Annabelle Fonseca, M.D., M.H.S., assistant professor of surgery at the USA College of Medicine and a surgical oncologist with USA Health, presented "Colorectal Cancer: The Role of Surgery” at a recent Med School Café.
Watch the full presentation below or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VHZ3QkWZnVk
The event is free for USA medical students and resident physicians.
This one-day virtual event features three internationally recognized experts in sickle cell disease: John F. Tisdale, M.D., senior investigator and director of the molecular and clinical hematology branch of the National Institutes of Health; Frederick Goldman, M.D., professor and director of the Lowder Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; and Tim Townes, Ph.D., professor emeritus of biochemistry and molecular genetics at UAB.
Register online at CME tracker.
For more information, email Cimone Smith at acsmith@health.southalabama.edu.
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| Errol D. Crook, M.D., speaks at a Med School Café lecture. |
The award, named in honor of scientist and educator Wright Gardner, was established by the Alabama Academy of Science in 1984 to recognize the outstanding scientific contributions of Alabama residents.
“I am incredibly honored to be selected, but most of all I am humbled,” Crook said. “While my name is on the plaque, this was truly a team effort and an honor I share with all of my colleagues with whom I have worked in the Center for Healthy Communities (CHC) since my arrival in 2005. We are all committed to a community-engaged approach to our scholarship and advocacy, and we all continue to learn from each other and our community partners.”
“I sincerely thank all of my mentors and collaborators, and I especially thank Dr. Jack Shelley-Tremblay for thinking of me,” Crook added.
Shelley-Tremblay, professor and chair of psychology at USA, is president-elect of the Alabama Academy of Science and presented Crook with the award.
“Over the last 15 years, I have been continually impressed with Dr. Crook’s dedication to the students, patients, and other citizens of the State of Alabama,” Shelley-Tremblay said. “He is an accomplished research scientist, active physician, center administrator and clinical educator. I never know how he has the time to accomplish all of the things that he does.”
Crook also delivered the keynote address at the meeting, “From Bench to Community: Understanding Health Disparities Before, During and After COVID-19.” In his talk, he highlighted the work of his colleagues: Martha Arrieta, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor of internal medicine, director of research and associate director of the CHC; Roma Hanks, Ph.D., professor and chair of sociology, anthropology, and social work, and director of community engagement at the CHC; and Ken Hudson, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology.
The academy’s annual meeting was held in conjunction with the Alabama Junior Academy of Science and the Gorgas Scholarship Competition. Crook took the opportunity to address the high school students in the virtual audience.
“I used the transitions in my career from a molecular biologist performing research focused on understanding the molecular mechanism in diabetes and its complications, to clinical research, to research on the social determinants of health as an example of the many exciting opportunities that are possible with a career in science,” he said.
A native of Monroeville, Ala., Crook received his medical degree from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. He completed residency training in internal medicine, followed by a fellowship in nephrology, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Crook has secured more than $11 million dollars in competitive external funding over three decades from the National Institutes for Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, American Heart Association, and industry partners such as Merck Pharmaceuticals.
Learn more about the Alabama Academy of Science.
Age: 29
Class of: 2021
Hometown: Dothan, Ala.
Undergrad/grad institution: Auburn University
Degrees earned: BSBA in accountancy
Interests, hobbies: Watching K-dramas, going on walks, hiking, visiting botanical gardens and national parks.
Something unique about me: Right before my senior year of undergrad, I decided I wanted to go to medical school. It was a bit daunting at the time since my major was accounting, but it was totally worth it!
Three of my favorite things: Frozen yogurt, flowers and trips to Wyoming
The poster highlighted the inequalities in healthcare access and lack of resources that minority communities commonly face, which became more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic. The poster drew from information in the published report "Perceptions, Needs, Challenges and Insights of an Underserved Community in the COVID-19 Pandemic."
The report explained how Black, Latino and other minority communities greatly suffered from the virus. The report also provided recommendations regarding ways community leaders can support underserved minority residents during the pandemic.
“At the Center for Healthy Communities, we strive to listen to community members in order to understand their reality,” said Martha Arrieta, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., director of research at the Center for Healthy Communities and author of the report. “The poster allowed us to elevate the voices of community members as they described their experience in their own words. We appreciate that those voices resonated with the officials and were validated through the distinction award.”
The Center for Healthy Communities’ mission is to eliminate health disparities through education, research and public service.
The Southern Regional Meeting provides a platform and forum for collaborative interdisciplinary research and clinical applications. Physicians and healthcare professionals examine the most recent research findings in medicine to determine and inform future research projects.