UA College of Community Health Sciences

Dr. Lea Yerby, research professor in the Department of Community Medicine and Population Health at CCHS , and her research team participated in The University of Alabama's third annual WellBAMA T-Shirt Day.

Yerby is a site Multiple Principal Investigator for the HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study, the largest long-term study of early brain development in the United States. The study examines pregnancy, early childhood brain development and factors that influence children's long-term health.

WellBAMA T-Shirt Day encourages UA faculty and staff to celebrate workplace wellness by wearing their WellBAMA shirts and sharing photos for a chance to win a prize.

(From left): Stephanie Osborne, Allison Terry, Shakira Savage, Lea Yerby, Lexi Schoenbaechler and Sarah Sowell

Join us today at 5:30pm as CCHS hosts its Art of Medicine Rounds! The speaker is William MacGregor, an actor and doctoral student in the Health Policy and Equity Graduate Program at York University in Toronto, Ontario. He’ll present “Remember Their Obligation To Those Who Have A Human Face: What the poet Bertolt Brecht said we must expect from our physicians.”

The lecture is free and open to the public in the CCHS Classrooms (850 Peter Bryce Blvd., Tuscaloosa, Ala.) It is also available via Zoom: https://bit.ly/artmedrounds.

Congrats to our very own Dr. Russ Guin on his appointment as director of The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program, which is operated by CCHS! 🎉

Guin, a clinical assistant professor in the CCHS Department of Family, Internal, and Rural Medicine, succeeds Dr. Tamer Elsayed and will oversee the overall operation of the residency, including resident recruitment and selection, teaching and scholarly activities, resident supervision, patient care education and compliance with accreditation requirements.

We look forward to his leadership as the program continues its commitment in educating the next generation of family medicine physicians.

Help us welcome our newest Geriatric Fellow, Dr. Alesha Amerson! 🎉

Amerson recently graduated from The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program, which CCHS operates, and began her Geriatric Medicine Fellowship training earlier this month.

During her fellowship, she will gain experience caring for older adults in a variety of settings, including inpatient and outpatient care, hospice and skilled nursing facilities. She will also have opportunities to teach medical students and residents, participate in scholarly work and develop her expertise in geriatrics.

Help us welcome three new sports medicine fellows to CCHS: Drs. Robert Jones, Grant Collins and Cameron Hurlock! 🎉

The fellows began their training earlier this month and care for patients at the Dr. Bill deShazo Sports Medicine Center at University Medical Center, which is operated by the College, as well as University of Alabama athletes and high school athletes at sporting events.

Welcome to CCHS Drs. Jones, Collins and Hurlock!

Make plans to join us today, Tuesday, July 21, at 12:30pm as CCHS hosts The Ernest Cole Brock Endowed Lecture.

The speaker, Dr. Michael Collins, professor and Arthur J. Rooney, Sr. Chair in Sports Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, will present “An Evidence-Based Clinical Profile Model of the Assessment, Management and Treatment of a Concussion.” The lecture is free and open to the public in the CCHS Classrooms (850 Peter Bryce Blvd., Tuscaloosa). It is also available via Zoom: https://ua-edu.zoom.us/j/8468207336?pwd=UytiL1lqQ3Y3MHNpV2VTS0MxcW1Wdz09

Dr. Brian Gannon, associate professor of pediatrics at the College of Community Health Sciences, discussed foster care and adoption during a guest appearance on “Simplified” on Alabama Public Radio. Gannon practices pediatrics at University Medical Center and is founder of UMC’s FRESH Start Clinic, which serves children in state custody in West Alabama. He is also a foster parent to eight children and an advocate for foster families. Listen here: https://www.apr.org/podcast/simplified/2026-07-08/simplified-adoption-and-foster-care-with-dr-brian-gannon

CCHS’s Rural Programs recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Rural Medical Scholars Program this past weekend with a welcome reception, picnic and anniversary banquet.

The Rural Medical Scholars Program, established in 1996, is exclusively for rural Alabama students who aspire to become physicians and return to practice in their hometowns or similar communities.

Visit the link in our bio to learn more about CCHS Rural Programs!

(From left): Dr. Jim Leeper, director of Education and Evaluation of Rural Programs, Dr. Meghan Rivera, assistant director of Rural Programs, Dr. Jackie Luker, associate director of Rural Programs, Dr. Antonio Gardner, director of Education and Evaluation of Rural Programs, Dr. Drake Lavender, director of Rural Programs, Cynthia Moore, assistant director of Rural Programs, Candace Lacey, program coordinator of Rural Programs, and Tommie Bolden, administrative assistant for Rural Programs

The College of Community Health Sciences introduces CE21, a new learning management system that expands access to continuing medical education, offering more learning opportunities to physicians and other health care professionals at The University of Alabama, including CCHS faculty and staff, CCHS alumni and community providers across Alabama.

CE21 allows users to have greater access to live and on-demand educational lectures and activities, along with a simpler way to complete learning, track participation, and access certificates and transcripts in one place.

Email [email protected] for more information.

A reminder to join us today at 12:30pm as CCHS hosts The Dr. Joe W. and Virginia Hursey O'Neal Endowed Lecture.

The speaker, Dr. Lauren Hughey, a clinical professor at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine and founder of Renew Dermatology in Birmingham, will present “Cancer and the Skin.” The lecture is free and open to the public in the CCHS Classrooms (850 Peter Bryce Blvd., Tuscaloosa). It is also available via Zoom: https://ua-edu.zoom.us/j/8468207336?pwd=UytiL1lqQ3Y3MHNpV2VTS0MxcW1Wdz09