The twelfth annual Blazer Bolt for Brain Cancer 5K and Fun Run was held Saturday, May 17, at Railroad Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Despite the thunderstorms that rolled in early Saturday morning, racers still showed up, participated and made the event a success.

Brain tumor symptoms vary widely and can often resemble other common health conditions. Understanding the risks, symptoms and treatment options can help lead to earlier diagnosis and better outcomes.

Fourteen UAB chief residents recently completed the Chief Residents Leadership Development Workshop. The program, presented by the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office, was held on May 9, 2025.

Future physicians at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are exploring— through a unique course — how personal values, beliefs and spirituality can influence patient care.

Danielle Godin has been named advanced practice provider (APP) supervisor for the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery.

Danielle Thomason, manager of ambulatory services for the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery, will graduate in May with a Master of Science in Nursing degree.

The UAB Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health proudly announces the fourth cohort of pilot grant awardees. Three innovative projects have received pilot funding to encourage collaboration between UAB investigators and international partners, tackling critical global health challenges. Award recipients were notified on April 22. Congratulations to the 2025 selected teams!

Five faculty members in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery have been recognized as 2025 Castle Connolly Top Doctors, a prestigious honor that celebrates physicians nationwide for clinical excellence and peer recognition.

On April 28, 2025, Jasmine Thum, M.D., M.S. assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery and Department of Biomedical Engineering, hosted a peripheral nerve education course for trainees at UAB. The event offered residents in-depth lectures and anatomic demonstrations of peripheral nerve anatomy, pathology, diagnostic techniques and surgical approaches.

At UAB, we are proud to be home to one of the most comprehensive brain tumor programs in the region and part of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center—Alabama’s only NCI-designated cancer center.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery welcomes Brandy Carrichi, MBA, as operations administrator.

The Center for Neuroengineering and Brain-Computer Interfaces (CNBCI) under the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine hosted its third annual NeuroGateways Symposium on April 10-11 at the UAB Alumni House.

Andrew Hale, M.D., Ph.D., a neurological surgery resident in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery, has been selected to join the Neurosurgeon-Scientist Training Program (NSTP), an initiative from the Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS).

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.

Nine faculty members recently graduated from UAB Medicine’s LEading Advancing Developing (LEAD) spring 2025 program. The program, presented by the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office, recognized its graduates at a ceremony on March 13, 2025.

Martina Gonzalez-Gomez, M.D., M.Sc., program manager for the Global Neurosurgery program in the Department of Neurosurgery, and James Johnston, M.D., professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and director of the Pediatric Neurosurgery division, co-instruct the Global Surgery course. In 2023, we met with Gonzalez-Gomez and Johnston to learn more about their vision for the course, which launched with the introduction of the UAB Master of Science in Global Health (MSGH) program offered by the UAB Heersink School of Medicine and the UAB School of Public Health (SOPH).

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.

Graduate Biomedical Sciences (GBS) at UAB recently welcomed its new class of GBS students pursuing their Ph.D. across eight interdisciplinary training themes. The GBS Doctoral Training Program provides interdisciplinary education and mentorship while allowing GBS trainees to perform doctoral research in more than 350 labs across campus.

Heersink School of Medicine awarded nine staff members as the 2024 Dean’s Excellence Awards for Staff winners. Individuals selected for this honor showcased outstanding accomplishments beyond their daily duties and contributed considerably to Heersink’s core mission areas – education, clinical care, and basic, translational, and clinical research.