UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office welcomed 18 individuals in its 11th cohort of Institute for Leadership in August 2025.

The Department of Urology is proud to spotlight Amy Harlow, an administrative associate in our department, whose positivity, determination, and eagerness to grow shine through her work.

J. Victor Garcia-Martinez, Ph.D., professor and chair, Charles H. McCauley Endowed Chair, delivered the UAB Department of Microbiology’s inaugural State of the Department address on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. Garcia-Martinez, who joined the department as chair in August 2023, covered several aspects of the department’s research-driven and educational missions while highlighting the department’s recent accomplishments and forward-facing goals.

Since its launch, the Compassion Closet has been embraced and supported by UAB staff and the community alike, and its mission continues to grow.

The UAB Systems Pharmacology AI Research Center (SPARC) is redefining decentralized drug discovery by transforming new scientific findings into actionable drug candidates. In response to an April 2025 Cell paper revealing a novel role of PHGDH in Alzheimer’s pathology, SPARC rapidly applied its AI-driven GeneTerrain Knowledge Maps (GTKM) platform to validate the mechanism and generate 18 small-molecule PHGDH inhibitors.

The UAB Division of Gastrointestinal (GI) Surgery has received reaccreditation for an additional three years as a fellowship program specializing in advanced GI surgery, minimally invasive surgery (MIS), and abdominal wall surgery.

Rachel June Smith, Ph.D., and Scott Cruikshank, Ph.D., have been selected as recipients of the 2025 FCIDD McNulty Civitan Scientist Award. Their collaborative study will use electrophysiological recordings, optogenetics, and computational tools to investigate dysfunctional neuronal circuits associated with SLC6A1 neurodevelopmental disorders.

Joseph Johnson, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), has been awarded a Pilot and Feasibility Study grant from the UAB Comprehensive Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, Bone and Autoimmunity Center (CAMBAC). His study, titled “Immunologic Phenotyping of Fracture-Related Infection Patients at Risk for Treatment Failure,” seeks to improve clinical outcomes for patients with fracture-related infections (FRIs) through early immunologic intervention.

A multi-institutional study led by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) has revealed a previously underappreciated mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 infection contributes to long-term lung damage. The study, published in Nature Microbiology, demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 uniquely induces the formation of foam cells—lipid-laden macrophages with pro-fibrotic and pro-thrombotic properties—in human lung tissue.

Participants in the UAB Department of SurgeryPre-College Research Internship for Scholarship and Mentoring (PRISM) and Future Surgeons and Scientists Investigating Oncology (FUSSION) programs came together to present their completed research to peers, mentors, and family members.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics resident-led groups, Coat of Arms and the Resident Access and Engagement Council, recently partnered to make a difference in Selma, Alabama. Through the third annual Selma School Supplies Drive, they delivered 600 backpacks filled with school essentials to elementary school students in the Selma City School District.

Falone Amoa, M.D., M.S., PGY5, and Damien Roland, M.D., M.S., PGY3, were recently named 2025 Future of Pathology Award recipients by the National Medical Association. The Future of Pathology Award was established in 2020 with the goal to recognize and reward minority students and trainees who have a special interest in the field of pathology.

Andrea Gillis, M.D., MSPH, assistant professor in the UAB Division of Breast & Endocrine Surgery, and Peter Abraham, M.D., a recent UAB General Surgery Residency graduate and incoming UAB Endocrine Surgery (AAES) fellow, received awards at the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (AAES) 45th Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

A global pharmaceutical company based in India has committed to a major investment in a UAB startup working to pioneer breakthrough FDA-approved therapeutics for lung diseases.

The UAB Department of Radiology is pleased to announce a change in leadership in the Human Imaging Core (HUMI). Junaid Raja, M.D., MSPH, FACP, co-director of Pediatric Vascular and Interventional Radiology, program director of the Integrated Interventional Radiology Residency, and assistant professor in the Division of Vascular and Interventional radiology, will assume the roles of the HUMI Core Facility director and Radiology Data Safety Monitoring Board chair effective September 2025.

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 (MHIGH).

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.