UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine

We’re excited to celebrate the Power Of Rural on National Rural Health Day! Join us in recognizing the spirit of rural America and the efforts of health care providers and stakeholders addressing unique health care challenges. Learn more at powerofrural.org #PowerOfRural #NationalRuralHealthDay

Maintaining a healthy diet is crucial for managing diabetes, but nearly 15% of households across the South faced food insecurity in 2023. The FREEDOM study aims to provide sustainable and effective Type 2 diabetes management solutions for adults in the Deep South, focusing on food delivery, remote monitoring, and health coaching. The FREEDOM study addresses key challenges like transportation barriers, access to health services, quality of care, and food insecurity. Over 60% of participants in the FREEDOM project face food insecurity and live in areas with a high deprivation index. This means they lack essential elements for life and well-being, such as adequate housing, education, economic security, and access to health care. Learn more about this impactful project: https://lnkd.in/eMm_Rj5Q #DiabetesAwarenessMonth #CommunityHealth Forge AHEAD Center Aseel El Zein, PhD, MS, RDN Tapan Mehta Vasil Bachiashvili Druss Hays Tanjila Nawshin

As we observe National Diabetes Month, Alabama stands out as one of the two states with the highest percentage of adults diagnosed with diabetes. A staggering 15.5% of Alabama adults have been informed by a health professional that they have diabetes, excluding prediabetes and gestational diabetes. Family and Community Medicine researchers are spearheading two studies aimed at helping patients manage their type 2 diabetes. The FREEDOM—Food Delivery, Remote Monitoring, and Coaching-Enhanced Education for Optimized Diabetes Management—study?targets transportation barriers, health services access, quality of care, and food insecurity. The Gamified Optimized Diabetes Management With Artificial Intelligence-Powered Rural Telehealth (GODART) project employs telehealth technologies to combat diabetes in rural, underserved areas. Follow us all month as we highlight the people and research making a positive impact on diabetes in our communities. #NationalDiabetesMonth

November is National Diabetes Month! All month, we will be highlighting Family and Community researchers tackling the disease as well as tips from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) on how to prevent diabetes health problems. https://lnkd.in/dyg5CKR #diabetesmonth

Yesterday, Assistant Professor Jill Marsh, MD, delivered an insightful presentation at the 2024 Alabama STI/HIV Update. Her talk, “Who do we serve? Background and strategies to care for diverse patient populations in Alabama,” highlighted crucial strategies for improving health care for all. The conference was hosted by the AIDS Education and Training Center and Southeast STD/HIV Prevention Training Center. In the photo, Dr. Marsh is joined by Nick Van Wagoner, MD, PhD, associate professor in the UAB Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, and assistant dean for students at the Heersink UAB School of Medicine. #CommunityHealth #CommunityMedicine

We love partnering with Live HealthSmart Alabama to positively impact our community

Department of Family and Community Medicine Assistant Professor Kaylee Burnham Crockett, Ph.D., recently attended the Health Equity Action Network (HEAN) annual conference. While there, she presented a poster showcasing her ongoing pilot work with the Forge AHEAD Center: Adaptation and Initial Feasibility of a Primary Care-based Dyadic Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Intervention: “Heart Care Pairs.” HEAN is a consortium of health researchers and community partners bringing innovative solutions for the prevention and management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, stroke, and certain cancers. #healthequityresearch

We're excited to announce the appointment of our department chair, Irfan Asif, MD, as the UAB Minority Health & Health Equity Research Center’s new co-director. For over 20 years, the MHERC has served as a critical connection between investigators and vulnerable populations—enabling and facilitating health disparities research. “The MHERC has done amazing work and now we have an opportunity to take a step back and think about how we can continue to have meaningful and impactful work in a way that’s current or event futuristic,” shared Asif. “This center is one-of-a-kind. We should take a moment, celebrate it, and disseminate it so other people can start developing their own MHERC equivalent. My hope is by doing that we create lasting partnerships.” #healthequityresearch

Alabama physicians are reminding us to get a flu vaccine now, before the peak of the flu season. CBS 42 News turned to Department of Family and Community Medicine assistant professor Joseph Coppiano to discuss staying healthy as the temperatures turn cooler. #familymedicine #fluseason

We are thrilled to host a celebration of Primary Care Week from October 4-11, 2024. This event-packed week aims to educate physicians-in-training and students across the health spectrum on the pivotal role of primary care in the health care system. From a kickoff social to hands-on workshops and community wellscreens with Live HealthSmart Alabama, these events are designed to fuel an interest in primary care while fostering connection and learning. Check out the full schedule of activities using the story below. #PrimaryCare #MedicalEducation