Howell wins for poster presentation on MOWA Medical Hub Partnership

Caroline Howell presents her poster at the

ACU conference.

Third-year medical student Caroline Howell, one of the program coordinators for the USA Student-Run Free Clinic, recently attended the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) conference in Washington, D.C. 

Howell was selected as the winner of the poster award for her presentation detailing the collaboration between the USA Student-Run Free Clinic, the USA Health Center for Healthy Communities, and the MOWA Choctaw Nation tribe in Mt. Vernon, Alabama.

The ongoing initiative, called the MOWA Medical Hub Partnership, aims to identify and address community needs of the Choctaw tribe. Efforts have included STEM educational activities for the tribal youth, free health screenings, and healthcare education sessions. 

Howell said she was elated when she received the news of the award. “Our poster detailed the work and efforts of so many people committed to making a positive impact within the Choctaw community,” she said. “I believe that our presentation aligned with the values of the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved, and to feel their support in the form of this poster award is incredibly validating and encouraging to us.” 

Presenting at the ACU conference was an impactful experience for Howell, she said, as it allowed her to network with healthcare professionals who are striving to meet needs within underserved communities. “I was able to discuss our presentation involving the efforts of our Student-Run Free Clinic in conjunction with the USA Health Center for Healthy Communities and hear from other professionals about their ongoing work with free clinics across the country,” she said. 

As the poster winner, Howell will have the opportunity to meet with faculty and staff from the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved to discuss recommendations for developing the poster into a manuscript to submit for review. 

Howell acknowledged the hard work each of the authors who contributed to the presentation: medical students Thomas Robinson, M.S.; Emily Cleveland and Chandler Hinson, MBA; Antonette Francis-Shearer, Ph.D., health education manager at the Center for Healthy Communities; and Ashley Williams Hogue, M.D., assistant professor of surgery and director of the Center for Healthy Communities.

“It's amazing what can happen when people are united with the common goal of serving others,” Howell said. 

Nelson awarded $2.68 million NIH grant to study impact of pneumonia on the brain

Multiphon image taken by Amy R. Nelson, Ph.D., of blood

vessels (white) and pericyte cell bodies (pink) in a healthy

brain, as published in Alzheimer's & Dementia.

With a $2.68 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, scientists at the University of South Alabama aim to understand the impact of pneumonia on the brain.

Amy R. Nelson, Ph.D., an associate professor of physiology and cell biology at the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, is principal investigator of the project, which brings together experts in brain and lung biology. The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Research Project Grant Program (R01) over a five-year period.

Postoperative pneumonia, also known as hospital-acquired pneumonia, occurs in about 2% to 8% of patients following surgery and increases the length of hospital stay and mortality. Some pneumonia survivors, including those with post-intensive care unit syndrome, experience cognitive deficits, reducing their quality of life and causing healthcare and financial hardships. 

Pneumonia-associated microorganisms, such as P. aeruginosa bacteria, trigger lung endothelial production and the release of several cytotoxic amyloids, including tau, that are key pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloids are proteins that can build up in tissues and organs and disrupt their function.

Mike Lin, Ph.D., a professor of physiology and cell biology, and his collaborators previously reported that cytotoxic tau produced by lung endothelial cells in response to bacterial pneumonia infection accumulates in the brain, resulting in impaired learning and memory. Lin is also a co-investigator on this new project.

“The main focus of this study is whether cytotoxic tau from the lungs impacts cells supporting brain blood vessels,” Nelson said. “We will also determine the impact of the greatest genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer’s disease, apolipoprotein E4, on brain injury during pneumonia. Previous studies have shown that apolipoprotein E4 carriers had a greater prevalence of dying from COVID-19. The link between apolipoprotein E4 and pneumonia is an understudied new direction that perhaps may explain why E4 carriers have an increased risk of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease.” 

This is a preclinical, translational study using experimental models, clinical samples, and post-mortem tissues to determine human relevance, Nelson said.

Contributors to the project from the University of South Alabama include Lin; Mikhail Alexeyev, Ph.D., associate professor of physiology and cell biology; Ron Balczon, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology; Osama Elkadi, M.D., associate professor of pathology; and Troy Stevens, Ph.D., professor and chair of physiology and cell biology. 

Image source: Silva NCBS, Bracko O, Nelson AR, et al. Vascular cognitive impairment and dementia: An early career researcher perspective. Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2022;14(1):e12310. Published 2022 Apr 27. doi:10.1002/dad2.12310

Biomedical sciences student earns prestigious national scholarship

Anita Nguyen

Anita Nguyen was on the other side of the world when she received the news that she was one of the 10 students nationwide among 3,000 applicants to be awarded a prestigious scholarship.   

“I received the notification for my selection while on my study abroad trip to the United Kingdom for my British Contributions to Science and Medicine course,” she said. “It was a wonderful addition to my day trip to Nottingham.”  

Nguyen was awarded the 2024 Marion B. Sewers Distinguished Scholarship for Undergraduates given to students who demonstrate an interest in the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology and enhance the diversity of science, according to the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB).    

Awards are based on academic merit, demonstrated need, overcoming barriers, career and/or research goals, and substantial contributions to enhancing diversity and advancing the scientific field.  

Nguyen’s application stood out because of her commitment to fostering scientific diversity through community service and her leadership in the sciences at the University of South Alabama.  

Through the week and on the weekends, she spends time tutoring middle and high school students at the Wilmer Hall Children’s Home in math and science.   

“I find it very important that these children have a strengthened foundation in their knowledge of math and science so that careers in these fields are viable options for them to pursue,” she said.   

Nguyen also encourages discussion and collaboration among the diversity of students in the biomedical sciences department as a vice president of USA’s ASBMB chapter.   

“As a first-generation American and college student, I find it necessary that we as a science community continue to invite those from marginalized communities so there is a continuation of these progressive ideas,” she said. “I personally continue this mission through assembling the pre-health social and collaborating with eight STEM-based student clubs with the intent of bringing students of various science fields together to strengthen and build a diverse scientific community.”  

Among her mentors, she specifically expressed her gratitude to Phoibe Renema, Ph.D., the chapter’s faculty adviser and an assistant professor in the biomedical sciences department, and Glen Borchert, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacology at the Whiddon College of Medicine and a professor of biology in USA’s College of Arts and Sciences.  

For Borchert, Nguyen’s continued success comes as no surprise.  

“Anita continues to win national awards like these because in addition to maintaining academic excellence, she is already engaged in (and finding success at) graduate-level medical research,” he said. “Perhaps just as important, she has a real knack at conveying complex scientific ideas to nonscientists.”  

The scholarship is named in honor of Dr. Marion B. Sewer, a professor of pharmacology at the University of California, San Diego, and former chair of the ASBMB Maximizing Access Committee (formerly Minority Affairs Committee). Sewer had a strong interest in mentoring students, particularly those from underrepresented groups.   

Family medicine adds new physician with obstetrics training

Danielle Turnquest, M.D.

Danielle Turnquest, M.D., a native of the Bahamas, brings an interest in women’s health and caring for underserved communities to her new role at USA Health as a family medicine physician.  

Turnquest, an assistant professor of family medicine in the Whiddon College of Medicine, also combined these passions during a family medicine obstetrics fellowship.   

“I have always found it important to help my patients through all stages of life, from newborns, to becoming a teenager, family planning, aging and for some, their end-of-life care,” she said. “As physicians we treat our patients’ physical diseases, but also provide spiritual, social and mental support for each stage of life and its transitions.”  

Turnquest, who is board-certified by the American Academy of Family Physicians, graduated magna cum laude from Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens, Florida with a bachelor’s degree in biology. She completed medical school at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee.  

Her next stop was Kent Hospital at Brown University in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where she finished her family medicine residency. She continued her studies in family medicine with additional training in obstetrics during a fellowship at Christ Community Health Services in Memphis, Tennessee.  

Family medicine obstetrics fellowships are an emerging program in medical training, and are available at select institutions in 29 states, according to the American Board of Physician Specialties. Many point to this type of training as a way to provide much-needed obstetric care to pregnant women in rural areas.   

“My training at both Meharry and Brown University prepared me to work with patients from low socioeconomic backgrounds,” she said. “This included assessing and treating their chief complaints, social determinants of health, and working with interdisciplinary teams to provide the best support and framework for treatment.”  

Turnquest will join the USA Health Department of Family Medicine, which recently formed a partnership with Accordia Health, the primary care division of AltaPointe Health, that is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC).   

In the United States, FQHCs play a crucial role in increasing access to quality healthcare services for underserved populations, improving health outcomes and reducing healthcare disparities. As an FQHC, Accordia accepts all patients, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.   

Providing exceptional care to patients of all ages drew her to family practice, but the opportunity to teach future providers also drew her to the academic health system.  

“It is important to share your knowledge and training to the next generation so they can continue in the practice of caring for others and advancing the field of medicine,” she said. “That way with every generation it gets better and better.”  

Turnquest is available to treat conditions like allergies, anxiety, depression, cold and flu, diabetes, hypertension, urinary tract infections and more. She also provides prenatal care and will deliver babies at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital.  

She is accepting new patients at the Family Medicine Center located at 2419 Gordon Smith Drive in Mobile. To schedule an appointment, call 251-434-3475.  

OB-GYN book club and grand rounds to feature guest speaker Emily Voorde

Emily Voorde

The Department of OB-GYN will host its quarterly book club at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, in the Atlantis Room. The group will discuss the book “Disability Visibility” and welcome special guest speaker Emily Voorde from INTO Strategies. 

Voorde will also present grand rounds to the department at 7:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 20, in the Atlantis Room and via Zoom. 

Voorde is vice chair of the National Council on Disability and the founder and CEO of INTO Strategies, a disabled-led firm bringing people into moments, movements and campaigns. She served in the White House Office of Public Engagement as the Biden-Harris Administration’s liaison to Disabled Americans and K-12 educators. Voorde’s personal passions and professional expertise center on justice for individuals with disabilities and equitable access to education. 

She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Education from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master of Public Policy in Education from Vanderbilt University.

Dinner will be served at book club. Sign up on the Google form. 

Breakfast will be served at grand rounds. Sign up on the Google form.  

USA Health Game Day shirts available to order

Get ready for USA Health Game Day 2024! The annual employee appreciation event is set for Tuesday, Oct. 15, as the South Alabama Jaguars take on the Troy Trojans. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the USA campus. 

USA Health employees and volunteers, and Whiddon College of Medicine faculty, staff, medical and graduate students, are each eligible to receive two free tickets to the football game and two wristbands to attend the tailgate event.  

This year, T-shirts are available to order online through Promotional Designs: promo-designs.com/product/game-day-long-sleeve-shirt.  

The deadline to order T-shirts is Friday, Sept. 13. They will be available for pickup at the location selected in early October. A limited number of shirts will be available for cash purchase at hospital gift shops. 

More information on Game Day registration and tailgate event to come. Go Jags!

Watermark workshops planned for Sept. 11

The Office of Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development will host two upcoming workshops on Sept. 11 for faculty interested in learning more about Watermark Faculty Success, an online tool for maintaining faculty activities.

Wednesday, Sept. 11:

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
Strada Patient Care Center
Room 1101

2 – 3 p.m.
Medical Sciences Building (Main Campus)
Third-floor multipurpose room

For more information or questions, contact Emily Wilson, Ph.D., (emilyw@southalabama.edu) or Jeanna M. Smith (jmsmith@southalabama.edu) in the Office of Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development.

USA SRFC board members publish article in Journal of Student-Run Clinics

The 2023 USA Student-Run Free Clinic board gather in the Medical Sciences Building.

Members of the 2023 USA Student-Run Free Clinic board recently published an article in the Journal of Student-Run Clinics titled “Impact of Patient Education on Establishing Trust as the Medical Student Provider: A Student-Run Free Clinic Experience.”

In the article, recent graduates of the Whiddon College of Medicine David Salchert, M.D., and Marley Lee, M.D.; current medical students Chandler Hinson, MBA, and Allen Perkins, M.S.; and former clinic adviser Stephanie Rudolf, DNP, RN, highlight the role that patient education sessions have in building trust between patient and provider. 

These sessions were shown to empower patients, leading to improved medication compliance, timely seeking of medical care, and overall improved health behaviors.

The Journal of Student-Run Clinics is a student-run, peer-reviewed publication. The primary goals are to spread inspiration for and increase communication regarding student-run clinics (SRCs) and best practices in patient care, student education, and practice management in such clinics through the regular showcasing of original media submitted by students and faculty actively involved in SRCs around the globe. 

View the full article in the Journal of Student-Run Clinics.