Tapan Mehta, Ph.D.
Irfan Asif, M.D., Marnix E. Heersink, M.D., Tapan Mehta, Ph.D., and Anupam Agarwal, M.D., at the UAB Endowment Reception., professor and vice chair of research and improvement science within the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine, has been announced as the inaugural Heersink Endowed Professor in Primary Care.
Mehta started his research career as a graduate research assistant at UAB more than 20 years ago. His background includes degrees in engineering and biostatistics, and his interdisciplinary academic work informs his research as Mehta seeks to build systems and utilize data in improving outcomes through his clinical and health services projects to optimize scalable primary care based chronic disease management programs for communities within Alabama and beyond.
Mehta joined Family and Community Medicine in 2022 as the department’s first Vice Chair of Research. In less than four years, he built the department's research enterprise from the ground up, leading its growth into a nationally recognized program that achieved a No. 13 ranking in the 2025 Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research rankings.
Under Mehta's leadership, the department has expanded strategic partnerships, secured major research funding, and advanced innovative models of primary care aimed at preventing and managing chronic disease. By integrating patient-centered and community-engaged research within clinical practice, they are redefining how primary care can improve access, support vitality, and build healthier communities across Alabama.
Currently, Mehta serves as the Principal Investigator for the HRSA-funded Telehealth Outreach and Policy for Rural and Underserved Populations (TOP‑UP) Rapid Response Center, the country’s first center specializing in rapid telehealth policy research. He also co-leads the Health Enhancement through Access and Research in Transformative Networks (HEART-NET) Primary Care Research Network, and the newly funded P50 UAB Disability Health Promotion Research Center. Mehta is director of the Building and InnovatinG: Digital HeAlth Technology and Analytics (BIGDATA) Center’s Methods and Health Informatics Core and the CDC-funded National Center on Health Physical Activity and Disability’s Data Coordinating Center. He also serves as the co-director of the University-wide Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education. In addition, he is leading multiple large pragmatic and optimization trials funded by NIH and PCORI to develop optimized primary-case based chronic disease management packages.
Mehta is also a recognized leader and mentor across the institution. Since joining UAB in 2005, he has proudly served in a number of leadership roles, including as Chair on the Faculty Senate and also as the Faculty Senate Research Committee Chair. Mehta has also worked collaboratively with the Office of Research and Central Administration to support research, education and employee well-being initiatives. In recognition of his exceptional contributions as both a steadfast mentor and inspiring educator, he was honored with the 2025 UAB Graduate Dean’s Excellence in Mentorship award.
“Tapan’s leadership, innovation, and commitment to improving both health outcomes and provider experiences across our state represents an incredible belief in what our department can accomplish,” said Irfan Asif, M.D., chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. “He is helping define the future of primary care research and demonstrating how data-driven innovation can impact public health.”
As the inaugural recipient of the Heersink Endowed Professorship in Primary Care, Mehta is being recognized for work that is shaping healthcare delivery and improving community health throughout Alabama and beyond.