C. Mel Wilcox, MD
Division DirectorThe UAB Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology is dedicated to providing comprehensive clinical care, education, and research for all digestive and liver-related diseases.
Our goal is to provide comprehensive clinical care for the treatment of digestive-related diseases. Our faculty are trained and equipped with the most advanced techniques and procedural services available for the treatment of ailments. We operate both inpatient and consultative services at UAB Hospital and Birmingham VA Medical Center, with approximately 20 inpatients and 80 consultations monthly. Our outpatient clinics, located within the Kirklin Clinic and UAB Highlands, report an average of over 12,000 annual patients. Additionally, our advaned endoscopy program is recognized throughout the Southeast. All of our patients are seen by attending faculty members with the assistance of GI fellows.
Educational
Our goal is to train future gastroenterologists and provide them with the most advanced knowledge and skills for treating digestive diseases. Our faculty are actively involved with the teaching of gastroenterology fellows, house-staff, post-doctoral fellows in the laboratory, and sub-specialty fellows in endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease, and hepatology. We are able to provide unique learning opportunities for future gastroenterologist and sub-specialty physicians in the academic setting. All educational activities benefit from our experienced clinical and research faculty members.
Research
Our goal is to advance the services, treatment and therapies for digestive and liver related diseases. With both industry and NIH funded research, we are active in basic science and clinical research to further the treatment and knowledge of digestive diseases. We are able to utilize our diverse research programs and foster collaborative research projects not only at UAB, but throughout the world. Our faculty members provide leadership to the UAB Liver Center, UAB Muscosal HIV & Immunobiology Center (MHIC), and the UAB Pancreaticobiliary Center (PBC). We also utilize an inclusive clinical research program (GHCRP), which provides a specialized infrastructure to facilitate clinical research for faculty members. This has allowed increased efficiency in our clinical research endeavors.
In just the five years since UAB completed 10,000 robotic surgeries, surgeons across 15 disciplines have now collectively exceeded 20,000 robotic surgeries, setting a record for the hospital.
The Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health is excited to announce the second cohort of pilot grant awardees.
The federal mandate, which was announced in 2011 and implemented in 2014, limited acetaminophen to 325 milligrams per opioid-acetaminophen combination pill. Acetaminophen is toxic to livers at high doses.
UAB is committed to increasing awareness and education about colorectal cancer throughout the month of March.