New Physicians

Emergency Medicine
Jarred J. Thomas, MD, has accepted an appointment as assistant professor of emergency medicine and director of the future Emergency Department Chest Pain Evaluation Unit, which will focus on rapid evaluation and care of patients with acute chest pain. Thomas received his MD degree from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, where he completed an internship in medicine. He subsequently did an emergency medicine residency at UAB, serving as chief resident, and a cardiovascular emergencies fellowship at the University of Virginia. His clinical and research interests include acute coronary syndromes, myocardial infarction, and risk stratification.

Neurology
John R. Rinker II, MD, has accepted an appointment as assistant professor of neurology. A graduate of the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Rinker completed an internship in internal medicine and a residency in neurology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He held a postdoctoral fellowship and recently completed the K30 Mentored Training Program in Clinical Investigation at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. His research interests center on the study of biomarkers for disability outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS); ethnic differences in MS, specifically in disability outcomes and immune function; and immunological differences among clinical subtypes of MS.

Neuroradiology
Joseph C. Sullivan III, MD, has accepted an appointment as assistant professor of radiology in the Division of Neuroradiology. His interests include all forms of imaging of the brain, head, neck, and spine, with a particular interest in magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography of the spine. Sullivan pursued graduate studies in biology at the University of South Alabama before earning his MD degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada. He served as an intern in general surgery at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center before completing a residency in diagnostic radiology at the University of South Alabama, serving as chief resident. He completed a fellowship in neuroradiology and comes to UAB from the Medical College of Georgia, where he was twice voted teacher of the year.

Obstetrics and Gynecology
Todd R. Jenkins, MD, has accepted an appointment as associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and as director of the Division of Women’s Reproductive Health Care. Jenkins’ clinical and research interests include hysteroscopic and laparoscopic surgery, robotic surgery, general gynecology, and instruction of medical students, residents, and practicing physicians in minimally invasive gynecology.

A graduate of UAB School of Medicine, Jenkins completed an internship at University of Cincinnati Hospital and a residency at UAB in obstetrics and gynecology. He began practice in the PrimeCare Group at The Kirklin Clinic^® before accepting a position at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), where he served as director of women’s ambulatory care for the UCI Family Health System. In 2002, he joined Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina as director of ambulatory services and director of the Gynecology Division. He returns to UAB after completing an American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists and Society of Reproductive Surgeons fellowship in gynecologic endoscopy at the Chattanooga Women’s Laser Center with world-renowned laparoscopist C. Y. Liu, MD.

Orthopaedic surgery
Joseph G. Khoury, MD, has accepted an appointment as assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Orthopaedics. His clinical and research interests include adolescent and infantile scoliosis, deformities of the lower limb, and pediatric foot and ankle care. A graduate of the University of Iowa College of Medicine in Iowa City, Khoury completed an internship and residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and a fellowship at Children’s Orthopaedics of Atlanta. He comes to UAB from the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he served as assistant chief of staff, vice president of the medical executive committee, and physician director of the myelodysplasia program.

Radiation Oncology
M. Christian Dobelbower, MD, PhD, has accepted an appointment as assistant professor of radiation oncology. His clinical interests include the study and treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies and head and neck cancers as well as image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery. Dobelbower earned his PhD in nuclear engineering from Ohio State University where he also worked as research associate in the nuclear engineering program. He earned his MD degree at the Medical College of Ohio, and completed an internship at Mercy Health Partners in Toledo, Ohio, and a residency in radiation oncology at UAB.