The residency research track in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology is an innovative program that integrates a research training component within the department’s general psychiatry residency program. The program is known as STEPP, which stands for Supporting Training for Emerging Physician-Scientists in Psychiatry.

Trauma doesn’t always end when the danger is over. For many, the body and brain remain locked in survival mode, long after the traumatic event has passed. This is the painful reality of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition marked by the brain’s inability to properly process and resolve trauma, leaving individuals emotionally stuck in fear, guilt, or shame.

In football, there are phrases that are as familiar to a player’s ears as the sound of a coach’s whistle: “Suck it up … Fight through it … Shake it off.” Tough words for a tough sport. But even as coaches push players to test their physical limits, they understand that injuries require time and resources to heal.

Heersink’s thriving start-up culture is producing creative solutions to improve health care outcomes. Academic medical centers (AMCs) are among the United States’ most active hives of biomedical innovation thanks to their often robust research enterprises. Increasingly, AMCs like the Heersink School of Medicine play a central role in another realm of innovation: the biomedical/biotech start-up space.

Meet some of Heersink’s outstanding new faculty members. Each issue, we introduce you to several of the exceptional new faculty that have joined the Heersink School of Medicine. These outstanding recruits—just a few of the many new faces we welcome to our faculty each year—bring with them a wealth of expertise, impressive research portfolios, and a commitment to excellence in shaping the future of medicine and health care.

Members of the UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology were honored Thursday, June 12, at the 2025 Education Awards. The annual event, which was held at The Fennec, served to recognize exemplary residents, faculty, and fellows in the department for the 2024-2025 academic year. 

Schizophrenia is a serious and often misunderstood mental illness that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. It involves a combination of symptoms, including hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, and social withdrawal.

The UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology is pleased to announce the winners and runner-up winners from the 2025 Research Symposium.

A new memorial in the lobby of UAB Beacon Recovery serves to not only honor the memory of one of the clinic’s own, but to serve as a reminder of hope for those navigating their own journeys toward recovery.

The UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine recognized 15 faculty members for their outstanding contributions to research, education, and clinical care at the Spring 2025 Endowed Chairs and Professorships Reception.

One night, Abigail Boone went to bed as her usual energetic self—a mother, a wife, a violinist, and an avid runner. By morning, her world would be turned upside down. What began as an achy leg escalated into a terrifying experience that left her barely able to move.

The UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office recently recognized eight individuals in its sixth cohort of Sharing Authentically to Inspire and Lead (SAIL). The spring 2025 graduates were honored at a ceremony on April 8.

Li Li, M.D., Ph.D., has been named the Second Holder of Vivian Conatser-Turner Endowed Professorship at UAB. The title was approved at the UAB Board of Trustees meeting on April 4, 2025.

Logan Wareham, M.D., PGY1, joined the UAB Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology in June 2024. A native of Mandeville, Louisiana, Wareham completed his undergraduate education at Louisiana State University and his medical degree at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. 

The UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology welcomed Rui Zhang, Ph.D., to the faculty as an assistant professor in February 2025.

The UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology is thrilled to announce the employees recognized this month in our Let’s S.H.I.N.E. Psychiatry Rewards and Recognition Program! These outstanding team members have gone above and beyond, exemplifying our department’s values through their dedication, compassion, and hard work.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology will present its 2025 Annual Research Symposium on April 22 at 9 a.m. featuring guest speaker Katie Witkiewitz, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of New Mexico.

Taylor Spiletic, M.D., PGY1, joined the UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology in June 2024. A native of Daytona Beach, Florida, Spiletic completed his undergraduate degree at The University of Florida and medical degree at Florida State University College of Medicine.

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.

The UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology is excited to welcome our newest class of residents in the 2025 Match.