Friday, November 5, 2021

Video online: 'Emerging Trends in Radiation for Breast Cancer'

Robert Gilbert, M.D., a radiation oncologist at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute and assistant professor of interdisciplinary clinical oncology at the USA College of Medicine, presented “Emerging Trends in Radiation for Breast Cancer,” at the Med School Café lecture on Oct. 28.

Watch a video of video of the presentation on YouTube or below.

Williams presents on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy at national meeting

Jacob Williams, third from left, presented at the American Public
Health Association's national meeting in Denver. He is shown
with the session's moderator and fellow presenters. 
Jacob Williams, a third-year medical student at the USA College of Medicine, recently gave an oral presentation at the American Public Health Association's national annual conference in Denver. He discussed findings from a recent study examining public trust in sources of pandemic information and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. 

“Vaccine hesitancy has been a hot topic lately with the development of COVID-19 vaccines, so I, and the rest of my great research team, wanted to see where people of Alabama were getting their pandemic information,” Williams said. “We wanted to see if trust in certain media sources would correlate with intention to receive the vaccine.” 

In November 2020, 3,781 participants were recruited for the study through Facebook advertisements that linked to a 15-minute survey. Participants were Alabama residents over 18 years of age. The study was funded, in part, by the Immunization Division of the Alabama Department of Public Health. It was part of a larger data project by Casey Daniel, Ph.D. M.P.H., associate professor of family medicine and director of epidemiology and public health at USA Health. 

Other members of the research team were Rachel Legg, Pharm.D., clinical pharmacist in family medicine; Chelsea Green, M.P.H., research coordinator at the Mitchell Cancer Institute; and Jesse Stutzman, M.P.H., a third-year medical student. 

“Our goal with our abstract was to present information that could then lead to development of a strategy to increase public trust in sources of pandemic information, ultimately increasing vaccine uptake,” Williams said. 

The study found that among those with no intent to vaccinate, 75 to 89 percent reported complete distrust of major news outlets and social media (Facebook and Twitter), with 42 to 48 percent reporting distrust of local health departments and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Among this same population, the only sources with a majority reporting “mostly or complete” trust were healthcare providers (50 percent) and then-President Donald Trump (51 percent).

“These high levels of distrust for major sources of pandemic information among individuals not intending to get the COVID-19 vaccine highlight the necessity of a multifaceted approach to distribute factual information,” the study concluded. “Public health strategies should take into account how personal biases against particular media may adversely affect the impact of educational approaches. Maintaining consistent vaccination messaging, grounded in science, across all information sources will minimize conflict between these sources and mitigate bias regarding COVID-19 vaccination as well as vaccination decisions for future public health crises.”

Estrada recognized by Sun Belt Conference for pandemic collaboration

Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill, left, recognizes
Benjamin Estrada, M.D., pediatric infectious diseases specialist
at USA Health and professor and vice chair of pediatrics at the
USA College of Medicine.  
USA Health pediatric infectious diseases specialist Benjamin Estrada, M.D., was recognized by the Sun Belt Conference for his efforts on COVID-19 protocols during an annual meeting on Nov. 2 in Atlanta.

The collaboration between Estrada and other healthcare faculty from across the conference is credited with allowing athletic programs to continue and giving college athletes the opportunity to more safely compete during much of the global health pandemic.

“We’re proud of the hard work and accomplishments of all of our 2020-21 honorees and we were delighted to be able to celebrate their achievements in person,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill. “We were pleased, too, to recognize the members of our COVID-19 advisory panel for their work, enabling us to safely compete throughout the 2020-21 season.” The Sun Belt Conference COVID-19 panel included Estrada; Brandy Clouse of Georgia Southern; Jeff Dugas, M.D., of Troy; and Emilio Carranco, M.D., of Texas State.

Estrada is assistant dean for educational strategies and faculty development, and professor and vice chair of pediatrics at the USA College of Medicine.

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Mitchell Cancer Institute’s colon cancer research featured in national journal

Kevin Lee, Ph.D., assistant professor of research, works in a lab at the Mitchell Cancer Institute.
A compound discovered at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute has been shown to block an enzyme critical to the development of colon cancer in mice and is the subject of a new paper published in the scientific journal Cancer Prevention Research.

The compound, ADT 061, is a derivative of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug sulindac and was developed in-house at the MCI, said Kevin Lee, Ph.D., assistant professor of research and lead author of the paper, featured on the cover of the journal’s November issue.

Mitchell Cancer Institute researchers treated mice with ADT 061 to determine whether it would inhibit the enzyme phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10), which is overexpressed in colon cells during the early stages of cancer and is essential for colon cancer cell growth. MCI collaborated with Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia on the project.

“We found that ADT 061 inhibits colon cancer cell lines without inhibiting normal cell lines,” Lee said. “In the mouse model with a high incidence of colon cancer, we saw a 30 to 40 percent decrease in cancer.”

Lee said that while some anti-inflammatory drugs produce toxic side effects in the liver, ADT 061 was modified to have fewer side effects. He said that further studies in animal models will be needed to test the compound for safety and efficacy.

ADT 061 was among two classes of anti-cancer compounds discovered in recent years by former MCI researcher Gary A. Piazza, Ph.D., now at Auburn University, and MCI’s Drug Discovery Research Center. Their development as potential drug candidates for colon, pancreatic and gynecologic cancers have been the subject of research presentations and awards over the past three years.

Read the full article in Cancer Prevention Research

Faculty Spotlight: Daniel McMahon, M.D.

Daniel McMahon, M.D.

Academic title: General surgeon and assistant professor of surgery

Joined the USA College of Medicine faculty: August 2020

What does your position in the USA COM/USA Health entail?
Comprehensive care of the surgical patient to include operating room cases, seeing patients in the office, seeing patients in the hospital, and teaching/instructing medical students and surgical residents. 

What is your favorite or most rewarding part of your position?
Taking care of sick patients and seeing them recover as well as teaching the medical students and residents. 

What is your advice for medical students?
Work hard, take it one day at a time, and pursue a medical specialty you truly find fascinating and rewarding.

What are your hobbies/interests outside of work? Hunting, fishing and traveling


Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Carpenter recognized for top academic performance

Christopher Davies, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and
microbiology and associate dean for research at the USA 
College of Medicine, presents Chelsie Carpenter with the
Edwin R. Hughes Memorial Award.
Chelsie Carpenter, a second-year student in the Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program at the USA College of Medicine, is the recipient of the Edwin R. Hughes Memorial Award for the 2020-2021 academic year. The award recognizes the student with the best academic performance in the program’s core curriculum.

Carpenter is in the Cell and Molecular Biology track. She works in the lab with Mark Swingle, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, studying a rare neurological disorder called Jordan’s syndrome. Her research is focused on RNA-binding proteins and the cytoskeleton structure, particularly actin and proteins bound to it. 

“My experience in the BMS program has been great!” Carpenter said. “All the professors pretty much have an ‘open door’ policy, so they are all very welcoming and eager to help students and answer questions. I feel so welcomed and comfortable in our building and program.” 

Carpenter earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of North Carolina - Wilmington.

The award is named in memory of Edwin R. Hughes, who served as director of the Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program at the USA College of Medicine from its inception in 1978 until 1990.

Trauma surgeon and youth advocate joins surgery faculty

With an emphasis on promoting community wellness, Ashley Williams, M.D., joined USA Health as a critical care surgeon at University Hospital and as an assistant professor of surgery at the USA College of Medicine.

Williams moved to Mobile in 2015 to complete a residency at USA Health’s University Hospital. During that time, she helped develop Project Inspire, a mentorship program for youth in the Mobile area who had early encounters with the juvenile justice system. Williams co-founded Project Inspire with Jon Simmons, M.D., chief of trauma and acute care surgery at USA Health. The program’s goal is to provide its young participants with positive influences and learning experiences to set them on a path to brighter futures.

Williams was compelled to develop Project Inspire after noticing that many patients who received trauma care were alarmingly young victims of violence. She began to imagine ways to promote safety and ambition among teenagers.

“I wanted to not only deter kids from making poor decisions, but also inspire them to be the best version of themselves,” said Williams. “A lot of kids might not be able to see the world, but as members of the community, it’s our job to bring the world to them and show them their full potential.”

After Williams completed her surgical residency, Simmons reached out to her about an open position at USA Health. Since returning, Williams has begun working on a new aspect of the youth program that allows all interested teenagers to participate in the curriculum.

“Project Inspire originally started with kids who were at Strickland Youth Center for gun-related offenses,” said Williams. “It wasn’t long before we had parents and grandparents reaching out for their children to join the program. So, we’ve been working on more comprehensive curriculum that allows all teenagers to join.”

While Project Inspire’s potential expansion played a large role in Williams’ decision to return, the family she cultivated at USA Health also was a determining factor. Her husband, Antwan Hogue, M.D., is a Mobile native, a hospitalist and assistant professor of internal medicine at University Hospital.

“I really enjoyed the entire surgery department here during my residency,” Williams said. “I definitely had no reservations about coming back.”

Williams grew up in Augusta, Ga. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology from the University of Georgia in 2011. That year, she began a doctorate program at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia with intentions to pursue cardiology.

A mission trip to Liberia during her first summer of medical school inspired Williams to shift her focus to surgery. She became fascinated with the dynamic, fast-paced environment of the operating room and the immediate gratification that came from remedying patient issues.

“That mission trip was my first exposure to the operating room,” she said. “I was able to see patients come in with a problem, go to the operating room, and come out with their problem fixed. It felt like a field where you could help someone through their most vulnerable state and impact their life for the better.”

After completing medical school in 2015, Williams relocated to Mobile for a general surgery residency at University Hospital. She completed the residency in 2020, then moved to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to complete a surgical critical care fellowship. She returned to University Hospital this fall.

Thakur to discuss 'Skull Base Neurosurgery and Brain Tumors' at Med School Café

“Skull Base Neurosurgery and Brain Tumors: Rejecting Norms and Adapting Minimally Invasive Mentality” will be the topic of a Med School Café presentation at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 12. Jai Thakur, M.D., director of minimally invasive cranial and skull base neurosurgery and neurosurgery education at USA Health, will present the lecture via Zoom.

Thakur, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the USA College of Medicine, is a fellowship-trained neurosurgeon who specializes in the field of endoscopic and minimally invasive keyhole cranial surgery. His focus is caring for patients with brain tumors (including pituitary tumors, skull base tumors, primary/metastatic tumors) and cerebrovascular diseases like aneurysm, vascular malformations, sickle cell disease and Moyamoya disease, which potentially can cause strokes. Additionally, he specializes in managing medically refractory facial pain/trigeminal neuralgia, hemi-facial spasms and spontaneous skull base CSF leaks.

After graduating from medical school at Government Medical College in Amritsar, India, he completed a two-year research fellowship in skull base neurosurgery at Louisiana State University (LSU) and University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, followed by residency training in neurosurgery at LSU. He then completed fellowship training in minimally invasive cranial and skull base neurosurgery at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute-John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California.

Register here to attend the lecture virtually

Med School Café is a free community lecture series sponsored by USA Health. Each month, faculty and physicians share their expertise on a specific medical condition, providing insight on the latest treatments available.

For more information, contact Kim Partridge at kepartridge@health.southalabama.edu.

Meet a Med Student: Lita Araysi

Lita Araysi

Age: 26

Class of: 2023

Hometown: Chicago

Undergrad/grad institution: The University of Chicago

Degrees earned: Bachelor of Science in biochemistry, Bachelor of Arts in chemistry

Interests, hobbies: Traveling, attending concerts, attempting to play piano by learning only parts of random songs and binging shows that I clearly don't have time for.

Something unique about me: My first word as a baby was the Arabic word "tai," meaning "come." I tore my ACL in the final two soccer games of the season during my senior year of high school and left with a (subjectively cool?) scar from reconstructive surgery.

Three of my favorite things: Trying new restaurants/cuisine, my cat Leo, family/friends

What I enjoy most about being a student at the USA College of Medicine: No doubt the people. From classmates, to faculty, to residents and attendings at University Hospital, people have been nothing but welcoming and supportive!



Monday, November 1, 2021

Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program to host virtual information session

Interested in a career in biomedical research? Applying to graduate school? Learn more about the exciting training opportunities in the USA Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program

The doctoral program, which awards the Ph.D. degree in Basic Medical Sciences, will host its first virtual information session at 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15. 

Register here to attend

If you have any questions, contact Angie O'Neal at aoneal@southalabama.edu