The David E. Wells Memorial Symposium, a longstanding tradition in the UAB Department of Microbiology, will be held this year on May 21. The event will feature three student presentations and the David E. Wells Memorial Lecture given by Anne Moscona, M.D., Sheri L. Morrison Professor of Immunology, Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, Pediatrics and Physiology and Cellular Biophysics at Columbia University.

The UAB Heersink School of Medicine is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024/2025 Multi-PI Awards, each funded with $150,000 per year for two years. These awards recognize outstanding collaborative research efforts aimed at addressing critical health challenges.

Elliot Lefkowitz, Ph.D., has pioneered a unique perspective at UAB on the study of viruses: analyzing them via computational techniques, otherwise known as bioinformatics. Lefkowitz and his eight-person lab play a critical role in providing tools to scientists around the world to aid them in analyzing data related to genomic sequences.

Fran Lund, Ph.D., director of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Immunology Institute, professor and Endowed Chair in Immunology in the Department of Microbiology, and senior scientist at the UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, was honored with the 2025 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Award on Tuesday, March 18 at the UAB Alumni House.

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.

Viruses constantly emerge and evolve, with some posing significant threats to human and animal health, while others remain confined to specific species. A recently identified example of the latter is the Camp Hill Virus (CHV), named after its discovery site in Camp Hill, Alabama.

Juhi Samal, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, is a recent recipient of the COMET™ from the Heersink School of Medicine Immunology Institute for her proposed study, “Immune Cell Sialoglycan Signatures in Ischemic Stroke.”

Selene Meza-Perez, Ph.D., instructor in the Division of Immunology and Rheumatology at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, 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.

A platform for undergraduate students to advance their research, the UAB Summer Research Academy (SRA) launched its seventh installment of the program on June 3, 2024. This competitive research program provides summer scholarships for students in the joint health sciences while preparing them for advancement to graduate or medical scientist training programs.

As the Heersink School of Medicine grows, the leadership has defined four new research focus areas to grow over the next five to seven years. This part explores the next focus area, I-4ward.

Frances Lund, Ph.D., founding director of the Immunology Institute and professor in the Department of Microbiology, is donating her transition party funds to the Blazer Kitchen. These gifts will allow the kitchen to continue its support to ongoing Blazer Kitchen shoppers and help fulfill its expanding needs.