Corinne Karch not picturedThe University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics welcomed twelve new faculty members in the month of August. Please join us in making them feel at home!
Calisha Allen, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care
Destini Byrd, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Neurology
Christiana Ekezie, M.D., M.S., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Monica Gramatges, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Corinne Karch, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Academic General Pediatrics
Elizabeth Nichols, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Academic General Pediatrics
Kristin Olson, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Jeremy Ruhlmann, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Megan Schmalz, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine
Kendall Snellgrove, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Allison Williams, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care
Dazhuan Xin, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Calisha Allen, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, earned her medical degree from Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston Salem, NC. Dr. Allen completed her residency in general pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC and she completed her pediatric Critical Care fellowship at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC. Her clinical interests include nutrition in critical illness, breastfeeding and lactation medicine, and medical and interdisciplinary education
Destini Byrd, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Neurology, earned her medical degree from the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. Dr. Byrd completed her residency in Child Neurology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL and she completed her pediatric Pediatric Epilepsy fellowship at Vanderbilt Health
Nashville, TN. Her clinical interests include caring for patients with epilepsy, her research interest is improving care for underserved populations.
Christiana Ekezie, M.D., M.S., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, earned her medical degree from Abia State University Uturu, Nigeria, and a Master of Science in global health and management from the University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom. Dr. Ekezie completed her residency in general pediatrics at University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics in Madison, WI and she completed her Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI. Her interests includes: Core/General GI, EoE, Obesity
Monica Gramatges, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, earned her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School in Houston, TX. Dr. Gramatges completed her residency in general pediatrics at Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, OR and she completed her pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellowship at Stanford University in Stanford, CA. Dr. Gramatges’s research explores the genetic and molecular factors underlying outcomes of cancer treatment and cancer outcome disparities. Her work also investigates strategies for improving access to cancer survivorship care and education. She will serve as the Deputy Director of the Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship.
Corinne Karch, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Academic General Pediatrics, earned her medical degree from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond, VA. Dr. Karch completed her residency in general pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC.
Elizabeth Nichols, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Academic General Pediatrics, earned her medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL. Dr. Nichols completed her residency in general pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL and she completed her pediatric Hospital Medicine fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL.
Kristin Olson, M.D. Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, earned her medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL and then continued at UAB where she completed a combined residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. She earned her Ph.D. in Biostatistics in 2020 as part of the UAB Medical Scientist Training Program. Her clinical interests include hospital medicine and primary care for both adults and children with pediatric-onset medical complexity. Her clinical effort is devoted to the Staging Transition for Every Patient (STEP) clinic. Her research efforts will initially focus on prevalence and healthcare utilization patterns of children with medical complexity and adults with pediatric-onset medical complexity, with a goal of exploring effective health care delivery models for these populations.
Jeremy Ruhlmann, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, earned his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Oklahoma City, Ok. Dr. Ruhlmann completed his residency in general pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL and he completed his combined pediatric emergency medicine and pediatric critical care fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL . His interests include: pediatric trauma, disaster preparedness, and simulation.
Megan Schmalz, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine, earned her medical degree from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine - Greenville in Greenville, SC. Dr. Schmalz completed her residency in general pediatrics and global health at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX and she completed her pediatric Hospital Medicine fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. Her clinical interests include: simulation, medical education, global health and health equity.
Kendall Snellgrove, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, earned her medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL. Dr. Snellgrove completed her residency and chief residency in general pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI and she completed her Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL. Her clinical interests include global health, with a particular focus on pediatric trauma care in resource-limited settings, as well as firearm-related injuries in children and improving access to mental health resources for patients following these injuries.
Allison Williams, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, earned her medical degree from Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. Dr. Williams completed her residency in general pediatrics at Prisma Health Upstate in Greenville, SC and she completed her pediatric critical care fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL. Her clinical interests include patient safety, resuscitation science, and strengthening communication in the PICU setting
Dazhuan Xin, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, earned his doctorate degree from the Institute of Health Sciences, SIBS, CAS, China. His interests include investigating the molecular and developmental mechanisms of brain tumors to identify novel targets for targeted therapy. Exploring cancer immunotherapy and developing innovative immune-based therapeutic strategies. Studying the epigenetic regulation of oligodendrocyte differentiation and identifying potential targets to promote remyelination in demyelinating disorders.
The department is glad to have them on board and can't wait to see the impact they will make at UAB!