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The UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine is proud to announce the winners of the 2026 Dean's Excellence Awards for Faculty, recognizing exceptional faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, service, access and engagement, and mentorship.

Variability, or the scattering of scores on cognitive tests, “turns out to be a very sensitive marker to changes in brain function,” said UAB neuropsychologist Victor Del Bene, Ph.D. It could be particularly helpful in diagnosing early-stage neurodegenerative disease, when patients come in with subjective concerns and some lower scores on testing but nothing in the impaired range.

Twenty-nine employees were selected for the 2026 cohort of the Developing Emerging Administrative Leaders program, which exposes promising staff members to the essential components of administrative and management positions across UAB. Meet the new class.

UAB researchers share a discovery that could pave the way for non‑addictive alternatives to opioid painkillers amid an era of rising overdose deaths.

UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO) celebrated ten distinguished faculty members from the seventh cohort of the LEading, Advancing, Developing (LEAD) at a graduation ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 23.

A new music video released by the Brain Health Advocacy Mission (BHAM), part of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at UAB, serves to convey the impact of lifestyle habits on brain health. The video reflects BHAM’s mission to inspire members of the community to prioritize brain health across the lifespan—starting at a young age.

Victor Sung, M.D., professor in the UAB Department of Neurology, has been named the next director of the Division of Movement Disorders. Anthony Nicholas, M.D., Ph.D., who left UAB in May 2025, previously served as director of the Division since 2017.

Knowing the symptoms and acting quickly in a stroke emergency can help to minimize long-term effects.

This spring, the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees awarded the rank of Distinguished Professor to five and the rank of University Professor to four faculty members.

A stroke can strike without warning, and every minute counts when it does. It happens when the blood supply to your brain is cut off, causing severe damage in a short amount of time. While many of us are familiar with the common warning signs (BEFAST), other, often overlooked symptoms could be just as crucial to spotting a stroke early.

The Killion family of Birmingham has given a $10 million gift to UAB to create the Wayne Killion Endowment for the Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics and to rename the center the Killion Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics.

Getting a good start is critical, as is exercise, building community and more.

Ronald Lazar, Ph.D., director of UAB’s Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, explains effective interventions, the importance of choice and why you should start where you are.

Written by: Rachel Burchfield Media contact: Bob Shepard Jim and Sallie JohnsonA $5 million gift from James and Sallie Johnson to the University of Alabama at Birmingham will support Alzheimer’s disease research in the Department of Neurology and the UAB Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics. The James Milton and Sallie R.

A team of UAB researchers found even a small influence from AAT dogs is meaningful and valuable to someone after a life-changing spinal cord injury.Every year, approximately 17,000 new cases of spinal cord injury are reported in the United States.

Written by: Amy JonesMedia Contact: Tehreem KhanBlazer Bridge Fund provides financial support to innovative ideas and inventions by the UAB community, encouraging advanced discovery.

. Imagine being a college student — involved with multiple extracurricular activities, rigorous studying and more — and having everything turned upside down in a matter of months.

In grateful recognition of a transformational $95 million lead gift from longtime University of Alabama at Birmingham supporter Marnix E. Heersink, M.D., the UAB School of Medicine will now be named the UAB Marnix E.

Stress is a natural part of life, but when does it shift from a temporary challenge to a long-term burden on our bodies, specifically as it concerns brain health? The key differences between stress and chronic stress lie in their duration, intensity, and overall impact on well-being.

Khurram Bashir, M.D., Distinguished Professor, director of the Division of Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis, and vice chair for education, has been named the First Holder of the Burton Multiple Sclerosis Endowed Research Professorship in Neurology.

Erum Khan, M.D., PGY1, joined the UAB Department of Neurology in June 2024. A native of Bharuch, Gujarat, India, Khan completed her medical degree at B.J. Medical College and Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, India. Get to know Dr. Khan better with four quick questions!

The UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office recently recognized 11 individuals in its fifth cohort of Sharing Authentically to Inspire and Lead (SAIL). The fall 2024 graduates were honored at a ceremony on Nov.

The Heersink School of Medicine is pleased to announce the five faculty members being named the 2023 James A. Pittman Jr., M.D., Scholars.

The UAB Department of Neurology welcomed Rebecca Brown, M.D., Ph.D., as an associate professor in November 2024.

Claire Goode, D.O., PGY1, joined the UAB Department of Neurology in June 2024. A native of Birmingham, Goode completed her undergraduate education at Auburn University with a degree in biomedical sciences and her medical degree at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Auburn, Alabama. Get to know Dr. Goode better with three quick questions!

Brittney Davis, PharmD., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Neurology, recently received a five-year, K23 grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the NIH to study sex-specific pharmacogenomic and metabolomic factors related to adverse effects of anticoagulants, commonly known as blood thinners. The award amount is $818,838 starting in September 2024.

The UAB Department of Neurology welcomed Muhammad Bilal Tariq, M.D., to the faculty as an assistant professor in July 2024.

The UAB Department of Neurology was recently approved by the Association of Postdoctoral Programs for Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN) as a match site for a neuropsychology fellow. The approval marks the restarting of the neuropsychology fellowship in the department.

The UAB Department of Neurology welcomed Joao Pereira, Ph.D., to the faculty as an assistant professor in July 2024.

November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month, and the Epilepsy Genomics Clinic at UAB is reimagining how to treat epilepsy in adults with an innovative approach.