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Assessing infection risk in autoimmune disease means looking at the disease and its treatment together. Infectious diseases specialists Jeremey Walker, M.D., and Julia Schroeder, M.D., explain how the medications, dose, and duration of treatment affect risk. They explore why infection can resemble a flare and how histoplasmosis can behave like tuberculosis. Learn how screening for infections, vaccination, and collaboration with infectious diseases specialists can help providers manage infection risk.

For patients with cancer, “immunocompromised” is not a complete assessment of infection risk. Jeremey Walker, M.D., and Emily Wong, M.D., explain why risk must be assessed individually – based on the malignancy, treatment, timing of therapy, and parts of the immune system affected. They discuss how those factors guide diagnosis, referral, and prevention.

Is this mole something to worry about? Surgical oncologist, Taranjit Arora, M.D., explains how clinicians use the ABCDEs and “evolution” to flag suspicious lesions. She discusses symptoms that raise concern (itching, spontaneous bleeding), common biopsy methods (punch and shave), the role of dermatology and pathology in diagnosis, and why a changing lesion deserves prompt evaluation.

As demand for donor hearts continues to outpace supply, donation after circulatory death (DCD) is helping expand access for patients on the waitlist. UAB heart transplant experts Rajamiyer Venkateswaran, M.D., and Jose Tallaj, M.D., discuss the growing use of DCD hearts, patient outcomes, ethical considerations, and preservation advances making more transplants possible.

Sepsis remains a leading cause of hospital mortality in preterm infants, but treating suspected cases as medical emergencies can help. Colm Travers, M.D., discusses what makes preterm infants particularly vulnerable to sepsis and why it can be difficult to recognize using current screening methods. Learn how UAB’s Code Sepsis reduced the time to administer antibiotics to less than 30 minutes after orders were placed and how its emergency approach halved deaths due to sepsis among extremely preterm infants.

Although essential for some patients, central lines create an ongoing risk of infection. Senior Director of Infection Prevention Mary Duncan and Rachael Lee, M.D., explain that central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) prevention begins with proper insertion technique and continues throughout the life of the line. They also discuss how daily interdisciplinary rounds and shared accountability support consistent prevention.

OR delays may never be eliminated, but many can be prevented. Napoleon Player, DNP, associate vice president of perioperative services and procedures, compares the operating room to an airport – a complex system that requires constant coordination. He explains how UAB analyzes delays and uses data to pinpoint where better preparation and communication can reduce them.

Early recognition of progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) is critical because further lung damage cannot be reversed. Teja Kulkarni, M.D., discusses the criteria for diagnosing PPF, the importance of multidisciplinary evaluation, and the expanding antifibrotic treatment options.

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 could further advance surgical safety.

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 DBS plays an important role in the future of UAB’s Movement Disorders Division.

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 reduce variability.

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 transplantation for some patients.

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, and a new nerve ablation procedure for persistent symptoms. Learn how avoiding triggers and practicing nasal hygiene are important parts of long-term symptom control.

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.