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The William A. Daniel Jr. Adolescent Health Center launched its voter registration drive on Tuesday, Sept. 1. The Voter Registration Initiative is a unique nonpartisan program done in collaboration with Government and Community Relations at Children’s of Alabama that provides voting age adolescents, young adults and parents the opportunity to register to vote, apply for an absentee ballot and learn more about voting in Alabama. Through this initiative, patients and their parents have the opportunity to register to vote during their visit to the Adolescent Clinic using iPads or by scanning a QR code with their phone. During their clinic visit, they are also shown how to access information on clinic iPads such as their voting location and the identification needed to vote.

On Thursday, Sept. 2, several faculty and staff gathered virtually for the first Thursday Thoughts forum. The forum allowed for those in attendance to have an open dialogue about systemic racism and health disparities that impact our patients and the children in Alabama. During the discussion, there were many great thoughts and ideas shared and different ways to create change and improvements were suggested. The attendees hope to work on implementing the action items that people suggested and hope that the next Thursday Thoughts will continue the great discussion from the first meeting.

The UAB Department of Pediatrics welcomes three new faculty members during the month of August. Please join us in making them feel at home! 

Jessica Schmitt, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes
Nora Switchenko, M.D., Assistant Professor in Neonatology
Carmelle Wallace, M.D., MPH, DTMH, Assistant Professor in Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Dan Feig, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Nephrology, received a Service Award from the Pediatric Academic Society in gratitude for his leadership, service, and commitment as a member of the Pediatric Academic Societies 2020 Meeting Program Committee. Dr. Feig represented the International Pediatric Hypertension Association on the Meeting Program Committee. His dedication to advancing child health and working collaboratively with other researchers and health care professionals made a significant contribution to building a high-quality scientific program.

Congratulations Dr. Feig!

Effective September 1, 2020, Jamie Aye, M.D., and Christy Bemrich-Stolz, M.D., both assistant professors in the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, will assume leadership roles in the division.

Dr. Aye has been named medical director of Inpatient Services for the UAB Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology. She obtained her medical degree from Mercer University School of Medicine. She completed her residency at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and her pediatric hematology oncology fellowship at UAB. Dr. Aye is currently a member of the Solid Tumor Program in the division. As medical director of Inpatient Services, Dr. Aye will refine our inpatient models to provide the best education and patient care.  She will enact policies to the address the needs of the resident and NP services and she will collaborate with administration, IT, patient relations, and pharmacy to improve processes such as chemotherapy safety. 

Dr. Bemrich-Stolz has been named medical director of Outpatient Services for the UAB Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology. She currently directs the Bleeding Disorders Program in the division. Dr. Bemrich-Stolz is a UAB thoroughbred, completing her undergrad, medical school, pediatric residency, and pediatric hematology-oncology fellowship at UAB. As medical director of Outpatient Services, she will oversee and help improve the processes to provide the best care possible to patients seen in our pediatric hematology-oncology outpatient clinic. She will serve as a liaison to Children’s of Alabama Outpatient Services, work with our divisional quality improvement/patient safety officer on efforts to improve the delivery of services in the clinic arena, and enact policies to the address the needs of the faculty and staff in clinic 8. 

Congratulations to Drs. Aye and Bemrich-Stolz!

Matthew Alexander, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Neurology, has been selected to receive the 2020-2021 McNulty Civitan Scientist Award. This honor is given on behalf of the McNulty Civitan Scientist Committee and the UAB Civitan International Research Center. Dr. Alexander was selected in recognition of his excellence in neurodevelopmental disorders research and will help fund continuation of his work.

"The award is a reflection of my lab's determination and focus on helping children and adults with neuromuscular disorders through our research,” said Dr. Alexander. “I am honored every day to work with fantastic clinical and basic science researchers whom prioritize developmental disabilities research at UAB and the Civitan International Research Center".

Congratulations Dr. Alexander!

Congratulations to Karen Wang, M.D., pediatrics resident, on receiving the Rud Polhill Award. This award is presented every year by the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine in memory of Dr. Rutherford B. Polhill to an intern who demonstrates excellence in pediatric emergency medicine and dedication to life-long-learning.

Dr. Rud Polhill was an esteemed faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics and former division director for the UAB Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine who unexpectedly died in April 2002. Lifelong learning was his passion and he had just given a grand rounds presentation entitled “Lifelong Model of Pediatric Education.” His tragic passing stunned us all but through his leadership, he inspired our division to engage in lifelong learning so that we could provide the best care possible for our patients.

Children’s of Alabama and the Kaul Pediatric Research Institute (KPRI) are pleased to announce the 2020 Quality and Safety Awards. The major goal of the KPRI Quality and Safety Grant Program is to allow teams to identify and address specific quality and safety issues that cannot easily be addressed using existing operational resources or structures.

This year, two grants were awarded. All funded applications are directed toward the improvement of child health care. Thank you to all who submitted applications!

Samantha Hill, M.D., MPH, assistant professor in the Division of Adolescent Medicine, was awarded the NIH funded R01 diversity supplement, “Effectiveness of a Smoking Cessation Algorithm Integrated into HIV Primary Care.” This diversity supplement will provide her training and experience in the area of co-use of cannabis and tobacco.

David Askenazi, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Nephrology, has been selected to serve on the International Pediatric Nephrology Association Special Projects Subcommittee AKI and 0by25 for a three-year term.

Jennifer Guimbellot, M.D., Ph.D., and Gabriela Oates, Ph.D., both assistant professors in the Division of Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, contributed chapters to the new book, “Cystic Fibrosis: A Multi-Organ System Approach,” part of Springer Nature’s Respiratory Medicine series. 

Kent Willis, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Neonatology, has been awarded the UAB Microbiome Center Pilot Grant to help fund his project titled, “The Gut-Lung Axis Shapes Innate Pulmonary Immunity in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.” This project will explore how bacteria and fungi that live in the gut and lungs interact with the innate immune system in the lungs.

Ambika Ashraf, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, has been selected to lead the 2021 Pediatric Endocrine Society meeting. Dr. Ashraf will co-chair the program committee for the society's first independent, annual meeting.

Pallavi Iyer, M.D., associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, has been appointed to the American Academy of Pediatrics Pediatrics Review and Education Program (PREP) Endocrinology Editorial Board. As a member of the PREP Endocrinology Editorial Board, Dr. Iyer will play an important role in the development and success of the PREP Endocrinology Self Assessment. 

The UAB Department of Pediatrics welcomes ten new faculty members during the month of July. Please join us in making them feel at home! 

Guillermo Beltran Ale, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine
Vidit Bhargava, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Critical Care
Jared Buchan, M.D., Instructor in Pediatric Emergency Medicine 
Viral Jain, M.D., Assistant Professor in Neonatology
Jeremy Loberger, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
Brittany Marlin, M.D., Instructor in Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Pedro Anis Nourani, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine
Bhuvana Sunil, M.D., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes
Kent Willis, M.D., Assistant Professor in Neonatology
Cynthia Wozow, D.O., Assistant Professor in Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine

Randy Cron, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, and Gabriela Oates, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, have received funding to conduct high-impact COVID-19 research from the UAB Research Office. 

On July 10, 2020 Governor Kay Ivey announced a $375,000 grant to Children’s of Alabama and the UAB Department of Pediatrics to establish a statewide medical network to ensure that victims of child abuse receive immediate and professional care. The network, the Alabama Child Abuse Medical System (ALCAMS), is a joint effort between UAB and the Alabama Network of Child Advocacy Centers.

Donna Murdaugh, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, received one of 53 grants recently awarded by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Dr. Murdaugh was awarded a Supportive Care Research Grant to help fund her research project title, “Feasibility of cognitive remediation via telemedicine in cancer survivors.” Her study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive remediation interventions via telemedicine for cancer survivors between the ages of 10 and 18 years old. 

Gabriela Oates, Ph.D., Pediatric Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine, has been accepted to membership in the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) as an Associate Scientist. 

Jeffery Lebensburger, D.O., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, has been selected to serve on the Scientific Review Subcommittee for the American Society of Hematology Sickle Cell Disease Clinical Trials Network.