As announced last month, I will be leaving UAB to become president and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in September. As bittersweet as this transition is, I can depart knowing the school is in imminently capable hands, as Heersink School of Medicine Executive Vice Dean Anupam Agarwal, M.D., will serve as interim senior vice president of Medicine and interim dean of the Heersink

On June 20, UAB and UAB Medicine will observe the newest federal holiday: Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865—about two months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia, and two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation—Union soldiers arrived in

Black history is a fascinating aspect of American history that is ripe for exploration and celebration any time, but Black History Month offers an ideal opportunity to spotlight some of the pivotal figures who contributed much to the fabric of our nation. That’s why I’m so pleased to share news of a grant in partnership with Tuskegee University that honors two exceptional Black Alabamians and lays

Today, I want to share groundbreaking news for UAB, the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine, and the UAB Health System. The UAB Department of Surgery’s organ transplant program has successfully transplanted the kidneys from a genetically modified pig into the body of a brain-dead human recipient.

This news, published in today’s edition of the American Journal of Transplantation, is a

Around this time last year we were eagerly anticipating the arrival at UAB Hospital of the first coronavirus vaccine doses to Alabama, and what a year it’s been since then. In many ways it felt like 2020 all over again, as we persevered through the Delta surge and persisted in educating and taking care of our community even as vaccinations in our state lagged the rest of the country. We are now

Many of us still remember the teachers and mentors who made a significant impact on us as medical students. Each year, our medical students honor their outstanding mentors, professors, courses, and course directors at the Argus Awards Ceremony. This year’s ceremony took place Friday, November 5, at Volker Hall Plaza. The Argus Awards were created in 1996 to enable medical students to nominate

As you are no doubt aware, Alabama continues to lag the nation in COVID-19 vaccination rates. As of Sept. 13, we remain among the three or four states with the lowest vaccination rates, with only 39% of the state’s population fully vaccinated. This is happening in the context of a truly alarming surge in infections and hospitalizations in Alabama, which is straining our health care system and

I’m excited to share that the UAB initiative Live HealthSmart Alabama celebrated the first phase of its planned improvements in the Kingston and Titusville communities with a ribbon-cutting event in Kingston on June 16. Live HealthSmart Alabama aims to advance healthy eating, physical activity, and prevention and wellness in underserved neighborhoods throughout Birmingham and the state. The

This month I have news to share with exciting implications for our research enterprise. The School of Medicine recently announced the establishment of the UAB Immunology Institute (II), a cutting-edge and interdisciplinary hub for faculty, researchers, clinicians, health policy experts, and educators who seek to advance the study of immunology and improve human health through immune-based

I begin this month with news of leadership changes on the horizon at one of our school’s key clinical care partners. Mike Warren, president and chief executive officer of Children’s of Alabama, is retiring from Children’s of Alabama effective June 1, 2021. Mike has served as CEO at Children’s since January 2008. He will be succeeded by Tom Shufflebarger, who currently serves as chief operating

This month, I couldn’t be more pleased to share that UAB has been named the Best Large Employer in the U.S. by Forbes magazine. The magazine describes UAB as, “no ordinary institute of higher education. Not only are its 23,000 employees responsible for the education and well-being of more than 22,000 students, but many have also been tasked with caring for thousands of pandemic-stricken

How to sum up 2020? It’s been one of the most challenging, complex, confounding years in my memory, but it’s also been a clarifying year, one of immense opportunity and hope that has affirmed my faith in medicine and our school on many levels. As an institution, we were tested in ways we’ve never been before, and I’m extremely proud of the creativity, tenacity, and resilience our faculty, staff,

There are several recent developments I’m excited to share with you this month. First, on October 28, our school hosted a COVID-19 Research Symposium. The symposium highlighted our school’s SARS-CoV-2 research and clinical trials on a global, national, and institutional level. Speakers presented on topics such as the NIH's involvement in research since the onset of COVID-19, global vaccine

This is the time of year our school typically hosts its annual Scholarship Dinner, when we bring together our generous scholarship donors and the outstanding students whose dreams of a medical education are made possible by their gifts. I’m saddened that this year’s dinner had to be canceled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but I’d like to take this opportunity to share some impressive

We are living in a time of immense uncertainty and confusion, a situation that is compounded by how quickly information (and misinformation) can spread on social media. Recently, misinterpretation of CDC data generated widespread confusion around COVID-19 mortality statistics. We know our alumni are often looked to as trusted sources of medical information by their patients, loved ones, friends, and