On Thursday, Nov. 20., the Heersink School of Medicine honored 20 faculty members at the Fall 2025 Endowed Chairs and Professorships Reception. This event recognizes Heersink faculty who have made major contributions to research, education, and clinical care.

UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO) honored 33 graduates of the Emerging Leaders Series (ELS) fall 2025 Cohort 4 during a ceremony held on Thursday, Nov. 12. The cohort completed a multi-session program designed to strengthen leadership capability for emerging leaders across the enterprise.

Early in his career, Michael Allon, M.D., professor in the UAB Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, noticed that the prevailing wisdom concerning vascular access did not match his observed experience.

On Friday, November 14, 2025, students from the UAB Heersink School of Medicine gathered to celebrate faculty excellence during the annual Argus Awards Ceremony. Established to recognize outstanding contributions in medical education, the Argus Awards are determined entirely by student nominations and votes, honoring faculty, courses, and course directors who have made a lasting impact throughout the year.

Jennifer Pollock, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Medicine, has been named the latest recipient of the school’s Featured Discovery award. This recognition celebrates notable research contributions made by faculty and highlights the impact of their scientific advancements.

Chronic granulomatous fungal sinusitis is a rare, debilitating infection characterized by an enlarged mass in the nasal cavity or sinuses, facial pain and swelling, eye bulging, vision problems, headache and nasal congestion. While most cases are found in subtropical regions of Sudan, India, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia caused by Aspergillus flavus, a pathogenic fungus, cases have recently been identified in the Southeastern United States caused by Curvularia, an emerging pathogen.

UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO) celebrated seven distinguished faculty members from the seventh cohort of the Sharing Authentically to Inspire and Lead (SAIL) program at a graduation ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 21. The program, facilitated by Celeste Morgan, Ph.D., CDMS, senior leadership development specialist, is designed to help early-career faculty strengthen their leadership skills, refine their academic identities, and chart clear, sustainable paths toward long-term success.

UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO) celebrated ten distinguished faculty members from the seventh cohort of the LEading, Advancing, Developing (LEAD) at a graduation ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 23. Facilitated by Kellie Carter, Ph.D., senior leadership development specialist, this cohort demonstrated a culture of growing leadership skills and advancing academic impact in the UAB community.

Lisa Willett, M.D., MACM, executive vice chair for the UAB Department of Medicine, has been named a recipient of the 2025 Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award. This award honors educators who have made significant contributions to medical education. Willett will receive the honor at 2025 AAMC Awards Recognition Event on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

From September 21-27, 2025, a delegation from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) traveled to South Africa and Zambia to enhance institutional partnerships aimed at improving global health outcomes. The UAB delegation included Alan Tita, M.D., Ph.D., senior associate dean for Global and Women’s Health; J. Victor Garcia-Martinez, Ph.D., chair, UAB Department of Microbiology; J. Martin Rodriguez, M.D., FACP, FIPSA, Paul W. Burleson, M.D., Endowed Professor of Medicine; Rena C. Patel, M.D., MPH, MPhil, associate professor, UAB Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, associate director, MHIGH Global Health Research; and Stephen Obaro, M.D., Ph.D., professor, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, associate director, MHIGH Faculty Engagement and Service Initiatives.

UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center Scientist Kirk Habegger, Ph.D., will speak at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) glucagon physiology workshop, Feb. 9-10, 2026.

Gregory Payne, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed director of the UAB Comprehensive Center, effective Oct. 1.

Starting in the fall, the Developing Emerging Administrative Leaders (DEAL) program will be managed by the HR Learning and Development team. This shift represents the university’s commitment to the success and development of its staff.

Ten Heersink School of Medicine staff have been honored with the 2025 Dean’s Excellence Awards. Now in its third year, the Dean’s Excellence Awards for Staff recognize individuals who have made significant and meaningful contributions to the school’s mission through their work in education, service, and research.

Since its inception, the Health Services Foundation General Endowment Fund (HSF-GEF) has played a pivotal role in advancing UAB’s mission of excellence in research, clinical care, and medical education. Established to support institutional initiatives that often fall outside traditional funding mechanisms, the HSF-GEF has become a cornerstone for building cutting-edge capacities within the academic health center. The program empowers faculty innovation, fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, and ensures UAB remains at the forefront of medical advancement.

Kirk Habegger, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine in the UAB Department of Medicine Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, has received funding from Eli Lilly and Company to continue investigation of glucagon receptor activation in incretin-based obesity therapies.

Julius E. Linn Jr., M.D., who died Aug. 4, 2025, at age 84, devoted five decades of his professional life to advancing medical communication and preserving Alabama’s cultural heritage. His death marks the end of a remarkable career at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) that bridged the worlds of scientific research, medical publishing, and historical preservation.

With the growth of clinical research and trials at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and to meet the evolving needs of investigators and study teams, two longstanding support programs—the UAB Department of Medicine’s Clinical Research Enterprise (CRE) and the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) Clinical Research Support Program (CRSP)—have merged to form the Clinical Research Support Enterprise (CReSt).

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.

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.