Latest News
The UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center and Diabetes Research Center members showcased their latest scientific findings at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 86th Scientific Sessions, June 5-8, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
Members of the UAB Department of Pathology gathered for an outgoing reception for residents and fellows on June 5. Faculty, staff, and trainees came together to celebrate at the Marnix E. Heersink Conference Center with dinner and an awards ceremony.
A new textbook on pediatric diabetes co-edited by UAB professor Ambika Ashraf, M.D., provides comprehensive coverage of the latest research and clinical care guidance for children and adolescents with the disease.
For more than a decade, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pediatrics has been helping residents do more than learn medicine, it has been teaching them how to improve it.
Buse Baykoca-Arslan, M.D., first-year fellow in the Division of Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, has received the 2025-2026 Spring Pediatric Research Roundtable and Fellow Core Conference Attendance Award.
Brittney Knott, a doctoral candidate and a researcher in the laboratory of Paige Porrett, M.D., Ph.D., will give an oral plenary presentation at the 31st International Congress of the Transplantation Society on September 23, 2026, in Sydney, Australia.
Marisella Maribel Pillaca Horna, M.D., a pulmonologist from Peru, traveled to UAB as the first-ever physician in the Cassell Bidirectional Training Program. What she found here, and what she left behind, is already changing medicine on both sides of the world.
For Stevan Fairburn, M.D., M.S., medicine was never just about science. It was about service. About showing up in the moments that matter most. About helping people navigate fear, uncertainty, pain, and survival. Artificial intelligence (AI) simply became another way to do that more effectively, more thoughtfully, and more humanely.
University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery Associate Professor Jakub Godzik, M.D., MS, and Executive Administrator Donna Bailer, J.D., LL.M., recently served as panelists at the 2026 Neurosurgery Executives’ Resource Value and Education Society (NERVES) Annual Meeting.
Donna Bailer, J.D., LL.M., executive administrator for the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery, recently received the President’s Award from the Neurosurgery Executives’ Resource Value and Education Society (NERVES), recognizing her years of leadership and service to the organization.
Elizabeth Beierle, M.D., Charles D. McCrary Endowed Chair in the UAB Division of Pediatric Surgery, has been selected as a recipient of the 2026 O’Neal Invests Award from the O’Neal Cancer Center.
Bhuwan Giri, M.B.B.S., an assistant professor in the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, has been awarded the Career Development Award from the Research Foundation of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) for his project entitled, “GDT Cell Dysregulation in Bile Acid-Mediated Progression of Colitis-Associated Cancer (CAC).”
The UAB Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine has been recognized among the 10 most-viewed anesthesiology residency programs in the country, according to Becker’s Ambulatory Surgery Review, citing data from the American Medical Association (AMA) Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database Access (FREIDA) program search tool. Out of 179 anesthesiology residency programs nationwide, UAB earned a spot in the top 10, placing the department in the top 6 percent in terms of medical student interest.
For many patients, the idea of brain-focused treatment can sound intimidating, but advances in technology have made Central Nervous System (CNS) stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) a safe, efficient, and minimally invasive option.
Emma Hobby, Ph.D. student in the UAB Graduate Biomedical Sciences program, neurosciences theme, is earning international recognition for her innovative research in Alzheimer’s disease. Hobby recently won the Lightning Presentation Round at the 2026 International Tau Global Conference, held May 13–15 in Washington, D.C.
Anya McDaniel, UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine second-year student, has been selected as a national recipient of the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship. The award will fund McDaniel’s second year of research in the UAB Department of Surgery on a collaborative project between Angela M. Carter, Ph.D., and Karin M. Hardiman, M.D., Ph.D., which McDaniel joined last summer as a participant in the department's Short-Term Research Experiences Advancing Medical Students (STREAMS) program.
On June 4, the Department of Pathology hosted its ninth annual C. Bruce Alexander Lecture in Pathology Education featuring Samuel Borak, M.D., an assistant professor in the UAB Community Practice Pathology Program. Borak delivered the lecture "Academic medicine in the community practice setting and the ever changing landscape of pathology."
The UAB Department of Surgery is honored to recognize the outstanding research contributions from its faculty, trainees, and staff.
Omosefe Ogbeifun, M.D., MPH, an Obesity Medicine fellow in the UAB Department of Medicine Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, was accepted into the 2026 American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scholars Program, a career development program that supports early-career professionals who treat and/or research diabetes and its complications.
The UAB Diabetes Research Center (DRC) has named six recipients of the 2026 Pilot and Feasibility Grant Program, which identifies and supports new outstanding and innovative diabetes research projects at UAB.
With a career defined by advances in clinical research, the growth of clinical programs, and, now, departmental leadership as chair, Rohit Dhall, M.D., an alumnus of both UAB Neurology residency and fellowship programs, credits UAB for establishing a foundation on which he could thrive.
Ioannis Liapis, M.D., MPH, a postdoctoral research fellow in the UAB Department of Surgery, recently received the Steve Sotsky Pancreatic Cancer Research Award from the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA) for his presidential plenary presentation on diagnostic delays in pancreatic cancer at the 2026 AHPBA Annual Meeting, held March 19-22, 2026, in Miami Beach, Florida.
New federal legislation was passed last year that impacts federal financial aid for our current and incoming medical students. Most changes will be implemented on July 1, 2026, which is the beginning of the 2026-2027 academic year.
The Department of Medical Education is moving its coursework from MEDMap, a homegrown system the school has used for years, to Canvas, the learning management system used by all other schools across UAB. As the transition continues ahead of the upcoming academic year, several key milestones have already been reached.
The Department of Medical Education at Heersink School of Medicine is pleased to announce recent additions to the team. Three new staff members have started their roles since the beginning of 2026. The department would also like to acknowledge the departure of three staff members and a postdoctoral fellow in Undergraduate Medical Education. Please join us in welcoming these new additions and wishing team members well as they transition to new chapters in their careers.
Theresa Wright, administrative supervisor in the Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine and Leen Matalka, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, have graduated from the Elevate Leadership Academy, an eight-month leadership development program designed to strengthen leadership skills and prepare participants for expanded leadership responsibilities.
For the past several years, Audrey Minter has been a welcoming presence for patients and families visiting the Sparks Center for Development and Learning Disorders at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pediatrics. As a Patient Services Coordinator I, Minter helps ensure clinic operations run smoothly while creating a positive experience for those receiving care.
Gary Turner, M.D., a former faculty member in the UAB Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, has continued to support the department through an endowed lectureship that routinely brings internationally renowned experts to share their expertise with residents, fellows, and faculty.
UAB Department of Surgery Fay Fletcher Kerner Endowed Chair Herbert Chen, M.D., has been named a distinguished professor, one of the highest academic honors UAB confers, in recognition of his exceptional contributions to surgical education, clinical care, research, and leadership in academic medicine.
The Department of Urology is proud to spotlight Kaylin Swoboda, MPH, education administrator, who recently joined the department and brings a thoughtful, steady approach to her role. Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Swoboda is early in her time with UAB Urology and is already supporting the department’s educational efforts while learning the ins and outs of her position. As she settles into her role, Swoboda emphasizes adaptability and maintaining a level head in fast-paced environments.