Highlights
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University of South Alabama (USA Health) is a leading health system with the mission to help people lead longer, better lives.
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USA Health and the Whiddon College of Medicine is committed to educating and training the next generation of physicians.
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Cardiovascular disease exists throughout the continuum of life
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This special edition of P PC focuses on the recognition and treatment of cardiovascular disease in pediatric subspecialties.
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Early recognition and treatment cardiovascular disease in children may help reduce morbidity and mortality later in life.
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USA Health
USA Health, which is part of the University of South Alabama (USA) in Mobile, Alabama, is a leading health system on the Upper Gulf Coast with the mission to help people lead longer, better lives. USA Health provides care to thousands of patients annually at Children’s & Women’s Hospital, University Hospital, Providence Hospital, Mitchell Cancer Institute, and dozens of academic physician practices. USA Health employs more than 7700 clinical and nonclinical staff members, including more than 300 academic physicians who serve dual roles, treating patients and teaching the next generation of medical doctors and researchers. Therefore, USA Health is an extraordinary training ground for future physicians and other healthcare professionals.
USA Health pursues its commitment to education, training, and research through the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, USA College of Nursing, USA Physician Assistant Program, and USA Graduate School. In December 2023, USA broke ground on the new $200 million Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine building ( Fig. 1 ) [ ]. The 295,000-square-foot facility will enable the College of Medicine to expand class size from 80 to more than 100 students and train more physicians and scientists. USA Health also includes the state-of-the-art South Sim Gulf Coast Regional Simulation Center, which provides training for students and clinicians seeking graduate medical education for diverse careers as physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other health care providers [ ]. The graduate medical education program is a cornerstone of USA Health and includes a long-standing pediatric residency training program.
USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital serves as a beacon of academic medicine for children’s health in the Upper Gulf Coast [ ]. It is a 250-bed facility with a 95-bed neonatal intensive care unit, a 20-bed pediatric care unit, 67 medicine-surgery beds, and a new 25-bed pediatric emergency department. Our dedicated pediatric team of medical and surgical providers is committed to transforming children’s health care in our community and across the world.
The integration of state-of-the-art facilities and innovative educational initiatives underscores the commitment of USA to advance health care outcomes for diverse populations. This dedication is particularly important in addressing pervasive and multifaceted challenges, such as cardiovascular disease, that affect the state of Alabama, the United States of America, and countries throughout the world.
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Special section of Progress in Pediatric Cardiology
Cardiovascular disease exists throughout the continuum of life and is present at all stages – the fetus, infant, child, adult, and elderly. It is a major cause of death in the world and a leading cause of death in the United States, with an estimated one in five Americans diagnosed with coronary heart disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, or stroke. Alabama has among the highest rates of cardiovascular disease in the US, with one out of three deaths attributed to some form of cardiovascular disease.
Cardiovascular disease may be caused by genetic predisposition or environmental effects, including epigenetics, or an acquired disease associated with aging. Most forms of cardiovascular disease may be present in childhood and progress throughout life.
This special edition of Progress in Pediatric Cardiology focuses on the recognition and treatment of cardiovascular disease in pediatrics and pediatric subspecialties. Early recognition and treatment in childhood may help avoid or minimize morbidity and mortality later in life. This edition includes segments that highlight updates in the following pediatric subspecialties: critical care, developmental pediatrics, emergency medicine, endocrinology, gastroenterology, genetics, hematology, hospital medicine, infectious diseases, neonatology, nephrology, oncology, palliative care, primary care, and sports medicine.
We included focused reviews about hypertension, hyperlipidemia, including lipoprotein A, and diabetes because these diseases are important forms of cardiovascular disease that contribute directly to morbidity and mortality. The articles in this edition are collaborations between the USA Health pediatric faculty, pediatric residents, and medical students and invited guests from other Gulf Coast medical centers and beyond, including Nemours Children’s Health, Orlando, Florida; University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; Ochsner Children’s Hospital, Jefferson, Louisiana; and Baystate Children’s Specialty Center, Springfield, Massachusetts.
We are very proud of the high level of integration of clinical care, education, and research throughout USA Health. We hope that this special issue will encourage the next generation of pediatric providers to pursue further investigation into the recognition and treatment of cardiovascular disease and improve outcomes for people in our communities and throughout the world.
We are grateful for the unwavering support for this special edition of Progress in Pediatric Cardiology that was provided by the leadership and faculty of the University of South Alabama, Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, and the Dean’s Office. We also thank Casandra Andrews, USA Marketing and Communications.
Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, University of South Alabama
