UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office would like to welcome 19 individuals in its 12th cohort of the Institute for Leadership in the spring of 2026. The goal of the UAB Medicine Institute for Leadership is to enhance existing personal, leadership, and management competencies while leveraging current leadership strategies and trends. The 6-month program features guest speakers from executive-level leadership positions at UAB, including former graduates of the Institute for Leadership.

Gregory Payne, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed director of the UAB Comprehensive Center, effective Oct. 1.

Jianli Zhao, M.D., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been awarded $30,000 in pilot funding to further develop a research project focused on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in patients with obesity.