Simmons completes surgery leadership program at Harvard

Jon Simmons, M.D., associate professor of surgery and pharmacology at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, recently graduated from the Harvard Medical School Surgical Leadership Program.

The program is a one-year postgraduate certificate program through the Harvard Medical School that consists of three in-person workshops (one week in London, and two weeks in Boston), 40 lectures and online webinars, monthly tests, two team-based projects, a capstone project and a comprehensive final exam.

As trauma medical director and chief of trauma and acute care surgery at USA Health, Simmons leads the team that makes USA the region’s only level 1 trauma center.

“In 2017, I was placed in a role that was very different than my previous positions,” Simmons said. “I immediately realized the importance of our trauma center to the region in terms of treating injured patients, reducing violence, and supporting economic development. I thought this would be an excellent way to learn the most effective methods of adaptive leadership early in my career.”

Simmons said the program provided him with the resources and tools necessary to create institutional and cultural changes that are sustainable. As a scholar in surgical leadership, he learned how important it is for every employee in an organization to be able to exhibit leadership.

“Regardless of personal characteristics, most would agree that effective leadership is much more about creating a vision, aligning employee and institutional values, and maximizing everyone’s potential around you,” he said. “I am certainly more cognizant now that each employee can be a leader by positively influencing people around them to create change or sustain an institutional mission.”

The program also focused on understanding how technology impacts the field of medicine and transforming ideas into intellectual property that can enter the market. Simmons’ capstone project was on a device that measures the thickness of burned skin and predicts the need for surgery and skin grafting – an idea that he has been working on since 2013.

“I was taking classes from the world experts in leadership and business,” he said. “Every class was amazing and the opportunities for a surgeon to learn about leadership and business were unparalleled.”

The application for the program is very competitive and Simmons is thankful for the support he received from William Richards, M.D., professor and chair of surgery at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, and hospital administration throughout the process.

“We’re amazingly proud of what Jon Simmons has been able to do,” Richards said. “We’ve invested in him and been rewarded. Leaders just don’t appear. It takes a lot of time and effort and training, so I’m glad he was able to attend the leadership program and strengthen his skills in providing outstanding leadership, developing programs and initiatives, and recruiting faculty and residents for the department of surgery, the health system and for USA. We’re looking forward to seeing improved results in our trauma critical care and acute care surgery division.”

Brooks to discuss flap surgery at grand rounds

Ronald Brooks, M.D., assistant professor of surgery at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and a plastic and reconstructive surgeon with USA Health, will present at the next surgery grand rounds. His presentation is set for 7 a.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at USA Health University Hospital in the second-floor conference center.

Brooks' objective is to improve the understanding of the flap surgery as an option to improve wound healing or provide reconstruction to various areas of the body and indication of use.

Surgery grand rounds take place every Friday at 7 a.m. The lectures are open to USA faculty, staff and students. A light breakfast, coffee and beverages are provided.

For more information, call (251) 445-8230 or email tmrogers@health.southalabama.edu.

Neurology resident to present on motor neuron disease at grand rounds

Jose Sanchez, M.D., a neurology resident at USA Health University Hospital, will present at the next neurology grand rounds. His lecture, titled "Is There Paraneoplastic Motor Neuron Disease?" is set for 8 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3, at USA Health University Hospital in the second-floor conference center.

In his talk, Sanchez will discuss the usefulness of paraneoplastic panels in the presentation of motor neuron disease.

Neurology grand rounds take place each Tuesday at 8 a.m. The lectures are open to USA faculty, staff and students. A light breakfast, coffee and beverages are provided.

For more information, call (251) 445-8262 or email scabral@health.southalabama.edu.

Culpepper to address chronic kidney disease at medicine grand rounds

Michael Culpepper, M.D., professor of internal medicine at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and a nephrologist with USA Health, will present at the next medicine grand rounds. His lecture, "Management of CKD: Opportunities for the Internist," is set for 8 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at USA Health University Hospital in the second-floor conference center.

Culpepper will identify targets for treatment by internists in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), including drugs for diabetes and hypertension in early CKD that ameliorate progression of CKD, introducing nutritional concepts in early CKD that provide adequate and appropriate protein and energy input, and monitoring for inflammation and other impediments to adequate iron utilization and red blood cell production.

Medicine grand rounds take place Thursdays at 8 a.m. For more information, contact Linda Ching at (251) 471-7900 or lching@health.southalabama.edu.

Boudreaux named associate dean for graduate medical education

Carole Boudreaux, M.D., newly appointed associate dean for graduate medical education, talks with a group of pathology residents.

Carole Boudreaux, M.D., was appointed associate dean for graduate medical education (GME) and designated institutional official for GME at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. She was previously assistant dean for graduate medical education, providing leadership for USA Health’s 12 residency and nine fellowship programs, which includes 274 positions for physicians in training.

“The education of students, residents and fellows is at the core of what we do as an academic health care system,” said John Marymont, M.D., vice president for medical affairs and dean of the USA College of Medicine. “The structures and processes through which residents and fellows are now trained evolves rapidly. To have someone dedicated and fully committed to that role ensures an optimal experience for those we educate.”

Boudreaux previously served as the assistant dean for graduate medical education from April 2011 to May 2013. During that time, she achieved the institution’s five-year cycle of accreditation and was commended for demonstrating substantial compliance with regulations.

USA Health maintains full accreditation as a sponsoring institution by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), with its most recent renewal of accreditation in January 2019. The GME program is tasked with developing the clinical competency, medical knowledge, and professional attributes of physicians, promoting the safe and effective care of patients and advancing the art of healing through quality improvement and medical research. Residents and fellows in the training programs are integrated into USA Health, the region's only academic health system.

“Her attention to detail and genuine enthusiasm for graduate medical education makes her an excellent fit for this new role,” said Mary Townsley, Ph.D., senior associate dean of the USA College of Medicine.

Boudreaux received a medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport. She completed a residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at USA Health and has also served as the pathology residency program director at USA Health. She is certified by the American Board of Pathology with an added certification in cytopathology.