For December, the Heersink School of Medicine Office of Access & Engagement set out to learn more about this season’s holidays by connecting with our faculty, staff, and students. In part one of our holiday series, we explored the history and traditions of Chanukah, celebrated on the 25th day of Kislev (the ninth month of the Jewish religious year) in the Hebrew calendar, as light triumphing over darkness. To capture the spirit and significance of the holiday, we spoke with Rabbi Levi Weinbaum from the Chabad of Alabama, first-year social work student David Kirby, postdoctoral fellow Anna Stoll, and former Jewish Medical Student Association President Ben Honan.

This December, the Heersink School of Medicine Office of Access & Engagement sought to connect with the medical community by learning about the season’s rich variety of holidays. In part two of our holiday series, we explore Kwanzaa, a weeklong celebration of African heritage, community values, and cultural reflection. To better understand the holiday’s significance, we spoke with Kim Ayers, nurse manager at the UAB Center for Psychiatric Medicine, who shared how Kwanzaa’s principles inspire her approach to health care and community building.

This December, the Heersink School of Medicine Office of Access & Engagement sought to connect with the medical community by learning about the season’s rich variety of holidays. In part three of our holiday series, we explore Christmas, celebrated worldwide for its message of love, generosity, and joy. To capture the spirit and significance of the holiday, we spoke with Monica Henderson, Administrative Director in Clinical Simulation, and Dominique McCray, Clinical Program Manager II in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, to learn more about how Christmas' themes of giving and togetherness resonate in their lives and work.

Yung Lau, M.D., has been named interim chair of the UAB Department of Pediatrics, effective Nov. 1. Lau is a professor of Pediatrics and vice chair of Clinical Affairs in the Department of Pediatrics. He holds the Thomas N. Carruthers Endowed Chair in Cardiology. He also serves as division director for Pediatric Cardiology.

In Fall 2024, UAB Heersink School of Medicine announced the winners of the 2024 Dale J. Benos Medical Student Research Day (MSRD). All medical students were invited to present the results of their research projects and submit posters for judging.

The Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute (PMI) team has partnered with Every Cure on a groundbreaking project to build a large drug-repurposing database. The project, called ML/AI-enabled Therapeutic Repurposing In eXtended uses (MATRIX), received a contract from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) for up to $48 million, announced earlier this year at a White House event.

The Alabama sports medicine community mourns the loss of a legendary athletic trainer and icon Robert Andrew “Drew” Ferguson, who passed away this past month. Ferguson’s lifelong commitment to education and the well-being of athletes left a lasting impact on sports medicine and athletic training in Alabama.

The UAB Department of Microbiology and the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) hosted the inaugural HIV Basic and Translational Research Symposium Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, at the UAB Hilton Hotel. The all-day event featured speakers from the university and Southern Research, time for discussion, and a poster session.  

Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation (Innovation Institute) leadership regularly takes part in various events regarding artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine and health care, offering their expertise and professional insight. This fall, three of the institute’s leaders participated in a one-day program titled “A Primer for AI in Healthcare,” co-offered by the UAB School of Health Profession’s Department of Health Services Administration Center for Healthcare Management & Leadership.

For over 20 years, Lisa Willett, M.D., MACM, has shaped the medical education landscape through dedication, mentorship, and advocacy for her trainees. She received the 2024 Ellen Gregg Ingalls/UAB National Alumni Society Lifetime Achievement in Teaching Award in recognition of her contributions at UAB and beyond, influencing future physicians and fostering a culture of excellence without ego, the motto she coined to describe UAB internal medicine residents.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HIIE) celebrated its annual Innovation Awards on October 11, 2024, recognizing outstanding innovators and entrepreneurial achievements. Anath Shalev, M.D., director of the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center and founder of TIXiMED, was awarded the 2024 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award, the institute’s highest honor. Shalev's start-up, TIXiMED, recently advanced toward clinical trials after receiving FDA clearance for its novel Type 1 diabetes treatment, TIX100.

The Heersink School of Medicine honored the achievements of eight esteemed faculty members during the Fall 2024 Endowed Chairs and Professorships Reception, held Oct. 29 at the Wallace Tumor Institute. Families, faculty, and leaders of the Heersink School of Medicine joined the honorees to celebrate their outstanding contributions to medical education and research. Anupam Agarwal, M.D., dean of the Heersink School of Medicine, opened the event by welcoming guests and recognizing the significance of these prestigious appointments.

Eight faculty members recently graduated from UAB Medicine’s LEading Advancing Developing (LEAD) Fall 2024 leadership development program. The program, presented by UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO), recognized its graduates at a ceremony on Oct. 24, 2024.

James Cimino, M.D., distinguished professor of Medicine and chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will deliver the closing keynote address at the prestigious American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) 2024 Annual Symposium. The event, which will be held Nov. 9-13, 2024, in San Francisco, California, will bring together global leaders and experts in biomedical and health informatics.

Alice Goepfert, M.D., professor in OB/Gyn and Maternal-Fetal Medicine and associate dean for GME/Designated Institutional Official (DIO), has been named by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) as a recipient of the Parker J. Palmer Courage to Lead Award. The ACGME announced its decision on October 22, 2024 and will honor the two recipients at the 2025 ACGME Annual Educational Conference February 20-22, 2025.

A study led by Alecia K. Gross, Ph.D., professor and vice chair for Research and Research Infrastructure in the Department of Neurobiology, was published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal for the paper “NUDC is critical for rod photoreceptor function, maintenance, and survival.”

On Monday, Oct. 7, the Heersink School of Medicine hosted the 2024 Leadership in Academic Medicine Lecture in the Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium. Jim Yong Kim, M.D., Ph.D., vice chairman and partner at Global Infrastructure Partners, presented his talk, "Reflections on 40 Years in Global Health: The Power of Faith in Things Unseen." Started in 2014, this annual lecture aims to bring high-profile leaders to UAB to discuss issues facing academic medical centers across all missions.

The Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation hosted a Grand Rounds presentation titled "How an Innovation System Uncovered Breakthrough Solutions for CAUTI and AKI" with speaker Todd Dunn, an experienced transformation and innovation executive, on Tuesday, Oct 3.

In 2015, Chrystal Rutledge, M.D., an associate professor in the Division of Pediatrics, pioneered the idea for the COACHES Program—an initiative that is now transforming pediatric care in Alabama through education and simulation training. The Heersink School of Medicine Office of Access & Engagement is excited to host Rutledge for this month’s American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) lecture, where she will share insights about the inception and impact of this groundbreaking program.

Many of the research and learning opportunities at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) that improve the lives of students, patients, and medical professionals are funded through grants. UAB’s Physician Scientist Development Office (PSDO) works to provide grant support and other resources to recruit, train, and retain a pipeline of physician-scientists. PSDO received two recent grants that will equip trainees with the necessary training and resources to excel in their journeys to become the next generation of physician-scientists.

Albert Schweitzer Fellows Faris Zaibaq, an M.D./Ph.D candidate at the Heersink School of Medicine, and Ethan Madison, a periodontology resident at UAB Hospital, recently led an urbanization project called “The Road Diet.” On July 26, 2024, a team of city workers and volunteers redesigned 1st Avenue South in Woodlawn as a way to invest in public health by improving the built environment.

On September 25, 2024, UAB Heersink School of Medicine announced the poster winners for its 2024 Educational Research & Innovations in Clinical & Health Sciences (ENRICH) Week. ENRICH Week is an annual conference that aims to enhance teaching techniques, encourage curriculum innovation, and highlight research in 21st-century health education.

Faculty, staff, students, and their families gathered for an evening filled with cultural traditions, lively music, and a strong sense of community as the Heersink School of Medicine Office of Access & Engagement hosted its inaugural Hispanic Heritage Month Commemoration at University Tacos, located on 5th Avenue North.

Twenty-nine individuals comprising six teams recently graduated from UAB Medicine’s High Performing Care Collaborative (HPCC) fall 2024 program. The program, presented by UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office, recognized its graduates at a ceremony on Oct. 3, 2024.

The complexity of the human brain has long been an enigma that neuroscientists have sought to untangle. Now, new technology at UAB will act as a critical tool to help researchers and clinicians interpret the brain in unprecedented ways.

The Heersink School of Medicine is looking forward to hosting the next lecture in the Step AHEAD series, “Voices For Our Fathers.” This important panel discussion will feature family members of men who were unwittingly involved in the U.S. Public Health Service Study of Untreated Syphilis in the African American Negro Males, conducted in Tuskegee and Macon County, Alabama, from 1932 to 1972.

Caroline Harada, M.D., associate dean for strategic initiatives in the Heersink School of Medicine Department of Medical Education, has been awarded the 2024 Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

On September 28 and 29, 2023, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) held the inaugural UAB Global Health Symposium with a mission of “promoting equity in global health partnerships.” One year later, we reflect on the lasting impact of the symposium by recognizing collaborations that have seen continued success because of the event, including an ongoing partnership between UAB and Alexandria University.

The UAB Heersink School of Medicine announces the opening of a new office: the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Office of Access & Engagement (OAE). The office will advise the dean and lead the strategic direction of the school’s programs and policies intended to identify and address barriers to success. It will promote an open and accessible environment for all students, faculty, and staff, ensuring every individual can thrive and contribute meaningfully to excellence in health care and science at UAB.

Training grants are an essential component of fostering research, education, and professional development for scientific pathways. They help support students through career development, collaboration and specialized training. The UAB Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Program is a NIH T34 training program for students pursing a Ph.D. in biomedical research.