UAB – Page 4 – P3 EQUATE Network

CHAP trial named a Notable Article of 2022 by the NEJM

The Heersink School of Medicine, Written by Shawna Masters, January 25, 2023

The UAB-led Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy (CHAP) trial has been named one of the New England Journal of Medicine’s (NEJM) Notable Articles of 2022.

Each year, NEJM editors select a collection of articles to be recognized as “notable” from the previous year. Many of the 2022 articles selected received extensive news coverage, one being the CHAP trial.

The CHAP trial, led by principal investigator Alan Tita, M.D., Ph.D., was initially published in the NEJM in April 2022. The study provides, for the first time, evidence that treating mild chronic hypertension with medications is both safe and beneficial for the mother and the baby.

Congratulations to Dr. Rachel Sinkey for being named one of five 2023 James A. Pittman Jr., M.D., Scholars.

The Heersink School of Medicine, Written by Teresa Hicks, January 25, 2023

2023 Pittman Scholars Announced

The Heersink School of Medicine is pleased to announce the five faculty members being named the 2023 James A. Pittman Jr., M.D., Scholars.

The Pittman Scholars program recognizes the impacts of junior faculty and supports the recruitment and retention of highly competitive scientists and physician-scientists. The program is named for the late James A. Pittman, Jr., M.D., longtime dean of the medical school from 1973 to 1992. Pittman is considered a principal architect of the school for his ability to recruit top scientists and physicians to UAB.

Nominations are conducted by their department chairs based on their astounding research achievements and discoveries.

Tita inducted into National Academy of Medicine

Written by Shawna Masters, Heersink School of Medicine News, October 21, 2022

Alan T. Tita, M.D., Ph.D., professor and senior vice chair of Research and Innovation in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN), has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).

Induction into NAM is considered one of the highest honors in health and medicine. Membership within the Academy recognizes those who have made major contributions to advance health care, medical sciences, and public health and have demonstrated a dedication to service.

“I am thankful to the Academy and the members who nominated me for this recognition,” says Tita. “This is the result of the support of our department and institution and extensive collaborations.”

The Academy specifically praised Tita as “an innovative and impactful perinatal epidemiologist and clinical trialist.” They noted his leadership of “large, collaborative, multi-center national and international trials and observational studies that have shifted practice and policy and improved the quality of national and global obstetric care.”

Tita, who was recently named the Mary Heersink Endowed Chair in Global Health, also serves as associate dean for Global and Women’s Health and director of the Center for Women’s Reproductive Health at UAB.

“This is amazing and humbling,” says Tita. “I have benefitted from the support and collaboration of so many colleagues and mentors. This is crucial for successful clinical research, and I think this honor rewards that collaboration.”

In 2022, alone, Tita led the groundbreaking Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy (CHAP) trial that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and he was selected to lead the Coordinating Center of the P3 (Pregnancy and Postpartum/Postnatal) EQUATE (Enhancing Access and QUAlity To Achieve Equitable Maternal and Infant Health) Network.

National Academy of Medicine adds three UAB faculty to its distinguished ranks

UAB News, by Bob Shepard, October 17, 2022

Three faculty members of the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have been invited to join the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a physician or scientist in the United States.

Marie-Carmelle Elie, M.D., chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, James Markert, M.D., chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, and Alan Tita, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and associate dean for Global and Women’s Health, join 13 current or former UAB faculty members who have been honored during their careers with selection to NAM. Membership in NAM is widely viewed as one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine, and is limited to individuals who have demonstrated both exceptional professional achievements and outstanding commitment to service.

“We congratulate and thank these outstanding faculty whose pioneering research, patient care and service have earned them this prestigious honor,” said UAB President Ray L. Watts. “UAB is very proud to now have seven faculty in this elite academy (and a total of 16 academy members in our history), which speaks to our leadership role — nationally and globally — in forging the future of medicine.”

American Heart Association awards $20 million for research to improve outcomes in pregnancy, CVD health

UAB News, by Hannah Echols, July 12, 2022

**UAB Women and Infants Center**
*Photography: Steve Wood*

More than one in four pregnancy-related deaths in the United States are tied to poor heart health, especially among people of color, putting both parents-to-be and their babies at risk, according to the American Heart Association Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2022 Update. To address this issue, the American Heart Association is funding a new $20 million initiative composed of a network of special projects focused on advancing the understanding of the factors underlying the disproportionate impact of pregnancy complications and deaths among Black and Native American pregnant people and those living in rural areas.

Scientists from University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine will help lead community engagement programs as a part of the American Heart Association’s Health Equity Research Network (HERN) on Disparities in Maternal-Infant Health Outcomes. The programs are part of the multi-pronged approach of the American Heart Association’s unprecedented pledge to aggressively address social determinants of health, while working to improve health equity for all communities.

“Social determinants of health contribute to approximately 80 percent of all cardiovascular risk, and structural racism in the health care system specifically impacts how people of color are treated across the spectrum of pre-conception, pregnancy and postpartum care,” said Michelle A. Albert, M.D., 2022-23 volunteer president of the American Heart Association. “Geographic disparities also exist among people living in rural communities who experience higher pregnancy-related mortality rates than people living in urban communities. We are excited to launch this new research initiative to support the fast-track advancement of science to improve pregnancy-related and infant health through improved health equity.”