Last week, the Department of Medicine recognized its first of two exceptional winners of the Summer 2025 DOM STAR Awardee for Staff Excellence. Liping Tang is a lab manager for the UAB Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine. Nominators praised Liping for more than 15 years of exceptional leadership, adaptability and dedication in both scientific and administrative roles. They highlighted her thoughtful guidance, which fosters collaboration and innovation, and noted that her mentorship significantly contributes to the lab’s success. Thank you, Liping, for your incredible work and the support you provide to those around you.

Chronic illnesses don’t take Saturdays off, and neither does the team at the UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center Infusion Clinic. After experiencing a staggering 44 percent increase in patient encounters since 2020, this 84-bay infusion clinic turned to a dedicated team of multidisciplinary clinicians to pioneer Saturday infusion services. This highly trained team is ensuring that patients with cancer and other chronic diseases have access to critical treatments like chemotherapy and immunotherapy on the weekends, keeping them in the hands of trusted specialists and out of emergency rooms.

Michael Allon, M.D., professor in Nephrology, received the 2025 American Society of Nephrology “Belding H. Scribner Award” for lifetime achievement for his direct impact on the care of patients with renal disorders and efforts in substantially changing the clinical practice of nephrology.

Eric Wallace, M.D., Professor in the UAB Division of Nephrology and UAB Telehealth Medical Director, will assume expanded responsibilities as Chief Medical Information and Digital Health Officer for UAB Health System, effective June 1. Dr. Wallace will continue to oversee Telehealth and to advance the care of rare genetic kidney disease at UAB, while taking on the broader responsibilities of promoting the use of information technology across UAB Medicine’s clinical enterprise. Additionally, he will be the key physician leader for the Epic medical records software implementation and chair advisory groups to optimize the clinical information system for patient care and research. Congratulations, Dr. Wallace!

On Wednesday, Department of Medicine employees gathered in the Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium as Wellness Council co-chairs Kaitlyn Waugaman, MPH, Josh Stripling, M.D., and subcommittee members shared key updates on the council’s progress. Council members identified improvement in efforts in leadership evaluation, clinical scheduling and communication, and onboarding and retention.
L to R: Council members Sylvia Huang, Ph.D., M.Ed, Artemise Rue-Johnson, Carolyn Walsh, MA, Kaitlyn Waugaman, MPH, RDN, LDN, and Josh Stripling, M.D.