UAB Briefs: $3 million research grant, kudos from Forbes, big ‘Thank you’

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 ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

For example, Gov. Ivey’s “Safer at Home” state order remains in effect and restricts visitors in state hospitals. UAB Hospital and UAB Medicine clinics have implemented and must enforce these visitation guidelines.

For information regarding how to plan your in-person UAB Medicine hospital or clinic visit, click here.

To read other UAB COVID-19 updates or find health information, go to uab.edu/coronavirus.

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

ADVANCING EQUITY

Maria Pisu, a professor in the UAB Division of Preventive Medicine, and Dr. Selwyn M. Vickers, Dean of the UAB School of Medicine, have been awarded a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities grant, according to UAB Media Relations.

They will serve as principal investigators on the project, called “Advancing Surgical Cancer Care and Equity in the Deep South (ASCENDS).”

It will seek to examine any barriers that exist for gastrointestinal cancer patients to access quality cancer surgery in Alabama and Mississippi.

Researchers will conduct in-depth interviews to better understand those barriers, then survey 1,000 patients to explore the extent of those barriers.

Researchers will use patients’ medical records, with permission, to assess whether their surgery process followed proper protocols.

“It is exciting to spearhead research that might identify and correct gaps in surgical treatment for underrepresented and/or low-income populations in our region,” Pisu said.

In the final years of the project, Vickers and Pisu will use their integrated results to develop a program that will help patients overcome barriers, from when a patient is diagnosed with cancer to the period of recovery after surgery.

Vickers and Pisu will identify gaps in cancer surgical care that may need to be addressed through better education and training, or revised systems and protocols.

A GOOD EMPLOYER

Forbes, the iconic business magazine, has ranked UAB among the best employers in the United States.

The university was chosen for inclusion in The America’s Best-In-State Employers 2020.

Forbes partnered with market research company Statista to select the organizations liked best by employees in its second annual ranking of America’s best employers by state. 

The selection was based on an independent survey of more than 80,000 employees in the United States working for companies employing at least 500 people in their U.S. operations. 

A BIG 'THANK YOU'

A 67-foot high digital ‘thank you’ was displayed on the wall of one building of the UAB Hospital campus recently to express support and appreciation for the efforts of medical professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The visual ‘thank you’ was projected onto the wall of Quarterback Tower at the corner of 19th Street South and Sixth Avenue South on Wednesday, August 26, according to UAB Media Relations.

The display was projected onto the wall as night fell, approximately 7:30 p.m., and remained illuminated until well after 11 p.m. 

The effort comes from Diversified, a national digital technology provider.

 “We have personally seen the emotional toll COVID-19 has taken on these caregivers who must stare the worst of it in the face daily,” said David DeGruy, an account executive with Diversified. “They all deserve acknowledgment for being true heroes in this time of crisis.”