society of Clinical Surgery.

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) 471-7990.