Holliday joins USA Health and OB-GYN faculty

Candice Holliday, J.D., M.D., speaks with a patient.

After a few years of practicing law, Candice Holliday, J.D., M.D., decided to pursue another career path in women’s health.

“After many discussions with my twin sister, Nicolette Holliday, who is currently an OB-GYN at USA Health, I realized I aspired to do more, so I went back to school to become a physician,” Candice Holliday said. “I want to positively impact women by providing them with evidence-based care, so they can be an advocate for themselves and their health.”

Candice Holliday, who also is an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the USA College of Medicine, chose to join USA Health after residency training.

“I can’t imagine enjoying my career anywhere else as much as I do at USA Health,” she said. “I love being an OB-GYN, and I love teaching students to pursue their calling so working at an academic health system is a perfect fit for me.”

Candice Holliday earned a medical degree from the USA College of Medicine. She completed residency training at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital. She also earned a law degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Candice Holliday sees patients at the Strada Patient Care Center and at the new OB-GYN clinic located on 4300 Old Shell Road in Mobile. The new clinic opens Oct. 1, 2021.

To schedule an appointment with her, call (251) 415-1496.

USA researchers seek biomarkers for earlier detection of ovarian cancer

Orlandric Miree, Ph.D., is a 2020 graduate of the Basic 

Medical Sciences Graduate Program.

Seeking earlier detection and better treatment options for women with ovarian cancer, Orlandric Miree, Ph.D., a 2020 graduate of the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, recently published research describing the potential clinical use of MYB, an oncogenic transcription factor as a biomarker in ovarian cancer detection and survival prediction.

A research paper on the topic was published this summer in Scientific Reports, an international journal.  

“We sought to address the lack of useful and reliable biomarkers for ovarian cancer,” said Miree. “The lack of biomarkers is a major barrier in early diagnosis of ovarian cancer and its treatment planning that contributes to the poor survival of patients.” 

Ovarian cancer is the second most common cancer found in the reproductive system for American women, and has the highest death rate. 

At USA, Miree led multidisciplinary efforts to research MYB gene expression in normal and ovarian cancer tissues. The goal was to find if there was any correlation between MYB levels and the development of ovarian tumors and if African American women and Caucasian women have differing MYB levels that could contribute to the differences in ovarian cancer survival rates.

The research findings showed that higher MYB levels were present in ovarian cancer tissues with aggressive histological subtype. Miree and his colleagues also observed that higher MYB levels in African American women correlated with worsened outcomes. Despite being diagnosed at a lower rate than Caucasian women, African American women have a significantly lower survival rate after diagnosis. During the past five years, the survival rate for Caucasian women with ovarian cancer has increased, while the opposite has occurred with African American women.

“Our study strongly suggests the potential clinical utility of MYB as a diagnostic biomarker for early detection of ovarian cancer,” said Miree. “MYB-targeted therapeutic strategies could also be developed to improve clinical management, especially in African American women, who more often have grim outcomes with this disease.” 

Miree was mentored by Ajay Singh, Ph.D., a professor of pathology, and Rodney Rocconi, M.D., a professor of gynecologic oncology at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute. James Elliot Carter, M.D., a board-certified pathologist and a professor of pathology, and Fnu Sameeta, M.D., a fourth year pathology resident, assisted in the pathologic assessment of tumor sections. The study was supported by a diversity supplement funding from the National Cancer Institute to Singh. 

Miree worked on this research while he was a graduate student in the Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program at the USA College of Medicine. After graduating, he recently took a position as a regulatory scientist with Cardinal Health.

Register now: OB-GYN Conference set for Oct. 14-15

The 29th Annual Obstetrics and Gynecology Conference is set for Oct. 14-15, 2021. This year's conference, hosted by USA Health, will be virtual.

This event will be of particular interest to OB-GYN physicians, family medicine physicians, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, nurse midwives, ultrasonographers, and other healthcare professionals associated with obstetrics and gynecology.

Continuing medical education credits will be provided.

For more information and to register, visit the OB-GYN Conference page.

Custodio shares perspective as student in USA's Spanish for Healthcare Professionals program

Haidee Custodio, M.D., an infectious disease pediatrician and associate professor of pediatrics at the USA College of Medicine, is one of the first students in the University of South Alabama' Spanish for Healthcare Professionals Graduate Certificate Program. 

Custodio joined USA Health in 2011 and also serves as associate director of the USA College of Medicine Pediatric Residency Program. She completed medical school in the Philippines before moving to New York to complete her pediatric residency and to Florida for her pediatric infectious diseases fellowship. 

“As a pediatrician, I take care of Spanish-speaking patients and families,” Custodio said. “Whenever I try to speak poquito Spanish, I see their eyes light up, and they all have a big smile. While using a translator is helpful, it doesn't have the same spontaneity that you get when speaking directly with them. I would like to connect more with my patients and their families, gain their trust, and know that they know we're working together as a team.”

The fully online graduate certificate program, offered in the USA College of Arts and Sciences, prepares current and future healthcare professionals to serve the growing monolingual Spanish-speaking and limited English proficiency populations in the United States. In this four-course program, students develop spoken and written competency in Spanish while also engaging with social and cultural issues that may impact the overall well-being of Hispanic patients and their response to treatment protocols.

In the health industry, communication is key when it comes to taking care of patients and families.

“Healthcare visits are always intimidating and anxiety-provoking,” Custodio said. “When a healthcare professional speaks in Spanish, it just makes the experience a little bit easier and more reassuring for the patient.”

Custodio was motivated to enroll for the program for several reasons.

“I am also fortunate to have friends and co-workers from Spanish-speaking countries,” Custodio said. “The more I learn about them, their language and their culture, the more learning language becomes fun and makes me more determined to finish the course. Even though the course is oriented for healthcare, I feel that the course helps me connect with Spanish-speaking individuals. In other words, learning to speak Spanish helps bridge the gap with others in and out of medicine.”

In the past, Custodio has taken a couple of Spanish courses, but because of scheduling and other responsibilities at that time in her life, she never became completely conversational. Last year, when the pandemic began, she had the opportunity to enroll in the new online program.

“When the opportunity to join the certificate program presented itself, I thought to myself, ‘if I'm going to be stuck at home or not be able to travel or go out as I used to, I might as well learn Spanish and make lemonade out of lemons.’ I would like to remember the pandemic not just for the horrible reality that it did to us, but also how societal and individual resilience prevailed. I suppose this is my personal way of prevailing over the pandemic.” 

So far, Custodio’s favorite part of the course has not just been learning the language, but also learning about the history of each country in the context of healthcare. “For example, I learned about the outbreak of optic neuropathy in Cuba in the 1990s. Despite the socioeconomic and political environment at the time, there was cooperation among healthcare workers in and out of the country.”

Zoya Khan, Ph.D. is an associate professor and serves as the Spanish section head in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literature. Khan is the director of the new graduate program. Kristy Britt, Chase Krebs and Chassidy Simmons also teach classes for the new program.

“Dr. Khan has been very passionate about teaching us Spanish,” Custodio said. “I appreciate the energy that she puts into this program. Working with different students with different schedules is not easy, but she makes it happen. In my class, there are several medical students, pharmacists and nurses from all over the country. I have nothing but admiration for them for pursuing this class despite their busy schedules and being full-time professionals and parents."

Khan said the Spanish-speaking population is the second-largest ethnic group in the United States, after non-Hispanic whites. According to the 2020 Census, Hispanics are driving the growth of the country's population increase, and by 2050, this demographic will account for almost 30 percent of the U.S. population. Despite this significant Hispanic presence, there is a critical shortage of Spanish-speaking healthcare providers. 

“This certificate program seeks to equip healthcare providers with intermediate proficiency in oral and written Spanish communication,” Khan said. “It also aims to equip them with cultural competency skills. Having this additional cultural knowledge will better enable the healthcare professionals to treat this important segment of the American population. Cultural competency includes insights into health and wellness issues that impact the U.S.-Hispanic populations as well as global health topics that impact Spanish-speaking countries. It also includes an understanding of cultural topics relevant to Hispanic societies, such as family structures, beliefs, myths, folk remedies and laws and policies and their impact on Hispanic health both within the U.S. and in Spanish-speaking countries.”

The certificate consists of 12 credit hours earned by taking three fully online courses and completing a practicum at a University of South Alabama-approved healthcare facility either within the United States or in a Spanish-speaking country. Applicants must have an undergraduate degree. Spring 2022 registration is currently open. Spots are limited. 

Apply now for the Spanish for Healthcare Professionals Graduate Certificate Program. 

If you have questions, contact Zoya Khan, Ph.D., at zkhan@southalabama.edu or (251) 461-1360. 

Meet a Med Student: Libby Beddingfield

Libby Beddingfield

Age: 24

Class of: 2023

Hometown: Birmingham, Ala.

Undergrad/grad institution: The University of Alabama

Degrees earned: Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering

Interests, hobbies: Camping, exercising, traveling, kayaking or anything outdoors

Something unique about me: I spent two to three weeks in Northern Ireland with a host home every summer of high school. My house growing up had a farm and horses. I studied ballet for 15 years.

Three of my favorite things: Spending time with my three older sisters, parents, and my new dog, Miles; any exciting trip, especially to the national parks; and drinking lots of coffee.

What I enjoy most about being a student at the USA College of Medicine: USA COM offers so many unique opportunities for their students, such as early clinical experience, volunteer opportunities, and a supportive faculty that strives to help their students succeed. Also, it's a bonus to be near the beach.

USA scientist awarded $1.54 million to study new treatment for inflammatory disease

Steve Lim, Ph.D., left, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, works in the lab with postdoctoral fellow Kyuho Jeong, Ph.D.

Researchers at the University of South Alabama are seeking ways to better understand diseases that narrow blood vessels such as atherosclerosis so more effective treatments can be developed for the disorders that lead to heart disease, heart attacks, strokes and thousands of deaths each year.

Atherosclerosis causes arteries to narrow, weaken and become rigid. As it progresses, fats, cholesterols and other substances known as plaque build up in and on artery walls. Macrophages are a major cell that accumulates these lipids and forms the plaque. As the plaque increases, it reduces the amount of blood and oxygen being delivered to the body’s vital organs. The plaque also can rupture, triggering a blood clot that causes strokes and heart attacks.

Steve Lim, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the USA College of Medicine, recently was awarded a four-year $1.54 million grant to evaluate a potential new treatment for those with atherosclerosis, the chronic inflammatory disease.

From left, Yelitza Rodriguez, doctoral student; Steve Lim, 

Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry and molecular 

biology; Kyuho Jeong, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow; and

James Murphy, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, are collaborating 

on the research project.

Current lipid-lowering drug therapies, such as statins, have proven beneficial for some patients, but not all of those suffering from atherosclerosis.

Lim’s new study is aimed at reducing plaque-building macrophages by inhibiting focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activity. Usual cytoplasmic FAK activity promotes macrophage migration in the artery wall. Their recent research found that FAK catalytic inhibition induces nuclear FAK localization from the cytoplasm. The novelty of this project is that nuclear FAK reduces gene expression required for macrophage lipid accumulation and plaque formation.

“There is a real need to develop new therapies to treat a larger portion of atherosclerosis patients and reduce the number of people who die from cardiovascular diseases,” Lim said. “This grant will allow our lab to expand our research and potentially save countless lives.”

Despite advances in medicine, atherosclerotic disease remains a leading cause of death around the world. In the United States, coronary artery disease causes one of every six deaths, accounting for more than 400,000 deaths annually.

A postdoctoral fellow in Lim’s lab, James Murphy, Ph.D., has been a key player in the research group leading this project. The work will be performed with Lim’s other collaborators, Richard Honkanen, Ph.D., professor and chair of biochemistry and molecular biology, and Erin Ahn, Ph.D., associate professor of pathology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Awarded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, this is Lim’s second research project grant since joining USA. In 2017, he was awarded a $1.52 million four-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to study cell signaling that contributes to atherosclerosis.