CCHS Faculty Receives Community Engagement Fellowship

Dr. Mercedes Morales-Aleman, assistant professor of community medicine and population health for the College of Community Health Sciences, was one of only three University of Alabama faculty awarded a Community Engagement Graduate Fellowship for their research. The fellowships are awarded by UA’s Council on Community-Based Partnerships and include a $15,000 stipend for faculty, as well…


Exercise and Healthy Eating Promoted at Brussels Sprout Challenge

Hundreds of walkers participated in University Medical Center’s 6th Annual Brussels Sprout Challenge March 7, eating one roasted sprout at each mile of the 3.1-mile walk and helping to promote healthy lifestyle choices. UMC, which is operated by the College of Community Health Sciences, again offered the Brussels Sprout Challenge in partnership with the American…


New Director of Nursing Hired

Yvette Daidone, MSN, RN-BC, joined the College of Community Health Sciences as director of nursing for University Medical Center, which the College operates. Her responsibilities include serving as chief nursing officer, improving workflow, standardizing processes and procedures and implementing quality improvement activities. Before joining the College, Daidone was a quality management specialist at DCH Health…


Women’s Health with Age: Changes and Treatments

Sexual satisfaction can become more difficult to achieve as the risk of sexual dysfunction in various forms increases with age, said Dr. John McDonald, interim chair of gynecology and obstetrics at University Medical Center. He said on average after age 50, the ovaries cease estrogen production, leaving women with a variety of problems, including hot…


Continuum of HIV care needed on college campuses

An estimated 3% to 6% of U.S. college students are HIV positive, but those numbers could be higher and indicate a need for campuses to provide a range of HIV health care services, Dr. Sinead Younge, Danforth Endowed Professor in the Department of Psychology at Morehouse College, said at a February lecture at the College…


No Crystal Ball: It’s Risk Assessment

High cholesterol is a significant component of artery-clogging plaque and a major cardiovascular disease risk factor, said Dr. Jared Ellis, associate professor of family medicine at the College of Community Health Sciences at OLLI on Feb. 24. Cholesterol is necessary to keep the body healthy, but too much can cause serious health complications, said Ellis,…


Don’t Skip A Beat

Despite what romantic comedies might say, a skipped heartbeat is not cause for celebration. A rapid or irregular heartbeat can indicate atrial fibrillation, or AFib. It can increase the risk of stroke, heart failure and other complications, said Dr. Brett Bentley, assistant professor of family medicine and sports medicine at the College of Community Health…


Don’t Sleep on a Good Night’s Rest

Almost 10% of adults in the U.S. have been diagnosed with a sleep disorder, and while there is not concrete scientific evidence of how much sleep humans need it is evident that not getting enough can be detrimental to overall health, said Dr. Brittney Anderson. Anderson, assistant professor of family, internal and rural medicine at…


Buyer Beware: Pre- and Probiotics

The active bacteria cultures living in the intestines may not sound appealing, but they have a large impact on daily life and digestive health. Meghan Busky, master’s student of nutrition sciences, spoke at The University of Alabama’s OLLI program on behalf of the College of Community Health Sciences’ Mini Medical School. Busky partnered with her…


Maternal Outcomes

Bella Valentini  Reproductive health disparities, such as maternal mortality and morbidity rates, are significantly higher for women of color compared to white women. Dr. Madeline Sutton, medical epidemiologist and board-certified OB/GYN and assistant professor at Morehouse School of Medicine, said that health care providers need to understand historical contexts to better modern medicine and to…