UAB Med Cast
The official podcast of UAB Medicine, moving medicine forward.
Episodes
Maximizing surgical safety takes more than a static checklist. UAB surgeons Melanie Morris, M.D., Helen Krontiras, M.D., and Adam Beck, M.D., discuss how they approach safety as a continuous improvement process spanning the patient experience. Learn how UAB standardizes care, empowers team members to speak up, and uses registry data to benchmark outcomes and target improvements. The panel also considers how emerging technologies co...
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) was developed as a targeted, adjustable therapy for movement disorders to improve earlier hard-to-control procedures. Victor Sung, M.D., discusses how UAB began performing DBS in 1997 and built one of the nation’s highest-volume programs, now performing six surgeries a week. Learn how advances such as directional stimulation, brain-sensing devices, and remote programming are shaping care, and how ...
High reliability organizations (HROs) reduce patient harm through frontline input, shared accountability, and collaboration in high-stakes clinical settings. Anand Iyer, M.D., associate chief medical officer, explains how he helped UAB meet HRO principles via a multidisciplinary titration task force focused on ICU medication safety. Learn how frontline feedback, simulation testing, EMR enhancements, and shared mental models helped ...
Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) allows transplant teams to assess the function of donor kidneys that may have otherwise been declined. Jacqueline Garonzik Wang, M.D., Ph.D., explains how this pump-based assessment “wakes up” the donor kidney and provides real-time data to guide transplant decisions. With unused kidneys numbering in the thousands each year, it may help shorten wait times and allow earlier transplant...
Chronic rhinitis, often mistaken for a cold or seasonal allergies, is marked by common nasal symptoms such as a runny nose and post-nasal drip lasting around three months. Do-Yeon Cho, M.D., explains how chronic rhinitis may be allergic, non-allergic, or mixed, and how the diagnosis affects management. He reviews treatment options including antihistamines, nasal steroid sprays, saline rinses, prescription anticholinergic sprays, an...
UAB Medicine developed the “Golden Week” program to standardize care for extremely preterm infants in their first days of life. Colm Travers, M.D., explains how a dedicated team using bundled, evidence-based practices and program-specific order sets has reduced variability in care. Learn how this structured approach has lowered mortality and severe intracranial hemorrhage in the first week after birth.
Standardizing care is often possible and can reduce delays that keep patients in the hospital longer than necessary. Kierstin Kennedy, M.D., chief medical and quality officer at UAB Medicine, discusses how unnecessary variation shows up in care delivery and what teams can do to address it. Learn how focusing on the 80% of care that can be standardized strengthens care for complex cases as well.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease that is often misdiagnosed, delaying treatment that can slow its course. Mridul Gupta, M.D., provides an overview of who is most affected, how to recognize and diagnose IPF, and what treatment approaches are available. Learn how clinicians and patients weigh the risks and benefits of treatment options (especially with older patients) and how more personalized therapi...
Entrepreneurship in academic medicine often means scaling solutions developed in your own clinic so that others can benefit. Ashish Shah, M.D., shares lessons from launching multiple startups while practicing at UAB. Learn how physicians can vet ideas, find mentors, pursue grant support, and work with university innovation programs to bring new solutions to market.
Menopause care has shifted from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more individualized, risk-based model. Dr. Minakshi Shukla discusses updated guidance on hormone therapy timing and formulation; the role of non-hormonal treatment options; and strategies for midlife weight and cardiometabolic management. Learn how to routinely discuss menopause care with your patients.
Treatment for atrial fibrillation (A-fib) is becoming safer and more efficient with the addition of pulsed field ablation (PFA). Cardiac electrophysiologist William Maddox, M.D., explains how PFA targets cardiac tissue while sparing nearby structures and how it can be combined with radiofrequency ablation when needed.
Trabecular bone score (TBS) adds insight beyond bone mineral density to better assess fracture risk and guide treatment decisions. Basma Abdulhadi, M.D., discusses how TBS complements DEXA and refines FRAX estimates, especially in patients with osteopenia who are near the treatment threshold. Learn how Type 2 diabetes can mask fracture risk and who may benefit from TBS as part of their initial assessment.
Brachytherapy is an inside-out radiation approach to treating tumors that may offer advantages over external beam radiation in some situations. Samuel Marcrom, M.D., a radiation oncologist, discusses how brachytherapy differs from external beam radiation including its situational advantages and challenges, as well as common uses. He explains patient selection, treatment logistics, and the UAB patient experience.
In this episode, we join Steven Russell, M.D., as he outlines ways to enhance bedside interactions and improve patient outcomes. With technology playing a significant role in medicine today, it’s crucial to find a balance that keeps patients at the center of care. Tune in to learn about effective strategies that ensure a valuable and compassionate patient experience.
Aortic aneurysms are complex and often asymptomatic, making swift monitoring and mitigation crucial. Kyle Eudailey, MD, an expert in aortic surgery, discusses the guidelines that he considers when weighing the patient-specific risks of surgery vs. surveillance. He emphasizes the importance of consistent imaging and measurement over time by specialists to improve physician recommendations and patient outcomes. Learn about behavioral...
The most common male infertility procedures are varicocele ligation, vasectomy reversal, and sperm retrieval for IVF. Peter Kolettis, M.D., a urologist, explains the purposes and steps of each procedure. He discusses working with colleagues in reproductive endocrinology to support each couple’s goals. Learn how urologists counsel patients to understand the factors that influence success with fertility procedures.
UAB has one of the few clinics in North America that coordinates care for adults with spina bifida. Jeffrey Blount, M.D., Daniel Harmon, M.D., and Betsy Hopson, MSHA, explain how the adult clinic builds on a continuum of care that includes maternal-fetal medicine and pediatric services at Children’s of Alabama. Learn how they’ve used evidence-based programming and a multidisciplinary approach to improve care for this gr...
Justin Kirk, DPT, highlights identifying and reducing risk factors for ACL injuries. He shares who is most likely to sustain an ACL injury, the movements or position that increases an athlete’s risk for injury and the importance of limb symmetry and single leg training for preventing ACL injuries. Additionally, he offers recommendations for providers, when working with athletes at high risk, on how to reduce their risk for an...
Epilepsy affects up to 2% of people, and for some patients, medications are not effective. Adeel Ilyas, M.D., a neurosurgeon, explains how referral to a Level 4 epilepsy center offers hope to patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. Learn how UAB’s multidisciplinary team, including neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neuropsychologists, uses both surgical and neuromodulatory approaches to manage seizures.
Liver transplantation can extend survival for some patients whose colorectal cancer has spread only to the liver. Robert Cannon, M.D., surgical director of UAB’s Liver Transplant Program, explains the selection criteria that determine whether these patients — until recently considered ineligible for transplant — may benefit. He also outlines the treatment progression and how physicians care for patients while they...
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