USA Resident Presents Multiple Research Posters at ACG Meeting

Dr. Andrew Berry, second-year internal medicine resident at USA, presents research at the GI American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting and Postgraduate Course.

Dr. Andrew Berry, a second-year internal medicine resident physician at the University of South Alabama, recently presented multiple research posters at the national GI American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Scientific Meeting and Postgraduate Course in Las Vegas, Nev.

Dr. Berry said the projects were multidisciplinary and multi-institutional, representing a group collaboration of hard work. “It was a great opportunity to represent USA and be part of such collaborative efforts,” he said.

Four of his research projects included involvement from USA medical students, nursing administration and College of Medicine faculty members including—Dr. Brooks Cash, professor of internal medicine in the division of gastroenterology; Dr. Jack Di Palma, professor of internal medicine in the division of gastroenterology; Dr. Phillip Henderson, professor of internal medicine in the division of gastroenterology; Dr. Alana Schilithuis, assistant professor of internal medicine; and Dr. T.J. Hundley, assistant dean for medical education and student affairs.

Dr. Berry served as lead author for six of the research presentations and co-author for the remaining six. Of the 12 research projects, seven were full studies and five were clinical vignettes.

Ultimately, Dr. Berry said the goal is to have his research published in impactful journals. “As one of our projects suggests, only a mere 20 percent of all abstracts at the national GI conference are published in three years,” he said. “We aim to get all of our research published in sooner than three years.”

Dr. Berry said publishing the articles is not only important academically, but the literature can be quickly utilized in patient care. “One of the studies is part of a series of studies with Dr. Cash related to online symptom checker use among patients and clinicians, a topic that is already garnering public appeal,” he said.

The ACG was founded in 1932 and holds yearly meetings and regional postgraduate training courses. The ACG establishes research grants and also publishes The American Journal of Gastroenterology. More than 12,000 physicians from 82 countries are members of the ACG. Through annual scientific meetings, regional postgraduate training courses and research grants, the ACG provides its members with the most accurate and up-to-date scientific information on digestive health and the etiology, symptomatology and treatment of GI disorders.

To view Dr. Berry’s abstracts, click here. 

Dr. Allen Perkins Awarded HRSA Grant

Dr. Allen Perkins, professor and chair of family medicine at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and a family medicine physician with USA Physicians Group, recently was awarded a $2.3 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The purpose of this award is to help establish an inter-professional training environment focused on population health and improving care for complex patients at the USA Family Medicine Center.

The project, titled “The Complex Patient in the Primary Care Medical Home,” focuses on team-based care in the family medicine, mental health and pharmacy training environment.

Dr. Perkins said he is very excited about the possibilities that this funding provides. “Through the incorporation of the enhanced use of data, population metrics, mental health access and team-based care we will be able to provide better care at lower costs to patients,” he said. “By utilizing medical professionals in training, not only will the patients in the center receive better care, but as those in training move into their practice setting they will take their skills with them. Our hope is that we will improve access to mental healthcare and improve the health and well-being of many in lower Alabama.”

“Aside from the transformative value the grant will have for family medicine in the management of complex patients, the lessons from this project will ultimately improve the health of the broader population,” said Beverly Kellen, chief administrator for the department. “The collaborative approach with professionals from medicine, nursing, nutrition, social work, pharmacy and health education is unique but necessary to provide care to complex patients.”

Dr. Perkins will be the guest speaker at the USA Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP) Interest Group inaugural meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016, at 3:30 p.m. on USA’s main campus. He will discuss this project along with additional opportunities for interprofessional research and training.

Dr. Herbert Chen to Present Frazer/Leigh Memorial Lecture

Herbert Chen, M.D., F.A.C.S., surgeon-in-chief chair of the department of surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will present two AMA/PRA/ CME accredited lectures in November.

Both lectures are open to the public and are made possible through the Emmett B. Frazer, M.D., F.A.C.S., and Milton M. Leigh, M.D., F.A.C.S., Memorial Endowments at the University of South Alabama department of surgery.

Dr. Chen will present the first lecture, "Success in Academic Surgery,” Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. in the USA Medical Center conference room.

His second lecture, “Medullary Thyroid Cancer,” will take place Friday, Nov. 4, 2016, at 7 a.m. in the USA Medical Center conference room.

Dr. Chen earned his medical degree from the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C. He completed his surgical residency at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md., along with a postdoctoral research fellowship and a surgical oncology and endocrinology fellowship. Dr. Chen came to UAB from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wis., where he was the Layton F. Rikkers, M.D., Chair in Surgical Leadership, chair of the division of general surgery, vice chair of research for the department of surgery and professor in the departments of surgery, biomedical engineering and pediatrics.

Dr. Chen has mentored more than 100 faculty, post-doctoral fellows, residents, medical students, and undergraduates in his lab.  He has published more than 430 original research and review articles and has edited 12 textbooks.

Dr. Chen is an associate/section editor for Annals of Surgery, Annals of Surgical Oncology, Scientific American Surgery, The Oncologist, and Journal of Surgical Research, and serves on six other editorial boards. He is also the past-president of the Association for Academic Surgery, the current secretary-treasurer for Surgical Biology Club II, and the current president-elect for the Society of Clinical Surgery.

This annual Memorial Lectureship is given to honor the legacies of Dr. Emmett B. Frazer and Dr. Milton M. Leigh as leaders in clinical service and graduate surgical education in the Mobile community.

For more information contact the USA Department of Surgery at (251) 471-7990.

USA Health to Offer Free Skin Cancer Screenings

USA Health will offer free skin cancer screenings for all USA Health and Dental Plan members on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016.  Appointments are available from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the University of South Alabama Plastic Surgery Center, located at 1 Medical Park.

Screenings will be performed by Dr. Curtis Harris, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon with USA Physicians Group, and Dr. Ron Brooks, a plastic surgeon with USA Physicians Group.

According to Dr. Harris, exposure to the sun is the most common precursor to skin cancer and it is important to limit your exposure to sunlight.

If you have a questionable area on your skin, Dr. Harris recommends having it checked by a physician. If cancer is found, treatment may include radiation or removal. “Early detection is important,” he said. “The smaller the lesion is, the easier it is to treat successfully.”

There are several risk factors to consider in a melanoma diagnosis including family history of melanoma, prior melanoma, multiple pigmented skin lesions and some rare genetic syndromes. In addition, a history of extensive or severe sun exposure or severe sunburns may also contribute to the development of this potentially fatal cancer.

To schedule your free skin cancer screening, call (251) 660-5763.

Symposium on Environment and Humanitarian Care November 4-6

USA medical students participate in a wilderness medicine course earlier this year.

The Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) will offer a continuing medical education course for medical professionals from all fields on Nov. 4-6, 2016, in Deer Park, Ala.

The event focuses on wilderness medicine, the practice of medicine where definitive care is more than one hour away, and often days to weeks away. Outdoor skills will be taught during the weekend event that can be helpful for those who respond to natural disasters.

Dr. Lynn Yonge, an assistant clinical professor for the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, membership chairman of the WMS, and faculty advisor for the USA Wilderness Medicine Student Interest Group, will host the event at Longleaf, his family tree farm in Deer Park, Ala. The property is a 340-acre, certified Alabama Treasure Forest.

Dr. Yonge is also asking those who can to make a contribution to the USA Wilderness Medicine Student Interest Group. “The group has been very popular with medical students,” Dr. Yonge said. “The planned Emergency Medicine residency at USA is highly interested in making this curriculum and activity their own.”

Dr. Sidney Brevard, associate professor of surgery at USA, will be one of the event's speakers. “Dr. Brevard gave one of the best lectures I've ever heard about a physician living in primitive conditions during a disaster, helping their patients survive third-world types of conditions,” Dr. Yonge said. “I think many of us are willing to help in the face of natural disasters, but we just might not know how. This course is designed to open the door to that knowledge.”

Dr. Yonge has been involved with WMS for more than 10 years. His role as chair of the organization prompted him to volunteer his property and time for the event. “I want WMS to be accessible to health professionals and students. This conference was designed to be an affordable way to get a taste of the organization,” Dr. Yonge said.

For more information about the Wilderness Medical Society and for registration information, click here.