The Breadth of Our Research Program
From bench to bedside, the UAB Department of Surgery is home to a host of talented researchers and surgeon-scientists who are pioneering medical developments across each of its nine divisions.
Specific areas of research within the UAB Department of Surgery encompass a broad range of interests with direct medical relevance, including specific diseases and conditions such as cancer, diabetes, heart and lung failure, traumatic injury, vascular disease, kidney failure; specific treatments that include mechanically-assisted circulatory support, endovascular/vascular technologies, solid organ transplantation; surgical outcomes such as comparative-effectiveness and patterns of care; and surgical delivery issues, including device and methods development.
Our Active Research Areas
Learn More about UAB Surgery Researchers

Acuna Mancilla, Sergio, M.D., Ph.D.
Division of Transplantation
Research Focus: liver transplantation, kidney and pancreas transplantation, benign and malignant hepatobiliary disease, minimally invasive hepatic surgery, transplant oncology

Baker, Samantha, M.D., MSHPEd
Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery
Research Focus: quality improvement, geriatric trauma, health literacy in trauma and acute care surgery patients

Bateni, Sarah B., M.D., MSW, MAS
Division of Surgical Oncology
Research Focus: skin and soft tissue malignancies including melanoma, nonmelanoma skin cancers, retroperitoneal and extremity sarcoma, and neuroendocrine tumors

Beck, Adam, M.D.
Division of Vascular Surgery
Research Focus: complex aortic disease, including aortic dissection, suprarenal and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms, device development, outcomes research

Beierle-Chen, Elizabeth, M.D.
Division of Pediatric Surgery
Research Focus: pediatric surgical oncology, pediatric solid tumors, neuroblastoma

Broman, Kristy K., M.D., MPH
Division of Surgical Oncology
Research Focus: surgical oncology, melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer, sarcoma, breast cancer, research on cancer care delivery

Cannon, Robert M., M.D.
Division of Transplantation
Research Focus: liver transplantation, minimally invasive hepatic surgery, surgical management of portal hypertension, surgical management of polycystic liver disease, comprehensive management of benign and malignant hepatobiliary tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma

Carter, Angela, M.D.
Division of Surgical Oncology
Research Focus: host microbe interactions, mechanisms of microbial regulation of substance use disorders, bioengineering microbial-based therapeutics, hormonal and metabolic syndromes and disease

Chen, Herbert, M.D.
Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery
Research Focus: thyroid and parathyroid surgery, minimally invasive radioguided parathyroidectomy, adrenal surgery, endocrine surgery, neuroendocrine cancer biology

Chu, Daniel, M.D., MSPH
Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery
Research Focus: colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticular disease and anorectal pathology, health care disparities research, Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), microbiome research

Collawn, Sherry, M.D.
Division of Plastic Surgery
Research Focus: laser procedures, skin tightening, resurfacing, fat grafting, transplantation, liposuction, reepitheliazation, skin grafts, wound healing, minimally invasive surgery, laser surgery, fat transplantation

Donahue, James M., M.D.
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Research Focus: lung and esophageal cancer surgery, chest wall surgery, tracheal resection and reconstruction, mediastinal tumors, outcomes research, airway disorders, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, lung nodules, mediastinal tumors, chest wall tumors, malignant pleural effusions, pneumothorax, esophageal disease (benign)

Fonseca, Annabelle L., M.D., MHS
Division of Surgical Oncology
Research Focus: pancreatic, liver, gallbladder and bile duct diseases and cancers, stomach cancer, small bowel tumors, health disparities research

Galli, Aurelio, Ph.D., D.Sc.
Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery
Research Focus: brain development and plasticity, neurotransmitters, substance abuse

George, James, Ph.D.
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Research Focus: immune regulation of post-transplant vascular disease and allograft rejection, transplantation and heart failure outcomes research

Gillis, Andrea, M.D., MSPH
Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery
Research Focus: breast and endocrine surgery, surgical oncology

Giri, Bhuwan, MBBS
Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery
Research Focus: progression from immune homeostasis that leads to permissive dysplasia in colitis-associated cancer and novel avenues for its prevention, diagnosis, and treatment

Guenter, Rachael, Ph.D.
Division of Surgical Oncology
Research Focus: neuroendocrine tumors, notch signaling pathway, theranostics, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Gutnik, Lily A., M.D.
Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery
Research Focus: global surgery, global oncology, disparities, health services research, financial toxicity, oncoplastics

Hashmi, Zain, M.D.
Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery
Research Focus: trauma systems, trauma benchmarking, quality improvement, surgical critical care

Hardiman, Karin, M.D., Ph.D.
Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery
Research Focus: colon and rectal surgery, intestinal surgery, intra-tumor genetic heterogeneity in colorectal cancer metastasis and response to therapy, multidisciplinary cancer care and survivorship care

Hollis, Robert H., M.D., MSPH
Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery
Research Focus: hereditary colorectal cancer; ostomy care; health inequities; quality of care

Holcomb, John B., M.D.
Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery
Research Focus: acute care surgery, injury research, trauma surgery

Iyer, Srikanth, Ph.D.
Division of Surgical Oncology
Research Focus: pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, acinar to ductal metaplasia (ADM) biology, notch and hedgehog signaling pathways in pancreatic diseases

Jansen, Jan, MBBS, Ph.D.
Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery
Research Focus: trauma, critical care medicine, clinical trials

Jaskula-Sztul, Renata, Ph.D.
Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery
Researneuroendocrine cancers, personalized cancer therapy, mouse models of neuroendocrine cancers, targeted drug delivery, nanomedicines, the tumor suppressor role of Notch

Kopecky, Kimberly, M.D., MSCI
Division of Surgical Oncology
Research Focus: peritoneal surface malignancies, HIPEC, gastric cancer, small bowel cancer, colorectal cancer, health services research, palliative care

Lancaster, Rachael B., M.D.
Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery
Research Focus: breast cancer, DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ), benign breast disease, outcomes research

Lindeman, Brenessa, M.D., MEHP
Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery
Research Focus: thyroid cancer, parathyroid disease, parathyroid disease, parathyroid disease, disorders of the adrenal gland, inherited endocrine syndromes, surgical education research

MacLennan, Paul, Ph.D.
Division of Transplantation
Research Focus: abdominal transplantation, incompatible organ transplantation, transplantation of HIV-infected end-stage patients, outcomes and behavioral research focused on health disparities

Mustian, Margaux, M.D., MSPH
Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery
Research Focus: gallbladder disease, abdominal wall hernias, health services research, surgical education, and bariatric surgery

Overstreet, Demario S., Ph.D.
Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery
Research Focus: Health disparities, pain research

Porrett, Paige, M.D., Ph.D.
Division of Transplantation
Research Focus: uterus transplantation, VCA transplantation, reproductive immunology, transplant immunology, pregnancy alloimmunization, renal function during pregnancy, living donor kidney transplantation, sex and race disparities in transplantation, transplantation tolerance

Ren, Bin, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA
Division of Vascular Surgery & Endovascular Therapy
Research Focus: angiogenesis, cancer, endothelial cell and vascular biology, epigenetics, epitranscriptomics, gene transcription and translation, ischemic heart and vascular diseases, vascular niche in stem cells

Richter, Jillian, Ph.D.
Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery
Research Focus: trauma, hemorrhage, resuscitation, endothelial glycocalyx, lung injury, bioengineered in vitro models, mechanotransduction signaling

Richman, Joshua, M.D., Ph.D.
Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery
Research Focus: health services research, biostatistics

Rose, J. Bart, M.D., MAS
Division of Surgical Oncology
Research Focus: diseases of the stomach, small bowel, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and bile duct, Notch signaling pathways in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

Russell, Robert, M.D.
Division of Pediatric Surgery
Research Focus: minimally invasive pediatric surgery, pediatric trauma, neonatal surgery, quality improvement and outcomes research

Stafman, Laura, M.D., Ph.D.
Division of Pediatric Surgery
Research Focus: pediatric surgical oncology, pediatric solid tumors, minimally invasive neonatal and pediatric surgery

Sutzko, Danielle, M.D., MS
Division of Vascular Surgery
Research Focus: surgical and endovascular management of aortic aneurysmal and occlusive disease, mesenteric vascular disease, open and endovascular treatments for peripheral arterial disease, cerebrovascular disease, dialysis access, health outcomes and policy research, quality improvement

Zanella, Daniele, Ph.D.
Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery
Research Focus: Membrane physiology, dopamine and gut-brain axis, bile acids and neurotransmission, neuromodulation

Xie, Rongbing, Dr.P.H., MPH
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Research Focus: optimizing health care delivery systems, evaluating comparative effectiveness of surgical interventions, statistics, econometrics, simulation modeling, clinical outcomes research