Many of our donors give to the College as a way of showing their appreciation for the people who inspired and guided them to academic and professional success. We asked a few of our supporters—including Stephen G. Odaibo, M.D., (B.S., 2001; M.S., 2002)—to share their stories of why they give and how investing in the College will ensure the success of our future students.

Arts & Sciences magazine: What do you do for a living?

Stephen Odaibo: I am a retina physician, computer scientist, AI Engineer, and healthcare AI startup founder and CEO. I am also on the clinical faculty of the MD Anderson Cancer Center, the No.1 ranked cancer center in the U.S. My company, RETINA-AI Health Inc. builds artificial intelligence (AI) systems to improve healthcare. We developed the world's first mobile AI app for eye care providers, and our autonomous diabetic retinopathy AI screening system is currently in independent validation testing in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.

A&S: Did you benefit from scholarships when you were a student?

SO: Yes, I did. I was a recipient of the Mathematics Fast-Track Program Scholarship, which was supported by the National Science Foundation and was directed by Prof. John Mayer and Prof. Lex Oversteegen of the Mathematics Department. I received my B.S. and M.S. degrees in mathematics from the College in 2001 and 2002 respectively. These launched me to Duke University for medical school and graduate school in computer science. My career took me to Duke University Hospital for an internal medicine internship, Howard University for residency, and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor for a retina fellowship. I had an academic advantage everywhere I went. It was the UAB Math advantage.

A&S: What made you decide to make a gift to the College of Arts and Sciences?

SO: Much of the success I am now enjoying in my career can be traced back to the opportunities that were granted me through the Mathematics Department at the College of Arts and Sciences. The opportunity to build AI to shape the future of healthcare not just in the U.S. but globally, is one for which I am truly grateful. It was only natural for me to give something back to the College. And I hope to have more opportunities in the future to give more back to UAB.

A&S: Where do you see the College of Arts and Sciences in the next ten years? Fifty years?

SO: I see the College of Arts and Sciences taking its rightful place amongst the most renowned colleges in the world in terms of measurable impact of its ongoing research and development. And also in terms of the quality and impact of its graduates across industries the world over.

Read more on Dr. Stephen Odaibo in his alumni profile.

Donor support is invaluable in ensuring that our students receive the quality education that, regardless of their course of study, will set them on the path to success. For additional information regarding gifts to the College of Arts and Sciences, please contact Camille Epps at camilleepps@uab.edu or call (205) 996-2154.

Many of our donors give to the College as a way of showing their appreciation for the people who inspired and guided them to academic and professional success. We asked a few of our supporters—including Charlie (M.P.A., 2015) and Elizabeth Scribner (M.S., 2011; Ph.D., 2017)—to share their stories of why they give and how investing in the College will ensure the success of our future students.

Arts & Sciences magazine: What do you do for a living?

Elizabeth Scribner: I'm an analyst in model risk management and validation at Regions Bank. Charles is executive director of Black Warrior Riverkeeper and president of Waterkeepers Alabama.

A&S: Did you benefit from scholarships when you were a student?

ES: Yes, I was the recipient of a year-long fellowship through the Department of Mathematics, as well as a two-time recipient of the James Ward Memorial Award for Research in Mathematical Biology.

A&S: What made you decide to make a gift to the College of Arts and Sciences?

Charles Scribner: UAB is a pivotal force in Birmingham’s renaissance, and the College of Arts and Sciences is the heart of UAB. In two very different CAS graduate school programs, the classes that Elizabeth and I took and the relationships we made have all been invaluable to our careers. I also have the pleasure of now working with College of Arts and Sciences staff in my role as president of the UAB MPA Alumni Society and see their incredible skill and passion for serving the College and the community.

A&S: Where do you see the College of Arts and Sciences in the next ten years? Fifty years?

CS: The College of Arts and Sciences does not simply cover an amazingly wide range of important fields, it also connects them through one impeccably organized institution and alumni network. As society is increasingly challenged by division and hostility, the networking and collaborative opportunities the College provides students, faculty, and alumni from many backgrounds and curricula will be crucial for UAB, Birmingham, and the world.

Donor support is invaluable in ensuring that our students receive the quality education that, regardless of their course of study, will set them on the path to success. For additional information regarding gifts to the College of Arts and Sciences, please contact Camille Epps at camilleepps@uab.edu or call (205) 996-2154.

Many of our donors give to the College as a way of showing their appreciation for the people who inspired and guided them to academic and professional success. We asked a few of our supporters—including Emeritus Associate Professor Robert Collins, Ph.D.—to share their stories of why they give and how investing in the College will ensure the success of our future students.

Arts & Sciences magazine: What do you do for a living?

Robert Collins: I have been retired from the Department of English for almost a decade. Before I retired, I taught American literature and writing, including creative writing, for thirty years in the English Department at UAB. While serving as an English professor, I co-founded Birmingham Poetry Review with Randy Blythe, Ph.D., and directed the creative writing program for almost ten years. Since retiring, I have published two volumes of poetry, Naming the Dead (FutureCycle Press, 2012) and Drinking with the Second Shift (Word Tech, 2017). I am currently working on another collection of poems.

A&S: Did you benefit from scholarships when you were a student?

RC: Yes, I did. I attended Xavier University in Cincinnati on a presidential scholarship.

A&S: What made you decide to make a gift to the College of Arts and Sciences?

RC: I had several reasons for making a gift (the Collins Family Scholarship in Creative Writing) to the College of Arts and Sciences at UAB. First, I wanted to honor a worthy student with the gift of time, so precious to any writer, and to raise the status of creative writing, which is as demanding a discipline as any other in the arts and sciences. Second, I wanted to express my gratitude for the position I held in the English Department at UAB, which gave me the opportunity “to pursue my talents in the direction of excellence” as John F. Kennedy, one of my heroes, observed when asked why he wanted to be president. Third, and most importantly, I wanted to honor and express my gratitude to my parents John and Veronica Collins for the way in which they stressed the importance of education, especially higher education, which they rightly believed to be the key to a better life.

A&S: Where do you see the College of Arts and Sciences in the next ten years? Fifty years?

RC: So many physical changes have taken place on campus in the ten years since I retired that I hesitate to say anything about what might happen in the next ten, let alone fifty. I can speak, however, to what I would like to see happen in the next decade. Primarily, I'd like to see UAB redirect its resources to assure that faculty are secure, prosperous, and not overworked. Since enrollment at UAB has increased so dramatically in the past decade, I’d like to see the university focus on hiring many more faculty members in tenure-track positions and compensating them commensurate with the heavy load they carry. The colleagues I worked with during my 30 years at UAB were the smartest and hardest working people I knew.

Donor support is invaluable in ensuring that our students receive the quality education that, regardless of their course of study, will set them on the path to success. For additional information regarding gifts to the College of Arts and Sciences, please contact Camille Epps at camilleepps@uab.edu or call (205) 996-2154.