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Save the date for the 35th Annual J. Garber Galbraith, M.D., Scientific Session and Lecture, November 8-9, 2018, featuring this year’s speaker Frederick A. Boop, M.D. Boop is chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and chief of pediatric neurosurgery at St. Jude’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Match Day 2018 ushered in a new group of surgery residents, while saying goodbye to others who will soon leave UAB for different programs across the country. With 98 percent of students’ matching into residency positions, UAB students will continue their medical educations at 74 institutions across 27 states.

Dr. James Markert

The UAB Department of Neurosurgery ranked No. 10 nationally in 2017, according to rankings provided by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, receiving more than $3.6 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health, nearly doubling the department’s 2016 funding.

The UAB Department of Neurosurgery held the 34th Annual J. Garber Galbraith, M.D., Scientific Session and Lecture on Friday, Oct. 6, 2017, in the Bradley Lecture Center at Children's of Alabama.

The Thirtieth Annual J. Garber Galbraith, MD Scientific Session and Lecture took place November 8, 2013. Along with the faculty, the J. Garber Galbraith Lecturer, Mitchel S. Berger, MD evaluated qualifying resident presentations and abstracts. Presenters with the highest scores for content, organization, and delivery received awards for their research.
2013 Award Winners, Left to right: Third place – Richard B. Morawetz, M.D., Resident Prize for Research: Amber Gordon, M.D.; Second place – Griffith Rutherford Harsh III, M.D., Resident Prize for Research: Joseph Miller, M.D.; First place – James Garber Galbraith, M.D., Resident Prize for Research: Kimberly Kicielinski, M.D.

The 33rd annual J. Garber Galbraith Lecture was held Friday, Nov. 11, 2016. Vincent C. Traynelis, M.D., from Rush University Medical Center  presented the lecture, “Correction of Degenerative Deformity." 
2016 Award Winners: 

• Garber Galbraith, MD Research Prize: John W. Amburgy, MD
• Griffith R. Harsh III, MD Research Prize:  Daxa M. Patel, MD
• Richard B. Morawetz, MD Research Prize:  Paul M. Foreman, MD
• Stephen Mahaley Jr,MD Research Prize: Christoph J. Griessenauer, MD and Paul M. Foreman, MD

UAB Neurosurgery was ranked No. 34 in the 2017 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals survey, which marks the fourth consecutive year the department has ranked in the top 50 Neurology and Neurosurgery programs.

“I believe this consistent recognition reflects the expertise and dedication of our faculty and trainees and the quality of care we deliver,” said James Markert, M.D., chair of the UAB Department of Neurosurgery.

A hospital’s score for Neurology and Neurosurgery is based on data such as volume of patients, patient survival, available technology and nurse staffing, and reputation among other specialists in the field. UAB was ranked highly for patient survival, patient safety, advanced technology, nurse staffing, and patient volume.

Overall, UAB Hospital again ranked as No. 1 in the state of Alabama, and nine other UAB specialties joined Neurology & Neurosurgery to be listed among the nation’s top 50.

“We are pleased that UAB Hospital continues to be recognized for providing world-class health care to the residents of our state, region and nation,” said Health System CEO Will Ferniany, Ph.D. “The consistent excellence of our faculty and staff is a reassuring constant during times of change and uncertainty in our country’s health care system. We are proud of our national rankings, and proud to be acknowledged as Alabama’s best hospital.”

In addition to UAB Neurology & Neurosurgery (34), UAB's highest-ranked programs include  Rheumatology (10), Nephrology (14), Pulmonology (17), Urology (20), Diabetes and Endocrinology (21), Gynecology (26), Cardiology and Heart Surgery (30), Geriatrics (47), and Ear, Nose and Throat (50).

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One conversation about the immunology of brain tumors in 1978 sparked a research passion that has fueled the illustrious, productive career of G. Yancey Gillespie, Ph.D. That conversation, with M. Stephen Mahaley, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., ultimately led Gillespie to UAB, where he has spent nearly 30 years developing a renowned neuro-oncology research program.

In honor of Dr. Yancey Gillespie’s more than 30 years of outstanding service to UAB, the Department of Neurosurgery has created the Yancey Gillespie Neuro-Oncology Travel Award. This scholarship will provide funding for UAB graduate students traveling to national and international meetings to present their brain tumor research. Dr. Gillespie’s colleagues from across disciplines wanted to create this award as a testament to Dr. Gillespie’s illustrious career, and his strong commitment to teaching and mentorship of young neuro-oncologists.

Support the Yancey Gillespie Neuro-Oncology Travel Award by giving online at uab.edu/give/Gillespie or contact Leon Ryan, director of development, at leonryan@uab.edu.

Dr. G. Yancey Gillespie, professor in the Department of Neurosurgery, and his wife, Lady Jane, have made a gift in support of the department’s research. A portion of their gift has established the M. Stephen Mahaley, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Research Graduate Assistant in Neurosurgery Support Fund, creating a new research graduate assistant position in the department, most recently filled by Christian T. Stackhouse. The fund provides salary support for a research graduate student for brain tumor research. It also funds the supplies or equipment necessary for the student’s research or to reimburse travel costs to attend a scientific meeting to present the results of their research.

The departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology ranked No. 17 and No. 22 respectively in 2016 with a combined $11.3 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health, according to rankings provided by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.

Dr. Corinne Griguer

The Department of Neurosurgery achieved a more-than-fivefold increase from its 2015 NIH funding. This increase was due in part to Corinne Griguer, Ph.D., associate professor of neurosurgery, who was awarded more than $1.2 million in 2016 NIH funding, ranking in the top-10 percentile of neurosurgery principal investigators nationwide, according to BRIMR data. Griguer is a biochemist focused on malignant glioma, specifically the bioenergetic pathways involved in its development and progression.

“This ranking is a direct testament to the diligent work of our research faculty,” said James Markert M.D., professor and chair of the UAB Department of Neurosurgery. “The success rate for NIH grants is only around 20 percent. I am very proud that our faculty are successfully competing for these awards. This speaks to the caliber of the research being done here in Neurosurgery as we strive to find new treatments and therapies for our patients.”

Many key research projects that comprise this funding are joint efforts between the departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery. For instance, Harrison Walker, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Neurology, and Barton Guthrie, M.D., professor in the Department of Neurosurgery are collaborators on a BRAIN Initiative Grant to study new technology that could improve outcomes from deep brain stimulation, an increasingly important treatment for Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders.

Dr. James Markert

The momentum UAB has gained in fiscal year 2016, carried into 2017. Markert and G. Yancey Gillespie, Ph.D., were recently awarded an R01 grant to conduct a Phase I Clinical Trial of an oncolytic herpes virus called M032. The FDA-approved trial will be used to evaluate the safety and tolerability of this improved virus that recruits the patient’s immune system to help fight against malignant gliomas.

“NIH funding is a critical engine for scientific advancement,” Markert said. “During the past 15 years, cancer death rates in the U.S. have dropped by about 1 percent annually, and this can be attributed in larger part to research funded by the NIH. Obviously, there is more work to be done to cure cancer, as nearly 80,000 cases of primary brain tumors are expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. this year. That is why our faculty are working tirelessly to explore new treatments and therapies. This increase in NIH funding is a reflection of their dedication to improving patient care.”

The UAB Department of Neurosurgery will host its 33rd annual J. Garber Galbraith Lecture on Friday, Nov. 11, 2016. Vincent C. Traynelis, M.D., from Rush University Medical Center will present the lecture, “Correction of Degenerative Deformity,” at 4 p.m. in the Bradley Lecture Center at Children’s Harbor. Resident presentations will begin at 10 a.m.

After almost 25 years of service to UAB and Children’s of Alabama, W. Jerry Oakes, M.D., the Dan Hendley Professor of Pediatrics and Neurosurgery in the UAB Department of Neurosurgery, will retire from clinical practice. Dr. Oakes will continue to be an active member of the Section, focusing on academic pursuits. 

The UAB Department of Neurosurgery faculty is growing in order to meet the demand for neurosurgery services in our community and to continue to enhance research into neurological disorders. We welcome our new faculty members: 

• Jianmei Leavenworth, MD, PhD
• Thomas Staner, MD
• William Stetler, MD

U.S. News & World Report’s 2016-2017 Best Hospitals report ranks UAB Neurology & Neurosurgery No. 25 nationally, and No. 5 among public institutions.

The UAB Neurosurgery residents were involved in 50 publications during 2015, and served as first author on 22 of those articles. Through the Department of Neurosurgery’s Office of Clinical Research, residents are helped to publish, by being provided extensive training in evidence-based research, and are given infrastructure support for their studies.

Members of the UAB Neurosurgery Women’s Leadership Council toured the research laboratory of James Markert, M.D., M.P.H., chair of the UAB Department of Neurosurgery on January 13, and learned about Dr. Markert’s research, which is focused on developing new treatments for brain cancer.

During the tour, Jennifer Clements, lab manager, explained the numerous steps necessary to translate a new treatment from the laboratory into clinical practice, and how philanthropy can accelerate this process. For example, philanthropic investment can help scientists explore promising new theories and gather the necessary pilot data to successfully apply for federal funding.