Greetings from the Chairman
Dr. Seth Landefeld, MD, Professor and Chair, UAB Department of Medicine
The Residency Program you love is flourishing. Forty-one new interns arrive in June to experience the “contagious fire” of learning that Dr. Tinsley Harrison described—a flame that quickly spreads to others and lights our way to excellence. We look forward to all that they will contribute to the learning environment here at UAB.
I have great news to share with you about the Program and the Department of Medicine. Our recruitment efforts to attract residents from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine are paying off, with the support of the Carl E. Dukes, MD, Minority Residency Pipeline Endowed Support Fund. Our Director for Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Karla Williams led representatives from all UAB GME programs to participate in the Student National Medical Association annual meeting. She is also becoming a thought leader in the diversity arena, co-presenting on micro-aggressions at the Society of General Internal Medicine national meeting with Chief Resident Dr. Kiki Titer.
Primary Care Scholars
by Star Ye, MD
2019 Primary Care Scholars - Drs. Anne Wagstaff, Salmaan Kamal, Hilary Ragsdale and Kelly McMasterIn recent years, there has been increasing recognition of the need for more primary care physicians. An estimated 44 million Americans live in areas with a shortage of primary care physicians, which is defined as less than one primary care physician per 2,000 people1. To foster the growth of primary care physicians in the Tinsley Harrison Internal Medicine Program, the Primary Care Scholars Program was created in 2017.
Resident Book Club Bolsters Social Wellness
by Rachel Naramore, MD
During residency, it’s easy for your love for medicine to consume your other loves. YouTube videos about ventilator management replace action movies. Journal articles replace novels. Time spent in the hospital with patients replaces time spent with other friends and family. Resident wellness is not so much about balancing your work with the rest of your life as it is about reminding you that there is such a thing as the rest of your life. That’s why every month or two, a group of us meet outside of the hospital to talk about something we all love: reading.
Faculty Focus: Improving Quality with Dr. Starr Steinhilber
by Andrew Shaffer, MD
Starr Steinhilber, MD, MPH, is the focus for this issue’s Faculty Spotlight. Dr. Steinhilber grew up in Montgomery, AL, and completed medical school and her internal medicine residency at UAB. After a year as chief resident, she joined UAB faculty in 2015 as an Assistant Professor in General Internal Medicine. She was recently awarded the Southern Society of General Internal Medicine (SSGIM) Clinician-Educator Award for 2019. She has been a leader in increasing focus on patient safety and quality improvement at UAB, and is the Medical Director of the UAB Compliant Documentation Management Program. I had a chance to talk with her about her role in increasing resident participation in these areas.
Resident Spotlight: Lauren Pacheco, MD
By Rich Godby, MD
Tell us a little about yourself, including why you chose Internal Medicine and UAB?
Sure thing! I am originally from Arkansas—born and raised there. I met my husband Zach in medical school and we have a 7-month-old baby boy Mitchell who is the light of our lives! We also have two dogs who are still very slowly adjusting to the newest addition to the family. As for why I chose IM, I grew up around primary care because my dad is an internist at the medical center in Little Rock, AR. I always kind of knew I wanted to do general internal medicine/primary care, but kept an open mind while in medical school and internal medicine was my favorite rotation by far. My husband and I ranked UAB #1 on our list, and that was one the best decisions we've ever made. I chose to train at UAB mostly because of the gut feeling I had when I interviewed here (it was a good one!), but also for the rigorous training, diverse pathology, and supportive attendings and program leadership.
Farewell from the 2018-2019 Chiefs
by Jeremey Walker, MD
Chief Medical Residents Drs. Kiki Titer, Jeremey Walker, Joanna Zurko, and James BarriosIf you’ve recently visited the halls of UAB Hospital, you may have noticed our residents’ holiday gifts, new coffee cups with E= hH2 on the side. The simple inscription is a formula that serves as a reminder of Dr. Tinsley Harrison’s definition of medical education. Dr. Harrison saw Education (E) as the combination of medical knowledge, i.e. one’s “head” (h,) with the exponential impact of the Heart (H). We are thankful for all the knowledge we have gained in our time at UAB, but we are truly humbled by the myriad of hearts that have left a lasting impact on us…our program and department leadership, support staff, countless mentors and alumni, and the core of our program—our residents.