Cellular health plays a crucial role in your overall well-being. On average, the human body has between 30-40 trillion cells of various types and with various functions.

Barnita Haldar, M.D., Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, has been awarded the 2024 Relay for Life Champion of Mission Award by the American Cancer Society (ACS).

The UAB Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology (CDIB) has launched a new article series titled Meet the Minds of CDIB. The series spotlights the diverse faculty who power the department’s groundbreaking research.

XMEA is a recessive, genetic disease that causes progressive muscle weakness.

Think a sunburn is just temporary redness? Discover how UV radiation penetrates deep into your skin, damaging DNA, accelerating aging, and silently increasing your risk of cancer—even before the burn begins.

Congratulations to the 19 faculty and staff leaders who completed UAB’s leadership development program this month. Meet the graduates and see the requirements for the 2025-2026 cohort; nominations open in June.

The UAB Heersink School of Medicine is proud to announce the 19 winners of the 2025 Dean's Excellence Awards for Faculty.

The Heersink School of Medicine is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of its 1R01 Award. Securing extramural research funding is a very competitive process, and this award is a testament to these investigators’ groundbreaking research and dedication to advancing biomedical science.

Dr. Stefanie Robel, associate professor in the UAB Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology (CDIB), is a recipient of the Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship 2024.

A 3D printer for prosthetics, navigation for patients on dialysis and a new electron microscope are three of the 11 projects to receive funding. The HSF-GEF faculty grants program is a way for UAB to support innovative ideas from its researchers and clinicians.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse award is designed to stimulate innovation and potentially transformative research from early stage investigators.

The 2024 honorees for the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching represent each school, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Honors College, and the Graduate School.

Heersink School of Medicine introduced four new research focus areas in 2022. Of these focus areas, Brain Health and Disease Across the Lifespan aims to improve understanding of brain development, aging, health, and disease.

UAB has committed to a significant leap forward in biomedical research by approving the Center for Integrative Structural Biology during the June 2024 University of Alabama System Board of Trustees meeting.

These findings in zebrafish and human heart muscle cells have clinical implications for patients with atrial fibrillation.

UAB Heersink School of Medicine has awarded four grants for the 2023/2024 Heersink Multi-Investigator Program Awards, which are each funded with $150,000 per year for two years.

Bradley Yoder, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, has ranked No. 8 of over 800 principal investigators in the fields of anatomy and cell biology, according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research report for 2023.

The Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion hosted the annual Women in Medicine and Science Promotion Reception April 11, which recognized women faculty promoted at the end of 2023. The honorees and their guests were greeted by Heersink leadership to celebrate their remarkable achievements.

The Goldwater Program received 1,353 nominations from 446 institutions this year, and the winners will receive a scholarship covering tuition, housing, fees and books.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine saw great success in acquiring research funding in 2023, making significant strides in securing resources to advance human health through biomedical discovery.

In the intricate landscape of cellular biology, a group of dedicated Heersink investigators is unraveling the mysteries of protein glycosylation, particularly focusing on the enigmatic world of sialylation. Led by Susan Bellis, Ph.D., the Glycobiology group at UAB delves deep into the significance of sialic acid modifications and their profound impact on cellular behavior.

The UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine is pleased to announce the newest cohort of James A.

Bradley Yoder, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, introduces the Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Group.

On Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, students from Heersink School of Medicine gathered to celebrate faculty, courses, and course directors at the annual Argus Awards Ceremony.

Anupam Agarwal, M.D., dean of the Heersink School of Medicine, welcomed 13 esteemed faculty members, their families, and Heersink School of Medicine leaders to the Wallace Tumor Institute on Nov. 14 to honor the new endowed chairs and professorships for their contributions to modern medicine and medical education.

The Virtual Anatomy Lab, created by a faculty member and a graduate student who is about to begin medical school, brings together a wealth of resources and study tools, from textbooks to podcasts.

Braden McFarland, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology and co-director of the UAB Undergraduate Cancer Biology Program, was recently awarded a $1.6 million R01 grant from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health to study the role of human gut microbes in mouse models of glioblastoma.

Using machines at UAB Libraries or in their own units, staff, students and faculty are making tools for their research projects, classrooms and HVAC units campuswide. See their work and find out how you can get started.

In the last several years, UAB Medicine and Heersink School of Medicine have worked to bring leadership development to faculty and staff through the UAB Medicine Institute for Leadership and Momentum in Medicine programs.

Knowledge of this previously unrecognized mechanism may aid therapy for patients with interleukin-6 signaling mutations and hyper-IgE Syndrome, or HIES.