A Preview of the Strategic Plans

Education

• Become a leader in lifelong physician learning, from undergraduate and graduate medical education through continuing medical education.

• Assess the effectiveness of the current curriculum and update it as necessary.

• Continue reorganizing the graduate biomedical sciences Ph.D. programs around disciplines rather than departments.

• Promote professionalism throughout the school.

Research

• Add 100 net new faculty over five to six years.

• Reinvigorate six strategic priority areas—cancer; cardiovascular biology/diseases; diabetes and metabolic disorders; infectious diseases and vaccines; immunology, autoimmunity, and transplantation; and neurosciences—and five cross-disciplinary platforms—imaging; informatics; genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics; outcomes/health care effectiveness research; and the fundamental disciplines encompassed by the Center for Clinical and Translational Science.

• Ensure that priority areas help elevate and push resources to all research areas.

• Engage UAB’s other schools, including the Graduate School, in research collaborations.

Primary Care

• Make UAB a leader in primary care, which Watts calls “fundamentally important” to modern health care in the wake of reform, and a key responsibility for the school.

• Strengthen primary care education and training programs, from undergraduate courses through residencies and fellowships.

• Partner with practicing physicians statewide to enhance primary care education, training, and care.

• Work with the state, the Medical Alumni Association, and the Medical Association of the State of Alabama to encourage graduates to practice primary care in Alabama.