Department of Emergency Medicine
The Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery will host the 3rd annual Heroes and Healers event on Friday, May 1, 2026 at the UAB Alys Stephens Center. The event celebrates survivors of traumatic injury, as well as the medical care teams and first responders who saved their lives and helped them on the road to recovery.
Andrew Edwards, M.D., has been appointed chair of the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine effective April 1, 2026. He has twice served as interim chair—first from May 2020 to June 2021, and again from March 2025 to the present. Edwards also serves as professor, executive vice chair, and vice chair for education in the department.
UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO) celebrated the graduation of 12 faculty members from the LEading, Advancing, Developing (LEAD) program for spring 2026. The cohort brought together leaders from across clinical and basic science disciplines who are committed to strengthening their leadership impact and advancing academic excellence across the institution.
A connection sparked at the 2023 Global Health Symposium has grown into a dynamic, mutually beneficial partnership between the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the University of Buea in Cameroon, one that reflects the Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health’s (MHIGH) commitment to sustainable, relationship-driven global collaboration.
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.
UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO) celebrated the graduation of the 11th cohort from the Institute for Leadership on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.
UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO) honored 33 graduates of the Emerging Leaders Series (ELS) fall 2025 Cohort 4 during a ceremony held on Thursday, Nov. 12. The cohort completed a multi-session program designed to strengthen leadership capability for emerging leaders across the enterprise.
UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO) celebrated ten distinguished faculty members from the seventh cohort of the LEading, Advancing, Developing (LEAD) at a graduation ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 23. Facilitated by Kellie Carter, Ph.D., senior leadership development specialist, this cohort demonstrated a culture of growing leadership skills and advancing academic impact in the UAB community.
In March 2025, Heersink School of Medicine held its annual Match Day ceremony, recognizing 183 medical students discovering where they would complete their medical residency training. These students have begun their residency journey around the state of Alabama and throughout the United States, taking the next step in their journeys of becoming the next generation of physicians. For Todd Peterson, M.D., assistant dean for students, Match Day is a culmination of four years of dedicated training and mentorship, preparing Heersink students for the transition to residency.
This year signifies a remarkable milestone for the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine—30 years of delivering life-saving care, excellence in clinical training, and driving innovation.
On the second floor of Volker Hall, a group of first-year medical students gather in clinic practice rooms, their voices bright with energy as they run through patient histories and exam steps together. They compare notes, swap reminders, and encourage one another before stepping into a test session. These moments capture the essence of the Clinical Reasoning and Integrated Skills Program (CRISP), a pivotal element of the curriculum within the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. Launched in 2023, CRISP was built to ease the leap from the classroom to the clinic, giving students a structured, safe environment to build the skills and confidence they will need when they meet their first patients.
The UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery is pleased to announce a new endowed lectureship to honor the legacy of Loring W. Rue III, M.D., professor emeritus in the UAB Department of Surgery. Dr. Rue’s leadership and dedication to improving trauma care make him an instrumental figure in the history of the trauma program at UAB.
After more than three decades of unwavering service and leadership in trauma care, Holly Waller, RN, BSN, MPH, NE-BC, has been named a recipient of the UAB VIP Award, a recognition reserved for those who exemplify the values, integrity, and performance that define excellence at UAB.
UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office welcomed 18 individuals in its 11th cohort of Institute for Leadership in August 2025.
Since its launch, the Compassion Closet has been embraced and supported by UAB staff and the community alike, and its mission continues to grow.
In early 2025, Jonathan Kajjimu, MBBS, traveled from Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Uganda to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) as part of the NIH D43 Integrated Networks of Scholars in Global Health Research Training (INSIGHT) program to participate in global health research mentorship under Matt Heimann, M.D., associate professor in the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine and associate director for Educational Programs in the Mary E. Heersink Institute for Global Health (MHIGH).
UAB Hospital has been reverified as a Level I adult trauma center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma (COT) and remains the only ACS-Level I adult trauma center in the state of Alabama. Learn what it takes to meet the rigorous standards set by the ACS.
The UAB Medicine Institute for Leadership, the flagship program of the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office, recently celebrated the graduation of its 10th cohort.
The Cassell Family Bidirectional Training Program—empowered by the generous support of Ralph Cassell, Dr. Gail Cassell, and Dr. Cynthia Cassell—had its first major milestone in advancing global health initiatives and medical training in Peru with the launch of its first collaborative workshop. This program focuses on the bidirectional training of physicians in a global health fellowship through the UAB Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health and Partners in Health (PIH), known locally as Socios En Salud, in Lima, Peru.
The UAB Heersink School of Medicine is proud to announce the 19 winners of the 2025 Dean's Excellence Awards for Faculty.
The UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office recently recognized eight individuals in its sixth cohort of Sharing Authentically to Inspire and Lead (SAIL). The spring 2025 graduates were honored at a ceremony on April 8.
The Alabama Poison Information Center (APIC) released its annual report, highlighting the leadership and continued collaboration of the UAB medical toxicology group and Children’s of Alabama. The APIC remains the only accredited statewide poison center designated by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH). The APIC aims to provide free and confidential lifesaving information from licensed nurses and pharmacists around the clock. Medical backup is provided by UAB physicians Sukhshant Atti, M.D., William Rushton, M.D., and Stacy Marshall, M.D.
Thirty individuals comprising eight teams recently graduated from the UAB Medicine High Performing Care Collaborative (HPCC) spring 2025 program. The program, presented by the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office, recognized its graduates at a ceremony on March 6, 2025.
At UAB Heersink School of Medicine, students are presented opportunities for cutting edge, industry leading medical education, training with the latest technology and techniques that the medical field has to offer. How do medical professionals respond in remote or extreme locations when such technology and resources are inaccessible? Those scenarios and others are presented to medical students through the Wilderness Medicine Special Topics Course.
UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office welcomed 16 individuals in its 10th cohort of Institute for Leadership in January 2025. UAB Medicine Institute for Leadership is a flagship program of the Leadership Development Office, aimed at empowering leaders across UAB and the UAB Health System. It features an initial DISC assessment and a robust agenda of guest speakers from executive-level leadership positions at UAB, including Institute alumni, throughout the program.
The UAB Heersink School of Medicine is proud to announce the 2025 Pittman Scholars. This prestigious honor recognizes assistant professors who have held that rank for fewer than five years for their exceptional research achievements and potential for future contributions to their fields. Named after former School of Medicine Dean James A. Pittman Jr., M.D., this award highlights the school's commitment to fostering innovation and excellence in medical research.
Twenty-two UAB leaders graduated among the ninth cohort of the UAB Medicine Institute for Leadership on Dec. 11, 2024. Institute for Leadership is a flagship program of the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office, an organization dedicated to providing tools and training to empower UAB Medicine’s leaders and the individuals and groups they manage.
In Fall 2024, UAB Heersink School of Medicine announced the winners of the 2024 Dale J. Benos Medical Student Research Day (MSRD). All medical students were invited to present the results of their research projects and submit posters for judging.
UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office welcomed 22 individuals in its ninth cohort of Institute for Leadership in August 2024.
August, 2021. Birmingham, Alabama. After working an overnight trauma call at UAB Hospital, six healthcare professionals gathered for a routine Friday morning meeting to discuss how their shift went. They didn’t know that within 48 hours, they would be bound for Kabul, Afghanistan, to join the dangerous and deadly effort to evacuate American citizens, allies, and Afghan refugees.
Twenty exceptional faculty members were honored with the 2024 Dean’s Excellence Awards for their outstanding contributions across service, teaching, research, diversity enhancement, and mentorship within the School of Medicine.
Thirteen faculty members recently graduated from UAB Medicine’s LEading Advancing Developing (LEAD) Spring 2024 program. The program, presented by UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO), recognized its graduates at a ceremony on March 14, 2024.
Luke Burleson, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and program director of the Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Resource-Limited Settings (PURLS) fellowship, and Matthew Larrison, M.D., professor in the Department of Radiology, have implemented a Point-of-Care Ultrasound curriculum for family practice residents in Kenya.
On Thursday, Aug. 10, the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office (LDO) held its first annual reception to honor the participants of six cohorts (91 graduates) who have completed the UAB Medicine Institute for Leadership.
In the last several years, UAB Medicine and Heersink School of Medicine have worked to bring leadership development to faculty and staff through the UAB Medicine Institute for Leadership and Momentum in Medicine programs.
UAB Heersink School of Medicine has awarded three grants for the latest annual Multi-Investigator Program Award cycle. The 2022/2023 AMC21 Multi-PI Awards, which provide grant funding of $150,000 per year for two years, were awarded to Javier Neyra, M.D., Carlos Orihuela, Ph.D., and Anna Thalacker-Mercer, Ph.D.
Matt Heimann, M.D., has joined the Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health (MHIGH) as the associate director for Educational Programs, tasked with strengthening the educational mission of the institute.
A UAB Heersink School of Medicine student has started a new initiative to help emergency and trauma patients "discharge with dignity."
In Part 2 of the Women in Medicine month series, we hear inspiring moments from the career journeys of Boni Elewski, M.D., chair of the Department of Dermatology, and Marie Carmelle Elie, M.D., chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine.
Medical Student Research Day celebrates the research accomplishments of medical students and provides them with the opportunity to present their projects to fellow students and faculty.
The second year of UAB’s Momentum in Medicine program launched this month and includes 16 women across UAB Medicine and UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
UAB Heersink School of Medicine staff council representatives have officially been named for the 2022-2024 term. See who has been elected to represent you!
Poisonous plants cause the most common allergic reactions to the skin, affecting as many as 50 million Americans each year, according to the American Skin Association. University of Alabama at Birmingham associate professor of Emergency Medicine, Walter Schrading, M.D., says it is important people are able to identify poisonous plants, prevent an allergic reaction and treat skin irritations after contact.