The UAB Department of Pediatrics supports 20 fellowship programs (17 ACGME and 3 non-ACGME programs), representing 73 pediatric fellows. This past year, our incoming class of 28 fellows came from residency programs in 11 different states. Over the last 10 years, our graduates have gone on to practice in 33 states and 9 foreign countries. Approximately 80% of our pediatric fellowship graduates go into academic medicine or seek additional training, while 20% go into private practice or other areas of interest (i.e., CDC, International Missions, etc.).

Over the last 10 years, our fellowship programs have grown from 55 total fellows to 73 fellows in 2021. This growth has brought constant change and improvements to our programs.

Major accomplishments for this year include:

• New Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Fellowship Program
• Designed dedicated community fellow space—The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires that programs provide a safe, quiet, clean and private rest facility that is available and accessible for residents/fellows close enough to provide safe patient care. Construction began in November 2021 on a fellow rest space that will house a couch, TV, computer and refrigerator where the pediatric fellows can rest or take a break if needed.
• Focused diversity efforts, which include, but are not limited to, lectures during the Fellow Core Conference, a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Open House available to all pediatric fellow applicants to hear from some of the faculty and staff about efforts being made here in the department and UAB, and providing education to the fellowship program directors and coordinators on screening and interviewing skills during recruitment.

All fellowships benefit from a high clinical volume, wide diversity of patients and world-class researchers as their mentors.

Research and research scholarship are of upmost importance to our pediatric fellowship programs. Research activities are a requirement of the American of Board Pediatrics (ABP) as well as the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), but many of our fellows perform at a level well above the minimum expected requirements.

In the UAB Department Pediatrics, we offer some innovative opportunities and programs to assist our fellows to perform at high levels of research during their fellowship training. A few highlights include:

Annual Pediatric Science Day

Started in 2016, this daylong conference offers fellows the opportunity to present their ongoing research. On average, 50 pediatric presentations are showcased, including presentations by pediatric fellows, pediatric residents, post-docs, medical students and others. In 2021, there were 52 abstracts submitted. Each year a keynote speaker is recruited as an integral, active participant during both the platform and poster sessions.

ENRICH (Educational Research & Innovation in Clinical & Health Sciences) Week

ENRICH is a weeklong conference for healthcare educators that promotes teaching skills, fosters curriculum innovation and showcases research in health education for the 21st century.

Dixon Fellows

This program was initiated in 1988, aimed at supporting and preparing selected fellows for careers in academia. Since its inception, this program has aided in the training and research efforts of 84 fellows, with 29 of these remaining as active faculty at UAB. Learn more about the Dixon Pediatric Fellowship.

T-32 Fellowship Positions

Most recently in the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Dr. Charisse Graham has been supported on a T32 Fellowship Grant

Fellows’ Research Roundtable

The Roundtable is a twice-monthly conference to allow fellows to present ongoing research across all pediatric divisions. Faculty and fellows provide mentoring and feedback on all aspects of the projects.

Our fellows present at scientific conferences both nationally and regionally, including Southern Society for Pediatric Research (SSPR), American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition (AAP-NCE) and Pediatric Academic Society (PAS).

Highlighting some of the grants received by our pediatric fellows:

• LEAH Grant (Adolescent Medicine)
• Endowed Kennedy Fellow (Rheumatology)
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Fellow (Pulmonary)

To give you an idea about some of the specific projects our pediatric fellows are involved in, below you will see a selection of recent publications with the fellow’s name bolded:

John Bridges, M.D.—Rheumatology
Fac Rev. 2021 Feb 26;10:23. Recent progress in the treatment of non-systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. John M Bridges, Elizabeth D Mellins, Randy Q Cron.

Reid Burks, M.D.—Emergency Medicine
South Med J. 2021 Feb;114(2):106-110. Using a Resident-Led School Outreach Program to Improve Knowledge of All-Terrain Vehicle Safety. Kristyn Jeffries‏, A Reid Burks‏, Michele Nichols‏, Julie Farmer‏, Nipam Shah‏, Charles A Jennissen‏, Gerene M Denning‏, Kathy Monroe‏.

Matthew Clark, M.D.—Cardiology
World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg. 2021 Sep;12(5):589-596. Early Versus Late Sternal Closure in Infants-Perioperative Associations and Outcomes. Ahmed Asfari‏, Matthew G Clark‏, Kristal M Hock‏, Jordan L Huskey‏, A K M F Rahman‏, Robert J Dabal‏, Santiago Borasino‏.

Adam Cohen, M.D.—Gastroenterology
J Pediatr. 2021 Jul;234:186. 50 Years Ago in THE Journal of Pediatrics: Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli: Enduring and Evolving. Adam W Cohen, Mitchell B Cohen.

Christopher Miles Fowler, M.D.—Pulmonology
J Cyst Fibros. 2021 Jul 16;S1569-1993(21)01301-1. Cessation of smoke exposure improves pediatric CF outcomes: Longitudinal analysis of CF Foundation Patient Registry data. Gabriela R Oates‏, Elizabeth Baker‏, Joseph M Collaco‏, Steven M Rowe‏, Sarah B Rutland‏, Christopher M Fowler‏, William T Harris‏.

Blake Foxworthy, M.D.—Emergency Medicine
South Med J. 2021 May;114(5):266-270. Descriptive Epidemiology of Pediatric Drowning Patients Presenting to a Large Southern US Children's Hospital. Alicia C Webb‏, Austin Wheeler‏, Alexis Ricci‏, Blake Foxworthy‏, Brittany Hinten‏, Nipam Shah‏, Kathy W Monroe‏, Michele H Nichols‏.

Amelia Freeman, M.D.—Neonatology
Respir Res. 2021 Feb 17;22(1):57. MicroRNA 219-5p inhibits alveolarization by reducing platelet derived growth factor receptor-alpha. Amelia Freeman‏‏, Luhua Qiao‏‏, Nelida Olave‏, Gabriel Rezonzew‏, Samuel Gentle‏, Brian Halloran‏, Gloria S Pryhuber‏, Amit Gaggar‏, Trent E Tipple‏, Namasivayam Ambalavanan‏, Charitharth Vivek Lal‏‏.

Jurhee Freese, M.D.—Endocrinology
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2021 Jul 6;dgab463. Proinsulin to C-peptide Ratio in the First Year Post Diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes. Jurhee Freese‏, Rawan Al-Rawi‏, Heather Choat‏, Alexandra Martin‏, Alison Lunsford‏, Hubert Tse‏, Gail Mick‏, Kenneth McCormick‏.

Veronica Godsey, M.D.—Cardiac Critical Care
Simul Healthc. 2020 Dec 22. The Impact of a 9-Month Booster Training Using Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice on Pediatric Resident PALS Skills. Sai Surapa Raju, Nancy M Tofil, Stacy L Gaither, Carrie Norwood, J Lynn Zinkan, Veronica Godsey, Inmaculada Aban, Yumo Xue, Chrystal Rutledge.

Anna Hoppmann, M.D.—Hematology/Oncology
J Thromb Haemost. 2021 Mar 2. Pediatric May-Thurner Syndrome—Systematic Review and Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. Laura Avila‏, Noelle Cullinan‏, Michael White‏, Marian Gaballah‏, Anne Marie Cahill‏, Deepti Warad‏, Vilmarie Rodriguez, Cristina Tarango‏, Anna Hoppmann‏, Stephen Nelson‏, Tomas Kuhn‏, Tina Biss‏, Aaron Weiss‏, Michael Temple‏, João G Amaral‏, Nour Amiri‏, Ana C Xavier‏, Samuele Renzi‏, Leonardo R Brandão‏.
Cancer. 2021 Jun 23. Individual prediction of nonadherence to oral mercaptopurine in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Results from COG AALL03N1. Anna L Hoppmann‏, Yanjun Chen‏, Wendy Landier‏, Lindsey Hageman‏, William E Evans‏, F Lennie Wong‏, Mary V Relling‏, Smita Bhatia‏.

Eric Jorge, M.D.—Emergency Medicine
Preventive Medicine Reports. 12 July 2021. When the Kids Get Guns—The Effects of Lowering the Minimum Age of Firearm Possession in Alabama. Adnan F. Haque, Eric Jorge.

Matthew Lustig, M.D.—Child Neurology
Am J Med Genet A. 2021 Sep 2. The first post-natal clinical description of true mosaic complete tetrasomy 21: A case report. Desalyn Louise Johnson‏, Caterina Abdala Villa‏‏, Matthew C Lustig‏‏, Nathaniel H Robin‏‏.

Daniel Reiff, M.D.—Rheumatology
ACR Open Rheumatol. 2021 Aug 25. Performance of Cytokine Storm Syndrome Scoring Systems in Pediatric COVID-19 and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. Daniel D Reiff, Randy Q Cron.
BMC Pediatr. 2021 Aug 5;21(1):333. New onset ANCA-associated vasculitis in an adolescent during an acute COVID-19 infection: a case report. Daniel D Reiff‏, Chloe G Meyer‏, Brittany Marlin‏, Melissa L Mannion‏.
Pediatr Rheumatol Online J. 2021 Feb 24;19(1):21. Distinguishing active pediatric COVID-19 pneumonia from MIS-C. Daniel D Reiff‏, Melissa L Mannion‏, Nichole Samuy‏, Paul Scalici‏, Randy Q Cron‏.

Alexis Ricci, M.D.—Emergency Medicine
South Med J. 2021 May;114(5):266-270. Descriptive Epidemiology of Pediatric Drowning Patients Presenting to a Large Southern US Children's Hospital. Alicia C Webb‏, Austin Wheeler‏, Alexis Ricci‏, Blake Foxworthy‏, Brittany Hinten‏, Nipam Shah, Kathy W Monroe‏, Michele H Nichols‏.

Nicholas Rockwell, M.D.—Critical Care
J Pediatr Intensive Care. 2021 Mar;10(1):45-51. Diurnal Variation and Nursing Perspectives in Analgesic and Sedation Medication Administration to Mechanically Ventilated Children in a Single Pediatric ICU. Jeremy M Loberger‏, Nicholas Rockwell‏, Laura Daniel‏, Inmaculada B Aban‏, Priya Prabhakaran‏.

Nicole Samies, D.O.—Infectious Diseases
J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2021 Feb 13;10(1):57-59. Pancreatitis in Pediatric Patients With COVID-19. Nicole L Samies, April Yarbrough, Suresh Boppana.
Clin Perinatol. 2021 Jun;48(2):263-274. Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus Disease: Updates and Continued Challenges. Nicole L Samies‏, Scott H James‏, David W Kimberlin‏.

Meenu Sharma, D.O.—Hospital Medicine
Cureus. 2021 Jun 24;13(6):e15893. Acute Appendicitis Associated with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. Meghan E Hofto‏, Erinn O Schmit‏, Meenu Sharma‏, Nichole Samuy‏.

Vivek Shukla, M.D.—Neonatology
International Journal of Pediatrics. Volume 2021. Skin-to-Skin Care by Mother vs. Father for Preterm Neonatal Pain: A Randomized Control Trial (ENVIRON Trial). Vivek Vishwanath Shukla, Anal Jitendrakumar Chaudhari, Somashekhar Marutirao Nimbalkar, Ajay Gajanan Phatak, Dipen Vasudev Patel, Archana Somashekhar Nimbalkar.

Kathryn Six, M.D.—Hematology/Oncology
Blood Adv. 2021 Aug 24;5(16):3199-3202. B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in patients with germline RUNX1 mutations. Kathryn A Six‏, Ulrike Gerdemann‏, Anna L Brown‏, Andrew E Place‏, Alan B Cantor‏, Matthew A Kutny‏, Serine Avagyan‏.

Christian Tan, M.D.—Cardiology
Circulation. 2020 Dec 22;142(25):2475-2478. A Wide QRS Tachycardia in a 17-Year-Old. Christian H Tan, Yung R Lau, G Neal Kay.

Alicia Webb, M.D.—Emergency Medicine
South Med J. 2021 May;114(5):266-270. Descriptive Epidemiology of Pediatric Drowning Patients Presenting to a Large Southern US Children's Hospital. Alicia C Webb‏, Austin Wheeler‏, Alexis Ricci‏, Blake Foxworthy‏, Brittany Hinten‏, Nipam Shah, Kathy W Monroe‏, Michele H Nichols‏.
South Med J. 2021 Jul;114(7):380-383. Storage of Medications: A Survey of Families in the Pediatric Emergency Department. Sydney M Mohr‏, Amanda I Atkins‏, Alicia C Webb‏, Kathy W Monroe‏, Michele H Nichols‏.

Austin Wheeler, M.D.—Emergency Medicine
South Med J. 2021 May;114(5):266-270. Descriptive Epidemiology of Pediatric Drowning Patients Presenting to a Large Southern US Children's Hospital. Alicia C Webb‏, Austin Wheeler‏, Alexis Ricci‏, Blake Foxworthy‏, Brittany Hinten‏, Nipam Shah‏, Kathy W Monroe‏, Michele H Nichols‏.

Siamak “Zaki” Yazdi, M.D.—Neonatology
Children (Basel). 2021 Oct 2;8(10):879. Dexamethasone Alters Tracheal Aspirate T-Cell Cytokine Production in Ventilated Preterm Infants. Siamak M Yazdi‏‏, Ekta U Patel‏‏, Colby D Richardson‏, K Thomas Hardy‏, John E Baatz‏, Jennifer K Mulligan‏‏, Rita M Ryan‏‏.

SWell Committee—Subspecialty Wellness Committee (SWell) is a group of energetic fellows who help plan monthly events for all pediatric fellows. Recent activities include attending a Birmingham Baron’s Baseball Game, Pumpkin Carving, Virtual Trivia and visits by Hand and Paw.

UAB GME Wellness—Graduate Medical Education (GME) at UAB is committed to resident and fellow wellness. This includes mental and physical wellness with many resources available, such as free counseling and support, training in financial health and stress management, providing lactation space, and access to many areas to eat at a discounted price. Construction was planned to begin on a wellness center at UAB to help facilitate a better work-life balance for residents and fellows but has been postponed due to COVID.