Pediatric Research, May 17, 2023
Bio-commentary in Pediatric Research on using AI to enhance health outcomes.
Pediatric Research; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-023-02648-5
ECI Bio-commentary: Vivek V. Shukla
CHAP trial awarded Clinical Trial of the Year
by Hannah Echols, UAB News, May 24, 2023
The Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy trial, led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, received the David Sackett Trial of the Year award from the Society for Clinical Trials. The prestigious award is given to a clinical trial that improves the lot of humankind and provides substantial and beneficial change to health care.
The CHAP trial evaluated the effects of prescribing blood pressure medication to pregnant women with mild chronic hypertension. Results published in the New England Journal of Medicine in April 2022 showed treatment improved pregnancy outcomes without compromising the baby’s growth and overall health, which was a primary concern for physicians for years. CHAP results have since led to changes in national guidelines.
“Chronic hypertension causes serious and life-threatening complications for pregnant women and their babies,” said Alan Tita, M.D., Ph.D., professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine, principal investigator for the CHAP trial, and lead author of the NEJM paper. “Between 70 percent and 80 percent of pregnant women with chronic hypertension fall into the ‘mild’ category, where there was not a medical consensus for treatment.”
The CHAP consortium — including over 60 collaborating clinical sites across the United States, with clinical and data coordinating centers in the UAB departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Center for Women’s Reproductive Health and the department of Biostatistics in the School of Public Health — launched the CHAP program in 2014 with funding from the National Institutes of Health’s Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. From September 2015 to March 2021, CHAP enrolled more than 2,400 pregnant women with mild chronic hypertension whose blood pressure was greater than 140/90 mmHg but less than 160/105 mmHg.
Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center: Webinars (June 5 & 13, 2023)
Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center, May 24, 2023
Presenters: Dr. Kristin Tully and Dr. Simone Chinnis
- Session 1: Best Practices in Addressing Social Needs in Clinical Practice for Maternal Health
June 5, 2023 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT | Online
https://maternalhealthlearning.org/event/best-practices-social-needs-clinical-maternal-health-june-5-2023/
- Session 2: Building on clinical strengths to mitigate harmful SDoH for maternal health
June 13, 2023 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT | Online
https://maternalhealthlearning.org/event/building-clinical-strengths-sdoh-maternal-health-june-13-2023/
Casey named holder of the John C. Hauth Endowed Professorship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine
UAB Heersink School of Medicine, May 19, 2023
Brian M. Casey, M.D., has been named as the holder of the John C. Hauth Endowed Professorship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the UAB Marnix E Heersink School of Medicine. The appointment was approved by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees during the April meeting.
The creation of the endowed position was approved by trustees in November 2015 to honor emeritus professor John Hauth, M.D., who directed the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine for more than 10 years.
“It is an extreme honor to hold Dr. Hauth’s Endowed Professorship here at UAB,” said Casey. “Dr. Hauth helped build and bring our division to national prominence and, to me, serves as an outstanding example that I aspire to every day.”
Casey is the director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the vice chair for obstetrics. He is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine. Before coming to UAB, Casey spent 23 years on faculty at Parkland Hospital and UT Southwestern.
WE BELIEVE in doing things differently. We united our team, centered in self-love, care, community, and compassion.
BELIEVE, May 16, 2023
The #BelieveBirth IPE team launched its 1st e-news alert, sharing program updates, upcoming events, and opportunities for getting involved and supporting Black maternal health learners.
Read their listserv and subscribe for future updates: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Believe-Birth–Save-the-Dates–Research-Highlights–Getting-Involved-.html?soid=1110472552145&aid=kNkQRj0kuBk
Advocates, experts tout proposals to reduce Black maternal deaths in North Carolina
NC NESLINE, May 20, 2023
Advocates, experts tout proposals to reduce Black maternal deaths in North Carolina. (Features Dr. Sarahn Wheeler, P3 EQUATE Advisory Council Member)
Alan Tita, MD, PhD wins the Herb Pardes Award
UAB, May 1, 2023
Congratulations to Alan Tita, whose CHAP study was selected as the top and most impactful study at TS23 Clinical Research Forum, and earning the prestigious Herbert Pardes Clinical Research Excellence Award! Tita’s work joins studies from IH, University of Chicago, MGH, Hopkins, Yale, UC Davis, and Cleveland Clinic selected as the top 10 studies this year.
JOB OPENING: Postdoctoral Researcher!
University of Maryland, April 28, 2023
This postdoc fellow will conduct & disseminate research related to: obstetric & reproductive health, health information and/or informatics, marginalization & equity, reproductive justice, & SDoH.
Human-centered design in the context of social determinants of health in maternity care: methods for meaningful stakeholder engagement
April 26, 2023
New open access article on methods for meaningful engagement around social/ structural determinants of health.
Human-centered design in the context of social determinants of health in maternity care: methods for meaningful stakeholder engagement
Kelly A Umstead, Carolina Gill, Marina S Pearsall, Alison M Stuebe, Kristin P Tully
International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, Published online: 26 Apr 2023
PMID: 37099749 PMCID: PMC10134912 DOI: 10.1080/17482631.2023.2205282
Three Heersink faculty elected to join the Association of American Physicians
Written by Jessica Martindale, Heersink School of Medicine News, April 26, 2023
Since 1885, the Association of American Physicians (AAP), an honorary medical society, has advocated for the advancement of scientific and practical medicine by promoting professional and social interaction among physician-scientists, disseminating research, and recognizing outstanding physician-scientists through membership into the organization. Currently, the AAP has over 1,700 active members and approximately 600 emeritus and honorary members from the United States, Canada, and other countries.
This year, three faculty from across the UAB Heersink School of Medicine were elected to join the AAP: Anindya Dutta, MBBS, Ph.D., chair, Department of Genetics; David Kimberlin, M.D., co-director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases; and Alan T. Tita, M.D., Ph.D., Mary Heersink Endowed Chair of Global Health, associate dean for Global and Women’s Health, and professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Alan T. Tita, M.D., Ph.D.
Tita is the 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. As professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and senior vice-chair for Research and Innovation, he also leads the Center for Women’s Reproductive Health. His background is in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Perinatal Epidemiology, and International Health. Tita has led and continues to lead the design and conduct of collaborative multi-site and single-site clinical trials and observational studies that influence practice and policy globally. He also co-leads the Cameroon Health Initiative at UAB, a multidisciplinary venture to improve health care in collaboration with Cameroon partners.
