As part of thoughtful succession planning for graduate medical education (GME), the Heersink School of Medicine is beginning the process to identify the next associate dean for GME and designated institutional official (DIO) for UAB Hospital. The goal is to identify a DIO-elect well in advance of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) institutional site visit, anticipated between July and December 2027. The DIO-elect will work alongside current Associate Dean for GME and DIO Alice Goepfert, M.D., throughout the site visit process, providing continuity during this important review and supporting a seamless transition in GME leadership following its completion.
The leadership transition comes as Goepfert, who also serves as a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, prepares for retirement following a distinguished career spanning more than three decades at UAB. Since assuming the roles of associate dean for GME and DIO in 2017, Goepfert has provided visionary leadership for UAB’s graduate medical education enterprise, overseeing one of the nation’s largest and most respected training environments.
“Dr. Goepfert has played a pivotal role in shaping medical education nationally through scholarship, mentorship, curriculum development, accreditation work, and educational innovation,” said Anupam Agarwal, M.D., senior vice president for medicine and dean of the Heersink School of Medicine. “Her dedication to learners, faculty, and patients has left a lasting mark on UAB and on the broader academic medicine community.”
“Under Dr. Goepfert’s leadership, UAB has strengthened its culture of educational excellence, resident and fellow well-being, patient safety, accreditation performance, and program growth while preparing generations of physicians to serve patients and communities across Alabama and beyond,” said Dawn Bulgarella, CEO of UAB Health System.
A nationally recognized leader in graduate medical education, Goepfert has served on numerous ACGME and Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) committees and leadership groups, including the ACGME Review Committee for Obstetrics and Gynecology, the AAMC Group on Resident Affairs Steering Committee, and the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) Scholars and Leaders Program Advisory Committee.
Her many honors include the ACGME’s prestigious Parker J. Palmer Courage to Lead Award in 2025, a national recognition bestowed upon designated institutional officials who demonstrate outstanding leadership and commitment to graduate medical education. She has also earned multiple teaching awards throughout her career, including the APGO Humanism in Teaching Award and the UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching as well as other UAB educational honors. In September 2024, she was named the inaugural holder of the Heersink Endowed Professorship in Graduate Medical Education.
An internal search for DIO-elect is being launched with the goal of making a selection by Spring 2027. The Request for Applications has published and will close December 18, 2026.