USA Physicians Group Provides Seasonal Flu Vaccine Clinics

Cassie Roote (above right) and Dr. Tom Rich (below left), receive a seasonal flu vaccine during a vaccination clinic this week. USA Physicians Group provided free flu vaccines for USA employees and family members covered under the USA Health and Dental Plan. Clinics will continue on Friday, Sept. 23. To view a complete schedule, visit www.usahealthsystem.com/fluvaccine.

Med Students Learn from Interaction with Actors

As part of their medical school training, medical students at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine interact with local actors to improve their communication skills and give them experience in establishing relationships with patients.

To view an article on the topic featured in Sunday's Press-Register, click here. To view a photo gallery, click here.

Blood Drive To Be Held Sept. 29 & 30

The University of South Alabama Medical Center is hosting a LifeSouth Community Blood Centers Blood Drive in the Medical Center's 10th floor dining room. The dates and times are as follows:

Thursday, Sept. 29 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 30 from 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.

All registered donors will receive a free meal ticket, a LifeSouth recognition item and will be entered into a regional drawing for a pair of Bayfest Weekend Passes.

For more information, call (251) 471-7408.

Next Week's DSS - Dr. Nicolas Musi

The next Distinguished Scientist Seminar at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine will be presented by Dr. Nicolas Musi, associate professor of medicine and director of the Center for Healthy Aging at the University of Texas Health Sciences in San Antonio.

Dr. Musi's talk, titled "Metabolic Endotoxemia and Insulin Resistance," will take place on Oct. 6, 2011, at 4 p.m. in the Medical Sciences Building auditorium on USA's main campus.

Dr. Musi is also associate director for translational research at the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies and director of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center at South Texas Veterans Health Care System.

His research interests involve aging, diabetes, and exercise. His area of expertise focuses on molecular mechanisms of insulin action and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle.

Dr. Musi earned a medical degree from Universidad Anahuac in Mexico City. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Medical Center. In addition, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at Joslin Diabetes Center-Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

For more information on Dr. Musi’s research, click here.

Dr. Honkanen Featured in Press-Register

Dr. Richard E. Honkanen, professor of biochemistry at the USA College of Medicine, was featured in Friday's Press-Register. He was recently awarded a five-year Transformative Research Project Award by the National Institutes of Health, totaling $1,695,625.

To read the entire Press-Register article, click here.