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Above: Dr. Iyer and Music Therapist Hannah Oakes, facilitate a recital for a patient in the MICU using a telehealth cart. Photo by University Relations/Steve Wood.

Since June, six ASO musicians have performed roughly 70 live, private, solo and virtual recitals for patients in the MICU who have respiratory failure due to COVID-19. The innovative musical therapy is a collaborative effort between Anand Iyer, MD, MSPH, (Assistant Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care), and Maria Wilson, educational initiatives manager for the ASO, who were high-school classmates. Together, they have managed to bring a bit of musical respite to these critically ill patients and boost morale for the health care team at the same time. They use the secure UAB eMedicine platform and telehealth carts — the same secure UAB eMedicine platform used for family meetings for ICU patients — for the virtual concerts.

Pictured above: Research staff Kathryn Monroe, Katie Slaten, Sue Ellen Binkley and Heather Hawthorne (seated) will coordinate outpatient visits at the new facility.As DOM investigators aggressively search for new insights and treatments to fight the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the demand for space to safely and effectively carry out clinical trials has grown. Thanks to a collaborative effort involving UAB Medicine, the School of Medicine and the Department, we have renovated the 820 Building to provide six outpatient exam rooms and sufficient office space to safely cohort our patients and providers. The clinic will be home to new investigations across several sub-specialties, as well as follow up care from prior studies. If you would like to learn more about the clinic and how you can access the space for research, please contact Dr. Cindy Joiner, Associate Vice Chair.

Pictured above: Preventive Medicine's Kimberly Braden and Dr. Teresa Wallace at site.

A new COVID-19 testing site has launched at Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Authority in partnership with Live HealthSmart Alabama and the Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center. The site offers both drive-through and walk-up testing to the community. Raegan Durant, MD (Associate Professor, Preventive Medicine and Medical Director for Cooper Green Mercy Health Services) reports this site makes testing possible and convenient for patients with reduced access to care, and it will help control the spread of COVID-19 amidst flu season.

Pictured above: Center Associate Director Steven Austad, PhD; Center Director Cynthia J. Brown, MD, MSPH; Center Associate Director Erik Roberson, MD, PhD

The Integrative Center for Aging Research (ICAR) has made four $25,000 awards to advance aging research at UAB. These pilot funds will enable investigators to explore stem cell resilience, post-surgery delirium, the effects of androgen therapy on cognition and a new form of cognitive rehab after COVID critical care. Three awardees are from the School of Medicine, and one from the UAB College of Arts and Sciences: Constanza Cortes, PhD (CDIB); Roy Martin, PhD (Neurology); Noha Sharafeldin, MBBCh, PhD (Medicine); and Edward Taub, PhD (CAS, Psychology). Since ICAR's inception, it has invested $350,000 in pilot funding, which has returned more than $19 million in extramural grants and awards.

*Photo of CFAR Investigators, November 2019. Donna Porter, Aadia Rana, Mike Mugavero, Jeanne Marrazzo, Paul Goepfert, Mary Bergeron, Mike Saag, Shirley Selvage, Nathan Erdmann, Edward Jackson. Lynn Matthews not pictured.

UAB CFAR Investigators have received a $5 million supplement as part of the NIH Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Underserved Populations initiative. Their project, "A Dynamic COVID-19 Community-Engaged Testing Strategy in Alabama" will transfer community-informed HIV testing knowledge to address the urgent need for rapid scale-up of SARS-CoV-2 testing among underserved rural, socio-economically disadvantaged, and Black/African American populations. Investigators will work together with interdisciplinary scientists from across UAB to conduct 36,000 SARS-CoV-2 tests statewide. Project leaders include PI Mike Saag, MD, Project PI Mike Mugavero, MD, MHSc, and Program Directors Aadia Rana, MD, and Lynn Matthews, MD, MPH.