Kasniya awarded grant to improve health outcomes

Gangajal Kasniya, MBBA

Thanks to a quality improvement grant from Chiesi USA, the level lll neonatal intensive care unit at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital will soon have new equipment and guidelines to help improve outcomes for infants experiencing respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

Neonatologist Gangajal Kasniya, MBBA, FAAP, was recently awarded a $20,400 grant to initiate a quality improvement project for enhancing RDS management in African American infants through the implementation of standard video laryngoscope-assisted less-invasive surfactant administration (LISA) guidelines.

Surfactant treatment is the standard of care in preterm infants with RDS, as this therapy has been shown to improve newborn and infant survival, research data shows. Surfactants help with breathing by reducing surface tension between liquids and solids.

“Less invasive surfactant administration is a technique that delivers surfactant via a thin catheter without intubation,” said Kasniya, who is also an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Whiddon College of Medicine. “This method has been shown to reduce the severity of respiratory distress syndrome and the risk of chronic lung disease in preterm infants compared to traditional endotracheal approaches.”

Goals of the quality improvement project, Kasniya said, include increasing LISA usage among eligible infants (diagnosed with RDS and on noninvasive ventilation) to 65% within the first year of implementing the new guidelines.

To achieve the objectives, he said, USA Health’s Division of Neonatology is developing standardized LISA guidelines, acquiring a neonatal-specific video laryngoscope to improve procedural success, and implementing educational tools to promote equitable care practices.

A board-certified neonatologist, Kasniya joined the staff at Children’s & Women’s Hospital and the faculty at the Whiddon College of Medicine in 2024 to help care for extremely premature and sick infants in the region’s only level III NICU.

Kasniya earned a medical degree from Sawai Man Singh Medical College in India. His pediatric residency was completed at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Chicago, followed by a neonatology fellowship at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York.

A fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, he is also a member of the American Federation for Medical Research, Academy of Physicians in Clinical Research, Trainees and Early Career Neonatologists, and the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin.

Chiesi USA, Inc., located in Cary, North Carolina, is an affiliate of Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A, a family-owned, global research and development-focused pharmaceutical company based in Italy. The company is committed to supporting educational efforts in U.S. medical communities. Its grant program funds projects in independent medical education, healthcare-related charitable support, scientific project support, and medical fellowships.

Medical students present new research at gun violence prevention conference

From left, Daphney Portis, Carly Salter, Makenna Taylor, Ashley Williams Hogue, M.D., Lynette Parker, and Joshua Jones attend the conference.

Two second-year medical students from the Whiddon College of Medicine recently presented new research at the National Conference for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms in Seattle. 

Makenna Taylor

Makenna Taylor and Carly Salter explored the impacts on those who treat victims of gun violence in their presentations at the third annual event. 

Last summer, Taylor worked alongside Ashley Williams Hogue, M.D., trauma surgeon and assistant professor of surgery, on better understanding the impact of hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIP) from the perspective of credible messengers. Credible messengers are also known as violence intervention specialists.  

Williams Hogue is cofounder of Project Inspire, a nationally recognized hospital-based violence injury prevention program at USA Health University Hospital designed to curb gun violence and recidivism among youth through intentional programming and mentorship in the Mobile community. 

“HVIPs are programs that largely operate out of trauma bays that seek to provide wraparound services to victims of gun violence in order to help them escape the cycle of such violence,” Taylor said. “Overall, our research aimed to understand the benefits and potential adverse effects of HVIPs from the perspective of violence intervention specialists.” 

According to her research, most violence intervention specialists find their job rewarding, but they do face significant challenges in providing sufficient resources to victims of gun violence. 

“I am currently most interested in internal medicine, and I had the privilege of getting to know internists at the conference who were able to help me make sense of how this research may play into my future career,” Taylor said. “I learned about other research presented on the effects of weather and access to air conditioning on rates of gun violence, to policies affecting gun violence, to methods of gun violence prevention.” 

Carly Salter

Salter’s presentation was a geospatial analysis comparing the location of gunshot injuries to a victim’s residence. 

“We found that residents of the City of Mobile are shot a mean distance of 5.4 miles from their home,” she said. “We also created a density map for the Gulf Coast to pinpoint which areas are affected most by gun violence.”  

Salter’s interest in the topic comes from her passion for emergency medicine and trauma surgery, both of which treat gunshot wound victims frequently in Mobile. 

“In order to better serve victims of gun violence, we need to first understand the population that is affected,” she said. “We hope this research identified which populations are in the most need in our community and helps create effective gun violence prevention measures as well as reduce the rate of revictimization.” 

Both Taylor and Salter described the experience presenting at the conference as exciting and surreal.  

“It was amazing to collaborate with other researchers in different fields who came from all across the nation,” Salter said.  

Both also expressed thanks to Williams Hogue, the USA Health Department of Surgery, the Whiddon College of Medicine, and the health system’s hospital-based violence intervention program, including Daphney Portis (Project INSPIRE), Lynette Parker (Center for Healthy Communities), and Joshua Jones (HVIP program director) for their support at the conference. 

Hand surgeon Rodriguez-Feo joins orthopaedic surgery faculty

Charles L. Rodriguez-Feo, M.D.

USA Health has expanded its orthopaedic surgery services with the addition of hand surgeon Charles L. Rodriguez-Feo, M.D., a native of Fairhope and a third-generation physician.

Rodriguez-Feo holds the highest level of hand surgery certification (Certificate of Added Qualification) and is board-certified in plastic and reconstructive surgery. He will treat conditions involving the hand and wrist, including carpal tunnel syndrome; trigger finger; thumb and wrist pain; hand and wrist arthritis; Dupuytren’s disease; autoimmune diseases; injuries involving the skin, tendon, nerve and bone; and most hand-related congenital abnormalities.

“As a third-generation physician, I pride myself on emphasizing each patient’s history, present concerns, and future goals,” said Rodriguez-Feo, who is an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at the Whiddon College of Medicine. “I strive to approach each with understanding and solution-based problem solving.”

His father, John Rodriguez-Feo, M.D., practices orthopaedic surgery in Baldwin County, and his late grandfather, Juan Rodriguez-Feo, M.D., was an OB-GYN in Havana, Cuba.

Rodriguez-Feo comes to USA Health from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga, where he was a clinical instructor. He says he chose to practice in an academic medicine setting because he enjoys training resident physicians in the practice of hand, wrist and upper extremity reconstructive surgery.

Rodriguez-Feo earned his medical degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society. He completed a residency in plastic surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle and a fellowship in orthopaedic hand surgery at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Rodriguez-Feo lives in Fairhope with his wife, Katie, and their young daughter. He enjoys woodworking, ceramics, fishing, hunting, and gardening.

He will see patients in the Orthopaedic Surgery clinic on the third floor of the USA Health Strada Patient Care Center, 1601 Center St. in Mobile. To make an appointment, call 251-665-8200.

Whiddon COM recognizes CME professionals

The Whiddon College of Medicine recognizes Friday, Jan. 24, as Healthcare Continuing Education Professionals Day, a day dedicated to recognizing the vital contributions of professionals who make lifelong learning in medicine possible. 

Under the leadership of James Creg, senior director of Continuing Medical Education, the department exemplifies dedication and innovation. The team also includes:

• Jennifer Hicks, MPA, assistant director, who oversees the seamless implementation of CME programs and fosters collaboration across departments. 
• Kimberlee Rish, senior coordinator, who excels in managing logistics and enhancing the participant experience. 
• Mary Jo Ashcraft, senior coordinator, whose expertise ensures each program runs smoothly, from planning to evaluation. 

This dynamic group works behind the scenes to make continuing education accessible, impactful, and relevant for healthcare providers across the region. Their dedication allows physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals to remain at the forefront of their fields while meeting accreditation standards.