Thanks to a $1.5 million gift from the Barber Companies, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy has been provided with a dynamic catalyst for medical innovation.

The Barber Companies Research Fund for Patient Centered Innovation is a transformative investment in the work of Benjamin J. Pearce, M.D., the William D. Jordan, Jr. Endowed Professor in Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy. Although President and CEO George Barber is a grateful patient of Pearce’s—“He’s saved my life one or two times,” Barber says—the Barber Companies’ support is rooted in a deeper commitment to progress.

“The Barber Companies have always been synonymous with innovation—moving forward,” Pearce said. “In this spirit, we will use this fund to further the education of future vascular surgeons through the only vascular surgery training programs in Alabama.”

UAB has pioneered education in surgery for decades, and the vascular surgery training offered at the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine is among the most sought-after in the country. With the Barber Companies’ support, Dr. Pearce intends to further surgical education research and explore novel programs—a coaching program for future academic leaders, for example, and an exploration of how artificial intelligence will impact the future of medical training—in the hope that this work will shed a light on the relatively small but dedicated community of vascular surgeons.

“Historically, vascular surgery has been confused with heart surgery or cardiology, because heart disease has been more prevalent,” Pearce said. “But with the diabetes epidemic in our society, peripheral vascular disease is on the rise and more and more patients will need our services. The role of a vascular surgeon is to be the expert on the diagnosis, medical management, minimally invasive procedures, and traditional surgery on all blood vessels that are not around the heart or in the skull. The main procedures we do involve aneurysms of the aorta, stroke prevention in the carotids, and saving the arms and legs due to blockages.”

In addition to his robust research portfolio—including tibial revascularization, open thoracoabdominal reconstruction, iatrogenic injury, and more—Pearce also directs the division’s integrated residency and fellowship programs. A former UAB vascular surgery fellow himself, Pearce has been recognized for his mentorship, and he plans to use the Barber Companies’ support to instill the same values of compassion and excellence that guide his work.

“The second hallmark of the Barber Companies is the attention to customer service,” Pearce said. “If you have ever been to the Barber [Vintage Motorsports] Museum, you know that each and every employee is invested in the ethos of the museum and tries to provide each and every customer the absolute best experience, regardless of who they may be.

“This dedication to the patient has been lost in the maw of modern health-care delivery. We have become too focused on technology and throughput at the sacrifice of empathy and the patient experience. I plan to use this gift to work on surgical education both at UAB and nationally to help re-invigorate the idea of caring for each and every person—coworkers and patients—into the next generation of surgeons.”

“Synonymous with innovation”

Three large stainless steel statues welcome visitors to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. Entitled The Chase, the piece depicts a race between the three art deco figures, each perched atop a wheel: two in the back jockeying for position, their arms stretched outward on a collision course, while the racer in front leans in toward his vision of the future. Created by sculptor Ted Gall, the statues offer a fitting first impression of the museum.

The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is more than the Guinness-certified largest collection of motorcycles in the world; it’s a shrine to innovation. With its Advanced Design Center—an 11,000 square-foot high-tech workspace for industrial design, with capabilities for clay modeling, prototyping, laser scanning, computer-aided design (CAD), and 3D printing—the Barber Museum keeps one eye to the future while detailing the history of motorsports in placards alongside each gleaming chrome vehicle.

But while the museum celebrates the heroes, trailblazers, and craftsmen who have defined the discipline, it also demonstrates that progress rarely occurs in a straight line. For every success, there are many more failures, and the Barber Museum recognizes those innovators who—through some combination of misfortune, misadventure, or mismanagement—never reached their lofty goals.

In motorsports and medical research alike, setbacks are a part of the process. “I wanted to make sure that Dr. Pearce has all the support he needs to keep doing such excellent work,” Barber said. “I want him to have the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them.”

“I don’t care if he buys a popcorn machine with it,” Barber added with a laugh. “He might burn through a couple of popcorn machines, and that’s OK.”

An aerial view of Barber Motorsports Park

The Barber Museum previously partnered with UAB Professor Emeritus Dean Sicking, Ph.D., a nationally recognized innovator in safety research, to improve highway safety by conducting crash impact studies. Barber’s personal support for the university stretches back decades, highlighted by his pivotal role in establishing the Julius N. Hicks Endowed Chair, the George W. Barber, Jr., Foundation Endowed Professorship, and the George W. Barber, Jr., Foundation Endowed Lectureship in the Department of Otolaryngology.

“I believe in what UAB is doing,” Barber said. “I love what it’s done for our city.”

With the Barber Companies’ support, Pearce will be empowered to explore new avenues in vascular surgery while preparing the next generation of leaders in the field. It’s a bold goal, but as motorcycle designer Daryl Villanueva put it: “The only thing that stands between fact and fiction is time.”