Andrea Gillis, M.D., MSPH, assistant professor in the UAB Division of Breast & Endocrine Surgery, and Peter Abraham, M.D., a recent UAB General Surgery Residency graduate and incoming UAB Endocrine Surgery (AAES) fellow, received awards at the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (AAES) 45th Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Gillis was recognized with the Paul LoGerfo Research Award for her project - "Implementation of an EMR-Based primary hyperparathyroidism decision support tool to reduce disparities." The Paul LoGerfo Research Award is awarded annually to two participants and is highly competitive, attracting applications nationwide. Gillis's new support tool aims to increase healthcare treatment opportunities for all patients by developing a tool in the electronic medical record (EMR) that reminds physicians to order parathyroid hormone testing for patients who have experienced at least two episodes of elevated calcium levels and have no history of other disorders that could explain this elevation. This project aims to enhance care for patients with parathyroid disease across diverse populations at UAB.
Gillis emphasized the importance of the Paul Lo Gerfo Research Award to fund the new EMR support tool. "This award empowers providers to investigate hyperparathyroidism, which can have systemic effects and contribute to a poor quality of life and complications if left untreated,” she said. “This project is a multidisciplinary effort, and support from the Paul Lo Gerfo Research Award is essential to implement and improve this tool."
Abraham was awarded the Edwin Kaplan Award for Best Poster for his poster: "Cardiovascular and metabolic outcome in patients with mild autonomous cortisol secretion: Adrenalectomy versus nonoperative management." Conducted in collaboration with Zhixing Song, M.D., a former postdoctoral research fellow at the UAB Department of Surgery, the study provides evidence that surgical management of adrenal disorders can help prevent additional long-term cardiovascular risks associated with cortisol hormone.
“The UAB Endocrine Surgery team submitted impressive projects to the AAES conference, which fostered many productive discussions on improving patient care and next steps for clinical development. Dr. Gillis is doing excellent work with her EMR support tool, and I am confident this tool will assist providers in the institution,” says UAB Section of Endocrine Surgery Chief Brenessa Lindeman, M.D., MEHP. “We’re excited to welcome Dr. Abraham to the division for his fellowship and are excited to see all that he accomplishes through his continued training.”
About the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons
The American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (AAES) is the largest organization of endocrine surgeons in the United States dedicated to advancing the field through research, education, and innovation. The 2025 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee featured scientific presentations on thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, and neuroendocrine surgery.