Erin DeLaney, M.D., associate professor and vice chair of clinical affairs and quality for the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine, has been announced as the inaugural holder of the Neil E. Christopher, M.D., Endowed Chair in Family and Community Medicine. 

UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Associate Professor Rondi B. Gelbard, M.D., has been selected by the Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance to serve as Chair of the National Donation Leadership Council (NDLC). Gelbard, a recognized contributor to the National Donation Leadership Council since 2019, began her term at the first of the year and will remain in that role until December 2026.

Daniel Chu, M.D., MSPH, and Paige Porrett, M.D., Ph.D., were elected as active members to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI). They will be formally inducted at the national meeting in Chicago on April 25.

The UAB Department of Pathology recently funded travel awards to four trainees, Dr. Ashleigh Riegler, Ezgi Sari, Courtney Swain and Resha Rajkarnikar, who will present their research at national meetings this year.

Three new faculty members have joined the leadership team at the Children's of Alabama Pediatric Simulation Center. Sarah Bingham, M.D. Jaycelyn Holland, M.D. and Lauren Robinson, M.D., all serve as assistant professors in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

PPN Updates: Youth boards tackle substance use, mental health & autism awareness.

Cynthia Wozow, D.O., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, recently attended the invitation-only ACGME Summit on Fostering Disability-Inclusive Health Care in Resident Education.

Mark Law, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Cardiology, has been named the second holder of the Lionel M. Bargeron Jr., M.D., Endowed Chair in the Division of Cardiology.

The Heersink School of Medicine held its annual Scholarship Dinner, celebrating donors and the impact of scholarships on medical students. Key speakers, including Christina Grabowski, Ph.D., and Dean Anupum Agarwal, M.D., emphasized the importance of financial support in alleviating student debt and enhancing educational experiences. Scholarship recipients shared how these funds have enabled them to focus on their studies and pursue their career goals.

Shi Wei, M.D., Ph.D., Division Director, Women's Health, has been named section head for bone and soft tissue pathology, effective April 1. Wei assumes the position from Gene Siegal, M.D., Ph.D., Robert W. Mowry Endowed Professor, who recently retires on December 31, 2024, after 34 years of service in the UAB Department of Pathology. 

Several members from the UAB Department of Pathology participated in the annual Birmingham Kidney Walk and Celebration on April 5 at Samford University’s Track and Field Complex.

As international events like the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games and 2025 Invictus Games put adaptive sports into the spotlight and, locally, the University of Alabama Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team recently earned a fifth consecutive national championship, a team spearheaded by UAB hopes to have a big impact on the health of these athletes.

Haifa Alsharif, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar in the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC), won first place for her poster presentation at the UAB Department of Medicine’s 2025 Trainee Research Symposium (TRS).

The UAB Department of Surgery welcomes Rajamiyer Venkateswaran, M.D, MBBS, M.S., renowned surgeon, researcher, and health system leader from the United Kingdom as a Professor in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the Chief of Heart, Mechanical Circulatory Support, and Lung Transplant.

Angel Pine, communications intern for the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery, was recently honored with four awards from the Public Relations Council of Alabama (PRCA) for her outstanding work in public relations.

Savanah Kirchner, communication specialist for the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery, recently served as a guest speaker for an Intro to Public relations class on the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus.

A new study by Rita Basu, M.D., and collaborators, finds that restoring hepatic glycogen improves nocturnal glucose regulation in humans with Type 2 diabetes.

UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) Director Anath Shalev, M.D., was invited to present at the International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD), held in Amsterdam, March 19-22.

Cristina Magi-Galluzzi, M.D., Ph.D., Robert and Ruth Anderson Endowed Chair in Pathology, has been named president of the Genitourinary Pathology Society (GUPS), effective April 1.

Timmy Lee, M.D., MSPH, will serve as the next division director for the UAB Division of Nephrology, effective July 1, 2025.

UAB Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Vascular Surgery Kyle Mauk, DPM, FACFAS, ABPM, recently appeared on the UAB MedCast podcast to discuss the new Limb Salvage Program at UAB as well as the new Advanced Podiatric Limb Salvage and Reconstruction Fellowship, which he directs.

A new endowed scholar position in the UAB Department of Neurology has been established thanks to a generous gift. The Susan and Rodney Barstein Endowed Faculty Scholar in Parkinson’s Disease, named in recognition of donors Susan and Rodney Barstein, serves to support a faculty member in the Department of Neurology whose specific focus is Parkinson’s disease.

L. Burt Nabors, M.D., William Austin Brown Endowed Professor, Vice Chair for Research, and Director of the Division of Neuro-Oncology in the UAB Department of Neurology, has been appointed to the rank of Distinguished Professor in the Department of Neurology.

After more than three decades of dedicated service, Susan Branscum is retiring from her role in the Department of Pediatrics (DOP) at UAB, leaving a significant legacy in research and education.

Avi Madan-Swain, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, has been honored with the Wright Ross Salk Award for Distinguished Service in Pediatric Psychology by the Society of Pediatric Psychology (SPP), a division of the American Psychological Association.

Matthew Kutny, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, has been elected to the Children's Oncology Group (COG) Voting Body Steering Committee.

​Livie Timmerman, Clinical Research Coordinator II for the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, has been elected to serve a three-year term as Chair of the Research Coordinator Network for the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA).

Four members of the UAB Department of Neurology will be honored among 300 UAB employees for 20-plus years of service at a reception on April 8 at Hill Student Center: Randall L. Foster (35 years), Martina Bebin, M.D., MPA (30 years), Nita A. Limdi, Pharm.D., Ph.D., MSPH (30 years), and L. Burt Nabors, M.D. (25 years). 

As NTM cases rise, the UAB Nontuberculous Mycobacterial (NTM) Program, led by Bryan Garcia, M.D., in partnership with German Henostroza, M.D., has formed a multidisciplinary team to provide individualized care, improve diagnosis, and enhance treatment outcomes for patients with NTM.

Kidney stones are more than just a painful setback—they can be avoided. Studies show that with a few simple lifestyle and dietary changes, you can significantly lower your risk of developing these painful stones.