Our mission is to recognize and reward research excellence in the Department of Medicine, to foster mentorship, and to facilitate the career development of junior research faculty.
The DREAM (DOM Research Excellence Advancement and Mentoring) Council plays a key role in advancing early-career faculty by selecting candidates for prestigious departmental awards that pave the way toward securing a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Career Development Award (K award). These K awards provide critical support and protected time for faculty to develop their research skills, enabling them to become highly trained research scientists. The Council also helps select recipients of the Heersink School of Medicine Pittman Scholars Award and facilitates the placement of medical students into research labs through the Koopman Medical Student Research Excellence Award. In total, the Council oversees six departmental research awards and leads the organization of the annual Trainee Research Symposium, showcasing the achievements of rising researchers.
Serving on the DREAM Council offers junior faculty valuable opportunities to gain significant institutional service experience, while providing senior faculty with a platform to mentor the next generation of researchers. Our long-term vision is to turn the aspirations of research scientists within the Department of Medicine into reality, fostering a culture of research excellence that will have a lasting impact across the institution.
DOM DREAM Council Leadership
DOM DREAM Council Committee Members
| Member | Division | UAB Email | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carmen De Miguel, Chair, PhD, MS | Nephrology | mdemiguelgarijo@uabmc.edu | cdemigue@uab.edu |
| Glenn Rowe, Chair-Elect, PhD | Cardiovascular Disease | glennrowe@uabmc.edu | gcrowe@uab.edu |
| Fernando Bril, PhD | Endocrinolgy | fbril@uabmc.edu | fbril@uab.edu |
| Timiya Nolan, PhD | GIMPOP | tsnolan@uabmc.edu | sharel44@uab.edu |
| Davis Englund, PhD | Med-Gerontology/Geriatrics/Palliative Care | daenglund@uabmc.edu | denglund@uab.edu |
| Priscila Sato, PhD | Cardiovascular Disease | priscilasato@uabmc.edu | psato@uab.edu |
| Anju Bansal, PhD | Infectious Diseases | anjubansal@uabmc.edu | abansal@uab.edu |
| Juan Calix, MD PhD | Infectious Diseases | juancalix@uabmc.edu | jjcalix@uab.edu |
| Rena Patel, MD | Infectious Diseases | renapatel@uabmc.edu | rpatel45@uab.edu |
| Andrea Burden, PhD | Immunology and Rheumatology | aburden@uabmc.edu | burdena@uab.edu |
| Tony Merriman PhD | Immunology and Rheumatology | trmerriman@uabmc.edu | tmerrima@uab.edu |
| Stephen Clarkson, MD | Cardiovascular Disease | sclarkson@uabmc.edu | sclarkso@uab.edu |
| Qing Zhao, PhD | Gastroenterology and Hepatology | qingzhao@uabmc.edu | qingzhao@uab.edu |
| Jenna Casey, PhD | Pulmonary/Allergy/Critical Care | jennifercasey@uabmc.edu | jlcasey1@uab.edu |
| Joe Chiles, MD | Pulmonary/Allergy/Critical Care | jwchiles@uabmc.edu | jchiles@uab.edu |
| Christian Faul, PhD | Nephrology | cfaul@uabmc.edu | cfaul@uab.edu |
| Jorge Gamboa, PhD | Nephrology | jorgegamboa@uabmc.edu | jlgamboa@uab.edu |
| Abigail Hernandez, PhD | Med-Gerontology/Geriatrics/Palliative Care | abigailhernandez@uabmc.edu | abbihern@uab.edu |
| Rui Lu, PhD | Hematology and Oncology | ruilu@uabmc.edu | ruilu@uab.edu |
| Kevin Riggs, MD | GIMPOP | kriggs@uabmc.edu | kriggs@uab.edu |
| Timmy Lee, MD | Ex Officio ; VCR | tclee@uabmc.edu | txlee@uab.edu |
| Melanie Martin | Chair's Office Liaison | melaniesmartin@uabmc.edu | msmartin@uab.edu |