The University of Alabama at Birmingham
UAB OB/GYN, April 17, 2023
Black Maternal Health Week, which is celebrated annually from April 11-17, was founded by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance and is part of National Minority Health Month. It serves to raise awareness of Black maternal health issues and promote dialogue around solutions, policies, research, and community involvement.
Written by Emily Liming Johns, UAB Heersink School of Medicine News, April 7, 2023
World Health Day commemorates the World Health Organization’s April 7, 1948, founding and is celebrated to raise global health awareness. This year’s theme is “Health for All,” emphasizing the past, present, and future of global communities coming together to provide health equity and access. Through the establishment of the Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health (MHIGH), UAB’s engagement in global health, including collaborative partnerships, continues to grow as interest in global health work is consistently increasing.
Last year, the Heersink School of Medicine communications team sat down with the institute’s director and associate dean for Global and Women’s Health, Alan T. N. Tita, M.D., Ph.D., to discuss his team’s vision of UAB’s global health efforts.
The team followed up with Dr. Tita this year to catch up on the institute’s progress and vision for 2023.
WBRC, By Lauren Harksen, March 17, 2023
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new report Thursday showing maternal deaths increased across the country in 2021.
P3 EQUATE HERN, March 4, 2023
The 2023 P3 EQUATE HERN MIH Semi-Annual Meeting was held at the University of Alabama at Birmingham this week! The P3 EQUATE Network Coordinating Center would like to thank all the investigators, community partners, and special guests that joined us!
UAB, CCTS, February 27, 2023
The research team led by Alan Tita, MD, PhD, will be honored with a 2023 Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Award by the Clinical Research Forum (CR Forum) at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 17, 2023. Dr. Tita is the senior vice chair for Research and Innovation in the UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, associate dean for Global and Women’s Health at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, and director of the UAB Center for Women’s Reproductive Health. He is a CCTS Co-Investigator for Maternal/Fetal Medicine.
The Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Awards honor groundbreaking achievements in clinical research from across the nation. The competition seeks to identify major advances in the biomedical field resulting from the nation’s investment in health and welfare. The Top 10 award recipients are selected by a CR Forum panel from among clinical research studies published in peer-reviewed journals in 2022. They are based on the degree of innovation and novelty involved in the advancement of science; contribution to the understanding of human disease and/or physiology; and potential impact upon the diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of disease.
Tita is being honored for his leadership in the CHAP (Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy) study, the most comprehensive trial of chronic hypertension in pregnancy ever undertaken. “The Chronic CHAP trial addressed a decades’ old question regarding not only the safety but benefits of treating chronic hypertension during pregnancy and led to immediate changes in national guidelines” said Tita. “This award recognizes the power of clinical research and collaboration that took literally more than a village. I am grateful to the CR Forum and to all the investigators, staff, healthcare workers and of course the patients that made this trial successful.”
“The Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Awards honor and celebrate the innovation, tireless efforts and profound contributions that clinical researchers and advocates have made on the health and wellness of humanity,” said Harry P. Selker, MD, MSPH, Chair of the CR Forum and Dean, Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Tufts University. “We congratulate the 2023 winners for their outstanding efforts.”
UAB News, by Hannah Echols, February 9, 2023
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
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
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.
UAB Center for Women’s Reproductive Health, January 27, 2023
Congratulations to Dr. Marie-Carmella Ellie, Dr. James Markert and Dr. Alan Tita for their inductions into the National Academy of Medicine.
The Heersink School of Medicine, Written by Emily Liming Johns, January 25, 2023
Alan T. N. Tita, M.D., Ph.D., associate dean for Global and Women’s Health and inaugural director of the Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health was recently named the Mary Heersink Endowed Chair in Global Health.
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.
