HPV research to be presented at national conference

Casey Daniel, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of family medicine research at the USA College of Medicine, examines a vile of the HPV vaccine in the specialty pharmacy at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute.

A University of South Alabama public health researcher will present virtually at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association on Oct. 27. Casey L. Daniel, Ph.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor of family medicine at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, will give two oral presentations on recent work focused on initiatives to increase human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.

In her talk “HPV Vaccination Promotion for Oropharyngeal Cancer Prevention: An Alabama Initiative,” Daniel will discuss a 2019 statewide grassroots campaign that brought together the state oral health office, cancer researchers, academics, physicians/surgeons and dental professionals to promote a “Watch Your Mouth!” campaign for the first-ever Oral Cancer Awareness Month in Alabama. 

The campaign was designed to communicate the connection between HPV and oropharyngeal cancer. HPV infection is associated with cancer of the oropharynx (back of the throat) as well as cancers of cervix, vulva, vagina, penis and anus. Daniel, who also is director of epidemiology and public health at the University of South Alabama, conducts research on cancer prevention in the division of cancer control and prevention at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute.

Her second presentation, “HPV Vaccination Promotion on Campus: Formative Focus Group Interviews to Inform Campaign Development,” will share how researchers implemented focus groups with undergraduate students at USA to identify best practices to increase HPV awareness among college students. Research findings indicated that future campaigns targeting college students should incorporate dual messaging regarding both cancer and genital warts as outcomes of HPV, coordinate initiatives partnering with students and utilize social media outlets as well as campus resources such as student organizations.

The APHA annual meeting, set for Oct. 24-28, draws an estimated 12,000 participants each year.

Register Now: Fourth Annual Conference on Ethics and Opioids

The University of South Alabama Office of Continuing Medical Education will host the fourth annual Conference on Ethics and Opioids. The conference is set for 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, via Zoom.

Elizabeth VandeWaa, Ph.D.

Elizabeth A. VandeWaa, Ph.D., professor of adult health nursing at the University of South Alabama College of Nursing, will present "Opioids and Addiction in Alabama." VandeWaa has taught advanced-practice nurses for more than 25 years. She earned her Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Her research interests include the effects of drug abuse on various patient populations, opioid addiction, and nurse perceptions of patient drug abuse.

Susan J. Lewis, Ph.D., J.D., a multi-credentialed mental health professional, will present "Ethics in Practice." She has 25 years of experience in clinical practice with unique populations who have severe and persistent mental illness. She is the author of two books: "From Deep Within: A Forensic & Clinical Psychologist’s Journey" and "Legal and Ethical Issues for Mental Health Clinicians."

The conference will be of particular interest to physicians, nurses, counselors, psychologists, social workers, law enforcement, mental health professionals, parents, and any other individuals involved in the assessment, treatment, ethical considerations, and rehabilitation efforts of clients/patients as well as those confronting the crisis of opioid use and addiction.

The registration fee is $50. Register online at CME Tracker, or call (251) 414-8080 or email cme@southalabama.edu.

Mark your calendar for upcoming grand rounds

Save the dates for these grand rounds presentations:

Physician Wellness Program Grand Rounds
"COVID-19 in Pregnancy: Experience at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital"
Mimi Munn, M.D., professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology, USA College of Medicine; maternal-fetal medicine physician, USA Health
6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29
Zoom: https://southalabama.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYpdu-rpzIrHtK9NmOZeHKRI10DI7ljuVdc
Contact: Victor Autry at victorautry@msomc.org or 251-476-9494

Surgery Grand Rounds
"General Thoracic Surgery"
Larkin Daniels, M.D., Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Surgical Associates
7 to 8 a.m. Friday, Oct. 30
Zoom: https://usahealthsystem.zoom.us/j/93093066629
Contact: Tyronda Rogers at 251-445-8230 or tmrogers@health.southalabama.edu

Med School Café video available: "Back Pain: From Conservative Therapy to Giant Surgery"

Richard Menger, M.D., M.P.A., assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and chief of complex spine surgery with USA Health, presented “Back Pain: From Conservative Therapy to Giant Surgery” at a recent Med School Café.

Watch the presentation on YouTube or below. 

Clinical Practice Guideline Development talk set for Oct. 27

The USA Health department of pediatrics will present “Guideline Development: The Science and Art of Medicine” at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 27, via Zoom. The event is available to all USA College of Medicine faculty and staff. 

To join the Zoom meeting, use ID: 958 6422 3735. The passcode is 1536.

The featured speaker will be Jodie Dvorkin, M.D., MPH. She is the associate medical director for the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI). In this role, Dvorkin leads guideline development with ICSI’s evidence team and facilitates collaborative initiatives regarding opioids and mental health. ICSI has been developing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to improve patient care since 1993.

Objectives of the meeting include:

• Reviewing the process of guideline development
• Discussing certainties and uncertainties in medicine
• Discussing the challenges of creating guidelines

Dvorkin earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a medical degree at Emory University in Atlanta. She completed a preventive medicine residency at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago, where she established a colon cancer screening program. She also completed an internal medicine and pediatrics residency at the University of Chicago. Previously, Dvorkin worked for the American Medical Association’s Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement, where she focused on strategic initiatives and measure development.

For more information, contact Jessica Petro, graduate medical education program coordinator, at jpetro@health.southalabama.edu or 251-415-8688.

Medical students selected as Primary Care Pathway Scholars

Ten medical students from the Class of 2024 were chosen for the Primary Care Pathway Program. They are, top row, from left, TiAriel Anderson, Jarrett Barnes, Claire Chastain, Amber Crenshaw and Kramer Crider; bottom row, Meghan Dean, Tiara Dean, Isabelle Delplanche, Carey Johnson and Marley Lee.

Ten first-year medical students at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine have been selected for the Primary Care Pathway Program, a new educational track that will provide four years of specialized training in primary care.

The program is funded by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) totaling more than $6 million. The USA College of Medicine was one of five institutions in the U.S. to receive grant funding from HRSA for the program.

The Primary Care Pathway Scholars are TiAriel Anderson, Jarrett Barnes, Claire Chastain, Amber Crenshaw, Kramer Crider, Meghan Dean, Tiara Dean, Isabelle Delplanche, Carey Johnson and Marley Lee. 

The goal of the program is to increase the number of primary care physicians in underserved areas and ultimately improve the health of those populations, said Allen Perkins, M.D., M.P.H., professor and chair of family medicine at the USA College of Medicine.

“The program allows these medical students to focus their attention on primary care,” Perkins said. “For the community, it’s huge. The program allows the USA College of Medicine to partner in the care of the underserved beyond the hospital at the community level.”

USA’s Primary Care Pathway students spend 20 days in a community-based primary care clinic during their first two years and complete a summer quality improvement project. During their third year, students are assigned to primary care clerkships in family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. They participate in a four-week elective at a community site and an acting internship in a primary care field.

Fourth-year students engage in a four-week primary care capstone practice management/leadership project and a four-week elective in basic science related to primary care. When they graduate, the students receive a special Primary Care Pathway notation on their diplomas.

Selections were based on student interest in primary care and a willingness to commit to the practice following residency training. Community partners, meanwhile, become fellows who are trained by USA College of Medicine faculty to teach and mentor medical students. The community partners include Franklin Medical Mall, Franklin Foley Family Health Center, Franklin Loxley Family Health Center, Semmes Family Health Center and Accordia Health in Bayou La Batre.

“Growing up in an underserved area, I have a greater awareness of many significant external factors that could prevent patients from receiving the proper care that they deserve such as accessibility to medical/specialty care, physical support, emotional support and financial crisis,” said Anderson, of Monroeville, Ala., who was accepted for the program. “I am prepared to absorb the years of wisdom from my assigned site directors to serve similar communities following my completion of this program.”

Carey Johnson, a medical student from Decatur, Ga., who is president of the medical school Class of 2024, said his passion for primary care was inspired by his wife and fellow medical student, Angela Mosley-Johnson, who is in her fourth year at the USA College of Medicine. “The experiences and stories that she brought home about working to improve her patients’ quality of life was something that resonated with me on a personal level,” he said. “As a future primary care physician, I want to embody a holistic level of care for my patients.”

Perkins said the Primary Care Pathway Program also will inform primary care training across the board at the USA College of Medicine. “For the broader student body, we will have faculty members who will be trained in population health and social determinants of health,” he said. “The instruction will be infused into the entire curriculum for all students.”

The USA College of Medicine has a long track record of graduating physicians who practice in the state. More than 43 percent of the college’s alumni practice in Alabama, with 36 percent in underserved areas, 27 percent in primary care disciplines and 10 percent in rural areas.