Benjamin Greene, M.D., has been promoted from associate professor to professor in the UAB Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, effective Oct. 1, 2025.

The Department of Radiology has eight faculty members who have earned promotions and one who was awarded tenure for 2025. These achievements represent significant milestones in their academic careers and highlight their unwavering dedication to advancing research, educating the next generation, and serving our patients and community.

UAB diabetes researchers presented their latest work on an international stage at the 61st Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria, Sept. 15-19.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics welcomed six new faculty members in the month of September. Please join us in making them feel at home!

A state-of-the-art simulation training room focused on neuromuscular and musculoskeletal interventions will be a highlight of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s new Rehabilitation Pavilion, which opened in August.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics is proud to announce that Sandeep Gupta, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, has been reappointed editor in chief of the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (JPGN) and JPGN Reports, two leading journals in the field.

The UAB Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy is honored to welcome the inaugural fellow for the newly launched Advanced Podiatric Limb Salvage and Reconstruction Fellowship: Jonathan Gomez Garcia, DPM, MBA.

Granzyme K (GzmK), a family of granzymes implicated in age-associated inflammatory disease, plays a key role in driving chronic inflammation by causing cell death. Despite its significant impact on diseases like asthma, psoriasis and atherosclerosis, current therapies lack focus on GzmK.

Catherine Bridges Adams, M.D., Ph.D., PGY2, joined the UAB Department of Radiology in July 2025. Originally from Coventry, Rhode Island, she earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado Denver before completing both her medical and doctoral training at the Medical University of South Carolina. Get to know Dr. Adams better with three quick questions!

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 67th Annual Meeting will be held from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1, 2025, in San Francisco, California, at the Moscone Center.

The Department of Radiation Oncology is proud to announce the promotion of Michael Soike, M.D., to associate professor of Radiation Oncology.

The UAB Department of Surgery is honored to welcome five faculty members in the month of September: Drs. Juliet Blaskeslee-Carter, Michael “Frank” Gleason, Luis Hidalgo, Victoria Huynh, and Erin White.

National Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Week, held annually in late September, recognizes the essential role of APPs in healthcare. These professionals, including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and anesthesiologist assistants, provide direct patient care, improve access to services, and contribute to high-quality outcomes across medical specialties.

Seven faculty members in the UAB Department of Neurology have been promoted, and two have received awards of tenure, effective Oct. 1, 2025,

In this installment, Bryan Luikart, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Neurobiology, explores his research on neurons and genetic mutations that cause autism spectrum disorder.

The beginning of August marks the new step in the training process for our incoming fellows and an exciting new chapter for our graduating trainees.

“Academic medicine is one of the best places for faculty, staff, and students to explore their passions and discover new opportunities,” says Thomas Chi, M.D., MBA, chair of the Department of Urology at UAB. With experience spanning three major universities, Chi has seen how a few guiding principles can shape careers and sustain momentum. He recently shared these insights at the Heersink Faculty Leadership Seminar, hosted by the Heersink School of Medicine Office of Access & Engagement Asian American and Pacific Islander Faculty Association, which aims to equip faculty with skills to lead, mentor, and grow in academic medicine.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics is proud to announce that Daniel Feig, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Nephrology, received the 2025 Wallace Alexander Clyde Distinguished Service Award from the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

C. Vivek Lal, M.D., tenured professor (Oct ‘25) in the Department of Pediatrics, has been named executive in residence of the Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HIIE). Lal’s appointment marks the beginning of a partnership between HIIE and the Heersink School of Medicine that will allow both entities an avenue to better serve patients.

UAB was well represented at the 84th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) Clinical Congress of Acute Care Surgery, with five faculty serving as presenters, discussants, and panelists thought leaders on the national stage.

Educational Research & Innovations in Clinical & Health Sciences (ENRICH) Week is underway at UAB Heersink School of Medicine. The annual conference brings together healthcare educators to discuss and promote innovations in teaching skills, curriculum development, and healthcare research. It is organized by UAB’s Healthcare Educators Academy (HEA), which provides faculty development and mentorship for early career educators in Medicine, Public Health, Health Professions, Optometry, Dentistry, and Nursing at UAB.

Several Research and Clinical Experience in Pathology (RaCE4Path) students presented posters at the 2025 UAB Heersink School of Medicine Dale J Benos Medical Student Research Day on September 15 and the UAB Undergraduate Research Expo on July 24.

A student walks into Cat Lewis, MSW, LICSW’s office and begins to share a challenge that has started to affect their ability to focus in school. Lewis listens closely, giving space for the story to unfold. Her role is to connect students with the right support—matching needs with resources so the weight they’re carrying feels lighter. For her, success means helping students return their focus not just to academics, but to managing life alongside medical school.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics is proud to introduce Kimberly Jerkins, a committed staff member of the Pediatric Administration team! 

Four doctors are set to join the UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery’s Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship next August: Ben Hazen, M.D., Justin Leavitt, M.D., Paul Shadowen M.D., and Sierra Smith, M.D.

From its vibrant culinary scene to its stunning Appalachian foothills, Birmingham is gaining recognition as both a medical hub and a city where life outside the hospital thrives.

Jianmei Leavenworth, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery, has been named the latest recipient of the school’s Featured Discovery award. This recognition celebrates notable research contributions made by faculty and highlights the impact of their scientific advancements.

The UAB Department of Urology congratulates three of its faculty members who were recently promoted and awarded tenure.

In 2016, the rare disease Zhu-Tokita-Takenouchi-Kim, or ZTTK Syndrome, was discovered by Erin Eun Young Ahn, Ph.D., a professor in the UAB Department of Pathology’s Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, alongside her research team. ZTTK is primarily identified in children and is characterized by intellectual disability, delayed musculoskeletal development and multi-organ anomalies, and is caused by loss of function in the SON gene. This gene creates a DNA and RNA binding protein, SON, that is required for the body to grow and develop naturally.

Robert Hollis, M.D., MSPH, assistant professor of the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, and Ridley Brown, BSN, RN, oncology navigator at the O'Neal Cancer Center, have been featured in the UAB MedCast episode: “What is the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) and why does it matter?”