Archive for Physicians Giving Back

Breathing Easier with Amy CaJacob, M.D.

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Breathing Easier with Amy CaJacob, M.D.

BIRMINGHAM – The most recent Alabama data find one in every 10 Alabama adults, or 306,000, suffer from asthma. The data also show more than 12 percent of Alabama children are living with the chronic respiratory disease at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, these children live sheltered lives trying to avoid the triggers that can induce an asthmatic episode. Summer camp was not an option for these children…that is until Camp WheezeAway opened 27 years ago.

“Camp WheezeAway is one of the longest-running asthma camps in the country. It’s a memorial camp dedicated to Patsy Ruff, who was the world’s first successful double lung transplant in 1987,” explained Dr. Amy CaJacob, a pediatric allergist/immunologist and the camp’s medical director. “Patsy had asthma, COPD and was a smoker for 22 years. One of the things Patsy wanted was a camp for kids because when she was growing up with asthma, she couldn’t go to a summer camp like her friends. She really wanted kids with asthma to have a normal summer camp experience that she never had, and that’s what we try to do at Camp WheezeAway.”

Camp WheezeAway is celebrating its 27th anniversary this year and is free to qualified applicants – youngsters ages 8 to 12 suffering from persistent asthma. Campers are selected in June, and the camp is July 1-6, 2018, at YMCA’s Camp Chandler.

Dr. CaJacob explained the importance of education about asthma and how to handle its limitations is as much a part of the camp as having fun. Asthma affects nearly 25 million people of all ages and races. An estimated 7 million children have asthma, a chronic disease caused by inflammation of the airways in the lungs. During an asthma attack, the muscles around the airway constrict, the lining of the airway passages swell, and the lungs produce excess mucus making breathing difficult, which can lead to coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.

“Every year at camp on the last night we have a smokeless campfire at night after dinner,” she explained. “We wheel around an oxygen tank and talk to the kids about the dangers of smoking. We tell them the story of Patsy Ruff, her surgery, and how the camp began. All the campers are at that age where they may want to experiment with smoking, and they are going to be making their own decisions about their health or possibly succumb to peer pressure about smoking. They need to understand how their decisions will affect their health.”

If you think asthma education is boring, think again. Dr. CaJacob and the staff of medical volunteers find new ways each year to make it as interactive and fun as possible for the campers…even if it involves grossing out some of the kids.

“We don’t want to bore the kids during the education section. The project I do every year is, well…we make mucus…it’s so messy, but the kids love it! The girls not as much as the boys, though,” she laughed. “We’ve done skits of how to avoid asthma triggers where the kids dress up as ragweed or cigarettes and a rescue inhaler. Sometimes it’s just hands-on training so they can learn how to use their inhalers.”

All in all, the campers get a well-rounded experience. From shaving cream battles, kayaking, and horseback riding, to rock climbing and archery…and anything you can think of doing in the lake…plenty of emphasis is placed on kids with asthma being NORMAL kids.

“We do all the stuff other camps do, but safety always comes first,” Dr. CaJacob said. “Camp has changed dramatically over the years from the kinds of kids who attend because asthma care has come a long way. There used to be much more medically complex kids than we have now. At one time there were kids on ventilators for their asthma. Our inhalers and treatments are so much better now. That’s not to say there might not be a child or two we may have to step up treatment during the week by putting them on a little stronger inhaler or an oral steroid. I’m there the entire week, and we have a number of nursing and respiratory therapists who are there as well.”

In many instances, Camp WheezeAway is a camper’s first sleepover outside the home. Because campers are not allowed cell phones, Dr. CaJacob assures parents they should not worry. A mother herself, there are plenty of times when she shrugs off her physician’s coat for her mom hat.

“For a lot of our campers, it’s their first time away from home, and we get a lot of homesickness that first night. Part of my job is doctoring that week, but a lot of it is just being a mom! That first night the kids can’t sleep or have tummy aches, but when they settle in and start having fun, everything is just fine! The campers aren’t allowed cell phones, but we take plenty of photos of the children and stay in touch with their parents by sending them photos of the activities, and let them know how things are going,” Dr. CaJacob said.

For more information regarding selection or medical qualifications and limitations, contact Brenda Basnight, CRT, at brendabasnight@yahoo.com. Camp WheezeAway is free to qualified applicants — youngsters ages 8 to 12 suffering from moderate to severe asthma, but registration is required. Donations are also appreciated and can be made online.

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Creating a World Where Every Person Matters with Michele Kong, M.D.

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Creating a World Where Every Person Matters with Michele Kong, M.D.

BIRMINGHAM — When Michele Kong was a little girl growing up in Malaysia, she knew the world was filled with both wonder and danger. She surprised herself and her family when she managed to kill a not-so-small python that slithered into their home. She laughs now remembering the incident, but she said someone had to do it to protect her family, and she had the shovel.

Dr. Kong is a long way from home these days, but the spirit of that young girl with the shovel still burns just as bright. So, when she and her family faced the challenge of a lifetime, they created a solution that has touched thousands of lives.

Her son, Abram, was just 4-years-old when he was diagnosed with autism. Because Dr. Kong and her husband are both physicians, they understood the science of the diagnosis, but what came next was a complete surprise.

“It was a difficult period for us after his diagnosis. As time went by, it became more apparent what Abram’s challenges were going to be, and we struggled with how best to help him. We were both physicians, with resources and a large medical network, and yet the journey with him as we navigated this new world was extremely challenging” Dr. Kong explained. “We also realized that it was an isolating journey – many countless hours were spent in therapy, and because of his sensory sensitivity, it was hard for him to attend community activities.”

Dr. Kong and her husband realized very quickly that not only were there limited resources available to meet their son’s needs, there were also limited resources available for them as a family. As they began to meet other families with children on the autism spectrum they realized they were not alone in their journey.

“There were other organizations and nonprofits focused on finding the cause for autism, but we realized that what we wanted to change was the culture of our community. We wanted to shift the mindset and culture to one where all special needs children and their families are accepted and included. It’s not just about awareness but about acceptance. It is also about meeting the children where they are, and using innovative ways to help them fulfill their potentials. And we believed that if we could change the culture one city at a time, we will eventually change the world’s view on our children.”

KultureCity was born. KultureCity is a national nonprofit based in Birmingham with the mission of the inclusion and acceptance of all special needs individuals and their families. Having only been in operation for about four years now, KultureCity has made major impact not only in Alabama, but also expanded to have offices in New York, Boston and Ohio. While awareness is always good, Dr. Kong said, action and acceptance are much better and together can change the culture of a city.

“At times people do not know what to say or do, and some of their action or inaction may be because of their lack of understanding of the real challenges that an individual with special needs may face. But once there is knowledge, there will be empathy, and with that the acceptance and more importantly, action. Actions to help an individual and their family be re-connected to the community, and to plug them back into our society. This is how we change culture,” Dr. Kong said. “Every single person has been impacted either directly or indirectly by autism. If you do not have someone in your family who has autism, you know someone else who does. It is that prevalent in our society, and this is why this mission should matter to us all.”

KultureCity is about action. The organization has teamed up nationally with the NFL, NBA and NHL as well as museums, zoos and gardens, just to name a few, to create sensory rooms for individuals with sensory needs. The rooms are calming areas designed to help an individual with sensory overload regulate and decompress. KultureCity staff also trains the organization’s staff to assist fans and guests who have sensory challenges. So far, KultureCity has outfitted seven NBA arenas, three NHL arenas, two NFL stadiums, an aquarium and science center, four zoos, seven restaurants and one college. The organization has received national recognition with the NASCAR 2017 Betty Jane France Humanitarian of the Year Award and named by Microsoft as one of the best nonprofits in the nation.

“We are constantly pushing the envelope to change our culture to one where everyone is accepted in every aspects of our community. A lot of times, these children have unlimited potential, but the difference between them and the typical child is because of their unique challenges they may need different resources, or different methods of teaching. We have to meet them where they are. It’s like fitting a round peg into a square hole. It just won’t fit. You can’t look at them and think that they’ve reached their limits because it is often not true. The limitation is on our perspective on what they can or cannot do,” Dr. Kong said.

If you would like to know more about KultureCity, to volunteer or make a donation, click here.

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The Many Hats of Richard Freeman, M.D.

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The Many Hats of Richard Freeman, M.D.

OPELIKA — Dr. Richard Freeman’s office at Pediatric Associates of Auburn (which includes Drs. Ellen Royal, Rian Anglin and Katie Wolter) overlooks beautiful woods where wild turkeys have been known to roam. Inside his office are keepsakes of his past from photos of his time in the U.S. Navy to an identical propeller from a Piper J-3 Cub, the airplane he learned to fly in.

In Tullahoma, Tenn., Dr. Freeman put his physics and mathematics degree to work as a civilian employee of ARO, Inc., a civilian contractor for the U.S. Air Force. Although the company had four divisions, he chose the aerospace environmental facility because it was responsible for outer space simulations. Before long, Dr. Freeman took advantage of a company perk, which allowed him to pursue his Master’s degree in physics. It wasn’t long when he decided a different career path would be in his future.

“I had about half the coursework done for my master’s degree in physics before I decided that I wanted to do medicine. The company doctor was a really nice gentleman who had been to Vanderbilt Medical School and had retired from his private practice to become our company doctor. He said ‘Son, resign this job, go to Knoxville, do a year of pre-med, and see how you like it. You might be surprised.’ And I did,” Dr. Freeman said.

Knoxville proved a wise decision, not only as a career choice but also as a personal one. While completing a year of pre-med courses, Dr. Freeman met his wife there.

“On our first date, I took Sherry flying. When I was working in aerospace research I had learned to fly and got my private pilot’s license. It was a great first date! We flew over Cades Cove and Fontana Dam. We’ve never forgotten it!” Dr. Freeman laughed.

After Knoxville, Dr. Freeman went on to the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill. He still laughs as he recalls his first day and a special party at the dean’s house.

“The first day is usually for registration and getting books. After that, the dean, Dr. Isaac M Taylor, invited the class over to his home for a reception. There were two boys running around the house. One of the boys was Livingston Taylor and the other was James Taylor…that James Taylor…the musician,” he laughed. “Some of my classmates knew him because he had a band that played in town. Yeah…he was pretty good!”

After he finished medical school in 1970, Dr. Freeman landed in Birmingham where he did a mixed program of internal medicine and pediatrics in the first year of training preparing to stay for his internal medicine residency following completion of his pediatric residency. He had joined the U.S. Navy the year before his pre-med year at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. However, after finishing his pediatric residency he received orders to report for active duty in the pediatric department at NAS Jacksonville. In August 1975, he was released from active duty and moved to Opelika where he practiced in a clinic for two years before moving to Auburn where he opened his own medical clinic. It was not long before it was time for him to put on another hat…preceptor for pre-med students.

“In 1977 I got a call from Dr. Frank Stevens who was the professor of chemistry at Auburn University,” Dr. Freeman explained. “The university was trying to start a pre-med program. He asked if I could have some students shadow me in my practice. We’ve been doing that ever since. It’s been years ago, but I had a patient who delivered a baby in Birmingham. When they got ready to go home, the neonatologist called to let me know they were sending the parents and the baby home and to set up an appointment for a follow-up. As it turned out, the neonatologist was one of my pre-med students from Auburn who had rotated through my office. Small world!”

Before long, the flying bug bit again when one of our office nurse’s husband, who happened to be a U2 pilot and flight instructor at Auburn University, invited him on a flight, which he couldn’t resist. Dr. Freeman already had his private pilot’s license and had monitored the Navy’s flight surgeon program when on active duty at NAS Pensacola one summer. He completed the program at Auburn University for a commercial instrument rating, a multi-instrument rating, and his flight instructor rating. Then, Auburn University asked him to become a part-time flight instructor.

“I’m not current, so I don’t fly now. I just pay Delta and bum rides,” Dr. Freeman laughed. “In 1985 the community needed an aviation medical examiner to issue medical certificates to qualified pilots, so I went to school in Oklahoma City for a week to get my certification. I’ve been an AME since 1981. We see airline pilots and Auburn students who are learning how to fly and talk about aviation and flying – it’s a lot of fun. When you’re an aviation medical examiner, you wear a different hat from being a medical doctor. Technically you’re not a treating physician. You’re really an agent for the Federal Aviation Administration. When I put on the AME hat, I’m not diagnosing and not treating but evaluating this person. It is a public service and I see the role from both sides having been a pilot as well.”

In August 2016, Dr. Freeman became a different type of instructor when he was asked to present lectures on various pediatric topics to VCOM Auburn University medical students.

“That’s been a lot of fun, and that’s another hat. I can’t just waltz into the classroom and throw slides up on the screen,” Dr. Freeman explained. “I have to study to prepare for my presentations. It’s good for me, too, because I learn with the students. As physicians, we should never stop learning. I get to refresh my memory, and the students definitely keep me on my toes.”

Dr. Freeman lives in Opelika with his wife Sherry. They have two children. Kelly and her husband, Charlie, live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. They have three children — Elizabeth, Anna Jane and Charles. Mac and his wife, Ashley, live in Montgomery, and they also have three children — Mattie, Mac III and Annie Barnes.

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Capturing Memories with Joseph Wu, M.D.

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Capturing Memories with Joseph Wu, M.D.

BIRMINGHAM – Famed American photographer Ansel Adams once said, “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” Birmingham physician Joseph Wu has found some truly breathtaking places to stand after he discovered his love of photography in medical school.

What began as a hobby in medical school, just playing around with a camera as the unofficial class photographer, as Dr. Wu joked, soon turned into a sense of true adventure when he realized the places his camera could take him…and what memories his photographs would conjure later.

“With each trip I take, I update my website and Facebook page to keep people coming back to see where I’ve been. It’s not to sell my photos. That certainly would not make enough money for me to quit my day job!” Dr. Wu laughed. “It really feels as if I’m bringing memories of these adventures back for others to enjoy as well.”

Dr. Wu is quick to admit that he wasn’t all that interested in learning the mechanics of photography when he first began taking photos. The technical aspects of shutter speed, exposure and aperture were not that interesting to him. After he and his wife married and began traveling to some unexpected places, he realized the stunning landscapes they were seeing together would translate to gorgeous photographs, and it was time he learned how to operate the bells and whistles on his camera.

“We don’t go to your typical, run-of-the-mill vacation places most people do. For our honeymoon, we went to Portugal and since then we’ve been to Patagonia and Norway. We see pictures of places and we think, ‘Oh we HAVE to go there! This is absolutely amazing!’ We’ve been to places that 10 years ago people never traveled to and now have become real tourist destinations. We love to go to the outlying areas people don’t normally go to, so that’s where I like to take my pictures,” Dr. Wu explained.

He honed his photography skills in one of the most unlikely places on the planet. Iceland may not sound like a living postcard, but you’d be surprised. With dramatic landscapes of volcanoes, geysers, hot springs and lava fields, Iceland’s massive glaciers served as the backdrop for Dr. Wu’s first photography workshop.

“I started thinking that if I was going to spend this much time taking pictures, I wanted them to be presentable. This may be a hobby I’d like to improve, even though this can be a very expensive hobby!” he laughed. “After you get into it, with all the cameras and other equipment, it gets pretty expensive because there’s always new and better gear.”

Iceland proved to be an artistic awakening, and he was definitely bitten by the photo bug.

“My first trip to Iceland was way before everyone was deciding to go to Iceland, and now it’s become a vacation destination. I chose a workshop group in Iceland because their photos looked amazing, and their leaders were all pros, but everyone was very approachable. They gave everyone a lot of time and good feedback. Of course, they criticize you, but you’re there to learn. They really want you to get better as a photographer and your work to get better. Once you get there it’s the perfect learning environment. You’re in this beautiful place, and you want to bring this beauty home with you…somehow. It’s not to wow people looking at your social media pages but just to say ‘Hey, this is what I’m seeing, and I want to share it with you.’ Every photograph is a beautiful memory, and I want to share that moment,” he said.

Since then, Dr. Wu and his family have taken many family vacations to some unusual destinations from Canyonlands National Park in Utah and The Palouse in Washington State to more exotic places such as Patagonia, New Zealand, China and the Yukon Territory. Still, he has a bucket list of destinations such as Namibia, Myanmar, Japan and Tasmania. Later this year he has an excursion planned for Antarctica.

To the delight of his patients, the exam rooms in his office at the Simon-Williamson Clinic are filled with some of his favorite photographs from his travels, and they are more and conversation pieces.

“The patients love them! My patients know I love to travel, and they strike up a conversation about where I took the photos and how. So, it gives us something to talk about to break the ice other than why they’re here. It helps build that relationship with my patients. There are some pictures that really resonate with my patients. I have one picture in one of the exam rooms that’s of some old farm equipment. My patients love that picture. They love it! I thought it was cool, but it’s farm equipment!” he laughed. “I have another that’s an old locomotive wheel I took when I was in Minnesota. I took it because I liked the wheel and the stuff coming out of it. I turned it into a black and white picture, and the patients LOVE it! I enjoy sharing these memories with my patients, and they put them at ease when they’re here.”

If you’d like to see more of Dr. Wu’s photos, check out his gallery online at josephwu.smugmug.com, but he’s given us permission to display a few of his favorites below.

Photos compliments of Dr. Joseph Wu

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Always on the Move with Jack Hasson, M.D.

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Always on the Move with Jack Hasson, M.D.

BIRMINGHAM — April 13, 2013, is a day Americans will never forget. Runners from around the world gathered for the 117th Annual Boston Marathon. With 40,000 athletes racing toward the finish line like any other marathon. At 2:49 p.m. (ET), two bombs exploded about a mile away from the finish line nearly three hours after the winner crossed over. There were still more than 5,700 runners left in the race. Birmingham pulmonary specialist Jack Hasson had yet to cross that finish line.

“At first I really didn’t know there was anything wrong. You always hear ambulance sirens when you’re running in a race. There’s always a siren somewhere, but you get used to it. I was coming over Heartbreak Hill and back into Boston when I was hearing more and more sirens. I didn’t have any idea what was going on until we were stopped about a mile away from the finish line. I didn’t finish, but I was very close. I was right there. They stopped us a mile from the finish when they told us about the bombing,” Dr. Hasson explained taking a deep breath. He still remembers the day as perfectly as if it were yesterday. “That was the most horrible feeling when they told us what happened. We had no idea how big it was, how bad the casualties were, and then my brain wanted to slip into doctor-mode, but there was no way I could do anything to help.”

Dr. Hasson first began running the Boston Marathon in the late 1970s when participants numbered around 5,000. Back in those early days his wife would not only travel with him to the race but would also meet him at the finish line. But, on this day in April he admitted that as much as he had wanted to see his lovely wife at the end of the race, he was more relieved than ever that she wasn’t waiting for him.

“My wife was safe back at the hotel, thank goodness. In the old days when she could find me and see me finish, she would come to the finish line, but now with 40,000 people running, it’s kind of hard to see me!” he laughed.

With the sun setting, temperatures falling, and no cell service, Dr. Hasson had to navigate his way through the chaos of a city under siege to find his way back to his hotel and his wife. Until he made it back to the hotel, his wife could only wonder about his safety. It was a long 45 minutes.

“Considering where they placed the bombs on the route, it truly is a miracle that more people weren’t killed or injured. It could have been so much worse, and yes I do consider myself very lucky not to have been any closer. But, you have to go on with your life. You can’t wait for something bad to happen. We’re living in a different world today with mass shootings and terrorist threats. We’re living with these things every day, but you can’t allow these things to affect how you live your life. You still have to take care of your business and life your life the best way you can. You can’t stop doing what you enjoy,” Dr. Hasson said.

The bombing in 2013 did not stop Dr. Hasson from running. In fact, the Boston Athletic Association gave participants who ran at least half the distance but were not able to complete the 2013 Marathon early entry into the 2014 Marathon. Dr. Hasson was unable to finish the race in 2013, but he would in 2014.

“I went back in 2014 because I had to finish. They sent me a medal for the 2013 race, which I was not expecting. They gave me a finish time that was projected based on my last checkpoint and that was my finish time. That was pretty cool! They didn’t have to do that, but they treated us all very nice, but I just had to finish. I couldn’t stand it! That was the last one I ran,” he said.

In all, Dr. Hasson has participated in 130 marathons, but he hasn’t completely unlaced his running shoes. Instead, he’s shortened his routes by running about nine half marathons each year. But if you think he’s slowing down, think again.

Dr. Hasson became interested in art as a teenager, but even he will tell you it was not something he did on a regular basis. It was more of a hobby of drawing pictures here and there, but he never took any formal lessons until he was stationed with the Air Force in Warner Robins, Ga. With some extra time on his hands, he enrolled in a watercolor course in Macon. What began as a once-a-week class eventually turned into a passion of putting brush to canvas.

“About 15 years ago I decided if I was ever really going to do this I had better get started. So I started taking lessons at the Birmingham Museum of Art. I took drawing lessons first working with live models, which helped me to be able to learn to look at something with a different light. You learn to look at things so differently, to break things down. Green is not green on a tree, but yellows, reds, browns. You get more perceptive of colors, light and dark, shadows. I look at a scene completely different now than I ever used to,” Dr. Hasson explained.

As motivation to continue painting, Dr. Hasson joined the Watercolor Society of Alabama, which has given him the opportunity to exhibit his work, and he is now a Bronze Signature Member.

“Now I have motivation to continue to improve because I get to exhibit with real artists,” Dr. Hasson laughed. “I enter my work into these exhibits now, too. I take photos of places I’ve traveled. I take photos in different angles and light — something I’d want to paint later. Being able to take photos and paint has given me a fresh look on the things in front of me…on life…the challenge is to be able to capture it again.”

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Everybody’s Got a Story with Steven Stokes, M.D.

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Everybody’s Got a Story with Steven Stokes, M.D.

DOTHAN – Steven Stokes, M.D., grew up on a small farm in rural Alabama, which means he has lots of stories to tell about life in the country…with cows, the 4-H Club and football…all woven together with a closely knit family that seemed to get the better of him whether he liked it or not.

Dr. Stokes put pen to paper and wrote about his life on the farm, his time serving as a Marine in Vietnam, the misadventure of nearly missing his trip to the altar to wed his sweetheart, to the world’s worst medical school admission interview. His book, “Everybody’s Got a Story,” is available on Amazon, and all proceeds go to charity, which is something Dr. Stokes is also very serious about.

“I don’t really remember how I got so involved with Love In Action,” Dr. Stokes laughed. “I’ve been doing this for about five years now, and I remember it started with a phone call asking for help. That’s all it took for me.”

Although Love In Action Ministries is headquartered in Dothan, volunteers help residents in the Philippines, Myanmar, Haiti, and Pakistan. Dr. Stokes and three other physicians from the Houston County Medical Society signed on to help render aid every Thursday evening during the medical clinic hours.

“We’re all volunteers. We don’t get paid. I tell people that it’s a low return on investment. People get burned out when they volunteer. They think, ‘I just want to change the world. Well, you won’t. But occasionally you have some people that will turn their lives around. So then, you’re changing the world for those that you can help. You have to start somewhere,” Dr. Stokes said.

The largest population Love In Action aims to help are the homeless individuals that tend to get lost in the shuffle.

“The people we help are the homeless people who live under a bridge that barely have clothing and just don’t have access to the health care. We have a lot of migratory people here who will come through this area going south in the fall because winter’s coming, and in the spring they head back north. This is a high-transit area here, so we do what we can at Love In Action,” Dr. Stokes explained.

One saving grace for the charity has been the giving spirit of area nursing homes and physician practices and their willingness to donate supplies to further Love In Action’s mission, which extends beyond medical care. Area churches contribute to the charity for nondenominational services on the weekends and during the week the doors open for an opportunity to shower, change clothes and get a hot meal.

Dr. Stokes knows the community rather well. But, it was his interest in solving the community’s problems that called him to serve on the city commission for two terms and one term as chair of the school board.

“You never know what the long-term change is going to be. Change takes a while. I liked solving problems, and that’s how I got involved with government. Keeping our constituents happy wasn’t as easy,” Dr. Stokes laughed. “I’m glad doctors are serving more in their communities because they need to be involved in what happens around them.”

Gov. Kay Ivey recently reappointed Dr. Stokes to the Board of Trustees at the University of South Alabama School of Medicine, his alma mater, but he insists this will be his last term after serving for 24 years. “I’m getting too old, and I feel old,” he joked.

Dr. Stokes wrote in his book, “Many people pass through life and leave no tracks – nothing to bear witness to their passing. At best, they have a stone marker on their graves, or maybe a few kids who remember their names for one or two generations before oblivion.”

Dr. Stokes continues to make his mark on plenty of lives through his work with Love In Action in Dothan. If you would like to make a donation or to learn more, click here. However, if you’d like to find out what happened to his precious cow, Puddin’, you’ll have to buy his book. (All proceeds from book sales go to charity.)

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Still the New Guy with Mayor Howard Rubenstein, M.D.

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Still the New Guy with Mayor Howard Rubenstein, M.D.

SARALAND – A native of Chicago, Howard Rubenstein moved to Saraland in 1985 after he completed his residency. He dabbled in civic organizations at first before diving in head first as he learned just how much he enjoyed his community and the people in it. A thriving family practice, to the Lion’s Club, to the Chamber of Commerce, to team doctor, to the city council, and even the creation of a Boy Scout Explorer Post, Dr. Rubenstein’s mark on the community that he loves continues today as mayor. And yet…he’s still “the new guy.”

“Even though I’ve been in Saraland since 1985, I’m still the new guy. It’s part of the joy of a small community having patients ask about city council business or folks come up to me after a city council meeting and ask for medical advice. That’s just how things work. I still get phone calls from constituents who say, ‘Well, Mayor, I know you’ve lived here a few years but I’ve been a resident since 1946!’”

After all these years living in the Deep South, when Dr. Rubenstein speaks, you won’t catch him saying, “Y’all.”

“I’m working on it. Give me a few more years. I love living in Alabama. This state has some of the best people in it, but I’m still one of the new guys, I guess. I’ll take that,” he laughed.

He credits his love of public service to his residency director, who also served as mayor of his hometown. It was a philosophy of civic duty that resonated with the young physician.

“For three years during my residency, he hammered into us that it’s not enough to basically hang out a shingle and practice medicine. You have to get involved in your community. You have to become part of your community. You have to give back to your community. It’s a great philosophy I took to heart,” Dr. Rubenstein explained.

Once Dr. Rubenstein finished his residency and moved to Saraland, that philosophy followed him. He set up his practice…and then set out to get more involved in his community. Healing his patients was one thing, but doing as much as he could to help heal his community was one step further. More work needed to be done in this suburb of Mobile. He got involved with as many civic groups as he could until 1996 when a seat opened on the city council. That spark lit a new fire for Dr. Rubenstein.

“I told my wife I’d like to run for that, and she told me I was crazy,” he laughed. “But, after doing everything else I realized I really did want a little more input on how things were being done in the community. “I expected to lose that election, I was just so shocked! I think I won by just 72 votes. It was totally different than I thought it was going to be.”

A lot of parallels have been drawn between politics and medicine – about healing patients and healing communities. But, according to Dr. Rubenstein, nothing can be farther apart than the two.

“The difference between public service and being a physician is that as a physician you want to make every patient as happy as you possibly can make them. That’s your goal – to do the absolute best that you can for your patient. You can’t always do that as an elected official. With every decision you make as an elected official, you’re going to make someone happy and someone unhappy. So, it’s a different paradigm that you’re working in. You just can’t make everyone happy.”

Dr. Rubenstein is currently serving his second full term as mayor, and with 21 years in politics, he’s found a balance: He enjoys serving his community as a physician in a thriving practice and as a public servant.

“I’ve really enjoyed this opportunity to serve. We’ve done a lot of great things in our community of the last 20 years. Saraland has come a very long way in that time. We have our own city school system, which we started about 10 years ago…a brand new high school and elementary school, just built an early education center. There’s a lot of growth and a lot of new businesses and subdivisions coming into the area now. I think the favorite part is the enjoyment when a project that you’ve thought about and worked on is actually done. To go from ‘maybe we can do this’ to ‘now it’s done’…There’s such a sense of accomplishment in seeing a project from conception to completion.”

That doesn’t mean his days are short. They’re long and challenging. He begins each day in his practice around 7:30 a.m. seeing patients and ends sometimes as late as 9 p.m. working on city council business.

“I don’t enjoy sitting at home at night and watching television. That’s not my idea of fun, and I don’t think I’m missing anything anyway. I love seeing my patients and working with them…for the past four generations now. That’s the joy of family medicine!” he laughed. “And with the civic work, I’m helping my community grow. Here’s the thing – To me, every physician should be able to make time to do something they enjoy to prevent burnout. I’ve seen a lot of physician burnout cases, and it’s important to be able to do something different and exciting and fun! Being a physician is a challenging career that can take a toll with all the regulations and rules and stress, so even this work with the city helps break up my day.”

And, he has a hobby. As an avid scuba enthusiast, Dr. Rubenstein and his family have for the last 12 years visited their favorite spot in the Cayman Islands for some of the most spectacular diving in the Caribbean Sea.

As much as he loves his home in Saraland, it’s obvious the residents love and appreciate him and his family as well. In 2012 after the sudden passing of his son, Dr. Rubenstein said the outpouring of support and compassion was breathtaking.

“I have an amazingly supportive wife, Tammy, without whose support I couldn’t do what I do. We’ve been married for 34 years. In 2012, our 28-year-old son went to bed one night and didn’t wake up the next morning. We discovered he had a rare congenital heart defect. Our community was extremely supportive. Without their support, I don’t think we would have made it through,” he said.

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To See The World on Two Wheels with Shirley Lazenby, M.D., and Michael Roberts, M.D.

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To See The World on Two Wheels with Shirley Lazenby, M.D., and Michael Roberts, M.D.

OPELIKA – Albert Einstein once said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” Moving is one thing the City of Opelika is determined to do…even on two wheels.

In fact, the City of Opelika is working hard to become a bicycle-friendly city for its population of just under 30,000 residents. Currently, Alabama has only one city certified as bicycle-friendly by the League of American Bicyclists…the City of Auburn. The push is coming from a small, yet dedicated group of cyclists led by two physicians – Drs. Shirley Lazenby and Michael Roberts.

“I’ve been biking my whole life. I got involved here with the Opelika Bicycle Advisory Committee because years ago we were THIS close to getting a 17-mile rail-trail,” Dr. Lazenby said. “But now we have all this data on the health benefits of cycling. It really is a good thing! Alabama lags behind all the other states with a #50 ranking in bicycle-friendliness, and we want to change that.”

So, she went to work. What she didn’t realize was that much of the work had already been done but from different angles. Once she was appointed to the Parks and Recreation Board, Dr. Lazenby realized she had the perfect platform for change in her community.

“I was like, ‘I’m in an excellent place to actually make some change and not just be a whiny mom about this.’ I put together a presentation for the Park Board. What I didn’t know until I got more deeply involved was that there was a lot of activity going on in parallel with what I was trying to do. The Central Alabama Mountain Peddlers (CAMP) had already built 17 miles of trails at Chewacla State Park. Cycling and triathlons were becoming more popular. So I did my presentation, and I was expecting some kind of push back from the city, but it didn’t happen. Then, I went to the Auburn Bike Committee to find out what I needed to do next. Joanna Hoit, one of the Auburn board members spoke up and said Opelika already had a Master Bike Plan; she had worked on it years ago! No Opelika city officials were aware of the document when I asked around, and I couldn’t find anything. When the Director of Planning finally found it on a dusty shelf, I realized what happened – September 11th! Opelika’s Master Bike Plan had been presented to the City Council in August 2001 and the world turned upside down a month later. So right there I had a lot of what I needed to get started. The framework was already done.”

With a plan in hand, Dr. Lazenby began her mission to mold the City of Opelika into a bicycle-friendly town. But, it was more than that. It didn’t take very long before she and colleague, Dr. Michael Roberts, realized they were on the verge of a culture shift. Downtown Opelika was undergoing a bit of a renaissance with cool places to hang out after work and dine on the weekends. It wasn’t long before they noticed one business, James Brothers Bikes, was at the center of the cycling culture in their area. This business sells custom bikes, fixes broken ones, and has become the perfect hangout for the Opelika Bicycle Advisory Committee meetings.

“The more people I talked to the more I realized how much the people wanted this. Our mayor wanted this and was already up to speed on what bicycle friendliness would do for your city in terms of economic growth. Here in downtown where we meet, there’s a real resurgence of activity that’s been going on here. When I first met with the mayor, I had really prepared for the meeting. I had packets and papers…I was prepared! But, what I wasn’t prepared for was when the mayor asked me what could the city do for us? I wasn’t expecting that. That was a huge sign that they were behind us in every way,” Dr. Lazenby said. The answer was simple: More involvement from city leaders would be key. Mayor Gary Fuller responded in a big way by leading a Grand Opening ride on the brand new 1.2-mile Destination Downtown Bike Path during Opelika’s celebration of Bike Month this May.

For Dr. Roberts, there’s another reason for the committee to remain diligent in its efforts in the community – advocacy.

“Before there were a lot of good intentions and not a lot of actions, but that seems to be turning around now. I think that we have a lot of potential here. There are a lot of cyclists in this area, it’s a great community that wants this program, so it all comes down to advocacy and being a voice in somebody’s ear that can make the decisions to make it happen. We think it’s important, and so do a lot of others,” Dr. Roberts said. “We want to continue to be a voice for those who cycle to bring awareness of those on the road to be aware, travel safely, more access for those who may not already be cycling but would like to learn because I think that’s one of the big barriers is that cycling may not be seen as a safe sport.”

Dr. Lazenby admits she’s practically spent her entire life on a bicycle. In fact, she didn’t own a car until she was in medical school.

“It’s freedom and mobility, and that’s why I love cycling. No matter the advances in our technology, biking is still cool,” Dr. Lazenby said. Another cool aspect of working with other community leaders is that by looking at this as a social experiment has produced some intriguing results.

In order to be considered by the League of American Bicyclists as a bicycle-friendly community, a community is scored one to 10 in each of five categories: Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation & Planning. The Education category for adults may not have reaped a high score, but Coach Chris Rhodes at Morris Avenue Intermediate School found a curriculum to meet the qualifications for grade school children. Bikeology was modified as a six-week unit and piloted for one 5th grade class in 2016 and then extended to the entire 4th grade for 2017 with the ultimate goal to get it to all three Opelika intermediate schools. Coach Rhodes learned a shocking statistic: About 2/3 of his students had never ridden a bicycle.

“We’re in such a tech generation that kids don’t spend as much time outdoors,” Dr. Lazenby said. “The big win here is that we can change an entire generational misstep with this initiative. He got all but six 4th grades riding competently and safely this year. That’s change!”

Dr. Roberts agreed that not only will bringing the designation to the Opelika community be good for the local area, but an awareness of the benefits of cycling will be good for the state as well.

“Eventually we’ll get to a point where enough people enjoy cycling together as a community and we’ll have multi-use paths, not just for cyclists but for walkers and runners. In Alabama, we do a poor job of outdoor recreation. Alabama is a beautiful state, and there’s a lot to enjoy here. We miss out on what we don’t see when we stay inside all the time. I laugh when I hear someone say they don’t want to go to the gym. Well, I don’t want to go to the gym either! I’d rather go for a ride!” Dr. Roberts said.

Tips for Safe Cycling

Use Your Head, Protect Your Noggin

Cyclists who wear a helmet reduce their risk of head injury by an estimated 60 percent and brain injury by 58 percent. That statistic makes sense when you consider the first body part to fly forward in a collision is usually the head, and with nothing but skin and bone to protect the brain, the results can be fatal.

Helmets must meet federal safety standards and should fit securely. This National Highway Traffic Safety Administration video offers instruction on how to properly fit a helmet.

Follow These Rules to Keep Safe

  • Get acquainted with traffic laws; cyclists must follow the same rules as motorists
  • Know your bike’s capabilities
  • Ride single-file in the direction of traffic, and watch for opening car doors and other hazards
  • Use hand signals when turning and use extra care at intersections
  • Never hitch onto cars
  • Before entering traffic, stop and look left, right, left again and over your shoulder
  • Wear bright clothing and ride during the day
  • If night riding can’t be avoided, wear reflective clothing
  • Make sure the bike is equipped with reflectors on the rear, front, pedals and spokes
  • A horn or bell and a rear-view mirror, as well as a bright headlight, also is recommended

For more tips, visit the National Safety Council, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the League of American Bicyclists.

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The Accidental General with Gen. Shane Lee, M.D.

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The Accidental General with Gen. Shane Lee, M.D.

MARION – The city of Marion is an old town rich in Alabama history that pre-dates the Civil War. It’s home to many antebellum homes, Judson College and Marion Military Institute, the nation’s oldest military junior college. Few people may know that a young Coretta Scott, born and raised in Marion, wed her husband, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on the front lawn of her mother’s home just north of Marion in 1953. It’s this small town’s amazing history that called out to Dr. Shane Lee when he was looking to set up a practice.

Dr. Lee had finished medical school at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and did his residency in Selma where he met Dr. Donald Overstreet. The two hit it off, and as with many of his residents, Dr. Overstreet quickly became a mentor and close friend of Dr. Lee’s. Sadly, Dr. Overstreet passed away in June.

“Dr. Overstreet cold-called me from Selma,” Dr. Lee explained. “He was sort of half Marcus Welby and half Donald Trump – he was a wheeler-dealer, and he got stuff done. At the time, his was the only family practice residency program financially stable in the state. He taught us the managerial aspects of running a medical practice as a business. And, it is a business that can work you very quickly into bankruptcy. I was attracted to Selma because of my love of history, and at the time Selma was going through a little bit of a renaissance. I hadn’t been there before, so it was something different for me.”

His love of history may have brought him to the Selma area, but the quality of the residency program kept him there…and the fact that Dr. Overstreet allowed the residents the opportunity to hunt in their own club didn’t hurt.

“It really was an excellent residency program. They grabbed you by the collar, threw you into the trenches, and said, ‘Go!’ All the doctors you worked with, from family medicine to internal medicine, to surgeons and orthopaedists, were all so desperately overloaded that they were thrilled to have the help. It was a very procedure-oriented program, which is critical. I think that’s something we need to do better now. We aren’t as procedure-oriented now as we used to be. So, if you get out into the rural areas, you need to be more of a one-stop shop as much as possible to maintain the best standard of care.”

Dr. Lee does what he can to provide the best possible standard of care to the residents of Marion and the surrounding area, even if that means making house calls. In Dr. Lee’s case, sometimes a house call is just another day on the job. The thing is, Dr. Lee has a second job. He’s also a two-star general in the U.S. Army.

When you walk into his office in The Marion Clinic, the walls are covered with photos and memorabilia of his travels. From the jungle of Nicaragua to the desert of the Middle East, Dr. Lee has traversed the globe on medical mission trips and deployments, each trip leaving a lasting impression on him. Just inside the door is a well-worn, green denim pouch just a bit larger than a baseball cap. The hash marks drawn in black marker are nearly all faded now, but the memories of what they stand for are still fresh for Dr. Lee. The pouch was part of his uniform during Operation Desert Storm. It contained his gas mask. The hash marks were those he made every time the camp warning siren blasted of a possible attack by scud missile or gas.

“I’m a blue-collar kid from Hueytown. I would never have thought I would have done the things that I have. If it hadn’t been for the military, I wouldn’t have been able to. If you don’t draw a line, the practice can be all consuming, so it gives me a legitimate reason to blow town. People don’t argue with me if I have to leave and I’m on orders,” he laughed. “I’m an accidental general. It wasn’t my goal. I just hung in there. There are certain career checkpoints you have to make, and it was a labor of love for me, really. There are some very qualified guys, much more qualified than me, that didn’t make flag rank just because when it came up, there weren’t any vacancies. Anyone who’s made general, if they don’t tell you that it’s a little bit of luck and time, they’re lying, because it really is.”

The deployments are a little different now. Dr. Lee and his unit are on a medical mission trip to Kauai, Hawaii. After the end of a training cycle, if the unit doesn’t deploy into an active area, they go somewhere else.

“We’ve started doing these IRTs, or innovative readiness trainings, where we will take a medical unit and send them to an underserved area. We just got back from one we did in Virginia in coal mining country. We take a medical section, vet section, optometry, pharmacy, mental health…we sort of mix it up depending on the needs and what we have,” Dr. Lee explained.

The IRTs are clinics set up in conjunction with a local host, which is part of the purpose of the mission. Connecting with the local medical community, public health services, law enforcement, church groups and other military groups helps to teach skill sets on both sides of the table. The IRTs don’t always have to be in a rural area, either. Dr. Lee’s unit has done trainings in Camden and Selma as well.

“These trainings aren’t successful unless we can get civilian involvement. What you really want to do is get people plugged into the system. What we do, the real-time good, is pull teeth, cut glasses, spay dogs, do rabies shots. The big draws are dental, optometry and veterinarian services. Those get the most attention. It really is a phenomenal change in an area and a good feeling to know the change you can leave behind,” Dr. Lee said.

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Always Do Something You Enjoy with Suzanne Blaylock, M.D.

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Always Do Something You Enjoy with Suzanne Blaylock, M.D.

TUSCUMBIA – When you walk into Dr. Suzanne Blaylock’s office at the Helen Keller Pavilion, there’s a medical journal on her desk, paused and waiting for her to return to continue reading the most recent article. On the wall behind her chair are framed reminders of why she choose anesthesiology as her specialty – awards recognizing her from the Peer Reviewed Professionals, the Consumers’ Research Council of America as one of America’s Top Anesthesiologists, and the Consumers’ Research Council of America’s Top Physicians. Dr. Blaylock always knew she’d have a career in medicine, but what she got was so much more.

“I started out in the medical field as a nurse,” Dr. Blaylock explained. “My father had taken nursing courses back in his day, but it wasn’t for him. He suggested I take the courses and he’d pay for them. I knew I wanted to do something in the sciences because I’ve always felt I had that mindset for it.”

After getting her Associate’s degree in Chattanooga, she moved to Birmingham and worked at Carraway Hospital. She started working toward her Bachelor’s degree when someone suggested the idea of a career in anesthesia. It wasn’t long before she realized that maybe a turn toward medical school would be a better choice.

“I really liked working in anesthesia, I mean, that was definitely the specialty I wanted to work in. But back then, as an anesthesia nurse, there was no real way to move up other than to become a doctor. So, I went back to UAB and started taking night classes,” Dr. Blaylock said.

Her experience as a nurse was definitely a valuable one, especially in the hospital setting as a medical student. Procedures, terminology and the day-to-day operation of a hospital were easier for her with her background and helped provide a better direction through medical school, she said. And, she continues to draw on those experiences even now when students from the state’s medical schools come to work with her and her colleagues.

“We get students from ACOM to come up and work with us, and that’s really good experience but not just for them. We enjoy getting to work with our students, because it gives all of us a chance to express ourselves in what we do every day, plus everyone gets a learning opportunity. Not only do these students learn from us, but surprisingly, there are some things we can learn from them. All the medical schools here in this state are just superb, but I think the students get a great perspective when they visit rural areas like Tuscumbia that are either on the cusp of revitalization or trying to expand to help their residents,” Dr. Blaylock said.

As settled in as she may be into the Tuscumbia area, one might easily take Dr. Blaylock for a small town girl. You’d be absolutely correct. Originally from a small town just outside of Chattanooga, her small town roots run deep…and so do her stories of home.

“My mother was a baker, and she worked at Little Debbie in Chattanooga. In fact, I went to school with Little Debbie, and I worked there, too!” she laughed. “Mom used to hand roll those cakes in the bakery. I worked in the micro lab. The first course I took right out of high school was microbiology, and there was a microbiology lab right there in the bakery. Little Debbie was really very innovative for its time. All the ingredients were tested for things like salmonella or mold counts on the chocolate, and then we’d go out and test the finished cookies. I’m sure companies do this now, but back then no one else did. The thing about Little Debbie – that finished product never had a germ on it!”

So, working in the best little bakery in the South right out of high school was probably the most amazing job in the world for a teenager, right? Absolutely! Dr. Blaylock said it was a dream job, but it probably contributed to her weight problem that followed her through her adult years. Like many medical professionals, eating a balanced diet may be with the best of intentions, but it may not always be what happens during the day.

“I had gotten out of shape, and I had always struggled with my weight. You try to diet, but you stop and start and stop and start, and then you just feel desperate because nothing is working. So a friend asked me to go to Weight Watchers with her. I thought I could just do this now, or I’m not going to do it at all. We had a dynamic leader, and my friend and I did it on the buddy system. Then it became more of a habit than a chore. Unfortunately for us in the medical field, we tend to eat prophylactically. It’s like, ‘I’d better eat now because I don’t know when I’ll get another chance!’” she laughed. “I ended up losing over a hundred pounds, but I didn’t keep it all off because now I have more muscle. I started working out more at the gym. I guess I must be highly suggestable because a friend at the gym suggested I do some triathlons. And then my coach suggested I try body building.”

Yes, body building, which Dr. Blaylock calls “a good hobby and a good stress reliever.” In fact, last year she became the 2016 National Physique Committee Masters Over 60 Figure Champion, and she’s competing again to defend her title in Puerto Rico later this month.

“If I had started doing body building in my 20s, I might be a coach now with endorsements, but it’s not like I’m going to try out for the Olympics,” Dr. Blaylock laughed. “I’m certainly not going to quit my day job, but it’s a lot of fun and I enjoy competing. Everyone should be able to do something for themselves that they enjoy.”

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