Published in UAB Insight, Spring 2008
Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery
Douglas J. Minnich, MD, has accepted an appointment as assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. Minnich received his MD degree from Indiana University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in general surgery at University of Florida.
He comes to UAB from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where he completed a residency in cardiothoracic surgery. During his residency at MGH, he spent elective time as a visiting resident in thoracic surgery at University of Pittsburgh and Mayo Clinic. His clinical interests include benign and malignant diseases of the trachea, lung, esophagus, and mediastinum.
Cardiovascular Disease
Steven M. Pogwizd, MD, has accepted an appointment as professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Disease and associate director of the cardiac rhythm management laboratory. Pogwizd received his MD degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago and research and clinical fellowships in cardiology at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis.
Pogwizd served on the faculty of Washington University as assistant professor of medicine in the Cardiovascular Division and on the staff of Barnes Hospital as attending physician. During a sabbatical as visiting professor in the Department of Physiology at Loyola University he engaged in collaborative research on cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying development of arrhythmias in heart failure.
Pogwizd joins UAB from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he was professor of medicine and physiology and interim director of research in the Section of Cardiology.
He has received numerous awards for his research and has authored or coauthored more than 50 reports of original investigations. He is a member of the American College of Physicians, the American College of Cardiology, the Cardiac Electrophysiologic Society, the New York Academy of Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, among others.
Pogwizd is principal investigator for several NIH RO1 grants. His research focuses on cellular and electrophysiological mechanisms of arrhythmias in heart failure and three-dimensional electrocardiographic imaging. His clinical interests are general
Immunology and Rheumatology
Monica H. Crawford, MD, has accepted an appointment as assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology. Crawford received her MD degree from Wright State University School of Medicine in Ohio, where she was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. She completed an internal medicine residency at Emory University School of Medicine, where she was chief medical resident from 2004 to 2005. Crawford completed a rheumatology fellowship at UAB. Her clinical interest is general rheumatology with an emphasis in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Nephrology
Sumant S. Chugh, MD, has accepted an appointment as associate professor of medicine in the Division of Nephrology. Chugh received his MD degree from Christian Medical College in Ludhiana, India. He completed internal medicine residencies at Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India, and Newton Wellesley Hospital and a nephrology fellowship at Boston University Medical Center. He comes to UAB from Northwestern University, where he was assistant professor of nephrology and 2004 recipient of the Faculty Recognition Award. His primary clinical interests are glomerular disease and proteinuria.
Pediatric Gastroenterology
Kirk A. Thame, MBBS, has accepted an appointment as assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology. He received his MBBS degree from the University of the West Indies in Mona, Jamaica. He completed internships at Kingston Public Hospital, Bustamante Hospital for Children, University Hospital of the West Indies, and Port of Spain General Hospital.
After earning a diploma in child health at University Hospital of the West Indies he completed a residency in pediatrics at University of Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital and a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at Washington University’s St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Before joining UAB, Thame served as an associate lecturer in the Section of Child Health, University of the West Indies, and as a consulting pediatrician and pediatric gastroenterologist at University Hospital of the West Indies.
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Sophia K. Lal, DO, has accepted an appointment as assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation with a secondary appointment in the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery. She received her DO degree from University of North Texas Health Science Center and completed a 1-year NIH research fellowship followed by a physical medicine and rehabilitation residency at Emory University. Lal also did a sports medicine fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Her clinical interests include sports medicine and nonsurgical rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries to the shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, and foot.