Maria Grant, M.D. and Adam Wende, Ph.D.Two UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) members are winners of the 2025 Dean's Excellence Awards for Faculty from the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. These prestigious awards recognize outstanding faculty members who have demonstrated exceptional achievements in teaching, research, service, access and engagement, and mentorship. 

Among this year’s 19 honorees are UCDC members Maria Grant, M.D., FARVO, professor and Eivor and Alston Callahan, M.D., Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and Adam Wende, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Pathology Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology. 

Grant was awarded the 2025 Dean’s Excellence Award in Research for senior faculty. Grant is an internationally recognized physician-scientist known for her pioneering research into stem cell-based therapies for retinal vascular diseases. Her efforts hold significant promise for conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.

Wende was awarded the 2025 Dean’s Excellence Award in Mentorship for senior faculty. As a researcher, Wende explores the regulation of metabolism and mitochondrial function with a specific focus on glucose utilization in the heart and muscle. Wende has demonstrated a proven commitment to mentoring and education in biomedical research through his extensive involvement with trainees at various stages, including undergraduate and graduate students, MSTP trainees, and postdoctoral fellows. 

“Congratulations to UCDC faculty members Drs. Grant and Wende on this distinguished honor for excellence in research and mentorship at UAB,” said UCDC Director Anath Shalev, M.D. “We are grateful for their dedication to advancing their respective fields as well as the field of diabetes through cutting-edge research and training the next generation of diabetes researchers.”

Read more about Grant, Wende and all 2025 Dean's Excellence Awards for Faculty winners here.