USA Health Represented in Mobile Bay’s 40 Under 40

Five employees at USA Health were included in the 2016 class of the Mobile Bay 40 Under 40. The annual Mobile Bay 40 Under 40 awards identify 40 of the area’s young professionals who will benefit the community for years to come with their leadership, professional excellence and community service.

Steven Kahn, M.D.
Burn and Trauma Surgeon/ Director, Arnold Luterman Regional, USA Medical Center

"One of the youngest burn center directors in America, Steven is known nationally for his research related to firefighter safety, resuscitation of burn patients and the use of artificial skin."

Margie Friedman, RN, BSN, MSN
NICU Nurse, USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital

"For almost five years, Margie has worked in the neonatal intensive care unit, which cares for more than 80 babies a day, every day of the year."

Aishwarya Prakash, Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Oncologic Sciences, Mitchell Cancer Institute

"Aishwarya joined the team at MCI in 2016, and she’s already contributed heavily to the research center."

Marcus Tan, MBBS, FACS
Surgical Oncologist and Program Leader Liver-Biliary-Pancreas Cancer Program, Mitchell Cancer Institute

"As one of only two board-certified cancer surgeons in the Mobile area, Marcus approaches the fight against cancer as his life’s mission."

Kari Kirk Benson, Pharm D.
Pharmacist, USA Medical Center and USA Mitchell Cancer Institute
Owner, Frios Gourmet Pops

"As both a practicing pharmacist and the owner of a favorite local popsicle business, Kari has become the Bay area’s go-to source for a cure."

Learn more about each young leader listed above and view the entire 2016 Class of 40 Under Forty in the magazine’s January 2017 edition.

USA Physician Honored By the American College of Gastroenterology

Dr. Brooks Cash, professor of internal medicine at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and chief of the division of gastroenterology at USA, recently was awarded the William D. Carey Award from the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) for his outstanding leadership and work in gastroenterology.

Dr. Cash has been involved with the ACG since he was a gastroenterology fellow, first serving as chair of the Fellows in Training subcommittee. He has since served the ACG in a wide variety of capacities during the last two decades, including as ACG Governor for the Military prior to his retirement from active duty in 2013. “The ACG is one of the primary professional societies with a mission to advance gastroenterological care and promote advances in the practice of our field of medicine for the benefit of our patients,” Dr. Cash said. “I truly believe that those involved in the organization do that on a daily basis.”

In his current position within the ACG as Chair of the ACG Digital Communications and Publications Committee, Dr. Cash helps develop and curate communications that come from the ACG. He also helps organize events such as the ACG Annual Scientific meeting, where cutting edge research is presented.

“All of these efforts help drive the evolution and refinement of our medical care delivery, while also allowing me opportunities to involve junior faculty from USA in the process via mentorship and highlighting their research and clinical care expertise,” Dr. Cash said.

Dr. Cash said he is very grateful for the recognition he has received, and he sees the award as a chance to highlight the important work that the USA medical community is producing. “While recognition and accolades are not a motivation for serving, it is very humbling and affirming to be selected by my peers at the ACG for this award,” Dr. Cash said. “This award, just like those received by others throughout the USA community who receive recognition for service, academic achievement, education, and patient care, helps highlight the quality and caliber of the staff at USA.”

The annual award is the most prestigious award presented by ACG Board of Governors, a group of clinician leaders in the field of gastroenterology who are elected by their peers to represent their state ACG membership. Nominees must show clear demonstration of outstanding contributions to the ACG such as service within leadership positions, participation in educational efforts, committee service or participation in research-related activities. Governors who have completed service are eligible to receive the award.

For more information about the ACG, click here.

Jan. 5 DSS to Feature Dr. Sharon Campbell

The next Distinguished Scientist Seminar at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine will feature Dr. Sharon Campbell, professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The lecture will take place Jan. 5, 2017, at 4 p.m. in the first floor auditorium of the Medical Sciences Building on USA's main campus.

Dr. Campbell earned her Ph.D. from Yale University in New Haven, Conn. Her work has been published extensively, and her areas of interest include GTPases and cell adhesion proteins.

The lecture series is comprised of distinguished scientists from other academic institutions who are invited by the USA College of Medicine basic science departments to present a seminar showcasing their latest research findings. Faculty, staff and students are strongly encouraged to attend.

Dr. Simmons Recognized by American Association for the Surgery of Trauma

Dr. Jon Simmons (center), associate professor of surgery at the USA College of Medicine, poses for a photo with Gina Capley (left), a research assistant at the USA College of Medicine and Dr. Victor Pastukh, instructor of pharmacology at the USA College of Medicine.

Dr. Jon Simmons, associate professor of surgery at the USA College of Medicine and a trauma surgeon at USA Medical Center, recently was honored with the Peter C. Canizaro Award given by the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST).

The prestigious award is given to a new member of AAST who presented the best manuscript at the organization’s annual meeting.

“Dr. Simmons is an outstanding young surgeon-scientist, and he is the first person from Alabama to ever receive this prestigious award,” said Dr. Sid Brevard, professor of surgery at the USA College of Medicine and director of the division of acute care surgery and burns. “His research has brought attention to the cutting-edge work being done at USA.”

The 2016 AAST meeting was held in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii, in September. At the meeting, Dr. Simmons presented “Potential contribution of mitochondrial (mt) DNA Damage Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMPs) in transfusion products to the development of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) after multiple transfusions.”

Dr. Simmons’ presentation focused on research he completed using funds from an American Heart Association grant. His research explored the idea that extracellular mtDNA are present in transfusion products and are associated with the occurrence of a severe form of lung injury – termed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) – that occurs after massive transfusions.

“Through multiple experiments and clinical studies over the past three years, our findings support the idea that extracellular mtDNA in transfusion products significantly contributes to development of ARDS after massive transfusions,” Dr. Simmons said. “Dr. Mark Gillespie and I took knowledge learned from our basic research and applied it in a clinical context. This study resulted in a new paradigm in the understanding of complications related to blood transfusions.”

“This is one of the most interesting and significant project on which I have ever worked, and it was entirely the product of Jon’s fertile mind and keen insight,” said Dr. Gillespie, who is professor and chair of the department of pharmacology at the USA College of Medicine. “With admitted bias, I think he may have started a breakthrough in the care of the severely injured patient.”

Dr. Simmons said he is honored to receive the award, but that much of the credit should be given to our laboratory technicians – specifically Annie Muscat and Gina Capley – as well as his collaborator, Dr. Victor Pastukh, who is an instructor of pharmacology at the USA College of Medicine.

“The technical aspects of this particular project were very challenging, and it could not have been done without their expertise, guidance and hard work,” Simmons said. “This project is a shining example of what occurs at USA. Our goal is not only to treat a specific disease, but also to find a cure.”

The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) is the most prominent trauma society in the world. The AAST established the Peter C. Canizaro Award in 1991 in recognition of his multiple contributions to the care of injured patients.

Dr. Terri Babineau to Present Two Lectures at USA College of Medicine

The University of South Alabama College of Medicine is hosting two lectures featuring Dr. Terri Babineau, former assistant dean of student affairs and global and service learning and associate professor of family medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in Norfolk, Va.

Dr. Babineau will present “Burnout in Healthcare and Mindfulness Tools” to first- and second-year medical students at noon on Jan. 5, 2017, in the Health Sciences Building, Room 1013.

She also will present a joint Grand Rounds lecture for the departments of obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics, titled “Narrative Medicine in Response to Burnout,” on Jan. 6, 2017, at 7:30 a.m. in the Atlantis Room in the CWEB-2 building behind USA Children's & Women's Hospital. The USA Department of Internal Medicine is sponsoring the Grand Rounds lecture.

Dr. Babineau earned her bachelor of science degree in nursing at the University of Virginia and her medical degree from EVMS, where she also completed a family medicine residency. She is currently pursuing a master of studies degree in mindfulness based cognitive therapy at the University of Oxford in Oxford, U.K.

While at EVMS, Dr. Babineau also served as medical director of the HOPES Student Run Free Clinic and director of community outreach and global learning. She has received numerous awards, including the EVMS President’s Faculty Award for Teaching in the Clinical Sciences and the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award from the Gold Foundation for Humanism in Medicine.