For December, the Heersink School of Medicine Office of Access & Engagement set out to learn more about this season’s holidays by connecting with our faculty, staff, and students.

In part 1 of our holiday series, we explored the history and traditions of Chanukah, celebrated on the 25th day of Kislev (the ninth month of the Jewish religious year) in the Hebrew calendar, as light triumphing over darkness. To capture the spirit and significance of the holiday, we spoke with Rabbi Levi Weinbaum from the Chabad of Alabama, first-year Social Work student David Kirby, Postdoctoral Fellow Anna Stoll, and former Jewish Medical Student Association President Ben Honan.

The UAB Heersink School of Medicine’s Department of Biomedical Engineering recently showcased its research at the Biomedical Engineering Society’s (BMES) annual meeting, the world’s leading professional society committed to advancing human health and well-being through biomedical and bioengineering innovation. The conference, known for drawing thousands of engineers, researchers, and students from around the globe, provided an opportunity for UAB's faculty, students, and administrators to highlight groundbreaking work and foster connections in the field.

The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) 2024 Annual Symposium, held November 9-13 in San Francisco, brought together thousands of leaders, researchers, and professionals in the biomedical and health informatics space to explore current and future topics in the field.

In October 2024, the UAB Heersink School of Medicine’s Montgomery Psychiatry Residency received funding from the city of Montgomery to start Alabama’s first Street Psychiatry clinic. The city provided this funding in response to a call for proposals aimed at addressing the Opioid Epidemic in Montgomery’s vulnerable populations. The UAB Montgomery Psychiatry Residency program proposed a Street Psychiatry clinic designed to provide treatment for Opioid Use Disorder and co-occurring mental illness to Montgomery’s unhoused and unstably housed residents, and the city awarded the residency $345,676 to actualize this proposal.

The fight against breast cancer is about more than just treatment—it’s about empowering patients to live their best lives throughout their journey. The Heersink School of Medicine Office of Access & Engagement sat down with Gabrielle Rocque, M.D., a breast cancer specialist at UAB, to discuss how her work goes beyond traditional treatment to enhance resilience and quality of life for patients.

In Fall 2024, UAB Heersink School of Medicine announced the winners of the 2024 Dale J. Benos Medical Student Research Day (MSRD). All medical students were invited to present the results of their research projects and submit posters for judging.

The UAB Department of Microbiology and the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) hosted the inaugural HIV Basic and Translational Research Symposium Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, at the UAB Hilton Hotel. The all-day event featured speakers from the university and Southern Research, time for discussion, and a poster session.  

The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HIIE) celebrated its annual Innovation Awards on October 11, 2024, recognizing outstanding innovators and entrepreneurial achievements. Anath Shalev, M.D., director of the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center and founder of TIXiMED, was awarded the 2024 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award, the institute’s highest honor. Shalev's start-up, TIXiMED, recently advanced toward clinical trials after receiving FDA clearance for its novel Type 1 diabetes treatment, TIX100.

Eight faculty members recently graduated from UAB Medicine’s LEading Advancing Developing (LEAD) Fall 2024 leadership development program. The program, presented by UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO), recognized its graduates at a ceremony on Oct. 24, 2024.

Alice Goepfert, M.D., professor in OB/Gyn and Maternal-Fetal Medicine and associate dean for GME/Designated Institutional Official (DIO), has been named by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) as a recipient of the Parker J. Palmer Courage to Lead Award. The ACGME announced its decision on October 22, 2024 and will honor the two recipients at the 2025 ACGME Annual Educational Conference February 20-22, 2025.

In 2015, Chrystal Rutledge, M.D., an associate professor in the Division of Pediatrics, pioneered the idea for the COACHES Program—an initiative that is now transforming pediatric care in Alabama through education and simulation training. The Heersink School of Medicine Office of Access & Engagement is excited to host Rutledge for this month’s American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) lecture, where she will share insights about the inception and impact of this groundbreaking program.

Faculty, staff, students, and their families gathered for an evening filled with cultural traditions, lively music, and a strong sense of community as the Heersink School of Medicine Office of Access & Engagement hosted its inaugural Hispanic Heritage Month Commemoration at University Tacos, located on 5th Avenue North.