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A study led by Lana Garmire, Ph.D., professor and vice chair of research in the Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, was published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. The study introduces HisToSpatialCNV, an artificial intelligence tool that uses a graph neural network model to predict spatial Copy Number Variations (CNVs) directly from routine H&E pathology images, for the first time.
When Dua Khan, a Master of Science in Global Health candidate at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, told family and friends that she would be spending her summer in Birmingham, Alabama, she often heard the same question: Why Alabama? Her answer was to be the first-ever participant in the Heersink Student Mobility Program at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
After three years of competing through persistent knee pain, Briarwood Christian School tennis player Madelyn Hunt finally found answers at UAB Sports & Exercise Medicine. A second opinion with orthopaedic sports surgeon Amit Momaya, M.D., revealed the source of her pain and set her on a path to recovery and a state title.
It’s almost time for the 2026 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in Washington, D.C.! Before you pack your bags and head to the airport, review this handy UAB Surgery guide for your conference prep.
The path to becoming an independent researcher requires more than learning how to conduct a study. Investigators must develop research and grant-writing skills, build strong mentorship and professional networks, and learn how to navigate the many steps involved in building a successful research career. The UAB Comprehensive Healthy Living Research Center’s Education & Career Development Program helps current and future researchers build skills important to their career. Through workshops, seminars, and other development opportunities, students, early-stage investigators (ESI), and established researchers can enhance their knowledge, expand their networks, and advance their careers.
When patients in rural or underserved communities need mental health care, access to a psychiatrist can be difficult. Project ECHO Depression at UAB was created to help bridge that gap by equipping primary care providers with the knowledge and support they need to manage common mental health conditions close to home.
Badari Birur, M.D., professor in the UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, has assumed the role of Medical Director of the UAB Center for Psychiatric Medicine (CPM).
Each August, Neurosurgery Awareness Month provides an opportunity to reflect on the role our specialty plays in medicine and in the lives of patients around the world.
The Zhang Lab has achieved an exceptional milestone with 12 abstract presentations accepted for the American Heart Association (AHA) 2026 Scientific Sessions, highlighting the breadth, productivity, and scientific impact of the laboratory’s research program. The 2026 Scientific Sessions will take place Nov. 6-9, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.
Five new faculty members joined the UAB Department of Surgery in August: Dr. Peter Abraham, Dr. Samantha Lloy, Dr. Jennifer Pappalardo, Dr. Anji Wall, and Dr. Taylor Wallen. We invite you to learn more about them and help us extend a warm UAB welcome!
The Department of Pathology at UAB makes thousands of diagnoses for patients each year. Of an estimated 150,000 annual visits to UAB Hospital, 90% of patients require some form of pathology service. Timely and accurate diagnoses are critical to determine the best treatment options, and yet reaching those diagnoses can be a very delicate and complex process. Cristina Magi-Galluzzi, M.D., Ph.D., Robert and Ruth Anderson Endowed Chair in Pathology, alongside skilled clinicians in the Department of Pathology, showcases the journey of a pathology specimen to reach diagnosis.
The Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) awarded the 2026 Asian American Pioneer Medal to Louise Chow, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus in the UAB Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics. Presented during the annual forum on the Stanford University campus from Aug. 7–9, the Pioneer Medal honors scientists who have advanced groundbreaking research and inspired future generations of Asian Americans to pursue STEM endeavors.
Five Heersink faculty members have been named recipients of UAB’s Faculty Development Grants. These grants, funded through the UAB Faculty Senate in collaboration with the UAB Office of the Provost, offer support to early-career instructors, assistant professors, and mid-career associate professors to aid in the development of manuscripts, publications, presentations, grant applications, future research initiatives, creative works, scholarly activity, and more. The Faculty Development Grant Program is designed to provide funding for new projects that typically lack other sources of support.
Between grant applications, manuscript revisions, and managing a research team, working as a scientist can be demanding. On top of these commitments, many researchers are also caring for young children, aging parents, partners, or family members with health challenges. These competing demands can jeopardize years of progress, interrupting research during a narrow and consequential period for publishing, generating preliminary data, and competing for independent funding. The UAB Heersink School of Medicine Caregiving Affected Early-Career Research Scientists (CARES) Intramural Funding Program is helping early-career researchers stay on track by providing “extra hands.”
After suffering a fractured radius during the 2025 season, Birmingham Legion FC midfielder Sebastian Tregarthen turned to UAB Sports & Exercise Medicine for treatment and a personalized rehabilitation plan. Now back on the pitch, Tregarthen reflects on his journey, the team that helped him return, and what he learned about trusting the recovery process.
Saulat Sajjad Sheikh, M.B.B.S., assistant professor and surgical director of the liver transplant program in the UAB Division of Transplantation, has been selected to serve as a member of the core small group faculty for the 2026-2027 Harvard Macy Institute Program for Educators in Health Professions.
The UAB Department of Urology has recently expanded its comprehensive urologic and fertility care services at UAB Medicine Hoover Primary & Specialty Care, offering patients evaluation and treatment for a wide range of conditions, including men’s health, prostate and urinary concerns, cancer, and family planning. The location also brings male and female infertility services together, giving couples access to coordinated fertility care in one setting.
Behind every biomedical breakthrough that reaches a patient is a story of translation done right. The communications team sat down with Palaniappan Sethu, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, to discuss the new Undergraduate Certificate in Translation of Biomedical Innovation to Clinical Practice and how it will give students the tools to carry ideas the full distance, from unmet need to patient impact.
In the basement of the Shelby Biomedical Research Building, one technology is helping UAB researchers understand the structures of proteins and other biological molecules and, in doing so, giving them insight into how to make unprecedented advancements in disease treatment.
UAB Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation residency program announces the class of 2030 residents including Ernesto Barquet, M.D., Jake Doiron, M.D., Ph.D., Jonah Maggard, M.D., and Emmanuel Ofosu, M.D.
J. Victor Garcia-Martinez, Ph.D., professor and chair, Charles H. McCauley Endowed Chair in the UAB Department of Microbiology, presented the 2026 State of the Department on Monday, Aug. 10. The annual address highlighted departmental accomplishments across research, education, service, and faculty development, while outlining a vision for continued growth and innovation.
UAB Department of Surgery residents swept the awards for residency competitions at the annual Alabama/Mississippi Chapters of the American College of Surgeons Annual Meeting, held July 30 - August 1, 2026, at The Lodge at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Scientists have long known that the brain and immune system communicate, but a new UAB-led study reveals an unexpected messenger connecting the two: tiny particles circulating in the bloodstream. The findings, recently published in Nature Communications, demonstrate that these particles can influence brain function and improve social behavior in multiple mouse models with social impairments.
The UAB Department of Pathology recently funded a travel award to Mahima Reddy who will present her research at a national meeting this year.
The UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) is proud to announce leading diabetes researcher Ralph A. DeFronzo, M.D., and precision medicine expert Matthew Might, Ph.D., as keynote speakers at the UAB Diabetes Research Day on Nov. 17, 2026, at the Heersink Conference Center.
This month we meet Mahima Reddy, a Ph.D. candidate in the Wende Lab in the UAB Department of Pathology Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology. Reddy’s research focuses on O-GlcNAc-driven cardiac remodeling, which is similar to the cardiac pathology seen in diabetes-related heart failure.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery welcomes Steffanie Lucas as an administrative office associate I.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery welcomes Kimberly Stecher as an administrative office associate IV.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery welcomes Gracia Patterson as a financial officer I.
Taylor Wallen, M.D., an assistant professor in the UAB Department of Surgery, and Krystal Rivera, a Ph.D. candidate, published “Plasma Regulates Homeostatic Pulmonary Endothelial Signaling to Mitigate Vascular Leak Following Polytrauma and Hemorrhagic Shock” as co-first authors in the journal Shock last month.