The mission of the Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health (MHIGH) is to promote healthy lives through training and mentorship of global health scholars, innovative scientific research, and ground-breaking service initiatives embedded in genuine collaboration, trust, and multi-directional global health partnerships.
The goal of the MHIGH Pilot Project mechanism is to catalyze innovation in any mission area that involves collaboration between experienced investigators at UAB and international partners addressing a major global health problem. Funded projects will include mentorship of junior investigators or trainees.
2026 Pilot Grant Awardees
Adrie JC Steyn, Ph.D, UAB Department of Microbiology
"A UAB-AHRI Artificial Intelligence Program for Discovery of Novel Tuberculosis Pathology in Human Tissue"
Multiple Principal Investigators: Sandeep Bodduluri, M.S., Ph.D., UAB Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine; Paul V. Benson, M.D., Division of Anatomic Pathology, Autopsy Section Head; Threnesan Naidoo, M.Sc., MBChB, Department of Forensic Medicine, Walter Sisulu University, Umtata, South Africa
Trainees: Nicholas Eisele, D.O., UAB Department of Pathology; Kapongo Lumamba, M.Sc., AHRI, Durban, South Africa
Soumya Niranjan, B.Pharm., M.S., Ph.D., UAB Department of Health Services Administration
“DUAL-SCREEN India: Integrating Opportunistic Lung Cancer Screening into Head and Neck Cancer Screening Programs for Dual Tobacco Users”
Multiple Principal Investigator: Subita Patil, M.D., Department of Preventive Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital
Co-Investigators: Ashutosh Tamhane, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., UAB Division of Nephrology; Rachel Sequeira, M.D., Department of Radiodiagnosis, Tata Memorial Hospital
Trainee: Mary Aboraa Aboagye, UAB Department of Health Services Administration
Ravi Hiremagalore M.D., UAB Department of Dermatology
“Natural History of Epidermolysis Bullosa in Heterogeneous Populations – A Retrospective Study of Clinical Outcomes”
Co-Investigator: Divya Gupta M.D., Centre for Human Genetics, Bengaluru, India
Robert Reynolds, Ph.D., UAB Division of Hematology & Oncology
“The fight against HIV/AIDS: Comprehensive in silico strategies for the discovery of novel allosteric PROTACs (PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras) against HIV-1 Integrase”
Multiple Principal Investigators: M. Elizabeth Sobhia, MSc, M.Phil, Ph.D., Department of Pharmacoinformatics, NIPER; Christina Ochsenbauer, Ph.D., UAB Division of Hematology & Oncology