Greetings from the Chairman
Dr. Seth Landefeld, Professor and Chair, UAB Department of Medicine
What a year! And our Tinsley Harrison Residency Program and Department have never been better. Our residents have responded with tremendous professionalism and resilience, day in and day out, through unprecedented challenges. The program continues to adapt and flex, innovating in how we care for our patients, care for each other, and advance learning.
The housestaff, led by Drs. Lisa Willett and Jason Morris, and our current chiefs, with our faculty are addressing the sharp rise in COVID hospitalizations. Many have volunteered to work during their planned holiday break to fill in on added inpatient Surge Teams and MICU service. Though the situation is neither merry nor bright, we provide the best care anywhere for our patients across intensive, acute, and ambulatory settings. Our mission is critical, and we are committed to its success.
Chief's Letter
Pictured L to R: Kevin Schwalbach, Seema Kumar, Steven Allon, and Sean Carter2020. Four numbers. A thousand meanings and memories to each person.
2020 has been a challenge. Our spirit persists, however, and we express our gratitude for the wonderful program leadership of Dr. Willett and Dr. Morris and the outstanding residents in our program. We are thankful to be chiefs for a residency program that models excellence without ego in their service to their patients, each other, and our community.
Medicine is Messy. A Patient Care Reflection
By Natasha Mehra, MD (PGY-1)
Nothing could have prepared me for my first patient’s death in residency. I had lost patients as a medical student, but it was different as a resident.
It was my first month, and I was learning how to be an intern. Mrs. P was one of my first patients, and I enjoyed visiting her room. She was a very blunt person, which usually led to me leaving her room feeling amused. She did not hide how much she hated the food and how she did not want to die in a hospital. I spent almost my entire month in the CCU taking care of her.
Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Carlie Stein Somerville
By Yassmin Hegazy, MD (PGY-1)
Bridging the Gray Area from Childhood to Adulthood
Dr. Carlie Stein Somerville, a Birmingham native, returned to UAB after completing her undergraduate years in Georgia because of her love for the program’s supportive atmosphere and interactions with incredible faculty—Dr. Curry, Dr. Willett, and Dr. Morris in particular. After serving as the Medicine-Pediatrics assistant program director for three years, she will become the new program director starting January 1.
Dr. Cobbs Reflects on Tinsley Harrison, MD
By Sean Carter, MD (CMR)
Image courtesy of UAB Archives
Dr. Glenn Cobbs is Professor Emeritus at UAB who obtained his medical degree from Harvard University in 1963. He then trained at UAB Hospital and Cornell prior to becoming an academic physician at UAB. He had the opportunity to train under Dr. Tinsley Harrison, the namesake of our letter series and the Internal Medicine Residency Program. I was able to sit down with Dr. Cobbs and reflect on his experience with Dr. Harrison.