College of Community Health News

• College welcomes second class of pre-medical students (5/26/2023) - The College of Community Health Sciences welcomed the 2023 Class of the Tuscaloosa Rural Pre-Medical Internship, a program for college students in pre-medical studies who are interested in rural primary care practice. TRPI is a seven-week summer program that provides opportunities for students to learn about the health needs of rural Alabama residents, particularly in […]
• Graduating medical students celebrated at banquet (5/26/2023) - Thirty-four graduates of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine were recognized at the UA College of Community Health Sciences Senior Banquet held May 18 at Indian Hills Country Club in Tuscaloosa. As a regional campus of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, the College provides clinical education for a […]
• College’s family medicine residency hosts Research Day (5/26/2023) - Home health visits, airway management, HPV vaccinations, blood pressure and prenatal care were some of the topics presented at the College of Community Health Sciences Resident and Fellow Research Day, hosted May 23 by the UA Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program. The residency, which is operated by CCHS, is a three-year education and training program […]
• Publications (5/26/2023) - Dr. Caroline Boxmeyer, associate dean for Academic Affairs and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at CCHS, co-authored “Mindful Coping Power Effects on Children’s Autonomic Nervous System Functioning and Long-Term Behavioral Outcomes” published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. To view the article, click here.
• Faculty Moves (5/26/2023) - Dr. Tamer Elsayed, director of the UA Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program, was named interim chair of the CCHS Department of Family, Internal, and Rural Medicine. He assumes the role July 1. Elsayed, a family medicine physician and graduate of the residency, has extensive clinical experience and teaches medical students and resident physicians in inpatient […]
• Accolades (5/26/2023) - Dr. Pamela Payne-Foster, professor of community medicine and population health with CCHS, received the prestigious 2023 Lahoma Adams Buford Peace Award in recognition of her professional and personal advocacy in causes that promote peace and justice. The University of Alabama endowed award is housed in the UA School of Social Work and is presented annually […]
• Scholars studying to become future rural physicians honored at convocation (5/1/2023) - Eleven students studying to become physicians and practice in rural Alabama communities were recognized April 23 at a convocation for the Rural Medical Scholars Program. The program, now in its 27th year, is operated by The University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences and the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School […]
• New chief residents named (5/1/2023) - Five residents of The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program were named chief residents for the 2023-24 academic year. The new chief residents and their leadership roles: Dr. Mitch Currie – hospital, committees, hospital quality improvement and patient safety Dr. Nicholas Goodwin – information technology Dr. Jillian Kelly – schedules, policies, procedures and […]
• CCHS alumni work to reduce health disparities in minority and rural communities (5/1/2023) - April is National Minority Health Month and the College of Community Health Sciences celebrated with a panel discussion presented by College alumni and titled “Better Health Through Better Understanding: Women’s Health and Health Literacy.” The panelists, all graduates of The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program, which CCHS operates, were: Dr. Arnelya Cade-Chapman, […]
• Fentanyl leading cause of opioid overdose deaths (5/1/2023) - At the outset of the opioid epidemic, overdose deaths resulted mainly from prescription opioids, including natural and semi-synthetic opioids. Soon, heroin was the top culprit. Now, fentanyl is the leading cause of opioid overdose deaths, according to speakers at the 22nd Annual Rural Health Conference, held April 12-13 at The University of Alabama and hosted […]
• UA Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society shares collection (5/1/2023) - On Jan. 11, 1964, the Surgeon General of the United States Public Health Service, Dr. Luther Terry, an Alabamian, released the federal government’s first report implicating cigarette smoking as a major cause of lung cancer and other diseases. Dr. Alan Blum was then a high school junior in Woodmere, NY, and at the urging of […]
• Stewart joins CCHS Board of Visitors (5/1/2023) - Lewis Stewart Lewis Stewart, Jr., has joined the College of Community Health Sciences Board of Visitors. The College’s Alice McLean Stewart Endowed Lecture for Addiction Education is named in honor of his mother. The CCHS Board of Visitors is a volunteer board made up of alumni, donors, community physicians, businesspeople and other friends and supporters […]
• Bama Blitz (5/1/2023) - College surpasses fundraising goal for student health support fund The College of Community Health Sciences exceeded the fundraising goal set for its Bama Blitz passion project, raising $19,256.45 to assist uninsured or underinsured University of Alabama students with their health care costs. The College had set a goal of raising $10,000 for the Student Health […]
• In Memory: Betty Shirley, beloved mental health care advocate (5/1/2023) - Betty Shirley believed that mental health issues would become more prevalent over time, and she recognized early on the positive impact that educating primary care physicians in the provision of mental health care could have on people struggling with these challenges. “I believe that diseases of behavior will dominate the 21st Century, whether these be […]
• CCHS Brag Points (5/1/2023) - High school immersion: Rural Alabama high school students interested in health care careers can get a head start through the Rural Health Scholars and Minority Rural Health Scholars programs, offered every summer by the College of Community Health Sciences.