Ashley Battarbee, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has been appointed as director for the Center for Research in Women’s Health at UAB, effective March 1.
For the past six years, Battarbee has served as the center’s associate director of Obstetric Research under the leadership of Alan T.N. Tita, M.D., Ph.D., senior associate dean for Global Health and Women's Health in the Heersink School of Medicine.
“It is truly an honor to be appointed the new director for the Center for Research in Women’s Health at UAB,” Battarbee said. “I am immensely grateful for the strong foundation that Dr. Tita has built, and I look forward to leading the Center into its next phase.”
After serving as director for the past ten years, Tita expressed confidence in Battarbee’s leadership and the center’s continued success.
“It has been truly an honor to serve as director of the Center for Research in Women’s Health for the past ten years,” said Tita.
“I am confident that Ashley, who serves as associate director for OB Research, is the right leader to carry forward the Center’s mission of advancing research that improves the reproductive health and well-being of all women. Immense thanks to CRWH staff and to investigators and leaders within OB/GYN, UAB, nationally, and globally for their support and collaboration.”
As director, Battarbee aims to position the center among the nation’s top five institutions in women’s health research. To achieve this goal, she will work to expand and diversify the center’s research portfolio, strengthen mentorship and career development pathways for early-stage investigators, and enhance research infrastructure.
“In this role, I will continue to strengthen our research infrastructure, deepen interdisciplinary collaboration, and cultivate a culture of mentorship, innovation, and equity so that our work leads to improved health outcomes for women across the lifespan.”
Drawing from her experience as associate director of Obstetric Research, Battarbee plans to streamline operational processes and enhance communication across the center to remove barriers and maximize productivity, ultimately accelerating innovative, interdisciplinary research.
“Under my leadership, my hope is that our team will build sustainable mentorship and training programs that promote the success of the next generation of women’s health researchers, amplifying our ability to translate high-impact discoveries into lasting improvements in care and outcomes for women across the lifespan.”
Battarbee received her medical degree from the John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in 2012 and completed her residency at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in 2016. She went on to complete a fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2019 before joining UAB.