Effective January 2025, UAB Heersink School of Medicine’s Department of Medical Education welcomed a group of new faculty and staff additions. These new team members bring with them years of valuable experience both from within other areas of Heersink School of Medicine or from around the world.

Teresa Wilborn, PharmD, Ph.D., joining the department as a professor, has been part of Heersink School of Medicine since her time as a graduate student obtaining her Ph.D. She became an assistant professor in 2001 and was later promoted to professor in 2013. She has also served as Vice Chair of Research/ Service/ and Education, Interim Department Chairperson for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Vice Chair for the Medical Education Committee, and a Senior Scientist in the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS). In her role within the Department of Medical Education, she will continue to positively impact the success of our students and the broader success of Heersink School of Medicine. She will also be serving as the Chair of the Medical Education Committee for the next two calendar years.

Tatjana Coric, Ph.D., joining the department as an associate professor, received her Ph.D. from the University of Belgrade and began working as an instructor in Heersink School of Medicine’s academic joint departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology in 2012. She also serves as an associate scientist in the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center and serves as a scientist for the UAB School of Health Professions - Nutrition Obesity Res Center (NORC). Dr. Coric is the Assistant Director for the MSMBS Program and directs numerous pharmacology courses for undergraduate and graduate students.

Pius Fasinu, Ph.D. is joining the department as an associate professor. Dr. Fasinu obtained a Ph.D. from Stellenbosch University. He completed postdoctoral work focused on drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics at the University of Mississippi as well as drug discovery and development at the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research in Switzerland. He has been part of Heersink School of Medicine since 2021, when he began serving as an associate professor in the academic joint departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology. He also serves as a scientist in the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS). Dr. Fasinu currently teaches courses for the School of Dentistry and directs numerous pharmacology courses for undergraduate and graduate students.

Suprateem Bhattacherjee joins UAB Heersink School of Medicine from Arizona State University (ASU), where he has served as a Data Science Specialist since 2020 after obtaining his master’s degree from ASU. Prior to coming to the United States to further his education, Bhattacherjee served as a Lead Engineer for Samsung in India. He will serve as a Data Scientist within the Department of Medical Education. He will work closely with Caroline Harada, M.D., associate dean for Strategic Initiatives , providing data analysis that will be used in quality improvement. He will also perform valuable medical education research for the department.

Gajanan Jadhav, Ph.D., enters the Department of Medical Education as a Postdoctoral Fellow with a focus in drug metabolism studies. Dr. Jadhav earned a Ph.D. from Vellore Institute of Technology in India in 2020. Since joining Heersink School of Medicine as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2023, Dr. Jadhav has worked closely with Pius Fasinu, Ph.D. and is responsible for the study design, protocol optimization, planning and conduct of drug metabolism assays.

Colin Quinn, M.D., Ph.D., is joining Medical Education, having completed UAB Heersink School of Medicine’s M.D./Ph.D. program. Since joining our school in 2018, Dr. Quinn has served in numerous roles and committees, helping our school continually provide the best experience for our students. Notably, Dr. Quinn served on the Medical Education Committee, Continuous Quality Improvement Committee, MSTP Admissions Community, Graduate Student Advisory Board, among others. Dr. Quinn will serve as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Medical Education. He will be working with Medical Student Services on student wellness projects and teaching and curriculum enhancement initiatives, including a Step 1 bootcamp. In collaboration with UME, he will also contribute to an elective for students who are recycling their first year. Additionally, he will develop scholarly work documenting MSS student support curricula as sharable educational resources.

Mohammad Aldalou, M.D., joins UAB Heersink School of Medicine from Osmosis, where he served as regional lead in the Medical Education Program. Dr. Aldalou earned his M.D. from AlQuds University. In 2021, he founded OMEN-Palestine, an Osmosis chapter in Palestine affiliated with the Osmosis-Elsevier medical education program. Dr. Aldalou will serve as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Undergraduate Medical Education. He will work closely with William Brooks, Ph.D., assistant dean for Preclinical Education, to perform research projects exploring how to leverage formative assessment data to track student progress toward competency in the basic sciences.

Justin Evans is joining the team from the Office of Access and Engagement – Resident and Fellow Experience. Evans completed his master’s degree here at UAB and has worked for the university since 2020. He first served as a Program Manager I prior to receiving a promotion in 2023 to Program Manager II for the Office of Access and Engagement – Resident and Fellow Experience. He will serve as Program Manager II for Admissions and Enrollment Management in the Records office, managing scheduling for all courses in Heersink School of Medicine and updating and maintaining the course catalog. He will also assist the registrar in crucial enrollment management duties.

Harley Grace is joining the team from Auburn University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in computer science and served as a tech support learning consultant. Grace has experience in web development, object-oriented programming, and enterprise technical support. He also served as a student researcher at UAB from 2012-2015. Grace will serve as a Programmer/Analyst in Medical Education Information Services (MEIS). He will provide support for the analysis, design, testing and implementation of new computer programs and will provide vital quality control and error management for new and existing departmental systems. He will also serve as a primary contact with other information systems technical support.

Catherine Lewis is transferring to the Medical Education team from the UAB Department of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases. Lewis received a master’s degree in social work from the University of Alabama. As a licensed medical social worker, she has provided exceptional service to our patients since 2020, managing a case load of 200-300 patients. Her background also includes experience as a therapist and case manager. Lewis will serve as a Case Manager for Medical Student Services. She will serve as a Case Manager for Medical Student Services. She will focus on promoting holistic student wellness and success through provision of early support and follow-up for students with complex needs. She will also facilitate referrals to on-and off-campus resources, and participate in the CU2RE program.

“We are thrilled to have these accomplished and driven professionals within the Medical Education team,” said Craig Hoesley, senior associate dean for Medical Education. “Their combined years of service and impressive experiences will benefit our students and our school. I am proud to welcome them to Medical Education and look forward to seeing their continued success in the years to come.”