Anna Sorace, Ph.D., core director and associate professor in the Department of Radiology, has leveraged HSF-GEF grants to help grow UAB’s nuclear imaging program.

Daniel Chu, M.D., division director of GI Surgery, leveraged an HSF-GEF grant to help Enhanced Recovery Programs reach widespread use at UAB and establish himself as a leader in the field.

Carlie Stein Somerville, M.D., an associate professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, turned an HSF-GEF grant into a nationally recognized program that provides multidisciplinary support to help young adults transition to adult care. Four years later, “we have been able to show the impact that we can make with patients and families,” she said.

A partnership between pediatrician Snehal Khatri, M.D., and program director Betsy Hopson will focus on care for patients across the lifespan, including addressing palliative and memory challenges. The unique approach was made possible through an HSF-GEF grant.

Michael Mugavero, M.D., professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, received HSF-GEF funding to launch the UAB Learning Health System project, where the people setting the research questions are not individual investigators with their own niche interests, “but the people in the trenches.”

Gabriela Oates, Ph.D., director of UAB’s institutional Social Determinants of Health Core, is leading a project funded by an HSF-GEF grant to improve care by combining patient records with their residential information. The goal: “to improve patient care and people’s health.”

Meet Candi Mosley and Shali Zhang, M.D., two regulars at UAB’s on-campus food pantry. The work helps her feel “useful outside my job… and it is fun,” Zhang said. Added Mosley: “You get to meet so many people.”

Charles Elson, M.D., has developed an “antivaccine” that could remove the faulty memory cells that drive this autoimmune disorder. He launched ImmPrev Bio, Inc., in order to reach a first-in-human clinical trial.

Lori Edmonds, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Education, has an idea to combat teacher burnout as it becomes a major issue in classrooms nationwide.

The dedication to collaborative efforts shown by Chris Minnix, Ph.D., director of the Blazer Core Curriculum, has earned him the 2023 Sam Brown Bridge Builder Award.

After an extensive national search, UAB has named Virginia M. Hedberg as the associate vice president for Research and executive director of Sponsored Programs, effective Jan. 15, 2024.

Ritika Samant, a first-year student in the Heersink School of Medicine who served as president of the Undergraduate Student Government Association at UAB in 2022-2023, received the 2023 President’s Award for Excellence in Support of UAB and Shared Governance.

Twelve faculty have been selected to receive the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, which honors those who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in teaching. The 2023 honorees represent each school, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Honors College, and the Graduate School.

The creative methods that Professor Tino Unlap, Ph.D., uses to keep students learning have earned him selection for the 2023 Ellen Gregg Ingalls/UAB National Alumni Society Award for Lifetime Achievement in Teaching.

What’s the secret to mentoring undergraduates in STEM? Biology Associate Professor Sami Raut, Ph.D., who has mentored nearly 40 students and recently earned a national award from the Council on Undergraduate Research, offers six tips.

Karen Cropsey, Psy.D., director of UAB’s Center for Addiction and Pain Prevention and Intervention, served on an expert panel studying the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act.

Provost and SVP for Academic Affairs Pam Benoit, Ph.D., will retire at the end of 2023, concluding a distinguished career in higher education administration that includes almost seven years as a transformational leader at UAB. 

Toby W. Tripp, Andrew B. Crouse and Carin Mayo are the first-quarter 2023 honorees of the UAB Shared Values in Action Program, which honors those whose work exemplifies and embodies Forging the Future’s shared values. Nominations for second-quarter 2023 honorees are open through May 24.

Christopher L. Shook, Ph.D., who will begin July 1, brings more than 25 years of academic leadership experience to the role; he has served as dean of the Gordon Ford College of Business at Western Kentucky University since 2019.

Discoveries led by Casey Weaver, M.D., revealed a new commander of the immune system and a new class of therapies for autoimmune diseases. In 2022, Weaver was elected to the National Academy of Sciences — now he has been selected for the academic medical center’s highest faculty honor.

Tatyana Gavrikova, Sherry Polhill and Aparna Tamhane are the fourth-quarter 2022 honorees of the UAB Shared Values in Action Program, which honors those whose work exemplifies and embodies Forging the Future's shared values. Nominations for first-quarter 2023 honorees are open through Feb. 28.

Anath Shalev, M.D., did everything she could to change treatment for Type 1 diabetes from her lab, but getting to first-in-human trials meant taking a step she had always resisted. The most surprising thing about launching a startup, though? “I have enjoyed it.”

Teresa Taber Doughty, Ph.D., who will begin April 3, brings to the role extensive experience in higher education and a demonstrated commitment to preparing outstanding education professionals; she has served as dean of the University of Texas at Arlington’s College of Education since 2016.

Michelle Horvath, J.D., will help provide a safe place for the UAB community to navigate policies, issues, concerns and conflicts in a safe, unbiased environment.

The AI Literacy Course that fellow Jordan Perchik, M.D., began in 2020 for UAB trainees now reaches 25 programs in 10 countries — at a time when radiology faces global shortages and a proliferation of artificial intelligence tools.

Five years after he retired from the OR, cardiothoracic surgeon James K. Kirklin, M.D., is starting a new company that will leverage his team’s research on advanced statistics and machine-learning algorithms to track and predict outcomes for high-risk patients.

Chemistry Professor Jacqueline Nikles, Ph.D., has proven herself highly qualified at all levels of instruction, according to her peers and students.

UAB history students and faculty are contributing to the Beth-El Civil Rights Experience, an effort by the congregation of Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El to share the experiences of members of the city’s Jewish community during the era, including an attempted bombing in 1958.

In this newly created role, Scott Phillips, Ph.D., will continue to direct the Center for Teaching and Learning and also will oversee seven units in the Office of the Provost that work to deliver innovative teaching to UAB students.

Maria Rodriguez Shirey will transition to her new role, effective June 1, succeeding Doreen Harper, who is retiring.