2023 Department of Pediatrics Academic Annual Report

GRANTS AWARDED IN 2023

INVESTIGATOR PROJECT TITLE

SPONSOR

DIRECT AWARDED

Mannion, Melissa Lee

Developing a Tool to Support Shared Decision Making in JIA between Adolescents, Parents, and Providers

National Institute of Arthritis & Musculoskeletal & Skin Diseases/ NIH/DHHS

$162,900

Smitherman, Emily A.

Evaluating Quality Measures iIn Childhood Onset System Lupus Erythematosus

Rheumatology Research FoundationRHEUMATOLOGY RESEARCH FOUNDATION

$115,621

Smitherman, Emily A.

Testing an Intervention to Implement a Treat to Target Strategy for Lupus in the Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic

Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance CHILDHOOD ARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATOLOGY RESEARCH ALLIANCE (CARRA)

$68,790

Cron, Randall Quentin

Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship Slot at University of Alabama at Birmingham

Arthritis Foundation

$50,000

Cron, Randall Quentin

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Rheumatology Research FoundationRHEUMATOLOGY RESEARCH FOUNDATION

$50,000

PEDIATRIC RHEUMATOLOGY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM The Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship Program at UAB was ACGME-approved in 2009, two years after the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology was created in 2007. The faculty has grown to five board-certified pediatric rheumatologists with four nurse practitioners, making it one of the largest programs in the southeastern United States. The program is designed for extensive clinical experience in the first year, followed by protected time for fellow-directed scholarly activity in the second and third years with the flexibility to address the specific needs of each fellow. Our fellows have opportunities to participate in research training programs sponsored by the UAB Rheumatology Division in addition to the opportunities available to all pediatric fellows through the UAB Department of Pediatrics as well as a strong collaboration with UAB Adult Rheumatology. Fellows not working in a basic science laboratory are strongly encouraged to get an advanced degree at UAB in public health, clinical epidemiology or a related field of interest. We are excited to be training our first and second dual medicine-pediatrics trained fellows. Current funding for fellowship slots comes from the Kennedy Endowed Fellowship and grants from the Rheumatology Research Foundation, the Arthritis Foundation and Pfizer. UAB Rheumatology and Immunology T32 training grant slots are also competitively available to our fellows. At graduation, our fellows are well-prepared clinically in all aspects of pediatric rheumatology and are set up for success in academic careers. In 2023, we hired our first med-peds graduating fellow as faculty. Our other graduating straight pediatrics fellow in 2023 published 10+ first author manuscripts during his COVID-19–dominated fellowship.

2023–2024 Fellows

Eileen Rife, M.D., MPH Second-Year Fellow Residency: Tulane University

Program Director

Randy Cron, M.D., Ph.D.

Program Coordinator

Brandy Embry

2023 Academic Annual Report

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