PULMONARY , ALLERGY , AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE QUARTERLY UPDATE
WINTER 2024
FEATURE STORIES
UAB Pulmonary Launches Environmental Lung Disease Clinic by Andy Currie Joseph Barney , M . D ., Kevin Dsouza , M . D ., Dhaval Raval , M . D ., and Crystal Stephens , CRNP have launched a new ELD clinic at UAB . Their goal is to provide comprehensive evaluations for patients from Alabama and the Southeast with respiratory conditions related to work exposures , environmental hazards at home and in workplace settings , and geographic areas of heightened risk .
This practice includes increasing access to care for the state ' s 3,600 coal workers . They also aim to provide treatment for exposure to other environmental toxins ( cadmium , etc .) as the clinical extension of the Superfund Research Center .
Clinic will be every Friday afternoon . The clinic will staff at least two providers each week , so will see between 12 to 14 patients depending on complexity .
The clinic staff expects to see patients with occupational and environmental exposures like coal mine dust , silica , beryllium , and asbestos . These providers decided to start this clinic because there is no similar clinic dedicated to lung disease in the state . Their goal is to help patients with these exposures and to partner with the UAB School of Public Health to expand and improve environmental health research in Alabama .
Lung Health Center Announces New Leadership Team by Andy Currie
Joseph Barney , M . D ., Crystal Stephens , CRNP , Kevin Dsouza , M . D ., and Dhaval Raval , M . D .
Photography : Carolyn Walsh
The UAB Lung Health Center has appointed three new pulmonary leaders to advance the treatment and study of lung health : Mike Wells , Amit Gaggar , and Gabriela Oates .
Mike Wells , M . D . ( Associate Professor , Pulmonary , Allergy and Critical Care ) will assume the role of Medical Director , overseeing operations and clinical research . Wells is a distinguished pulmonologist with expertise in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency .
Amit Gaggar , M . D ., Ph . D ., ( Professor , Pulmonary , Allergy and Critical Care ) will serve as Scientific Director , leveraging his extensive experience directing programs in protease and matrix biology , pulmonary biology , and two medical startups in this position .
Gabriela Oates , Ph . D ., ( Associate Professor , Pulmonary , Allergy and Critical Care ) will expand community outreach initiatives and research focused on social determinants of health , health disparities , and patient-centered outcomes as Director of Population Health Sciences .
PULMONARY , ALLERGY , AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE