Sneak Peek - USA Medical Center Employees Share Their Success Stories

Two University of South Alabama Medical Center employees will be featured in an upcoming ad campaign highlighting USA's Bariatric Center led by Dr. William Richards. For a larger view, click the ads below.

The next weight loss support group meeting at USA will be held on March 3, 2011. There are two sessions: USA Medical Center 3rd floor conference room at 12:30 p.m. and USA Medical Center 10th floor dining room at 6 p.m. For more information, contact Valerie Heinl at (251) 471-7413.

February Med School Café - "Understanding Seizures: A Real Brain Storm"

The February Med School Café lecture will feature Dr. Juan Ochoa, associate professor of neurology at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.

His lecture, titled “Understanding Seizures: A Real Brain Storm,” will take place Feb. 15, 2011, at Little Sisters of the Poor in Mobile. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m., and the presentation begins at noon.

Dr. Ochoa will lecture on epilepsy, a disorder that results from the generation of electrical signals inside the brain, causing recurring seizures. Dr. Ochoa will provide the latest information on the causes of epilepsy, as well as available treatment options.

Dr. Ochoa received his medical degree from Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Columbia. He conducted his family practice residency at Jamaica Hospital in New York and his neurology residency at State University of New York. In addition, he completed a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology and epilepsy at Montefiore Hospital Medical Center in New York and a fellowship in medical education at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla.

The Little Sisters of the Poor is located at 1655 McGill Avenue in Mobile. Participants should enter through the East entrance of the main building. The lecture will be held in the auditorium. If parking is limited in the facility’s parking lot, street parking will be available.

The Med School Café lecture and lunch are provided free of charge, but reservations are required. For more information or to make reservations, please call Kim Barnes at (251) 460-7770 or e-mail kebarnes@usouthal.edu.

Med School Café is a free community lecture series sponsored by the USA Physicians Group. Each month, faculty from the USA College of Medicine share their expertise on a specific medical condition, providing insight on the latest treatment available.

USA Medical Students To Host Blood Drive

Medical students at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine will be hosting a blood drive Feb. 10, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The LifeSouth blood mobile will be parked outside of the Medical Sciences Building on USA's main campus.

To sign up for the blood drive, visit www.mysignup.com/USA_AMA_blood_drive.

Next Week's DSS - Dr. Jian Yang

The next Distinguished Scientist Seminar at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine will be presented by Dr. Jian Yang, assistant professor of physiology at USA.

His seminar, titled "Insulin-Regulated GLUT4 Translocation in Adipose Cells: New Molecules and New Mechanisms," will take place Feb. 10, 2011, at 4 p.m. in the Medical Sciences Building auditorium on USA’s main campus.

Dr. Yang’s research is focused on the regulation of gene expression, as well as metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity.

Dr. Yang received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He completed postdoctoral studies in molecular genetics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

For more information on Dr. Yang’s research, visit http://www.physiology.usouthal.edu/dept/jyang.htm.

For additional information on the lecture, contact Natalie Kent at (251) 461-1548.

USA Physicians, Alumni Honored by Black Health Magazine

Six physicians at the University of South Alabama Health System were selected by Black Health Magazine as part of the 25 most influential African American doctors in the Mobile-Pensacola area. The physicians will be honored at a banquet Feb. 10, 2011.

The USA College of Medicine faculty that will be honored are: Dr. Tangela Atkinson, assistant professor of family medicine; Dr. Errol D. Crook, professor and chair of internal medicine; Dr. Johnson Haynes Jr., professor of internal medicine; Dr. Juvonda S. Hodge, assistant professor of surgery; Dr. Katrina Roberson-Trammell with the USA department of pediatrics; and Dr. Eddie Reed, professor of oncologic sciences at the USA Mitchell Cancer Institute.

Drs. Damian Collins and Pamela M. Grier-Hall, both USA College of Medicine alumni, will also be honored.

The banquet will be from 6-8 p.m. at the Renaissance Battle House Hotel and Spa. Ticket prices for the evening are $50 per person; $1,000 for VIP reserved nonprofit sponsorship and $2,000 for the VIP reserved corporate tables. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.blackhealthmag.com/.

In honor of Black History Month, Black Health Magazine found the 25 most influential African American doctors across 15 areas in the United States. The 10-year project is designed to search and expose the hidden medical gems within the African American community. The celebration of the honorees also serves as a learning tool for students and readers interested in medicine and science careers.