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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 therapies may be on the horizon. 

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.

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 interventions that may reduce the risk of aortic aneurysm rupture and need for surgery in some patients.

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 growing population.

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 ACL injury and the changes he has seen in management of ACL tears over the past 5 years.

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 are on the transplant waiting list. Learn how the RAPID graft technique and UAB’s new living-donor program could make this option available to more patients.

Surgeons in kidney transplantation are expanding their use of robotics, beginning with donor nephrectomy. Michael Hanaway, M.D., explains why robotic surgery will soon become the standard of care for donor nephrectomy and is expected to become common for kidney transplants within the next 10-15 years. Learn more about new capabilities on the horizon for robotic surgery.