Dr. Summer Allen needs someone to tell her that if she feeds her 3-year-old Cheetos for breakfast, it's just fine and she's not alone. No judging necessary.

She and a large group of busy physician mommies at the University of Mississippi Medical Center are getting support and affirmation from 45,000 colleagues who are members of the Physician Moms Group on Facebook. The closed group includes members worldwide who weigh in on any number of topics, from stress to strep to style.

“If you have questions about your child and don't know the answer, you get 45,000 doctors who can contribute,” said Allen, a pulmonary critical care fellow. “You might get 10 dermatologists who answer your question about your child's rash.”

Perhaps a cardiologist or radiologist will relate to your occasional need to make Cheetos a breakfast food. “I'd feel like I'm a mommy fail,” Allen said. “Then someone says, 'I let my child eat cookies for breakfast.' ”

The Facebook group takes inspiration from Physicians Working Together, a national grass-roots organization that provides education on the challenges facing the medical profession and its impact on patient care. The group on Feb. 3 joined the Physician Moms Group and other prominent medical organizations in celebrating the first National Women Physicians Day.

Feb. 3 is the birthday of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to graduate from a medical school in the United States. Physicians Working Together is “enthusiastic about the future of women in our profession because of the numerous breakthroughs and progress in the medical and research fields, and our commitment to mentor the next generation of women physicians to reach their full potential in the various areas of health care,” said Dr. Kim Jackson, founder and president of Georgia-based Physicians Working Together.

Three dollars and 30 cents. That was the cost of the prescription - for one drop. 

One drop per night. One bottle per month. $99 per bottle.

The woman who needed it had no medical insurance and very little income; she was too young to qualify for Social Security. And glaucoma was threatening to blind her in one eye.

Hearing her story, her physician reached into a supply of bottles and drew out a handful. She told the woman to take them home. No charge. A few months later, this happened again.

Which may be all you need to know about Dr. Toni Jill Bertolet. But there's much more.

Music lovers will have a chance to hear one of America's greatest musicians and support Alzheimer's disease research at a benefit concert featuring a living legend, Brian Wilson.

The Medical Center is proud to announce the following additions to its faculty and leadership staff:

The University of Mississippi Medical Center garnered $3,649,018 from 26 new grants and awards in November and December 2015.