New Primary Care Practice Established on Hillcrest Road

Dr. Charla Evans, left, and Dr. Daniela Weatherly see patients at Hillcrest Primary Care.

Dr. Charla Evans and Dr. Daniela Weatherly recently joined USA Health as family medicine physicians at a newly established practice, Hillcrest Primary Care.

Dr. Evans earned her medical degree from the University of North Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. She then completed her residency training in family medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, followed by an obstetrical fellowship at UAB.

Prior to joining USA, Dr. Evans served as a family medicine physician at Infirmary Health Diagnostic and Medical Clinic in Mobile. She is a member of the American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, Medical Association of the State of Alabama, Mobile Medical Society and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Dr. Evans and Dr. Weatherly with the staff at Hillcrest Primary Care.

Earlier this year, Dr. Evans received Lagniappe’s 2018 Nappie Award for Mobile Bay’s Best Doctor.

Dr. Weatherly earned her medical degree from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Craiova, Romania. She then completed her residency training in family medicine at Texas Tech Family Practice in Amarillo, Texas.

Prior to joining USA, Dr. Weatherly served as a family medicine physician at Diagnostic and Medical Clinic in Mobile. She is fluent in English, Romanian, Italian, French and Spanish.

Hillcrest Primary Care, a new practice located at 1261 Hillcrest Rd., is part of USA Health Physicians Group. Dr. Evans and Dr. Weatherly are accepting new patients. To make an appointment, call (251) 660-5940.

Surgical Oncologist Dr. J. Harrison Howard Joins USA Health

Dr. J. Harrison Howard recently joined the University of South Alabama College of Medicine as an associate professor in the Department of Surgery and a surgical oncologist with USA Health.

Dr. Howard had most recently served as an assistant professor of surgery at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute at The Ohio State University. He will focus his practice at USA Health on the treatment of melanoma, sarcoma and GI malignancies.

“I see a real opportunity to offer cutting-edge cancer care to the people in lower Alabama, coastal Mississippi and the Florida panhandle,” he said. “Being a native of Alabama, I’m also excited to come back and serve the state I love.”

Dr. Howard said that a career in academic medicine gives him the opportunity to work with medical students and residents, conduct research, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams on patient care.

“The advent of immunotherapy is one of the most revolutionary treatment advances we’ve seen in all of cancer care,” he said. “The side effects are so minimal. It’s exciting to see patients who are treated with state-of-the-art therapy continue to live their lives and feel good.”

A native of Birmingham, Dr. Howard earned his medical degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed his residency at UAB Hospital. He served as a surgical oncology fellow at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California. He is board certified in general surgery.

He is accepting new patients. To make an appointment with Dr. Howard, call (251) 434-3711.

USA Health Welcomes Surgical Oncologist Dr. Annabelle L. Fonseca

Dr. Annabelle L. Fonseca recently joined the University of South Alabama College of Medicine as an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery and a surgical oncologist with USA Health.

Dr. Fonseca completed a fellowship in complex general surgical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2018. At USA, her clinical focus will be tumors of the liver, pancreas, gastric and biliary system, as well as other gastrointestinal tumors.

Dr. Fonseca has a special interest in the treatment of patients with cystic diseases of the pancreas. Her research focuses on pancreatic cystic disease, and the progression of these lesions to pancreatic cancer. She also conducts clinical research seeking to improve delivery of care and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing surgery. “In addition to providing high quality health care, we can make a huge difference through research,” she said.

Dr. Michael A. Finan, director of the USA Mitchell Cancer Institute, said, “We are assembling an incredibly talented team of cancer surgeons to address complex cases and to advance knowledge through cutting-edge cancer research. Two of our surgical oncologists, Dr. Fonseca and Dr. Spencer Liles, trained at MD Anderson. Patients throughout the Gulf Coast region can receive the highest quality of cancer care right here in Mobile at the USA Mitchell Cancer Institute.”

A native of Mumbai, India, Dr. Fonseca earned her medical degree at Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil Medical College in India. She continued her training at Yale University, obtaining a Master of Health Science degree at Yale University School of Medicine. While at MD Anderson, she also completed a National Institute of Health T32 research fellowship focusing on pancreatic cystic disease.

Dr. Fonseca said she was drawn to surgical oncology because it is a field that is emotionally fulfilling. “It allows us to work with and help patients during their most difficult times, and offer them a chance for cure," she said.

Dr. Fonseca is accepting new patients. To make an appointment, call (251) 434-3711.

Department of Surgery to host Frazer/Leigh Memorial Lecture

Dr. Kenneth Sharp, professor and vice chairman of the Vanderbilt University Department of Surgery, will present two upcoming CME-accredited lectures.

Both lectures are open to the public and are made possible through the Emmett B. Frazer, MD., 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. Sharp will present his first lecture, "Will Surgical Societies Be Relevant in the Future?" at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, in the Strada Patient Care Center conference room.

He will also present the grand rounds lecture, "Modern Surgical Treatment of Achalasia," at 7 a.m. Friday, Nov. 2, in the University Hospital conference room.

Dr. Sharp earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and completed his residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System. He completed a fellowship at Lock Haven VA Hospital and post-graduate training at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University. He is board-certified in general surgery by the American Board of 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) 445-8230.