Employee of the Month - May 2014

Veronica R. Smoke Chosen as OB/GYN’s First Employee of the Month 

Veronica R. Smoke has been chosen as the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s first Employee of the Month!

A 27-year employee of UAB, Smoke is a Nurse Clinician in the Maternal-Fetal Medicine clinic on the 10^th floor of the Women & Infants Center. It is a job that is dear to her because of her patients. “I like working with the high-risk OB patients because they need hope that they can have a healthy pregnancy outcome,” she says. Smoke likes the miracle aspect of it. Her goal is to help women appreciate each milestone, both big and small.

Having worked in Labor & Delivery for nine and a half years and Maternal-Fetal Medicine for the past 17 years, Smoke has embraced the concept of advocacy for patients and team-player as she performs her daily duties. Smoke says she can’t imagine working anywhere else. At such a delicate time in their lives, Smoke feels her patients need someone sensitive and responsive to their needs. Her dedication is a characteristic that is noticed by all who work with her.

2014 Progress in OB/GYN Recap

39th Annual Bruce A. Harris Symposium: Progress in OB/GYN 2014

The specialized needs of female patients require innovative educational programs on women’s healthcare. Every February, UAB’s Department of OB/GYN and the Office of Continuing Medical Education team up to sponsor this opportunity through the Bruce A. Harris Symposium: Progress in OB/GYN 2014. The purpose of this 2-day conference is to have leaders in their specialties present evidence-based interventions or best practices with a focus on providing healthcare professionals with the latest advances in diagnosis and treatment. The conference steering committee and presenters design these sessions with a broad range of topics relevant to women’s healthcare needs. 

The February 2014 meeting marked the 39^th annual event and was another success. We had 467 attendees including obstetricians, gynecologists, general internists, family practitioners, certified nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, ultrasound technicians, and other healthcare professionals. We also had attendees who are still in school such as OB/GYN residents, nurses from UAB and surrounding Alabama nursing schools, and UAB Medical School students who are interested in OB/GYN as a career.  In addition to the presentations, there are interactive panel discussions at the luncheons, as well a number of posters detailing research in various topics of OB/GYN.

Several UAB Department of OB/GYN Alumni returned as guest speakers, including Larry Kilgore, MD (University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville), Diane Bodurka, MD (MD Anderson at Houston), and Rajiv Gala, MD (Oshner Medical Center, New Orleans).  Sixty-two alumni attended the meeting with some being local while others traveled from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Massachusetts to come interact with their colleagues and former classmates.

The planning for the 40^th Annual Bruce A. Harris Symposium: Progress in OB/GYN will soon begin. It will be held February 19 – 20, 2015.  

Biggio Published in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Journal

Joseph R. Biggio Jr., M.D., professor and director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was recently published in Obstetrics and Gynecology, the journal of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  In his paper "Bed Rest in Pregnancy", Dr. Biggio argues that until data from well-designed, appropriately powered studies demonstrate favorable outcomes with activity restriction, physicians should contemplate whether the risk–benefit ratio justifies prescribing it.  Dr. Biggio's paper has been referenced in numerous publications including the New York Times and the Washington Post.

Obstetrics & Gynecology:
June 2013 - Volume 121 - Issue 6 - p 1158–1160
doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e318294480d

Obstetrics and Gynecology Journal:  Bed Rest in Pregnancy: Time to Put the Issue to Rest
New York Times:  Really? The Claim: For a Difficult Pregnancy, Bed Rest Is Best
Washington Post:  New study questions the value of bed rest in preventing premature birth

Huh named Endowed Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology

The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees named Warner K. Huh, M.D., to the Margaret Cameron Spain Endowed Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) during its meeting April 12, 2013. Huh, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, holds appointments in the Center for AIDS Research and the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.  Dr. Huh received his medical degree from Georgetown University, trained as a resident at Tufts University, and completed fellowship training at UAB prior to becoming a faculty member in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology in 2002.  Following is a compete list of endowed professorships and chairs in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Charles E. Flowers, Jr., Endowed Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology	William W. Andrews, Ph.D., M.D.	Appointed February 6, 2009
Ellen Gregg Shook Culverhouse Chair in Gynecologic Oncology	Ronald D. Alvarez, M.D.	Appointed September 17, 1999
Margaret Cameron Spain Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology	Warner K. Huh, M.D.	Appointed April 12, 2013
Bruce Harris, Jr., M.D. Endowed Professorship in Obstetrics and Gynecology	John Owen, M.D., M.S.P.H.	Appointed June 19, 2009
Evalina B. Spencer Chair in Oncology	Edward E. Partridge,M.D.	Appointed November 9, 2007
J. Marion Sims Endowed Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology	Holly E. Richter, Ph.D., M.D.	Appointed September 19, 2008
J. Max Austin, M.D., Endowed Chair in Gyencologic Oncology	J. Michael Straughn, Jr., M.D.	Appointed April 12, 2013

Straughn Appointed to Endowed Chair in Gynecology Oncology

The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees named John Michael Straughn Jr., M.D., as the J. Max Austin Jr. M.D. Endowed Chair in Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) during its meeting April 12, 2013.  Dr. Straughn completed medical school, residency training and fellowship training at UAB prior to becoming a faculty member in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology in 2003.  Following is a compete list of endowed professorships and chairs in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.