Department of Family and Community Medicine

The UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office (LDO) is proud to honor the latest graduates of the Emerging Leaders Series (ELS) — 24 accomplished professionals who represent the breadth and strength of our institution.

Words have power. That is why MS4 Anna Ulrey, a student in the Department of Family and Community Medicine's Comprehensive Urban Underserved and Rural Experience (CU2RE) program, has used her research project, “Safe Words in Lifestyle Medicine,” to explore how language can transform patient care and meaningful primary care research can shape clinical practice.

Irfan Asif, M.D., chair of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Family and Community Medicine and associate dean for Primary Care and Rural Health in the Heersink School of Medicine, has been selected for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Council of Deans Fellowship program. Asif is the first UAB faculty member to be selected for this prestigious fellowship, which started in 2001.

For Chris Grijalba, D.O., an assistant professor in the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine, lacrosse is about speed, skill, and opportunity. One of the fastest games on two feet, lacrosse rewards athletes of all shapes and sizes who bring effort and skill to the field. That blend of intensity and purpose is part of what drew him to the game, and ultimately, helped shape his path into sports medicine. Today, Grijalba has built a career allowing him to care for athletes while staying closely connected to the game.  

At the May public meeting of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Standing Committee on Primary Care, Irfan Asif, M.D., chair of the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine and associate dean of Primary Care and Rural Health, joined national leaders to spotlight the value of primary care research. 

For nearly two years, Mabry Smyer has been a friendly, trusted face in UAB’s Family Medicine Clinic at UAB Hospital-Highlands. First as a clinic technician and then advancing to a certified medical assistant, Smyer supported patients and providers across a wide range of needs. She has also drawn on experience in emergency medicine and research, building a strong foundation rooted in teamwork, adaptability, and compassion. This summer, Smyer takes her next step forward as she leaves Birmingham to begin physician assistant training at the University of South Alabama. According to Smyer, she’ll be carrying lessons learned from those who helped shape her path into medicine.

Department of Family and Community Medicine Assistant Professor Taylor Taylor, Ph.D., M.Ed., has been accepted into the latest cohort of the United States Association for the Study of Pain (USASP) Leadership Academy. Through additional training, mentoring, and skills development, Leadership Academy scholars hope to drive advances in research, policy, and education surrounding the field of pain science. 

From sports nutrition and cutting-edge rehabilitation tools to real-world strategies for concussion care, the 2026 Robert A. Ferguson Endowed Lecture Series: A Conference on Sports and Exercise Medicine will offer practical education on athlete care while spotlighting the future of sports medicine. Hosted by UAB Sports & Exercise Medicine, the conference takes place Saturday, June 13, at the UAB National Alumni Society House. 

UAB Sports & Exercise Medicine is extending its educational impact beyond Birmingham, serving as a clinical training resource for athletic training programs across Alabama through a growing series of invited lectures and hands-on labs.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has approved a new UAB Family Medicine Residency training program with tracks in Birmingham and Selma. This model allows UAB’s Birmingham campus to function as the main educational hub, with Selma serving as a core rural training site where residents will live, learn and provide hands-on patient care.

The UAB Comprehensive Healthy Living Research Center convened federal, state, academic, industry, and community leaders on April 15 for its inaugural symposium, bringing together different perspectives to advance community-engaged research efforts across Alabama and the Deep South.

The UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine is leveraging additional federal support from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to expand and strengthen nutrition education for students in its cornerstone Comprehensive Urban Underserved and Rural Experience (CU2RE) program. This builds on the department’s long-standing commitment to treat nutrition and exercise as foundational components of primary care.

The UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine Chair Irfan Asif, M.D. outlined a year of program growth and strategic investments, this week, as well as spotlighted faculty and staff achievements during his State of the Department address.

The Department of Family and Community Medicine recognizes 11 employees and their dedicated service to UAB. 

For thousands of medical students, Match Day marks the culmination of four years of hard work—when hours of study turn into a career of hands-on service. This year, a record number of aspiring physicians discovered where they will continue their journey in family medicine and play a vital role in their communities.Here in Alabama, the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine will welcome 28 residents to local programs. 

UAB Family and Community Medicine dietitians are fielding questions about the new food pyramid. Released in the latest set of nutrition guidelines, the new take on a 1992 classic has some Alabamians scratching their heads.

For nearly two years, Lauren Picken has been a steady presence in UAB’s Department of Family and Community Medicine—first caring for patients in the clinic, then supporting primary care research. This fall, she will take the next step in her journey when she leaves Birmingham to begin medical school. It is a path shaped not only by her work at UAB but by her own search for a diagnosis.

UAB Sports & Exercise Medicine has developed the nation’s first training video on how to perform CPR and defibrillation on athletes with disabilities. The video and accompanying tools are designed for medical professionals and others who provide sideline coverage for adaptive athletes, offering detailed guidance on performing CPR both in and out of a wheelchair.

Katie Ellison, Ph.D., RDN, LDN, a postdoctoral scholar in the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine, recently received the Science for Public Good Fund Award from the Union of Concerned Scientists on behalf of the Science Policy Advocacy Network (SPAN) at UAB, where she serves as treasurer. The award funding supports activities and events that highlight the role of science in informing public policy, with a focus on understanding and addressing local impacts.

Behind every successful study is a network of people willing to participate, share their experiences, and contribute to knowledge that can improve health outcomes. At the Comprehensive Healthy Living Research Center, that critical connection between investigators and participants is supported by the Participant Access to Research Core (PARC).

In 2025, the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine launched a transformative redesign of the Family Medicine Clerkship leveraging overhauled content and modern delivery platforms. Now implemented across all four UAB Heersink School of Medicine campuses, the initiative ensures a unified educational experience for every student that is aligned with national best practices.

For many Americans, a new year means new fitness goals. Three UAB Sports & Exercise Medicine physicians offer their tips for starting an exercise routine, preventing injury and even knowing if you are working out too much.

The UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine made an impact at this year’s Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Conference on Medical Student Education. Faculty, residents, clinical and academic staff, and seven students from the department’s Comprehensive Urban Underserved and Rural Experience (CU2RE) program contributed to the national discussion on the future of family medicine.

Fatigue, unexplained weight changes, and mood swings. These common complaints can have many causes, but one often-overlooked culprit is the thyroid. This small, butterfly-shaped gland in the lower front of the neck produces hormones that influence every cell, tissue and organ in the body, controlling metabolism, heart rate and how quickly the body processes everything from food to sugar.

UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine Assistant Professor Haoyang Yan, Ph.D., received the Borrelli Family Lynch Syndrome Research Award at the 2025 Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancer Annual Meeting in recognition of her research to improve cascade testing.

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.

The Wiregrass Alabama AHEC is using its ongoing Pathways to Smiles initiative to introduce rural high school students to rewarding careers in oral health. This project to recruit future dental health providers comes as Alabama ranks No. 49 in access to dental care.

Access to health care remains one of the most pressing challenges in Alabama’s rural communities. Many residents travel long distances to see a doctor or specialist, and shortages of primary care providers continue to affect both patient outcomes and quality of life. In honor of National Rural Health Day, celebrated on November 20 this year, the Heersink Office of Access and Engagement spoke with Irfan Asif, M.D., chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, associate dean for Primary Care and Rural Health, and co-director of the UAB Comprehensive Healthy Living Research Center, to learn how UAB is expanding care and strengthening the state’s primary care workforce.

On Friday, November 14, 2025, students from the UAB Heersink School of Medicine gathered to celebrate faculty excellence during the annual Argus Awards Ceremony. Established to recognize outstanding contributions in medical education, the Argus Awards are determined entirely by student nominations and votes, honoring faculty, courses, and course directors who have made a lasting impact throughout the year.

Nineteen providers from the Department of Family and Community Medicine have been honored by UAB’s Office of Patient Experience and Engagement for delivering an outstanding patient experience. Each achieved a remarkable 95% or higher rating on patient satisfaction surveys—placing them among the top performers across UAB Medicine.

The Family Medicine Clinic at UAB Hospital-Highlands has recently achieved outstanding results in patient experience, earning an extraordinary 100 rating. The UAB Medicine Office of Patient Experience and Engagement recently reported performance levels from July 1 through Sept. 30, 2025, across all UAB ambulatory settings, showing that the clinic achieved a Level 5 rating.

More than 120 physicians, hospital leaders, legislators, and educators gathered in Birmingham for the Rural Primary Care Summit, hosted by the UAB Heersink School of Medicine in partnership with the Alabama Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the Alabama Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Network, and the Medical Association of the State of Alabama (MASA). The goal: to identify practical, community-driven solutions to sustain rural health care across the state.

UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO) celebrated seven distinguished faculty members from the seventh cohort of the Sharing Authentically to Inspire and Lead (SAIL) program at a graduation ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 21. The program, facilitated by Celeste Morgan, Ph.D., CDMS, senior leadership development specialist, is designed to help early-career faculty strengthen their leadership skills, refine their academic identities, and chart clear, sustainable paths toward long-term success.

A research team within the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine led by Tapan Mehta, Ph.D., has been awarded a grant to create the Telehealth Outreach and Policy for Rural and Underserved Populations (TOP-UP) Rapid Response Center. The center will conduct rapid, policy-relevant data analysis and research studies to assess how different telehealth modalities impact health outcomes, making it the country’s first HRSA-funded center specializing in this work. 

Ian McKeag, M.D., M.S., associate professor and head team physician for the USA Lacrosse Women’s Sixes team, recently played a pivotal role in helping the team secure a historic gold medal at the World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China.

Through hands-on activities, panel discussions, and the inaugural Research Day poster and lightning round competition, UAB Primary Care Week introduced students to the full scope of primary care careers.

B. Earl Salser Jr., M.D., associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, has been appointed as the department's inaugural Vice Chair of Education.

UAB Heersink School of Medicine students can enjoy a week-long celebration of Primary Care Week from October 6-10, 2025. This event-packed week aims to educate physicians-in-training and students across the health spectrum on the pivotal role of primary care in the health care system. 

A group of dedicated lifestyle medicine researchers within the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine is leading the institution’s first randomized quality improvement (QI) project. The multi-phase study hopes to optimize enrollment into Sports & Exercise Medicine’s Fitness, Lifestyle, and Optimal Wellness (FLOW) program.

Leveraging gamified learning, the Department of Family and Community Medicine is working to revolutionize medical education proving that, for learners, practice makes perfect. The 2025 Alabama Family Medicine Residency Cup kicked off competition this week with 11 residency programs across the state competing to answer daily, board-style questions designed to cover topics considered relevant for clinical application or for board examinations.

UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office welcomed 18 individuals in its 11th cohort of Institute for Leadership in August 2025.

UAB Family and Community Medicine is expanding access to comprehensive primary care across Birmingham with the opening of a new family medicine clinic at UAB St. Vincent’s East, offering full-spectrum care—including preventative health screenings, pediatrics, chronic disease management, and physical exams—as well as treating acute conditions.

Can online behavioral weight management programs be improved by simply adding a human touch? The iREACH Rural program hopes to answer that question by examining how high-touch support elements in digital interventions can be optimized for delivering weight loss programs to rural patients.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Sports & Exercise Medicine team made an impressive mark at the 2025 American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) Annual Meeting, where faculty and fellows were honored across multiple categories for their scholarship and outreach efforts across Birmingham and the world.

Twelve UAB employees recently graduated from the Emerging Leaders Series (ELS) spring 2025 leadership development program. The program, presented by the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office (LDO), recognized its third cohort of graduates at a ceremony on June 5.

The UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine recognized 15 faculty members for their outstanding contributions to research, education, and clinical care at the Spring 2025 Endowed Chairs and Professorships Reception.

Tapan Mehta, Ph.D., M.S., vice chair of research within the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine, was one of four faculty members honored with the 2025 UAB Graduate Dean’s Excellence in Mentorship Award in recognition of his exceptional contributions as both a steadfast mentor and inspiring educator. 

The UAB Sports & Exercise Medicine team will present at the 2025 American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Mo., from April 22 to April 27, 2025.

Erin DeLaney, M.D., associate professor and vice chair of clinical affairs and quality for the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine, has been announced as the inaugural holder of the Neil E. Christopher, M.D., Endowed Chair in Family and Community Medicine.