Professor
Sharon A. Spencer Distinguished Endowed Chair in Translational Radiation Oncology
Director of Functional Brain Radiosurgery and Head of Brain Tumor Research
Deputy Associate Director for Translational Research-UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center
Physician Scientist
Areas of Interest:
Breast, Central Nervous System (CNS)
Physical address
Hazelrig-Salter Radiation Oncology Center
1700 6th Avenue South
Birmingam, AL 35233
Administrative Contact
Helen Smith
205.975.0224
hbahakel@uabmc.edu
Research Interests
"I am a board-certified radiation oncologist who practices as a physician-scientist at UAB. I have also trained in Neurosurgery. I focus clinically and scientifically on central nervous system (CNS) tumors. I have a strong interest in basic, translational, and clinical investigations of primary brain tumors and brain metastases. The brain and its maladies are ever mysterious but more easily treatable than they used to be, except for brain tumors whose prognosis remains mostly infaust. Their location in the pièce de résistance of human evolution and their ability to resist any contemporary treatment are equally challenging. Despite their profound impact on the patients and families, brain tumors are comparably neglected in research and the public remains unaware of the magnitude of this disease. Our research is dedicated to bring molecular advances in the pathogenesis and therapy of human brain tumors to clinical application."
Education and Postdoctoral Training
Resident, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, 2010-2014
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Division of Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, 2003-2005
Resident, Neurosurgery, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany, 2001-2003
M.D., University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, 2001
Ph.D. (summa cum laude) Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany, 2001
Awards / Honors
1997 Rhone-Poulenc-Rorer Young Investigator Award 1997 of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
1997-2001 Scholar, German National Merit Foundation
1999-2000 Hölderlin Foreign Exchange Scholar, Alfried Krupp von Bohlen and Halbach-Foundation and German National Merit Foundation
2001 M.D., with honors, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
2001 Ph.D., summa cum laude, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2002 Lifeline Column, The Lancet
2002 Benjamin Franklin Award, Free University of Berlin, Germany
2003 Preuss Research Award 2003, American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), Section on Tumors
2003 Venia legendi (Experimental Neuro-oncology), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
2003-05 Scholar, Emmy-Noether Excellence Program, German Research Foundation
2003-10 Editorial Board, The Lancet Oncology
2005 Finalist, Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter-Young Investigator Award 2005, Paul-Ehrlich-Society, Germany
2006 German Pfizer Research Award for Medicine, University of Freiburg
2006 Merit Award, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
2006-07 Translational Research Chair, Central Nervous System Tumors Subcommittee, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
2006-07 Chair, Central Nervous System Tumors Subcommittee, Scientific Program Committee, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
2007-09 Zell Scholar, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
2008 Lea Charitable Trust Award, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
2009 Visiting Professor, Arthur G. James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
2009 Keynote Speaker, UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Research Retreat, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
2009 Eleanor Wood Prince Award, The Women’s Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL
2009- Associate Editor (Cancer Therapeutics), BMC Cancer
2009-12 Scholar, Max-Eder Young Investigator Program, German Cancer Aid
2010 American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) Young Investigator Award, presented at the 78th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Philadelphia, PA
2010-14 Leonard B. Holman Research Pathway, American Board of Radiology
2011- Associate Editor, Frontiers in Cancer Genetics
2011 Journal of Neuro-Oncology Award, presented at the 79th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Denver, CO
2011- Billy Grey Chair of Research, National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS)
2013 Visiting Professor, Arthur G. James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
2013 Visiting Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
2014 Roentgen Research Award, Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)
2017 Visiting Professor, Winship Cancer Institute and Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
2018 Award of Tenure, UAB School of Medicine
2018 Residents’ Faculty Choice Award, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL
2019 2019 UAB Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center (MHRC) Excellence in Mentoring Award, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL