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Above: Jessica Jones, Manager - Ambulatory Services and Chelsea Andrews, Registered Nurse, help provide outpatient HiDAC therapy that has saved a total of 115 patient days in the hospital.

In December 2020, the Division of Hematology and Oncology began offering High-Dose-Ara-C (HiDAC) through the UAB Extended Care Clinic, an outpatient chemotherapy service that eliminates the need for patients to be admitted to the hospital for treatment. Prior to this service, some patients with lymphoma, acute myeloid leukemia, and acute lymphocytic leukemia who generally required minimal medical intervention would be admitted to the hospital to receive two daily infusions. Physicians report that offering this type of treatment in the ambulatory environment has been well received by patients and healthcare personnel alike.

Above: Jeanne Marrazzo, M.D., (Division Director and Professor, Infectious Diseases) is shown taking a photograph with a healthcare worker  administering the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is expected to become the dominant strain in the United States within weeks. This variant is 50 to 90 percent more infectious, and it appears to be more likely to cause hospitalizations. With only 30 percent of Alabama’s population fully vaccinated, some healthcare providers are concerned COVID-19 may resurge this fall. DOM infectious diseases experts emphasize that the mRNA vaccines are up to 90 percent effective against variants of the virus and the best way to avoid infection and serious illness is to get fully vaccinated.

Above: Vera Bittner, MD, center, receives award from Med-Peds residents Andy Marshall and Channing Brown. Clinic

Vera Bittner, M.D., MSPH (Professor, Cardiovascular Disease) has been selected as the 2020-2021 Medicine-Pediatrics Residents' Choice Award Recipient for Outstanding Internal Medicine Faculty Member. This award recognizes faculty members whose mentorship significantly impacts trainees. Residents and fellows attribute this acknowledgement to Dr. Bittner’s ability to role-model excellence in patient care and her dedication to resident and fellow education. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition, Dr. Bittner!

L to R: Karen MacPherson Harrison, Registered Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator and Amy Warriner, MD, Professor and Medical Director for UAB Weight Loss Medicine Clinic

The UAB Diabetes Prevention Program is now recognized as a fully accredited program site since opening in July 2019. Amy Warriner, MD, Professor and Medical Director for the UAB Weight Loss Medicine Clinic and Karen MacPherson Harrison, Registered Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator, spearheaded the UAB Diabetes Prevention Program with the goal of going beyond a prescription and training individuals to live in a way that defeats diabetes.

Jacksonville resident Karen Hay was born with several heart conditions, but after childhood she experienced nothing that led her to suspect she had serious heart valve disease. Then, in October 2019, she suffered a cardiac arrest while recovering from a knee replacement. She was rushed to UAB where Mustafa Ahmed, MD (Associate Professor, Cardiovascular Disease) immediately placed her on life support. Two days later, she received a life-saving transcatheter aortic valve replacement, which led to an amazing recovery. Kudos to the entire interventional health care team for giving this patient a new lease on life.