Left to right: Dr. Jeffrey Kerby, Dr. Loring Rue, Dr. Jeremy Cannon.The UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery hosted the first Loring W. Rue, III, M.D. Endowed Lectureship on January 20, 2026, welcoming Jeremy Cannon, M.D., from the University of Pennsylvania as the inaugural lecturer. The lectureship honors the legacy of Rue, an instrumental figure in the history of UAB’s trauma program. A veteran of the U.S. Army who served as a burn team lead in the Gulf War, Rue served as the director of the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery and chief of trauma, burns, and surgical critical care services for 19 years. He led UAB through the first American College of Surgeons verification as a Level I trauma center, created the UAB Center for Injury Science, and established the Trauma Communication Center with the Birmingham Regional Emergency Medical Services System, now a statewide resource for trauma care coordination.
The lectureship became endowed last year, and was established to fund lecturers in the field of trauma care.
Cannon is professor of surgery and the director of the Penn Acute Research Collaboration. He leads the Penn Medicine – U.S. Navy Trauma Training Partnership at Penn as a surgeon champion. A decorated military veteran, Colonel Cannon served in the U.S. Air Force on active and reserve duty from 2006 to 2023, and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan as a trauma surgeon. Dr. Cannon served as a veteran fellow of the Hoover Institution and his research interests include military-civilian health care and training partnerships and using quality metrics to identify opportunities for improvement in combat casualty systems of care. He is the recipient of the Paul W. Myers Award for Outstanding Contributions to Air Force Medicine.
Cannon’s lecture, “From Troy to the Trauma Bay: Ancient Pearls for Modern Surgeons,” focused on how lessons from ancient and modern war history can inform the future of trauma care and the response to large-scale conflicts and disasters. Drawing on his interest in surgical history, his personal experience as a military surgeon, and his research as a Hoover scholar, Cannon made the case for proactive planning for potential mass casualty events, including advocacy for a national trauma system.
“As a veteran, trauma surgeon, and military medicine researcher, Dr. Cannon was a fitting choice for this inaugural lectureship,” said Jeffrey Kerby, M.D., Ph.D., the director of the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. “Cannon’s work in bridging military expertise and civilian trauma care is very much in keeping with the legacy Dr. Rue built here in Alabama.”
Dr. Kerby presents Dr. Rue with a framed certificate about the endowed lectureship in his name.
About the Loring W. Rue, III, M.D. Endowed Lectureship
The Loring W. Rue, III, M.D. Endowed Lectureship was established to fund visiting lecturers in the field of trauma care with the aim of developing tomorrow’s best surgeons. This lectureship pays tribute to surgeon-leader Dr. Rue and his legacy of unwavering commitment to education, mentorship, and the continual improvement of care for the injured. Learn more about Dr. Rue’s role in the history of trauma care in Alabama here.