Charles A. Alford Memorial Lecture

The Alford Memorial Lecture honors Charles Alford, M.D., longtime director in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Alford, who led the division for 28 years, worked with Nobel Prize winner Tom Weller on the vertical transmission of rubella from pregnant women to their children and became a world expert in congenital cytomegalovirus. Alford was recognized by numerous societies and boards for his contributions to science, including the American Pediatric Society, the March of Dimes, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, and the University of Alabama Board of Trustees, among others, and he was further recognized by UAB with the naming of an endowed chair in his honor. He was a consultant to the National Institutes of Health and served as an advisor to the government, the March of Dimes and various other foundations for his entire career. Over his career, he trained 20 individuals who have gone on to academic positions across the United States and Europe.

Richard J. Whitley, M.D., UAB Distinguished professor of Pediatrics in the Heersink School of Medicine, states that faculty chose to honor Alford, who passed away in 2002, with an endowed lectureship that recognizes outstanding contributions in virology.

Previous Alford lecturers:

2015 – Dr. Anne Gershon, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

2016 – Dr. Paul Griffiths, University College Medical School Royal Free London

2018 – Dr. Jean-Laurent Casanova, The Rockefeller University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

2023 – Dr. Kathryn Edwards, Vanderbilt University