Explore UAB

by Sarah L. Minor, MS

With each meeting of the Gulf Coast Hematology and Oncology Summit, a stronger, more collaborative cancer care community is emerging in the South. Thanks to a new partnership of event organizers, attendance at the annual CME event is growing rapidly, reaching more cancer care professionals than UAB could alone.

Pankit Vachhani, M.D., UAB associate professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, got involved in organizing the UAB conference back in 2018. He recognized that there were many more providers who could benefit from the experience of learning and networking than were actually attending. So, he set about connecting with other organizations and expanding the audience to create a more dynamic event.

by Andy Currie

On May 8, 2025, investigators in the Department of Medicine (DOM) will gather to celebrate research excellence at the annual awards reception. 

The DOM Research Excellence Advancement and Mentoring Council, or DREAM Council, is committed to promoting and supporting innovative research conducted by its talented investigators. The Council is led by Drs. Jarrod Barnes, Carmen De Miguel, and Timmy Lee. Together with 16 dedicated members, the Council oversees the nomination and selection process for a variety of awards to recognize and reward research excellence. 

by Andy Currie

Rena Patel, MD, MPH is a physician-scientist who conducts mixed methods research using both qualitative and quantitative tools in reproductive health and accessible health care. She serves as the assistant director of the UAB Minority Health & Health Equity Research Center, and has recently been named associate director for Global Health Research for the UAB Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health (MHIGH).

Before joining UAB, Patel was an assistant professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco, and at the University of Washington. Patel completed her medical school and residency at Stanford University, received her MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health, and her MPhil in Sociology from the University of Cambridge. She has also worked in India, Tanzania, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Uganda. Her work across the world has led Patel to mentor multiple trainees.

Professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Disease Martin Young, D.Phil., specializes in chronobiology and cardiac metabolism. In this video spotlight, Young discusses his journey into research and the importance of circadian rhythms, often described as our bodies’ internal clocks. His work highlights the role of circadian clocks in maintaining heart health and how disruptions can contribute to disease states. Specifically, Young’s research aims to understand the mechanisms behind the heart’s tolerance to heart attacks at different times of the day, with the ultimate goal of developing strategies to protect the heart during vulnerable periods.