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Karen Fowler, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, received the 2023 National CMV Foundation Professional Impact Award at the Congenital Cytomegalovirus Public Health and Policy Conference in Salt Lake City, UT in October.

The Pediatric Heart Transplant Study (PHTS) has awarded the Children’s of Alabama/UAB Pediatric Transplant and Heart team it PHTS Vanguard Award. This award is given to centers who have met criteria signaling a program’s reliability, timeliness, and adequate volume.

The Department of Pediatrics is pleased to honor these faculty members. They have attained a level of excellence recognized by their peers due to their exceptional contributions for the development of the department and in turn, the achievers of tomorrow - our children.

L to R: Xianzhen Hu, Michael Lopez, Shelby Rorrer, Katherine English, Matthew Alexander, and Muthukumar KaruppasamyThe Alexander Lab received the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Impact Award from the Birmingham chapter for their work on neuromuscular diseases.

Top L to R: Joycelyn Atchison, Hannah Hightower and Jose MestreJoycelyn Atchison, M.D., professor in the Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Hannah Hightower, M.D., associate professor in the Division of Neonatology, and Jose Mestre, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, were elected to the Heersink School of Medicine Clinical Faculty Council.

The 4th annual Safety and Quality Day held on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023 provided a great opportunity to share experiences, ideas, methodologies, and challenges related to Epic and informatics, the day’s theme, as well as quality and safety efforts more broadly.

Ambika Ashraf, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, and Steven Rowe, M.D., professor in the Division of Pulmonology, have been elected to the American Pediatric Society (APR).

The Pediatric Residency Program's advocacy group the Coat of Arms held a Health Fair at Avondale Elementary's their Fall Festival.

Vivek Shukla, M.D., Samuel Gentle, M.D., and Jegen Kandasamy, M.D., all assistant professors in the Division of Neonatology, have been elected to the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR). 

The UAB Pediatrics Administrative Supervisor & Leader Retreat took place Friday, Oct. 13.

The Department of Pediatrics and seven Pediatrics faculty have been nominated for multiple 2023 Argus Awards. Created in 1996, the Argus Awards give medical students the chance to honor their mentors, professors, courses and course directors for outstanding service to medical education. Faculty members are nominated by course evaluations, and students vote to select award winners in each category.

Congratulations to all nominees!

Introduction to Clinical Medicine: Jessica Schmit, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes
Best Educator-Cardiovascular: Robb Romp, M.D., Pediatric Cardiology
Best Educator-Endocrine Systems: Hussein Abdullatif, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes
Best Educator-Preparation for Residency: Will Sasser, M.D., Pediatric Critical Care, and Michael Barnett, Palliative Care
Endocrine Systems: Hussein Abdullatif, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes
Best Clinical Department on the Birmingham Campus: Pediatrics
Best Clinical Educator, Birmingham Campus: Chang Wu, M.D., Pediatric Hospital Medicine, and Swetha Pinninti, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Best Clinical Department on the Huntsville Campus: Pediatrics
Best Clinical Department on the Montgomery Campus: Pediatrics
Best Clinical Department on the Tuscaloosa Campus: Pediatrics
Best Clinical Educator, Tuscaloosa Campus: Heather Taylor, M.D.

Click here for full list of nominees

Scott James, M.D., associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, was elected a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

Will Sasser, M.D., associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, has been selected for the Association of Pediatric Program Directors (APPD) Leadership in Educational Academic Development (LEAD) cohort.

The UAB Pediatric Health Equity Scholars spent three days at the end of September traveling throughout the Black Belt and to prominent places pivotal to the Civil Rights Movement to explore the historical context of health disparities and inequities within Alabama.

On Oct. 5, the 2nd year residents had the opportunity to go to the Historic Bethel Baptist Church in Collegeville to learn about the role Birmingham and the church played in the Civil Rights Movement and to gain more insight into the lived experiences of some of their patients and patients’ families.

Congratulations to Kennon Brake, M.D., who was recognized at Grand Rounds last week with the Rud Polhill Award for Outstanding Resident in Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

Annalise Sorrentino, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, gave a Ted Talk at the FemInPem conference in Chicago on September 22, 2023.

L to R: Ryan Boykin, Brian Kirkwood, Natalie Soyster and Hannah StoneRyan Boykin, M.D., PGY-1 resident, Brian Kirkwood, M.D., PGY-2 resident, Natalie Soyster, M.D., PGY-3 resident, and Hannah Stone, M.D., PGY-4 resident, have been selected for the Grand Rounds Resident Committee.

Being an adult immigrant to this country, I only recently learned about the significance of Hispanic Heritage Month. There is a common question about why the month covers half of September and half of October, and the answer is quite meaningful. There are several significant events to be celebrated by various communities within this 30-day period. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Chile celebrate their independence within this timeframe. Dia de la Raza, which recognizes the blend of indigenous and European or mestizo heritage across Spanish speaking countries is observed on October 12.

The UAB Department of Pediatrics welcomed one new faculty member in the month of September. Please join us in making them feel at home! 

Meghan Harrison, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine