Catherine Lumb, M.D., practices geriatric medicine with a focus on understanding her patients beyond their health diagnoses. She listens carefully and considers how health care intersects with independence and quality of life. These values are central to her career at UAB Huntsville and were developed during her training at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
Raised in Huntsville, Alabama, Lumb has spent much of her life in the state, attending Auburn University before beginning her medical education at Heersink. While she always knew she wanted a career in medicine, choosing a specialty was initially challenging: “I tend to like a lot of things, so at first I didn’t know which specialty to commit to”, Lumb recalls. “During my third year, while completing clinical rotations and learning about different specialties, I gravitated toward internal medicine, which led me to geriatrics.”
Lumb graduated from Heersink in 2019 and completed her internal medicine residency at UAB in 2022. During her residency, she had the privilege of training alongside her Heersink mentors Nicolas Van Wagoner, M.D., and Kevon Leon, M.D., allowing her to continue building on the patient-centered care principles she learned during medical school. Lumb then pursued a fellowship in geriatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital, affiliated with Harvard, deepening her expertise.
She credits Heersink with giving her a strong foundation in teamwork and community-focused patient care. Heersink programs like the Senior Mentor Program introduced Lumb to older adults in the community, allowing her to observe firsthand the challenges and successes of maintaining health and independence. “I really enjoyed seeing not just what was going wrong with someone’s health, but also the things they were doing right to stay healthy”, Lumb explained. A two-week geriatrics selective further exposed her to the field, allowing her to collaborate with geriatricians and other healthcare professionals at UAB.
As her interest in geriatrics grew, mentorship became an important constant. Caroline Harada, M.D., offered a model of how to care for older adults with intention and respect for patients’ goals. “Dr. Harada is incredibly personable; she brings her whole self to every patient encounter and serves as a role model for me,” Lumb expressed. She credits Harada with helping her understand the full scope of geriatrics and serving as a mentor as Lumb explored opportunities to advance her training.
After completing her fellowship in 2023, Lumb remained in Boston, continuing her work with Massachusetts General Hospital Geriatrics before returning home to Huntsville in December 2025 to begin her career at UAB Huntsville. She looks forward to applying what she has learned during her training to North Alabama, sharing her passion for geriatric medicine, and helping address the shortage of geriatricians in the region.
Reflecting on her time at Heersink, Lumb credits the rigorous academics, extensive patient care, and simulation experiences for continuing to guide her practice and career. “I’m so thankful for the encouragement to pursue what I’m passionate about,” Lumb said. “Heersink instilled foundational values of curiosity, humility, and to always do what’s best for your patient.”
For current medical students, Lumb encourages them to embrace their training with confidence and to pursue what excites them. She emphasizes that graduates from Heersink are incredibly well-trained and respected across the country, and they should hold their heads high. Lumb advises students to follow their passions and remember that their careers can be flexible, giving them the ability to shape their path into what they want it to be.
Looking ahead, Lumb is excited to begin her clinical practice at UAB Huntsville and to collaborate with her colleagues. She looks forward to supporting her co-geriatrician, Linnea Pepper, M.D., while expanding the presence of geriatrics within the internal medicine department. She is eager to share her knowledge and help strengthen geriatric care throughout the North Alabama community.