UAB Briefs: Helping cancer patients access treatment, diversity champions

In this weekly online feature, we keep track of interesting people and events on campus at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

We also provide updates regarding UAB’s efforts to cope with the COVID-19.

Let us know about people, events and programs on campus that deserve a mention in UAB Briefs. Email jchambers@starnespublishing.com.

And remember that the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Continue to follow all of the usual protocols and stay safe.

Room at the inn

Cancer patients often require help getting to and from the facilities where they’re getting their treatment. This can create financial and logistical burdens, especially for patients from vulnerable populations facing an unequal burden of cancer.

But the American Cancer Society has awarded an Emergency Lodging Grant to the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB.

The O’Neal Center is the only facility in Alabama to receive one of the ACS grants, according to UAB News.

It is also the only facility in the state to be designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute.

UAB “provides cutting-edge care to patients across the state and beyond,” said Jordan DeMoss, vice president for clinical operations at UAB Hospital. “Many patients have to travel long distances for cancer treatment every day. Many of these patients are too fatigued or sick to drive themselves to treatment each day and cannot afford to pay for lodging in the city where they receive treatment.”

Many patients also face disparities that arise from inequality in work, wealth, income, education, housing and overall standard of living, as well as social barriers to high-quality cancer prevention, early detection and treatment services, said Maryhelen Kirkpatrick, executive director of the American Cancer Society. 

“The Society collaborates with community health partners to reach individuals in areas with higher burdens of cancer and limited or no access to lodging because even the best treatment can’t work if a patient can’t get there,” Kirkpatrick said.

“Access to care is a big problem in our country, with low-income people of color and those living in rural communities suffering the most from disparities,” DeMoss said. “Lodging programs are vital for these patients to get the treatments they need and deserve.”

Ideology and the pandemic

The Theodore Haddin Arts and Sciences Forum lecture series at UAB will host a discussion of the effects of people’s beliefs in shaping reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and Poland.

The free virtual lecture will take place at noon Friday, March 12, according to UAB News. To attend, register online. 

Magdalena Szaflarski, associate professor in the Department of Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences, will lead the discussion. Her research focuses on addressing the health needs of vulnerable populations.

The lecture will explore how ideology has shaped COVID-19 reactions and experiences in the two countries, which are “ravaged by political divisions, populism and scientific skepticism,” Szaflarski said. 

The lecture will also describe health care workers’ assessment of the pandemic response and touch on gender and work-family issues.

Diversity Champions

UAB named the winners of the 2021 President’s Diversity Champion Awards during a virtual ceremony Feb. 18, according to UAB News.

Established in 2006, the annual awards — sponsored by the Office of the President and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — recognize employees, students and organizations that have helped create a more diverse and inclusive university community.

2021 Faculty President’s Diversity Champion: Dr. Tina Simpson

Simpson is a professor and vice chair of Faculty Development in the Department of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine. The departmental diversity liaison for the Office for Diversity and Inclusion at the School of Medicine, Simpson has helped lead several diversity education initiatives within the department. She’s a member of the Diversity Committee of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and in 2020 co‑wrote a position statement regarding immigrant youth in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers and a manuscript calling for the use of anti-racism approaches to address health inequities.  

2021 Staff President’s Diversity Champion: Dr. Jordan Perchik,

Perchik, who began his diagnostic radiology residency in the UAB Department of Radiology in the School of Medicine in 2018, has mentored and connected with medical students and fellow residents of diverse backgrounds and experiences, facilitated their pursuit of meaningful research and worked to address health disparities in radiology. His efforts have improved inclusion and representation of women and under-represented minorities in the UAB Radiology Residency. He’s also worked to improve transgender health literacy in radiology at the local and national levels.

2021 Graduate/Professional Student President’s Diversity Champion: Nia Taylor

A third-year dental student in the UAB School of Dentistry, Taylor has been active in student activities in the school, including serving as treasurer of the Student Research Group, as program director of the Dental Business Club, as an ambassador for the 2020-21 admissions cycle and president of the Student National Dental Association.

2021 Student Organization President’s Diversity Champion: M.S. in Health Administration Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Student Council

This 27-member MSHA DEI committee, created in the summer of 2020, seeks to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion within the Health Administration master’s program. The committee also seeks to bring heightened social awareness to the faculty, staff and students of the program.