Zain Hashmi, M.D., an assistant professor in the UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, is a 2025 recipient of the President’s Award for Excellence in Support of UAB and Shared Governance.
This award celebrates a UAB faculty member, staff member, or student who exemplifies and embodies “the UAB core value of unity of purpose through shared governance which propels the institution to achieve excellence in all parts of its mission.”
To receive this award, the individual must demonstrate a strong commitment to shared governance and the UAB core value of unity of purpose. They must also value open communication leading to collective success and must have shown an ability to work with multiple constituencies to bring about positive change.
Hashmi, a faculty member in the UAB Department of Surgery since 2021, previously trained at UAB through the Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship. He is passionate about improving trauma systems through innovative strategies including implementation of telehealth and access to prehospital blood resuscitation. Hashmi is director of the UAB Teletrauma Program; this recently launched initiative will create a teletrauma program in Alabama that features a unique collaboration between UAB trauma surgeons and providers at other hospitals. The program, now in a pilot phase, aims to allow trauma patients to receive timely access to trauma care closer to home, cut down on avoidable patient transfers, and provide support to rural doctors through telemedicine technology. Hashmi has pursued communication and connection with regional rural hospitals to bring about this program.
Hashmi has received national attention for his teletrauma work. He moderated a panel on teletrauma at the Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) annual conference, received funding from the Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation, and was named a Future Trauma Leader by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma. He has given several invited lectureships on teletrauma use at prestigious national conferences and leading academic institutions. Hashmi also received the 2022-2024 Leadership Development Workshop Scholarship given by the Easter Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST).
As the associate director of the UAB Center for Injury Science, Hashmi focuses on trauma systems, injury disparities, large database quantitative analyses, and mixed-methods approaches to improve outcomes after injury.
Hashmi also collaborates with multidisciplinary entities for research and to bring about better outcomes for trauma patients, like the Department of Emergency Medicine and the School of Health Professions. He worked with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to improve the availability of prehospital blood products across the state, with aims to provide timely trauma care and save lives.
“Dr. Hashmi has a clear dedication to providing timely, high-quality trauma care and to reducing healthcare disparities among the injured,” said Jeffrey Kerby, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. “Through his research, innovation, and collaboration, he has already brought about significant positive change in our field.”
Hashmi will be recognized with other award recipients at a reception on October 22.