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Research does not happen in isolation. Turning an idea into a well-designed study requires expertise, resources, and collaboration through every stage. The Comprehensive Healthy Living Research Center’s Research Program brings investigators together with the infrastructure and support needed to advance community-engaged and population health research focused on chronic disease prevention and healthy living. Through the Center’s programs and cores, as well as its knowledgeable faculty and staff, investigators interested in community-engaged research can draw on support and expertise from across UAB.
The UAB Department of Radiation Oncology is proud to recognize three faculty members who have earned promotions in recognition of their outstanding contributions to research, education, clinical care, and service. These promotions are effective as of Oct. 1, 2026.
Twenty-three Heersink School of Medicine faculty were recognized Sept. 22 for their appointment to endowed chairs and professorships during a special reception.
The UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, in collaboration with the departments of Neurosurgery, Neurology, and Surgery, has launched a new Peripheral Nerve Clinic to address the complex needs of patients with serious nerve injuries.
The UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is pleased to welcome David Berry, D.O., and Nelson Santos Agosto, D.O., as assistant professors. Both physicians completed their residency training at UAB PM&R and served as chief residents, reflecting the department's commitment to developing future leaders in rehabilitation medicine.
The UAB Genomic Medicine Research and Implementation Training Program, led by Nita Limdi, Pharm.D., Ph.D., MSPH, professor in the Department of Neurology and associate dean for Genomic Medicine in the Heersink School of Medicine, has been renewed for an additional five years, extending support through 2031.
August 2026 marked the first anniversary of UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center providing care in the UAB Rehabilitation Pavilion. This milestone celebrates a year of life-changing services delivered in one of the nation's most advanced rehabilitation facilities.
When Kimberly and Landon Smith learned they were pregnant with twins, they were already prepared with a prenatal plan. Just as she had with their first child, Kamp, Smith knew she would pair up on her prenatal care, seeing both her OB-GYN and her primary care physician throughout her pregnancy. In Smith’s mind, her long-standing relationship with Family and Community Medicine Associate Professor Erin DeLaney, M.D., made continuing care the natural choice.
For the 17th consecutive year, Children’s of Alabama has been ranked among the nation’s best children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.
For more than 40 years, the UAB Department of Urology and Children’s of Alabama (COA) have worked together to provide urologic care to children and families across Alabama and the Southeast.
Two Research and Clinical Experience in Pathology (RaCE4Path) students, Jack Alford and Lily Kilgore, presented at the 2026 UAB Heersink School of Medicine Dale J Benos Medical Student Research Day on September 14. Alford and Kilgore tied for first place in the poster presentation competition for pathology.
UAB researchers Abhishek Guha, Ph.D., and Peter H. King, M.D., in the Department of Neurology, have received a multi-PI R01 research award from the NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to investigate novel molecular mechanisms underlying the development and persistence of pain after acute peripheral injury. The project, titled "Role of RNA Regulator Tristetraprolin in mitigating pain responses after peripheral injury through suppression of pro-inflammatory mediators," totals approximately $2.4 million in funding.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pediatrics welcomed three new faculty members in the month of September. Please join us in making them feel at home!
The path that led Wade Jones to matching into family medicine has been years in the making. A native of Guntersville, Ala., who matched into the UAB Huntsville Family Medicine Residency program, family medicine was the career he envisioned long before entering medical school. Jones was one of 14 Heersink School of Medicine graduates who received a 2026 Primary Care/Family Medicine Match Scholarship award from the Department of Family and Community Medicine’s Comprehensive Urban Underserved and Rural Experience (CU2RE) program.
Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept for health systems. It's already reshaping how clinicians document visits, how administrators manage scheduling, and how care teams navigate prior authorization and revenue cycle work. To help UAB’s clinical, administrative, and research professionals get ahead of that shift, the Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation hosted an intensive three-day workshop: AI Automation in Healthcare.
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 68th Annual Meeting will be held from Sept. 26 to Sept. 29, 2026, in Boston, Massachusetts.
Ralph Sanderson, Ph.D., a professor emeritus in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, retired from the department on August 31, 2023, after 17 years of service at UAB and 34 years in the field of pathology. A passionate educator and mentor, Sanderson was the founding director of the Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine graduate theme and served as co-leader in the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Cancer Cell Biology Program. He was a mentor and advisor for more than 110 medical, graduate, and postdoctoral students, and nearly 20 junior faculty members. In 2012, Sanderson was named the UAB Endowed Professor of Cancer Pathobiology, and in 2018, director of the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology.
The UAB Department of Radiation Oncology is expanding its impact far beyond Alabama, attracting clinicians, physicists, and trainees from across the United States and around the world to learn from experts in radiation oncology. Through a growing portfolio of specialized training programs, the department has become a destination for health care professionals seeking firsthand exposure to advanced treatment technologies, clinical workflows, and implementation strategies.
A new study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine proposes a new conceptual framework relating the magnitude of the CD4+ T cell response to the divergence of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells and non-Tfh cells and reveals that the transcription factor BACH2 has bidirectional effects on CD4+ T cell differentiation based on antigen dose, immunization method, and location of the immune response.
Katelyn Ragland, M.D., joined the UAB Department of Radiation Oncology as an assistant professor in August 2026. She shares more about her background and goals for this new role.
Chandler McLeod, M.S., Ph.D., biostatistician in the UAB Department of Surgery, has built a career around understanding complex systems.
Kaylin Swoboda, MPH, education administrator in the UAB Department of Urology, has been selected to serve on the UAB Program Administrator and Coordinator (PAC) Leadership Team, a group within Graduate Medical Education that mentors residency and fellowship coordinators across the institution.
The UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery recently welcomed Todd Sheils, M.D., as an assistant professor.
The UAB Department of Surgery is excited to welcome two new faculty members in September 2026 – Piyush Kumar Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., and Erin Burton, M.D.
The UAB Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery has expanded its thyroid care offerings with the launch of a radiofrequency ablation (RFA) program, providing a minimally invasive, non-surgical treatment option for patients with benign thyroid nodules.
Cancer cells live under constant siege, generating a steady barrage of DNA damage that many therapies push even further, yet tumors so often survive and come back resistant. New research from Wioletta Czaja, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Genetics, points to one reason why: a chromatin regulator called HELLS that helps cancer cells repair damaged DNA and stay a step ahead of treatment.
The UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office (LDO) recently recognized 11 individuals in its ninth cohort of its LEading, Advancing, Developing (LEAD) program. The fall 2026 graduates received their certificates on Sept. 3.
Roxanne Lockhart, M.D., recently joined the UAB Department of Neurology as an assistant professor in the Division of Epilepsy, bringing a rich history of connection and dedication to the institution.
Kyle Wood, M.D., MBA, associate professor in the UAB Department of Urology, is pioneering a new handheld robotic ultrasound-guidance device that changes how physicians access the kidney during stone surgery. The technology is designed to help surgeons precisely target the kidney, usually one of the more technically challenging steps. For Wood, this has allowed for smaller incisions, less trauma to the kidneys, and quicker recovery times.
This month, we meet researcher John Mullin, who works in the labs of clinical diabetes researchers Rita Basu, M.D., and Ananda Basu, M.D. studying glucose metabolism.