UAB Briefs: U.S. Attorney named public health hero for heroin fight
Welcome to another installment of UAB Briefs, in which we keep track of interesting people and events on campus.
Know people, places and programs on the UAB campus that deserve a mention? Email Iron City Ink at sydney@starnespublishing.com or jchambers@starnespublishing.com.
In honor of Lou
The UAB School of Public Health last week named U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance the recipient of the Lou Wooster Public Health Hero award for 2017 for her leadership in creating an effective response to the heroin epidemic in northern Alabama, according to a UAB news release.
The award is given annually to an individual, group or organization that has become an unconventional public health hero.
“Vance was selected for her leadership in comprehensively addressing the heroin epidemic in metropolitan Birmingham and elsewhere across the state,” said Dr. Max Michael III, the school’s dean.
The award is given in honor of Louise Wooster, the 19th century Birmingham madam who risked her life during the 1873 cholera epidemic by staying in the city to care for the sick and dying. Most residents, including all of Birmingham’s leaders, fled. But Wooster and some of the women at her house on Morris Avenue stayed behind and are credited with helping to save the city.
When few recognized the emerging epidemic of heroin- and opioid-related deaths, Vance – who has served as U.S. Attorney since 2009 – convened the first “Pills to Needles Summit” in June 2014 to rally community leaders to act.
She established a new paradigm to address this public health by bringing together law enforcement personnel, government and public health officials, academics, victims and advocates.
Fighting cancer with good health
The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center will present FreshStart! – a free eight-week lifestyle program designed to help cancer survivors adopt healthier behaviors – on Thursdays from Jan. 26-March 16, according to a UAB news release.
Participants will meet with trained professionals and experts to talk about a variety topics. For example, a nutritionist will cover special topics related to cancer survivors, and an oncologist will discuss “Food as Medicine.”
There will be cooking classes held at the new Cooking Light kitchens of Southern Living.
Other topics will include exercise, meditation and stress relief.
Registration is required online. For more information, contact 205-934-5772 or tgw318@uab.edu.
There’s even performance art!
The UAB School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion will host its first Diversity Fair in the lobby of the Comprehensive Cancer Center on Fri., Feb. 3, from 5-7 p.m., according to a UAB news release. The event is free and open to the public.
The event “provides us with a creative way to recognize that diversity is everyone,” said Dr. Mona Fouad, senior associate dean for diversity and inclusion at the UAB School of Medicine.
Entertainment will include local musicians, such as Birmingham Girls’ Choir. Local visual and performance artists will be showcased. Light refreshments from a variety of international cultures will be served.
MLK Day of Service
About 300 to 400 students from UAB and Lawson State Community College were expected to volunteer on Mon., Jan. 20, as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, according to a UAB news release.
The event was hosted by the Leadership and Service Council, a UAB student-led campus organization.
Volunteers met at the UAB Campus Recreation Center to sign up, then went to one of three volunteer sites around the city – Legion Field, Red Mountain Park and the Docena community.