All of Us Journey Visits USA Health

Dr. Errol Crook, center, professor and Abraham Mitchell Chair of Internal Medicine at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, director of the USA Center for Healthy Communities, and principal investigator for the All of Us Research Program at USA, speaks at the news conference. 

USA Health is hosting the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Journey, a traveling, hands-on exhibit that raises awareness about the All of Us Research Program. The All of Us Journey will be at the Toulminville branch of the Mobile Public Library, 601 Stanton Road in Mobile, until 4 p.m. today, Sept. 27, as part of its national tour.

USA Health hosted a news conference this morning to announce the All of Us initiative. Watch the Facebook Live video of the event.

The All of Us Research Program aims to speed up health research and medical breakthroughs. To do so, All of Us is asking 1 million volunteers to share different types of health and lifestyle information — information like where they live, what they do, and their family health history.

The program is open to people both healthy and sick, from all communities. Unlike a single research study focused on a specific disease or community, the All of Us Research Program will create a research resource to inform thousands of studies, covering a wide range of health conditions. This information could help researchers learn more about different diseases and treatments and improve health for generations to come.

If you are interested in participating in the All of Us Research Program, stop by the All of Us Journey exhibit or visit www.joinallofus.org.

Advanced Practice Providers Week Set for Oct. 1-5

USA Health's Advanced Practice Providers Council (APPC) is hosting Advanced Practice Providers Week Oct. 1-5 to celebrate the nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives who practice in the USA Health System. There will be several events that week to promote APPs at USA.

• Tuesday, Oct 2: APPC will host a Be The Match drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside of the cafeteria of University Hospital and Children's & Women's Hospital. This event is designed to educate staff and visitors on the lifesaving gift of bone marrow donation as well as dispel myths about pain and recovery from the procedure. Additionally, information will be provided on how to send in a DNA sample and join the registry. For more info, visit the Be The Match website.


• Wednesday, Oct. 3: APPC will host a luncheon to celebrate all APPs who work for USA Health. Lunch and a gift will be provided from 11 a.m to 1 p.m. at the University Hospital Cafe Conference Room and Children's & Women's Multipurpose Room. All APPs in USA Health are invited to attend.


• Thursday, Oct. 4: The APPC quarterly meeting is set for 6 p.m. at Pour Baby. The event is sponsored by Abbott Nutrition. The guest speaker will be Dr. Ruth Kleinpell, who will discuss the value of the APRN role.


• Friday, Oct. 5: USA Physician Assistant Studies will present the first Jaguar Medical Symposium from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the USA Student Center. Contact Sharrie Cranford at scranford@southalabama.edu or 414-8080 to register. Or, register online and view the symposium brochure for details. 

For more information on Advanced Practice Providers Week, contact Kimberly Thompson at kadler@health.southalabama.edu.

USA Health Welcomes Nurse Practitioner Katie Neese

Katie Neese recently joined USA Health as a nurse practitioner at the USA Heart Center.

Prior to USA Health, Neese served as a nurse practitioner at Thomas Hospital in Fairhope, Ala. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss., and her master’s degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she graduated magna cum laude.

Neese received the National Collegiate Nursing Award in 2010 and was a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society.

She is now accepting patients. To make appointment, call (251) 445-8242.

Elizabeth Jackson Receives Frank Greiner, M.D. Award for Excellence in Radiology

Dr. Suzy Figarola, left, professor and chair of radiology at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and a radiologist with USA Health, and Maxey Roberts, right, managing director of the University of South Alabama Foundation, present the Greiner Award to Elizabeth Jackson.

Elizabeth Jackson, a clerk in the USA Department of Radiology, is the 2018 recipient of the Frank Greiner, M.D. Award for Excellence.

Dr. Suzy Figarola, professor and chair of radiology at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and a pediatric radiologist with USA Health, and Maxey Roberts, managing director of the University of South Alabama Foundation, presented the award to Jackson at a ceremony on Sept. 20.

The annual award is named in honor of the late Dr. Francis “Frank” Greiner, professor of radiology and chief of neuroradiology at the USA College of Medicine, who passed away in 2015.

The Greiner Award recognizes an employee in the department of radiology who exhibits excellence in work, fearlessness in his or her willingness to do what is right, independence and self-initiative, and a sense of humor.

October Med School Café to Address Benefits of Robotic Hernia Repair

Dr. John Hunter, left, and Dr. William Richards will present October's Med School Café lecture.

The Med School Café lecture for October will feature Dr. William Richards, professor and chair of surgery at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and director of the USA Surgical Weight Loss Center, and Dr. John Hunter, assistant professor of surgery at the USA College of Medicine and a colorectal surgeon with USA Health.

Their lecture, titled “Robotic Hernia Repair,” will be held on Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, at the Strada Patient Care Center Conference Room on the first floor. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m., and the presentation will begin at noon.

In their talk, Drs. Richards and Hunter will discuss abdominal wall and inguinal hernias – how they occur, what can be done to fix them, and what to expect after a repair. They will also discuss new robotic surgery techniques at USA as they apply to hernia repair and how they improve the patient experience and outcomes.

Dr. Richards, whose specialty is minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery, received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore and completed his residency training at University of Maryland Hospital. He completed fellowships at Emory University in Atlanta and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. He is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery.

Dr. Hunter received his medical degree from University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he also completed his residency training in general surgery. He then completed a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at UAB and a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at the University of Texas Houston Colon and Rectal Clinic. He is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery.

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

Med School Café is a free community lecture series sponsored by the USA Health 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.

The Strada Patient Care Center is located at 1601 Center St. in Mobile.

The All of Us Research Program Brings the Future of Health to Mobile

This week, USA Health will host the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Journey, a traveling, hands-on exhibit that raises awareness about the All of Us Research Program. The All of Us Journey will be at the Toulminville Library, 601 Stanton Road in Mobile, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 27, as part of its national tour.

The All of Us Research Program aims to speed up health research and medical breakthroughs. To do so, All of Us is asking 1 million volunteers to share different types of health and lifestyle information — information like where they live, what they do, and their family health history.

The program is open to people both healthy and sick, from all communities. Unlike a single research study focused on a specific disease or community, the All of Us Research Program will create a research resource to inform thousands of studies, covering a wide range of health conditions. This information could help researchers learn more about different diseases and treatments and improve health for generations to come.

“The future of health begins with us,” said Dr. Errol Crook, Professor and Abraham Mitchell Chair of internal medicine at the University of South Alabama and a nephrologist with USA Physicians Group. “If we want better health care for all of us, medical research needs to include all of us. USA Health is excited to work with the All of Us Research Program to bring communities together to help change health for generations to come.”

To learn more about the All of Us Research Program, visit JoinAllofUs.org.

Med School Café - Expert Advice for the Community

Dr. Arthur Frankel, chief of medical oncology and the Arlene and Mayer Mitchell Chair in Medical Oncology at the University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute, presented September's Med School Café lecture, "The Gut Microbiota and Cancer Immunotherapy."

During the talk, Dr. Frankel discussed how specific gut bacteria or probiotics can enhance cancer immunotherapy by stimulating dendritic cells leading to more tumor cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

Watch September Med School Café - Gut Microbiota and Cancer Immunotherapy on YouTube or below.