American Heart Association, Newsroom, February 13, 2023
Sadiya S. Khan, M.D., M.Sc., FAHA
A new American Heart Association scientific statement summarizes the intergenerational impact of prepregnancy heart health
DALLAS, Feb. 13, 2023 — Preventing heart disease starts much earlier than you may realize, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published today in a Go Red For Women spotlight issue of the Association’s flagship, peer-reviewed journal Circulation.
Optimizing Prepregnancy Cardiovascular Health to Improve Outcomes in Pregnant and Postpartum Individuals and Offspring: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association Sadiya S. Khan et al. Originally published13 Feb 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001124 |Circulation. 2023;147:e76–e91
A-PLUS co-leads Alan Tita, M.D., Ph.D. and Waldemar A. Carlo, M.D. Photography: Andrea Mabry.
Ten percent of maternal deaths are caused by infections that occur shortly before, during or after delivery. Maternal infections and sepsis, which is a serious complication of infections, are among the top five causes of maternal mortality worldwide. Maternal infection also increases the risk of neonatal sepsis, which accounts for 16 percent of newborn deaths.
A new study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine provides evidence that a single oral dose of azithromycin, a common antibiotic, reduced the risk of maternal sepsis or death by 33 percent in women who delivered vaginally. The results from the Azithromycin Prevention in Labor Use Study, or A-PLUS, trial led by investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham enhances information from previous UAB-led trials, which showed azithromycin administered before cesarean delivery reduced maternal infections.
The multi-country, randomized trial was conducted at eight sites in seven low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and conducted by the NICHD Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research. Published results were presented simultaneously at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s annual meeting in San Francisco, California.
“The World Health Organization and others have prioritized reducing maternal sepsis to reduce maternal deaths,” said Alan Tita, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of the UAB Center for Women’s Reproductive Health and Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health, and associate dean for Global and Women’s Health. “Studies confirming the effectiveness of azithromycin for vaginal delivery, which is the most common mode of delivery, were lacking. We wanted to find a low-cost intervention that could be used globally to address this problem.”
Heersink School of Medicine, Written by Alex Isaacs, February 7, 2023
Alan T. N Tita, M.D., Ph.D.
The Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion (Heersink ODI) recently held its virtual Diversity Grand Rounds, featuring Alan T. N Tita, M.D., Ph.D. as the keynote speaker. The annual event, held virtually during Second Look Weekend, was open to current faculty, staff, and potential UAB residents.
Mona Fouad, M.D., MPH—Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at the Heersink School of Medicine—gave a warm welcome to attendees and emphasized the importance of creating a diverse and inclusive environment for students, trainees, faculty, and staff.
The Professional Excellence Awards
Mona Fouad, M.D., MPH
Before the keynote speaker, Fouad highlighted one way in which the successes of our diverse faculty at Heersink School of Medicine are recognized– the Professional Excellence Awards. The award recognizes one member from each of the four faculty associations who have excelled in research, teaching, and service within the past three years. Nominations are submitted by department chairs and division directors and then judged by the Heersink ODI Advisory Council.
This year, Heersink ODI received 33 nominees from 14 departments, the highest in the award program’s three-year existence. After review, the council selected four outstanding individuals as recipients of the 2023 Professional Excellence Award: Tamera Coyne-Beasley, M.D., MPH; Isabel Scarinci, Ph.D., MPH; Michele Kong, M.D., and Rodney O. Tucker, M.D., MMM, as the winners.
Fouad concluded the announcement by reiterating the importance of awards and events, such as this one, in continuing growth and understanding of the diverse world around us.
Fouad then turned the program over to Raegan Durant, M.D., MPH, associate dean for Diversity and Inclusion at the Heersink School of Medicine, to introduce the day’s speaker.
Office for Diversity and Inclusion, Heersink School of Medicine, February 1, 2023
The Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion (Heersink ODI) is excited to announce their upcoming virtual Diversity Grand Rounds, featuring Alan T. N. Tita, M.D., Ph.D, UAB Mary Heersink Endowed Chair of Global Health, Director of the Mary Heersink Institute of Global Health, and the Heersink School of Medicine Associate Dean for Global Health.
What are the Heersink ODI Diversity Grand Rounds?
Diversity Grand Rounds is an annual event hosted by Heersink ODI during Second Look Weekend. The event—which is open to current faculty, staff, and potential UAB residents—features a highly anticipated keynote speaker. This year, Dr. Tita will be welcomed to the virtual stage.
Following the lecture, Dr. Mona Fouad, Associate Vice President for UAB Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at the Heersink School of Medicine, will announce the winners of the 2023 Professional Excellence Awards.
This award recognizes one member from each of Heersink ODI’s faculty associations for their excellence in research, teaching, or service.
Tita is a professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and senior vice chair of Research and Innovation for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He also serves as director of the UAB Center for Women’s Reproductive Health.
A leader in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, maternal-fetal medicine, and perinatal epidemiology, Tita strives to find solutions to shared global health challenges through research and innovative approaches. Tita is dedicated to providing excellent education for the next generation of health workers globally.
The Heersink School of Medicine communications staff sat down with Dr. Tita to discuss his new endowed chair position.
Each year, NEJM editors select a collection of articles to be recognized as “notable” from the previous year. Many of the 2022 articles selected received extensive news coverage, one being the CHAP trial.
The CHAP trial, led by principal investigator Alan Tita, M.D., Ph.D., was initially published in the NEJM in April 2022. The study provides, for the first time, evidence that treating mild chronic hypertension with medications is both safe and beneficial for the mother and the baby.
The Heersink School of Medicine, Written by Teresa Hicks, January 25, 2023
2023 Pittman Scholars Announced
The Heersink School of Medicine is pleased to announce the five faculty members being named the 2023 James A. Pittman Jr., M.D., Scholars.
The Pittman Scholars program recognizes the impacts of junior faculty and supports the recruitment and retention of highly competitive scientists and physician-scientists. The program is named for the late James A. Pittman, Jr., M.D., longtime dean of the medical school from 1973 to 1992. Pittman is considered a principal architect of the school for his ability to recruit top scientists and physicians to UAB.
Nominations are conducted by their department chairs based on their astounding research achievements and discoveries.
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