News

The UAB Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health, in conjunction with the UAB Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation, proudly announces the fifth cohort of pilot grant awardees.Four innovative projects have received pilot funding to encourage collaboration between UAB investigators and international partners, tackling critical global health challenges.

Designed to expand access to meaningful global engagement, the MHIGH Global Health Travel Awards Program is one of four Giving Days projects spotlighting how UAB invests in global partnerships and future health leaders.

Building on a partnership rooted in shared vision and philanthropy, UAB and McMaster University (McM) continued to deepen their collaboration during a recent all-day, in-person strategic meeting held on Friday, March 20, 2026, in Birmingham, Ala.

Elizabeth Proezna, M.D., PGY-3, and Rafaella Navarro Hoyos, M.D., PGY-2, in the UAB Department of Pediatrics, spent two weeks in Peru and realized a medical truth widely sought after in the UAB community. They learned that sometimes the most powerful medicine isn't just in the treatment, it's in a spirit of collaboration that can cross distance and borders.

Since March 2022, UAB and McMaster University have advanced a shared vision to strengthen institutional collaboration across research, education and global health initiatives.

Rena Patel, M.D., MPH, MPhil, associate professor, UAB Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases; associate director, Global Health Research, UAB Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health (MHIGH), has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) Innovator Award, recognizing her outstanding and original contributions to HIV clinical care, research,...

In an ever-evolving global landscape, the urgency and complexity of public health challenges have only deepened. Yet, interest in global health continues to grow, and the Master of Science in Global Health (MSGH) program is seeing that firsthand. The MSGH program experienced growth in enrollment despite the challenging landscape in 2025.

For nearly a decade, a dedicated team from the UAB Department of Radiology has been making a meaningful global impact by providing remote CT interpretation and mentorship to hospitals in resource-limited regions of Africa.

A connection sparked at the 2023 Global Health Symposium has grown into a dynamic, mutually beneficial partnership between the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the University of Buea in Cameroon, one that reflects the Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health’s (MHIGH) commitment to sustainable, relationship-driven global collaboration.

The 2025 AI and Technology in Global Health Symposium brought together an inspiring mix of global health leaders, researchers, clinicians, innovators, and students, all united by one goal: finding ways for AI and emerging technologies to help close the gaps that still exist in health around the globe.

As the current cycle of the NAF Heersink Family Charitable Foundation Scholarships wraps up, we’re proud to spotlight the journeys of this year’s two fellows: Cristian Ghergu from Maastricht University and Marcelo Malisano Barreto Filho from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

This innovative program addresses global health initiatives and medical training in Peru with Partners in Health, known locally as Socios En Salud, in Lima, Peru.

This partnership, an initiative of the Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health, represents a significant step toward enhancing the quality of medical education, research and health care delivery on an international scale.

Students will have the opportunity to learn from experienced, diverse faculty with a range of international partners working in interdisciplinary, global health research and practice.