By: Drs. Gregory and Brittany Payne

During life’s most demanding moments, the deepest and most enduring bonds are often forged. Much like military service, residency—with its relentless pace and emotional intensity—transforms colleagues into family: lifelong friends who share not only the work, but also the weight and wonder of the journey. Such was the relationship between our family and Dr. Latesha Elopre.

By: Charles Heald, PGY-2

Long before I ever rounded on a patient in the hospital, I was one. I was born with supravalvular aortic stenosis and a bicuspid aortic valve, types of congenital heart disease. I had my first open-heart surgery at five years old, when my surgeon used a piece of my pericardium as a patch to enlarge my stenotic aorta. 

By: Sally Jones, PGY-2

The first time I met Jeff Woods was in 2017 in the UAB Emergency Department. As a newly minted clinical research assistant in the throes of figuring out if I wanted to apply to medical school, Jeff was a steady, calm presence outside the trauma bay. We developed a friendship between trauma codes; I scurried around collecting data and Jeff guided patients and their loved ones through arguably the worst day of their lives. 

By: Shiv Ishpujani, PGY-2

I’ve always been the kind of person who tries to keep spirits high in the team workroom. When days in the MICU stretch too long and the hours blur together—when the air feels heavy and the pages seem endless—I’m the one cracking a joke or queuing up a playlist. It isn’t about the music—it’s about rhythm, keeping the pulse of the team alive. Because in residency, as they say, the show must go on.

By: Preston Nicely, PGY-2

Artificial intelligence. Few phrases have so thoroughly captured the public fascination as this one. AI is everywhere, from our phones and inboxes to the patient chart. It’s the buzzword of the decade, tossed around in academic discussions and hospital hallways alike. But what is AI, really? Can we trust it? 

By: Joel Cohen, PGY-2

He came to us overnight; a 40-year-old male transferred from an outside hospital for liver transplant evaluation with a presumed diagnosis of Wilson’s disease. After repeated work-up, it became clear he didn’t have Wilson’s disease at all. He had alcohol-related cirrhosis.

By: Mark T. Dransfield, M.D., Chair of the Department of Medicine

Dear Alumni, 

The past few months as the permanent chair of the Department of Medicine have been a blur. But even when I’ve had to double-check my seatbelt on this wild ride, it has been an honor to serve in a new leadership role. I didn’t aspire to this job as a resident, but in so many ways, it’s the kind of challenge that UAB has been preparing me for over the last 20 years.