Message from the Dean
As the COVID-19 pandemic stretched into 2021 and the vaccine rollout expanded, it looked as though the end of the deadliest pandemic in American history might be in sight. However, as we now know, there were many more months ahead of heavy workloads, long hours, stress, and uncertainty for America’s health care workers, especially in parts of the country like Alabama where vaccination rates have lagged. UAB Medicine’s care providers and staff at every level have shown astounding resilience as the third and fourth waves of coronavirus infection swept through our state, which as of October 11 had seen a total of 808,132 reported cases and 14,858 deaths.
Therefore, it was tremendously uplifting for the final quarter of 2021 to begin with a transformational turning point for our school. As you’ll read on the following pages, the School of Medicine received a $95 million lead gift from longtime University of Alabama at Birmingham supporter Marnix E. Heersink, M.D., in recognition of which the school has been renamed the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine. UAB has enhanced this philanthropic support with a generous contribution of $5 million from Triton Health Systems, bringing the total support for the school to $100 million.
This powerful affirmation of our unlimited potential reinforces what we have always known: that UAB truly is a world-class institution. As exemplified by the people and programs highlighted in this year’s Annual Report, our school has never allowed anything to limit our aspirations, and this incredible gift expands the scope of our already boundless vision of the good we can do here at home and around the world.
It has been a year of adaptation and innovation across all our mission areas, in medical education, clinical care, and biomedical research. We have refused to compromise on our standards of excellence despite the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and excellence was on display across every area of our school.
With the Heersink naming gift and some exciting leadership transitions (see page 6), our school stands at an inflection point. What comes next will rise from the same building blocks that have always formed the foundation of our success: ingenuity, innovation, perseverance, dedication, collaboration, and inclusion.
Selwyn M. Vickers, M.D., FACS
James C. Lee Jr. Endowed Chair
Senior Vice President for Medicine and Dean
UAB Heersink School of Medicine
Chief Executive Officer, UAB Health System
Chief Executive Officer, UAB/Ascension St. Vincent’s Alliance
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Featured Stories
UAB Steps into the Spotlight
Despite immense challenges, 2021 brought exciting national recognition for UAB and the Heersink School of Medicine. In February, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) was named America’s No. 1 Best Large Employer by Forbes.
A Banner Gift
On September 28, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) announced that, in grateful recognition of a transformational $95 million lead gift from longtime supporter Marnix E. Heersink, M.D., the UAB School of Medicine will be named the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine.
Curriculum Changes Reflect Modern Medical Landscape
The curriculum for training Alabama’s future physicians is evolving, shaped by a global pandemic, a deeper understanding of our communities, and important changes in the ways medical students are assessed in the U.S.
Longest-Term COVID Patient Goes Home
Ricky Hamm is no stranger to UAB Hospital. As a medevac helicopter pilot, he has flown ill and injured patients to UAB for 17 years. On January 10, 2021, he found himself at the North Pavilion again, but this time as a patient. A COVID19 patient. And, it would be 187 days before he would go home.
Pandemic Highlights Importance of UAB/Ascension St. Vincent’s Alliance
Even before the emergence of COVID-19, UAB Health System and Ascension St. Vincent’s were embracing the concept of “we’re all in this together” by forming an alliance between the two organizations. Announced in January 2020, the alliance offers benefits that quickly became evident during the pandemic, as St. Vincent’s helped UAB with PPE shortages, and then UAB in turn assisted St. Vincent’s with vaccine acquisition.
Footprint for New Genomic Medicine Building Takes Shape
The UAB campus was transformed in 2021 as two buildings—the Pittman Center for Advanced Medical Studies and the Roy R. Kracke Clinical Services Building—were demolished, setting the stage for renovation to begin on the Lyons-Harrison Research Building. Following extensive renovation, Lyons-Harrison will become the Altec/Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building.
Planned Endowed Chair Gifts to Advance Alzheimer’s and ALS Programs
Three generations of the Killion family have been impacted by neurodegenerative diseases. Preventing such diseases from affecting future generations of their own and other families is the goal of two planned gifts to the Department of Neurology made by Christine Killion in honor of her late husband Wayne Killion.
CCTS Acts as Invaluable Pandemic Partner
The Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) is the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Hub at UAB. Its partners have played an essential role in UAB’s response throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.