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Cullman Regional Starts a Neuroscience Department
Muhammad Siddiqi, MD examines a patient.
By Jane ehrhardt
With the arrival of neurologist Muhammad Siddiqi, MD, on staff, Cullman Regional Medical Center has taken the first step toward creating their own neuroscience department. A daunting goal, neuroscience programs are among the most complex to create, partially due to the host of clinical conditions that call for an array of subspecialties. The foundation of a solid neuroscience department relies on access to those subspecialists. UAB Medicine lists 78 neurologists who cover specialties from neuromuscular issues, memory and cognitive disorders, neuropathology to vascular neurology, sleep medicine, and neurooncology. Ten neurologists listed epilepsy as their specialty. “We have to bring in more neurologists with subspecialty training. That is our future plan,” Siddiqi says. “As we see the
NOVEMBER 2022 / $5
patient influx and see what type patients we are getting, that will be our priority.” Cullman Regional has been gathering patient data since Siddiqi arrived two months ago. Prior to that, an outside neurology practice provided services, leaving no hospital-focused data. “My job is to slowly see where we are busy and where we need to grow based on patient population and the types of disease we are facing,” Siddiqi says, who spent years as part of a team building a neuroscience department at a large hospital in Tallahassee, Florida. At this early point, he sees stroke topping the list of needs for Cullman. Right now, the hospital can medicate patients after diagnosis in hopes of dissolving the clot as quickly as possible to save brain tissue. But without a neurosurgeon trained in neurovascular procedures on staff, Cullman must transfer patients with large clots to UAB to perform those
Drs. Fulmer and Barlow Rock By anSley FranCo
Many in the Birmingham medical community know neurosurgeon Ben Fulmer, MD and anesthesiologist Michael Barlow, MD, as the pair that spends hours together every week in the operating room. However, most of us aren’t aware that Fulmer and Barlow also spend some of their evenings and weekends together performing in their band, The Underhills. Fulmer started playing guitar when he was 15. “I’ve always loved music, and I was trying to get attention from some people, so I figured I needed to pick up a few hobbies, and guitar seemed like the best way to do that,” he said. “My best friend played guitar first, so we played together, and we were a couple of geeky guys. I started playing the drums later when I beat my cousin out of some drums that were put in the
attic because it drove his dad insane.” After being put on the piano bench by his parents as a kid, Barlow grew fond of music, and he played in a few bands during his school years. “I joined the Underhills to fill in that keyboard spot. I just love music and getting to perform,” he said. The Underhills started with a group of neighborhood dads who had played in bands in their younger years and wanted to rekindle their musical talent. Nine years ago, Barlow joined the band to play the rhythm guitar and drums. Fulmer entered the following year, playing guitar to round out the sound. “We’re kind of a comedy act masquerading as a band as a bunch of middle-aged dads, but at the same time, when we show up, we want to play well. We try hard to put together something good,” Fulmer said. The Underhills currently have a bass, (CONTINUED ON PAGE 3)
The Underhills dressed up as Devo for last year’s Halloween performance.
www.birminghammedicalnews.com
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