Amy Warriner, M.D., professor in the Department of Medicine, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Brewer-Heslin Award for Professionalism in Medicine.

Every August, Neurosurgery Awareness Month reminds us of the role our specialty plays in medicine and in the lives of patients and their families. The conditions we treat often present at critical moments, when decisions carry life-changing weight. To pursue a career in neurosurgery is to accept that responsibility and embrace the immense privilege of helping patients when they are at their most vulnerable.

Rati Chkheidze, M.D., an assistant professor in the Division of Neuropathology, has been appointed section head of neuropathology, effective July 1. Chkheidze joined the UAB Department of Pathology in 2020 from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he completed a neuropathology fellowship following his anatomic and clinical pathology residency. Originally from the country of Georgia, he graduated from Tbilisi State Medical University in 2007. Before joining the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, he worked as a senior visiting scientist in the Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics until 2014. His research interests focus on image analysis and machine learning applications in neurodegenerative and tumor neuropathology, and brain banking.  

Dale Colorado, D.O., MPH, associate professor and chief of sports and musculoskeletal medicine in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R), was named head team physician for Boccia United States.  

Satoru Osuka, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery, was recently awarded his first R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health for his project, "Targeting radiation-induced invasion in Glioblastoma."

On Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, the UAB Heersink School of Medicine welcomed the 196 students of the class of 2029 at the annual White Coat Ceremony, held at the Alabama Theatre.

After six years of pain, fatigue, and unanswered questions, Army veteran Jason Hall finally found hope through UAB’s Undiagnosed Diseases Program, which identified his condition and provided life-changing treatment within days. Today, Hall has regained his strength, mobility, and independence—and encourages others to keep searching for answers.

The start of a new school year brings more than textbooks and class schedules. It also marks the return of school sports. As athletes head back to the fields and courts this season, parents and coaches should be mindful of one of the most common, and potentially serious, injuries in youth sports: concussions.

The Heersink School of Medicine Office of Research has unveiled a research focus area, Health Across the Lifecourse (HEAL). This focus area was developed to learn how different aspects over the course of a person’s life, such as their environment and background, can affect their access to healthcare and health outcomes. HEAL aims to use collaboration to connect research, practice, and policy.

Imagine visiting the doctor with questions about your child’s unexplained symptoms, spots on the skin, developmental delays, or a strong family history of illness, and finally getting clear answers. Thanks to advances in genomic testing, families at UAB are finding those answers faster and more accurately than ever before.

In a recent article, the 2024 House Staff Council leadership for the Graduate Medical Education (GME) Office reflected on their year of service. In a yearly election, the small group of individuals are selected to serve as support for the 1,100+ residents and fellows training at UAB Heersink School of Medicine, operating as a direct link between trainees and institutional leadership.

Three esteemed leaders in the field of prostate care are joining the UAB Department of Urology in 2025, bringing heightened expertise and a specialized subset of services to patients across Alabama and beyond.

Sushanth Reddy, M.D., Associate Professor in the UAB Department of Surgery’s Division of Surgical Oncology and Head of Surgery for the UAB Pancreaticobiliary Disease Center, recently joined UAB MedCast to discuss the multidisciplinary management of chronic pancreatitis.

In early 2025, Jonathan Kajjimu, MBBS, traveled from Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Uganda to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) as part of the NIH D43 Integrated Networks of Scholars in Global Health Research Training (INSIGHT) program to participate in global health research mentorship under Matt Heimann, M.D., associate professor in the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine and associate director for Educational Programs in the Mary E. Heersink Institute for Global Health.

The UAB Department of Pediatrics Staff Wellness and Recognition Council has added Christina Croney, Karimu Morgan, Jalisa Lankford and Ebony Williams as new members in 2025.

Ritika Samant, a medical student at the Heersink School of Medicine, has been awarded the 2025 Sara Crews Finley, M.D., Endowed Leadership Scholarship.

Anusha Adavikottu, Ph.D., and Azariah K. Kaplelach have been selected as Emerging Scholars for 2025-2026 by Civitan International Research Center.

A recent deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York is a stark reminder that this invisible threat could be lurking in the water mist you breathe every day, from your shower to a decorative fountain or a building’s cooling towers. Though it feels like a new danger, the bacteria behind this illness have haunted public health for nearly 50 years. 

Benjamin Wei, M.D., a professor in the UAB Department of Surgery and the program director of the UAB Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency in the UAB Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Charles W. Breaux, Sr. and Ann K. Breaux Endowed Professorship in Cardiothoracic Surgery.

The Pediatric Simulation Center at Children’s of Alabama celebrated the training of its 100,000th learner since its founding in 2008, transforming how pediatric providers prepare for emergencies and patient care. This milestone marks a major achievement in the center’s mission to improve outcomes through immersive, hands-on education.

Peter Anderson, D.V.M., Ph.D., professor emeritus in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, delivered one of the inaugural lectures for a new certificate program offered by the Association of Academic Pathology (AAPath) at its annual meeting in Denver, Colorado, in July. This program is designed for health science faculty at all levels of experience who seek professional development to enhance their teaching effectiveness, expand their knowledge and expertise in curricular development and advance their careers as health science educators.

UAB Family and Community Medicine is expanding access to comprehensive primary care across Birmingham with the opening of a new family medicine clinic at UAB St. Vincent’s East, offering full-spectrum care—including preventative health screenings, pediatrics, chronic disease management, and physical exams—as well as treating acute conditions.

The UAB Department of Surgery is honored to announce the appointment of Aurelio Galli, Ph.D., D.Sc., and Karin Hardiman, M.D., Ph.D., to the roles of Vice Chair of Basic Research and Associate Vice Chair of Basic Research, respectively.

The UAB General Surgery Residency Program has named the new members of the 2025–2026 General Surgery Residency Council.

The UAB Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) and Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery have earned the highest caliber of quality accreditation from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for procedural outcomes and patient care in the evaluation of surgical cases spanning from January 2022 through December 2024 – placing UAB in the top one percent of all U.S. cardiothoracic surgery programs.

When joining the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office’s (LDO) Institute for Leadership Cohort 7 in Fall 2023, Marissa Keppley, MBA, who currently serves as Executive Administrator in the UAB Department of Urology, didn’t anticipate how transformative the experience would be, not just for her professional skill set, but for the relationships it cultivated.

What if the sugar we consume, or even the sugar our own bodies produce, could increase the risk of cancer? That’s the question driving groundbreaking research by Hyeyoung Nam, Ph.D., instructor in the UAB Department of Urology, who was recently honored with a Department of Defense (DoD) Concept Award for her study, “The Polyol Pathway Promotes Renal Cancer Tumorigenesis via Glucose-mediated Lipogenesis.”

The UAB General Surgery Residency Program has welcomed ten new trainees to the department and celebrated the graduation of its eight chief surgeons.

The UAB Precision Medicine Institute’s SUmmer in PREcision MEdicine (SUPREME) program is an immersive eight-week program that prepares medical students to navigate the uncertainties of rare diseases. Learn more from the most recent SUPREME cohort as they reflect on their journeys.

The UAB Department of Surgery’s Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery team highlights the dangers of red-light running and urges caution behind the wheel.