Dr. Gil Brogdon Honored by Alabama Academy of Radiology

The Alabama Academy of Radiology recently awarded its highest honor, the Silver Medal, to Dr. Gil Brogdon (left), University Distinguished Professor Emeritus and former chair of the department of radiology.

Dr. Mark LeQuire (right), president of the Alabama Academy of Radiology, presented the award during the academy's annual meeting Oct. 26-27, 2012, in Huntsville, Ala.

The award was presented to Dr. Brogdon in recognition of his career accomplishments and services to radiological and medical organizations.

The Alabama Academy of Radiology is the state chapter of the American College of Radiology. Dr. Brogdon began an 18 month term as president of the American College of Radiology in 1978, the year he joined the USA College of Medicine faculty.

USA Physicians Group Participates in Employee Benefits Fair

Kim Partridge (above center), USA Patient Navigator, and Tommie Carlisle (above right), coordinator for Health Services operations, represent USA Physicians Group at the Employee Benefits Fair.

Joy Glenn (left), EKG Technologist with the USA Physicians Group, checks an employee's blood pressure. USA Cardiology also handed out heart healthy information at the event.

The University of South Alabama Physicians Group recently participated in USA's 8th annual Employee Benefits Fair hosted by Human Resources.

At the event, the departments of cardiology, bariatric surgery, neurology, and physical therapy were all on hand to answer health questions and provide guidance. The USA Mitchell Cancer Institute and the USA College of Nursing's Our Neighborhood Healthcare Clinic also participated in the event.

In addition, the Employee Benefits Fair allowed employees to learn more about employee benefits such as the USA Health & Dental Plan and SouthFlex.

As a reminder, for those covered by USA Health and Dental Plan insurance, co-pays are only $10 per visit with any provider in the USA Physicians Group. To make an appointment with any USA Physician, call (251) 434-3711.

USA Biomedical Library Recognized at Medical Library Association Meeting

Clista Clanton, assistant librarian at the USA Biomedical Library, shown at 15 Place. Clanton works to promote health literacy at the shelter.

The University of South Alabama Biomedical Library recently received the 2012 Distinguished Library Award from the Consortium of Southern Biomedical Libraries (CONBLS) at the Southern Chapter of the Medical Library Association’s (SC/MLA) meeting in Baltimore.

The Distinguished Library Award was given for the USA Biomedical Library’s involvement with Our Neighborhood Healthcare Clinic, a nurse-managed clinic that provides health and wellness services to patients by collaborating with different community agencies.

Wellness clinics have been established in two community agencies serving traditionally underserved populations: 15 Place, a day shelter for homeless people, and the Dumas Wesley Community Center, an urban community center with programs for senior citizens and formerly homeless women and their children.

According to Judy Burnham, director of the USA Biomedical Library, the library’s project involved promoting clearer communication between health professionals and patients at the two clinics.

Clista Clanton, assistant librarian at the USA Biomedical Library, received funding for the project in 2010 through an Outreach Award from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine/Southeastern Atlantic Region.

“Working with health care professionals and students, Clista works to promote health literacy and evidence-based practice at both sites,” Burnham said. “She purchased netbooks and printers for each location in order to provide consumer health information and education at the point of care, to promote health literacy and evidence-based practice, and to track patient data.”

Additionally, Clanton teaches quarterly computer literacy classes for the new residents of the Sybil Smith Family Village, a residency program for formerly homeless women and their children that is part of the Dumas Wesley Community Center.

Andrea Wright, another librarian from the USA Biomedical Library, volunteers weekly in the computer lab at the Sybil Smith Family Village to keep the software up-to-date and the computers running. She also assists the residents with research, social networking and online job applications.

In addition to receiving the Distinguished Library Award, the USA Biomedical Library presented four posters at the meeting. One poster – A Bibliometric Analysis Comparing International Collaboration Rates Over Two Decades: 1991-2010 – won the 1st Place Research Poster Award. The researchers involved in this project were physical therapy students, co-supervised by Burnham.

Also at the event, Geneva Staggs, senior librarian at the USA Biomedical Library, was presented with the association’s Hospital Librarian of the Year award, established to recognize a hospital librarian who exemplifies excellence, promotes leadership, and pursues continued high levels of achievement in the field of library science.

To read more about the award presented to Staggs, click here.

This Week's DSS - Dr. Sebastien Bonnet

The next Distinguished Scientist Seminar at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine will feature Dr. Sebastien Bonnet, associate professor of medicine and Canadian Research Chair in vascular biology at Laval University in Quebec. Dr. Bonnet also serves as director of CRIUCPQ, the pulmonary hypertension research group in Quebec.

The lecture, titled “The Molecular Origin of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension,” will be held Nov. 8, 2012, at 4 p.m. in the Medical Sciences Building auditorium on USA’s main campus.

Dr. Bonnet’s research primarily focuses on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and coronary disease.

The accomplishments of Dr. Bonnet led to the discovery of mechanisms that cause pulmonary arterial hypertension, a fatal disease that mainly strikes young adults. His team also discovered two substances likely to treat this disease effectively.

Dr. Bonnet earned a doctorate in vascular physiopathology in France and a post doctorate in vascular biology in Alberta.

He has received numerous awards, including the 2011 Fellow of the American Heart Association, Best Canadian Research in Hypertension (CHC), the Paul Mann Award in Translational Research (University of Alberta), the Muster Fraser Award (CIHR award), and the Cournand and Comroe Award (AHA).

In addition, he has authored papers regarding pulmonary hypertension research for several journals, including Circulation, Journal of Experimental Medicine, Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, Journal of Steroids and Hormonal Science, and Journal of Molecular Medicine.

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