UAB Heersink School of Medicine’s Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) is the recipient of a 2025 NIH-funded Institutional National Research Service Award (T32). The T32 grant will provide additional training opportunities for prospective students, expanding the total number of supported student slots from 18 to 20.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics is proud to announce that Eileen Rife, M.D., MS, assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, has been selected to receive the Emerging Investigator Excellence Award from the American College of Rheumatology.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery is pleased to welcome Assistant Professor Adeel Ilyas, M.D.

UAB Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs Danielle Powell, M.D. was selected to receive the 2025 Distinguished Public Service, Health Equity, and Advocacy Award by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Starting in the fall, the Developing Emerging Administrative Leaders (DEAL) program will be managed by the HR Learning and Development team. This shift represents the university’s commitment to the success and development of its staff.

The UAB Department of Microbiology will host the 2025 Susan Roberts Dubay Endowed Lecture on Oct. 14, welcoming Lora Hooper, Ph.D., as this year’s keynote speaker presenting, “Vitamin A and barrier immunity.”

Craig Hoesley, M.D., senior associate dean for Medical Education and chair of the Department of Medical Education, has been named the inaugural Paul and Martha Burleson Endowed Chair in Medical Education.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery is pleased to announce that Associate Professor Jianmei Leavenworth, M.D., Ph.D., has been promoted to professor.

University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery Assistant Professor Jesse Jones, M.D., has been promoted to associate professor and awarded tenure.

For the 16th consecutive year, Children’s of Alabama has been ranked among the nation’s best children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

Abhishek Parmar, M.D., an associate professor in the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, has been invited to join the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Continuing Education Committee and to serve as the co-director of the SAGES Train the Trainer Program. 

Cheri L. Canon, M.D., FACR, FSAR, FAAWR, president, UA Health Services Foundation; chief physician executive, UAB Health System; professor emerita, UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Radiology, has been named the latest recipient of the American College of Radiology’s Radiology Leadership Institute® (RLI) Larry R. Muroff Luminary Award.

The UAB Department of Neurology hosted a breakfast to honor its 2025 Service Awards recipients on Wednesday, Sept. 24. Thirty-two members of the department were recognized for their years of service to the department, ranging from five years up to 35 years

On the second floor of Volker Hall, a group of first-year medical students gather in clinic practice rooms, their voices bright with energy as they run through patient histories and exam steps together. They compare notes, swap reminders, and encourage one another before stepping into a test session. These moments capture the essence of the Clinical Reasoning and Integrated Skills Program (CRISP), a pivotal element of the curriculum within the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. Launched in 2023, CRISP was built to ease the leap from the classroom to the clinic, giving students a structured, safe environment to build the skills—and confidence—they will need when they meet their first patients.

The UAB HSF Robert B. Adams Cytology Laboratory opened recently in Montgomery, Alabama, as part of the Department of Pathology’s Community Practice Pathology Program (CPPP). This laboratory space was donated by the Adams family and renovated by the Department of Pathology. Its opening has been seven years in the making.

Haley Feezell, M.D., PGY2, joined the UAB Department of Radiology in July 2025. Originally from Rogers, Arkansas, she earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas before completing her medical training at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Cathy Chen, M.D., joined the UAB Department of Radiology faculty in July 2025 as a clinical assistant professor in the breast imaging section. She completed her undergraduate studies in chemical and biological engineering at Princeton University before earning her medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine.

How can Birmingham’s health care leaders work together to break down barriers and improve community health? That’s the central question behind Better Health Outcomes for All: Community Conversations, a panel discussion and reception on October 15 that brings together leaders from across the city to share ideas, experiences, and strategies for lasting change.

Matt Might, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Medicine and director of the Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute (PMI), has been selected to deliver a distinguished lecture at the American Society of Human Genetics Annual Meeting this October in Boston.

The UAB Department of Surgery is proud to announce that Executive Administrator, Mary McDougal, MPA, has been awarded the 2025 Dean’s Excellence Award for Staff for her role in overseeing the administrative functions of the Department of Surgery and its 650 faculty and staff. 

A new treatment that proves to slow the progression of Huntington’s disease marks a breakthrough for a condition that has long been considered untreatable. Huntington’s is a rare, inherited neurodegenerative disorder that gradually deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities, often leading to death within 10 to 30 years of onset. Until now, treatments have only managed symptoms, rather than altering the disease’s course.

The UAB Department of Urology has launched the Genitourinary Reconstruction and Prosthetics Fellowship, a one-year, high-volume clinical fellowship designed to provide in-depth training in complex reconstructive urology. The fellowship is accredited through the Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons.

The UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology recently welcomed Gagandeep Bhatia, MBBS, as an assistant professor in September 2025.

The Medical Education Committee (MEC) is charged with performing a review of each course and clerkship every four years. This ensures that medical education program quality is maintained and enhanced and that medical students achieve program objectives and participate in required clinical experiences and settings. During their fourth year, students take required acting internships, as well as their electives. The MEC Clinical Subcommittee, chaired by Dr. Stefanie Woodard, recently completed a review of the Acting Internships (AI) across UAB’s campuses, focusing on Internal Medicine, Ambulatory Care, Critical Care, Surgery, and OB. The review aimed to assess the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of clinical education for fourth-year medical students.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery is pleased to welcome Morgan Dew, MSN, CPNP, as a pediatric advanced practice provider (APP).

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics is proud to announce that Jessica Robinson, M.D., PGY-2 resident in the Department of Pediatrics, has been recognized at the Rutherford Polhill Memorial Grand Rounds with the Rud Polhill Award for Outstanding Resident in Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) 2025 Annual Meeting and OTO EXPO is Saturday, Oct. 11, to Tuesday, Oct. 14 at the Indiana Convention Center and JW Marriott Indianapolis Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

The UAB Department of Surgery is proud to announce the recent promotion of ten faculty members.

Eight faculty members in the UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology have received promotions effective Oct. 1, 2025. 

As cold weather approaches, respiratory illnesses such as influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and whooping cough become more common, increasing risks for pregnant patients and healthcare providers.