UAB’s Birmingham campus will function as the main educational hub for residents in a newly approved program through the Department of Family and Community Medicine. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has approved a new University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine Family Medicine Residency training program with tracks in Birmingham and Selma.
This model allows UAB’s Birmingham campus to function as the main educational hub, with Selma serving as a core rural training site where residents will live, learn and provide hands-on patient care.
“This two-track residency structure reflects a thoughtful alignment of educational standards with clinical need and demonstrates our longstanding commitment to the Selma community,” said Irfan Asif, M.D., chair of the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine and associate dean of Primary Care and Rural Health. “We’re pleased to offer residents robust educational opportunities while maintaining our strong clinical presence in Alabama’s Black Belt region.”
Faculty and residents will continue providing care for people in Selma and the surrounding region. The UAB Selma Family Medicine Clinic at Vaughan Regional Medical Center will remain open. Attending faculty will continue providing patient care, as will both Selma track and rotating Birmingham track residents.
In addition to ensuring continuity of care for the community, this track structure strengthens educational quality and positions UAB to sustain and expand rural primary care training across Alabama, which is essential for growing the state’s healthcare workforce and reducing gaps in rural access.
The 6-6-6 UAB Family Medicine Residency Program with Birmingham and Selma tracks is supported by dedicated faculty members in both locations, drawing on UAB’s academic expertise while maintaining immersive community-based training experiences. While two second-year and two third-year residents will be part of the Selma track each year, all 18 program residents will rotate in the Selma community. Residents treat a diverse patient population with a wide range of medical needs. Residents receive comprehensive family medicine training, including inpatient care, obstetrics, pediatrics, health promotion (exercise, nutrition and mental health care), elective and procedural experiences, community health opportunities, and a strong foundation in outpatient care. Residents also learn to provide whole-person care across a variety of settings, including clinics, hospitals, emergency departments, mobile health units and nursing facilities.
Minakshi Shukla, MD, will serve as the UAB Family Medicine Residency program director.“Family medicine physicians have such an important role to play in improving healthcare access and outcomes in Alabama,” said Assistant Professor Minakshi Shukla, M.D., the program’s director. “The students who come to the UAB Family Medicine Residency Program will be part of a rising generation of physicians meeting those needs whether they are based in Birmingham or Selma.”
By aligning educational standards with clinical demand, the residency will strengthen continuity in clinic experiences, stabilize residency operations, and expand access to high-quality primary care for Dallas County and the surrounding region while positioning the program for future growth.
“We plan to develop additional rural residency training across our state to meet patient needs and prepare trainees to serve rural communities,” Asif explained. “We want to enhance our Family Medicine Residency Program, allow for expansion to serve more Alabamians, and support long-term sustainability, growth and impact.”
The UAB Family Medicine Residency Program with Birmingham and Selma tracks is currently recruiting first-year residents to begin training in July 2026. For more information, contact Heather Cowart, M.Ed., at