USA Health Employees Well Represented on US-A Team, Christie Miree Awards

Several USA Health employees were nominated for the Christie Miree Award and named to the US-A Team. 

The University of South Alabama recently honored several USA Health employees as nominees and winners of the 2018 Christie Miree USA National Alumni Association Outstanding Employee Awards. The Christie Miree recipients were chosen from the US-A Team, which recognizes outstanding employees who are nominated by their peers.

The following USA Health employees were honored at the reception. Here are a few excerpts from their nominations.

Greg Bolin, Director of Security and Grounds, USA Health - Administrative Category, US-A Team

"Greg shows tremendous leadership as it is exemplified throughout his department! His department acts with kindness, respect, willingness to help, and most importantly keeps USA Health safe. All of these aspects are a great tribute to Greg and the person he is. Greg truly lives the USA C&W mission and is a pillar of this hospital."

Ellen Guy, Ward Clerk, University Hospital - Clerical Category, US-A Team and Christie Miree Award Winner

"Mrs. Guy dedicates herself to her colleagues, our patients and the university. She has unconditional love for people. ... Mrs. Guy never hesitates to take the time to sit with grieving families and offer them prayers and a loving hug. She gives so much and asks for nothing in return. She is more than just an amazing employee, but also an amazing person."

Ricky Jones, Custodial Worker II, USA Children's & Women's Hospital - Service Category, US-A Team and Christie Miree Award Winner

Ricky is constantly in motion - working to complete all tasks and assist where he can. His pleasant demeanor and can-do attitude is ever present. He has been described as the Energizer Bunny - he just keeps going and going. He works hard to do the job of which he can be proud. His work ethic sets an example for others. He is the employee you want on your team."

David Ponder, Maintenance Technician II, Strada Patient Care Center - Crafts/Trades Category, US-A Team and Christie Miree Award Winner

"David is responsible for keeping all 133,000 square feet of the Strada Patient Care Center up and running, no matter the issue. He takes ownership of all tasks and follows them through to completion. He is always one step ahead and is thinking of what is best for the building. ... David is well liked and respected by our staff and physicians in the building."

Emily Reeves, Grant Accountant III, USA College of Medicine - Professional Category, US-A Team

"The nature of the grant business can be rather hectic and demanding at times due to sponsor deadlines. No matter the circumstance, Emily is always professional, courteous and extremely patient when interacting with faculty and staff. No doubt she is a team player as she is always eager to lend a helping hand and is highly respected by her peers."

Vaughan Tomko, Biomedical Equipment Technician II,  USA Children's & Women's Hospital - Technical Category, US-A Team and Christie Miree Award Winner

"Vaughan became the FetalLink-Cerner guy for the Biomed department, working with all persons connected to the project, which is a large undertaking keeping a system of that size running and configured. ... With Vaughan's ability to do high-quality work, and his good people skills, it has helped raise the Biomed department's standards for patient care and services."

Christie Miree is an alumna of USA and a former member of the board of trustees. Learn more about the award here. View more photos from the event.

USA Chapter Receives 2018 Pediatric Interest Group of the Year Award

From left, fourth-year medical students Perrin Windham, Natalie Carlisle and Lydia Sandy accepted the award on behalf of the USA Pediatric Interest Group. 

The University of South Alabama Pediatric Interest Group, a student-run organization, recently received the Pediatric Interest Group of the Year Award, given by the Medical Student Committee of the Section on Pediatric Trainees (SOPT) of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Fourth-year medical students Natalie Carlisle, co-president; Lydia Sandy, co-president; and Perrin Windham, co-vice president, attended the AAP National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Fla., to accept the award for their group. In addition to the award, the students received scholarships to cover travel expenses.

"We applied for this award in June 2018 and were notified that our group was the recipient in September," Carlisle said. "This award is open to all pediatric interest groups across the country, and we were told that there were 11 applications this cycle."

Carlisle, Sandy and Windham received the award during the medical student session of the conference, where they also had the opportunity to present a PowerPoint about USA's Pediatric Interest Group.

"It was great to be able to highlight the work that our organization has been able to complete in the past year and what we are able to do for children and their families in our community," Carlisle said.

Dr. Molly Markowitz, executive coordinator of medical student initiatives at the American Academy of Pediatrics, wrote in their award letter: "Among the many applications received this year, your chapter stood out as one that not only proves what a chapter can do, but also sets the standard high for what is achievable as an interest group."

Visit www.aapexperience.org for more information on the AAP National Conference and Exhibition.

Dr. Om Jha Recognized For Faculty Innovation

Dr. Om Jha, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and a neonatologist at USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, recently received the 2018 Faculty Innovation Award from the USA National Alumni Association. This award is given to a faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in research.

“I feel honored and humbled to be considered and selected for this prestigious award,” he said. “Innovation and exploration are engines that power the march of modern science into the future. I am a lifelong learner and a healthcare ethnographer. I like to observe the process of delivery of healthcare from admission to discharge for my patients, and this has inspired me to come up with concepts to bridge unmet needs.”

Since starting at USA Health in 2015, Dr. Jha has filed two non-provisional patents at the U.S. Patent and Trademark office: “Silver Nanoparticle Sleeve” used to decrease hospital-acquired infections and “Newborn Temperature and Heart Rate Monitor Wrap.”

Dr. Jha earned his medical degree from Calcutta Medical College in Kolkata, India. He completed two pediatric residencies at Patna Medical College and Hospital in Patna, India, and at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Ill. He then completed a fellowship in neonatology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Click here to learn more about the 2018 USA National Alumni Association Awards.

Patient Discusses Benefits of Collaborative Care at USA Health in Facebook Live Video

From left, Dr. Phillip Henderson, Dr. Karen Fagan and patient
Kim Crowell

Dr. Karen Fagan, professor of internal medicine at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and director of the USA Pulmonary Hypertension Center, and Dr. Phillip Henderson, assistant professor of internal medicine and a gastroenterologist and hepatologist with USA Health, presented grand rounds for November.

After their presentation, Drs. Fagan and Henderson, along with their patient Kim Crowell, participated in a Facebook Live video to discuss the lifesaving benefits of advanced collaborative care at USA Health.

"At the region's only academic health system, we were able to collaborate in taking care of a very ill patient with multi-system disease and highlighted the outcome of that person's collaborative care here at USA," Dr. Fagan said.

Crowell was diagnosed with portopulmonary hypertension, a rare form of pulmonary arterial hypertension that results from advanced liver disease. "I would not be sitting here and able to share this story today without these guys and without the whole team here at USA," Crowell said.

"With our expertise in transplant hepatology and pulmonary arterial hypertension, we really were able to benefit this patient," Dr. Henderson said.

Learn more about Kim Crowell's story in our Facebook Live video.

USA College of Medicine Annual Report Now Online

The Annual Report of the University of South Alabama College of Medicine catalogs the accomplishments of faculty, students, residents, fellows and staff in teaching, research, scholarly and community service during the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

The full report is now available online.

USA Health Hosts Meet & Greet for Dr. Michael Chang

Owen Bailey, chief executive officer for USA Health, introduces Dr. Michael Chang, new chief medical officer for USA Health.

USA Health hosted a Meet & Greet for Dr. Michael Chang Nov. 13, at Dumbwaiter Restaurant in Springhill. More than 100 people attended the reception.

Dr. Chang recently was named chief medical officer for USA Health and associate vice president for medical affairs and professor of surgery at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.

View more photos from the event.

Dr. Pack-Mabien Receives 2018 Outstanding Regional Nurse Practitioner Award

Dr. Ardie Pack-Mabien, nurse practitioner at the University of South Alabama Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, recently was selected as the 2018 Outstanding Regional Nurse Practitioner for the Bay Area by the Nurse Practitioner Alliance of Alabama.

“I feel extremely proud and humble to be recognized by nurse practitioners in this region for my commitment to the care of individuals in Alabama, but more so for making differences in the lives of my patients here at USA,” she said.

For the past 20 years, Dr. Pack-Mabien has provided comprehensive medical care, education and counseling with compassion and dedication to adults and children with sickle cell disease at USA Health.

“It is very gratifying to have a child hug my neck in the office or draw me a picture, an adolescent or young adult come to me in a public setting with a sense of pride just to say, ‘Hi, Mrs. Ardie,’ or the parents of my patients comforted and reassured after a long and extensive conversation about their child’s current illness. I can’t even imagine myself doing anything else,” Dr. Pack-Mabien said.

Dr. Pack-Mabien graduated from the USA College of Nursing with a bachelor degree, and received her master’s degree from the University of Mobile and her Ph.D. from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The NPAA awards provide an opportunity to give recognition to individual health care providers, educators or advocates, the in-the-trenches team members and the leaders who inspire, motivate and empower others around them to make a difference in the lives of those for whom they provide care. Learn more about the Nurse Practitioner Alliance of Alabama.