Friday, September 20, 2024

Sign up for spring 2025 cohort of Academic Medicine Coach Training Program

The Departments of Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development, Student Affairs and Medical Education at the Whiddon College of Medicine invite faculty and staff, both clinical and nonclinical, to participate in the spring 2025 cohort of the Academic Medicine Coach Training Program. 

With the speed of innovation and changes in healthcare, there is a strong need for physicians to become lifelong learners. Coaching helps participants become self-directed learners and foster personal and professional growth and development.

Binata Mukherjee, M.D., MBA, assistant dean for faculty and professional development, will lead a faculty development grand rounds session on the coaching program. The session is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 11, from noon to 1 p.m. on Zoom. Register for the grand rounds information session.

Meetings will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. on Thursdays in the Atlantis Room at Children's & Women's Hospital. CME credits will be provided.

Spring 2025 dates:

  • Feb. 6
  • Feb. 20
  • March 6
  • March 20
  • April 3
  • April 17
  • May 1
  • May 15
  • May 29 – Panda Cares Room (formerly the Multipurpose Room)
To sign up to participate in the spring cohort of the Academic Medicine Coach Training Program, fill out the Google Form

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Now online: Read the new issue of USA Health magazine

The latest edition of USA Health magazine, which highlights news and feature stories from all facets of the academic health system, is now available to read online.

In this issue, you’ll meet Ocean Kelly, who was born with a rare genetic disorder; hear from leaders in medical education and student affairs at the Whiddon College of Medicine; learn about menopause care available at USA Health; and celebrate with Providence employees as they joined the health system.

View the magazine on Issuu.

Custodio recognized at American Academy of Pediatricians Alabama Chapter meeting

From left, Sohel Soudagar, M.D.; Sarah Khan, M.D.; 
Haidee Custodio, M.D.; Tania Raygoza, M.D.; and Iboro 
Udoete, M.D. 
Haidee Custodio, M.D., a professor of pediatrics at the Whiddon College of Medicine, was recognized this month for her service as the Continuing Medical Education chair of the American Academy of Pediatricians Alabama Chapter from 2020 through 2024. The infectious disease pediatrician is also director of the pediatrics residency program at USA Health. 

Several pediatrics residents from USA Health attended the meeting through support from Gul Dadlani, M.D., professor and chair of pediatrics. 

“We want to support residents' participation in the chapter meetings to enhance their awareness of the accomplishments and challenges Alabama pediatricians are addressing together,” Custodio said. “We hope this experience will prepare them to continue this important work in the future.”  

During the AAP meeting, Tyler McDonald, M.D., a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at USA Health and an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery, gave a presentation on pediatric spine conditions including the challenges in diagnosis and management.  

Melody Petty, M.D., a pediatric hospitalist at USA Health and an associate professor of pediatrics, also attended the meeting. Petty was instrumental in obtaining a grant from the American Academy of Pediatrics Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence for a talk on youth tobacco use.  

Custodio joined USA Health in 2011 and previously served as associate director of the USA Health pediatrics residency program. She completed medical school in the Philippines before moving to New York to complete a pediatric residency at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow. She completed a pediatric infectious diseases fellowship at the University of Florida/Wolfson Children's Hospital/Shands Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Custodio, certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, also serves on the board of the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics as a member of the AAP national committee on Continuing Medical Education. 

Surgeon with interest in weight-loss procedures joins faculty

Richard Rieske, M.D.
Richard Rieske, M.D., became interested in surgery as a third-year medical student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. He had amazing mentors who took the time to share their passion for surgery and opportunities in the field.

But it wasn’t until his general surgery residency at USA Health that he found a more targeted calling – helping patients with obesity.

“Weight-loss surgery became my passion after working as a resident with Dr. (William) Richards, chair of surgery, and this interest only grew during my fellowship training,” Rieske said. “Watching patients transform their daily lives and overall health is humbling and inspirational, to say the least.”

Rieske recently returned to USA Health as a general surgeon and an assistant professor of surgery at the Whiddon College of Medicine after completing a fellowship in advanced gastrointestinal and minimally invasive surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

In his new role, Rieske will focus on weight-loss surgery and foregut procedures, including gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, bariatric endoscopy, and revisional bariatric procedures. He will use his training in laparoscopy, robotics, and upper GI endoscopy to care for patients before and after weight-loss surgery.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 2 in 5 adults in the U.S. are affected by obesity that puts them at risk for many serious diseases and health conditions. Of those, 58% have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease, and 23% have diabetes.

“The obesity epidemic is the most ignored health crisis to date. Projections from our nation’s health authorities suggest that by 2030 half the nation will suffer from obesity,” Rieske said. “We have effective medical and surgical therapies to treat patients. We just need to be more effective in educating both medical professionals and the public about the treatments and their benefits to patients.”

He chose to return to the academic health system where he trained because of those who played a formative role in developing him “as a surgeon and a human.”

“You come to USA Health to be a part of something bigger, to be a resource for the community and to train future surgeons who will go on to care for thousands of patients,” he said. “There is a lot of opportunity to make a meaningful impact.”

Rieske knows what it’s like to have a close family member endure a serious health event. When he was in medical school, his mother suffered a heart attack and cardiac arrest, and developed a rare blood clot that blocked the blood flow into both lungs. He and other family members watched over her for more than a month in the hospital and facilitated doctor visits and treatments as she recovered.

“I’ve lived firsthand what our patients and their families go through every day,” he said. “This has given me a unique patient- and family-centered perspective to the care that I bring to my practice.”

Monday, September 16, 2024

USA receives $5 million gift for Whiddon College of Medicine building

Businessman Elliot B. Maisel, center, gifted the University of South Alabama $5 million for the new Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine building.
As construction of the University of South Alabama’s new Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine building continues, the project has received its largest gift from an individual. Native Mobilian and local businessman Elliot B. Maisel has committed $5 million to the $200 million facility that will allow the University to graduate more physicians and enhance research and innovation. In recognition of Maisel’s generosity, a large gathering area in the building will be named the Maisel Family Forum.

USA President Jo Bonner and Elliot B. Maisel unveil the
naming of the Maisel Family Forum.
“We are truly grateful for the transformational gift from Elliot Maisel; its impact will be felt not only in our local community but also statewide,” said USA President Jo Bonner. “Medical students at the Whiddon College of Medicine perform at the highest levels, outscoring their contemporaries at many of the most prestigious medical schools in the United States, and this new building will enhance learning opportunities in so many ways.”

In 2024, Business Alabama honored Maisel as Alabama’s CEO of the Year in recognition of his vision, leadership and remarkable contributions to the business community and the regional economy. In addition to his contributions to Alabama’s business community, Maisel also serves as chairman of the board of the Mobile Airport Authority.

“As a result of great civic and business leadership, led by Mayor Sandy Stimpson, and including President Jo Bonner, Chamber President Bradley Byrne, the leadership that exists at the Port of Mobile, the leadership that exists at the Mobile Airport Authority, as well as the leadership that exists in many organizations across our city, we are experiencing a wonderful era of growth and cooperation by and among the citizens and leaders of our city, the Golden Age of Mobile,” said Maisel. “The University of South Alabama is the most important institution in the city of Mobile and one of the most important institutions in the state of Alabama.”

One of the unique design features of the 250,000-square-foot facility is a ground-level collaboration space that encourages impromptu encounters that lead to exchanges of ideas among researchers, educators and students. It’s this space that will be named after the Maisel family.

“Our medical and graduate students, as well as our faculty, deserve an environment that fosters interactive learning and best practices; Elliot Maisel’s gift is an investment in the future of healthcare,” said John Marymont, M.D., MBA, dean of the Whiddon College of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs. “We will have the ability to grow the class size for medical students, which will have a positive and profound impact on the shortage of primary care physicians practicing in the state, particularly in rural and underserved Alabama.”

Construction of the new Whiddon College of Medicine building has also received support from many other individuals, corporations and foundations, as well as state and federal officials.

Completion is expected in December 2026, with classes in the new facility starting in January 2027. The building will allow for expansion of the class size from a maximum of 80 students per class to 100, with the ability to eventually grow to 125.

View construction progress on the Whiddon College of Medicine building

View more photos from the news conference on the $5 million gift