Department of Medical Education
Alice Goepfert, M.D., professor in OB/Gyn and Maternal-Fetal Medicine and associate dean for GME/Designated Institutional Official (DIO), has been named by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) as a recipient of the Parker J. Palmer Courage to Lead Award. The ACGME announced its decision on October 22, 2024 and will honor the two recipients at the 2025 ACGME Annual Educational Conference February 20-22, 2025.
Caroline Harada, M.D., associate dean for strategic initiatives in the Heersink School of Medicine Department of Medical Education, has been awarded the 2024 Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award by the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Heersink School of Medicine awarded nine staff members as the 2024 Dean’s Excellence Awards for Staff winners. Individuals selected for this honor showcased outstanding accomplishments beyond their daily duties and contributed considerably to Heersink’s core mission areas – education, clinical care, and basic, translational, and clinical research.
In August 2024, the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Graduate Medical Education office hosted a grand opening for its newly completed GME Wellness Center. The celebratory open house was attended by Heersink School of Medicine deans, faculty, UAB Hospital residents and fellows.
Cristin Gavin, Ph.D., serves as associate dean for undergraduate biomedical programs for the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. In this role, she has fostered thriving opportunities for UAB students, many of whom matriculate into medical schools, through the programs she oversees.
On August 10, 2024, members from the UAB Heersink School of Medicine incoming MS1 class gathered with friends, family, faculty, and staff to celebrate the White Coat Ceremony. The annual ceremony is the first milestone event for medical students, honoring the receiving of their white coats. The ceremony took place at the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham, AL and was facilitated by Heersink School of Medicine leadership from each of its campuses.
Chandler Harris has been honored as the 2024 recipient of the Sara Crews Finley, M.D., Endowed Leadership Scholarship. This prestigious scholarship recognizes and supports students who exhibit outstanding leadership, scholarship, and service within their medical training and in other endeavors. Eligible recipients must be rising third-year medical students who rank in the top 25 percent of their class, and the scholarship is renewable for their fourth year.
Work has begun on a transformational renovation to Volker Hall’s entrance to create a modern atrium. Due to this construction, the primary entrance into Volker Hall, located at the corner of 16th St and University Blvd, has closed until further notice. This includes the entrance itself, the exterior stairway, a portion of the sidewalk, and the pedestrian crosswalks leading to Volker across both University Blvd and 16th St. S.
On May 18, 2024, UAB Heersink School of Medicine hosted its 2024 Commencement ceremony at Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, to celebrate its 169 graduating medical students.
Since October 2023, Heersink School of Medicine’s Department of Medical Education has hosted several faculty training sessions in partnership with the Global Ultrasound Institute (GUSI). GUSI aims to equip medical professionals with skills to effectively use Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) devices.
The Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion hosted the annual Women in Medicine and Science Promotion Reception April 11, which recognized women faculty promoted at the end of 2023. The honorees and their guests were greeted by Heersink leadership to celebrate their remarkable achievements.
On April 9, 2024, an AAMC-sponsored briefing was held in a U.S. Congressional session to examine the impact of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA, 2021). UAB’s Craig Hoesley, M.D., senior associate dean for Medical Education, participated as one of three panelists representing health systems and hospitals that have benefited from the legislation.
The UAB Graduate Medical Education office is now offering its residents, fellows, and faculty a new training opportunity through the American Medical Association (AMA). The piloting of the AMA GME Competency Software in September 2023 was made possible by medical education funding through a HRSA grant.
UAB medical students gathered with family, friends, and Heersink School of Medicine faculty and staff on Friday, March 15, 2024, to celebrate this year’s Match Day. At 11 a.m., the 2024 graduating class learned the institutions where they will complete their residencies.
Medical Education is in the process of re-surveying medical students as part of an LCME accreditation requirement. The survey is in response to findings from the LCME during the school’s most recent reaccreditation process in 2022, which Medical Education has made strides toward improving.
Adam Agee has been named director of Information Technology for the Heersink School of Medicine, effective December 1, 2023. Agee has served as interim director since June 2023 after the passing of longtime director John Taylor. In this role, Agee will strategize the vision and guide the direction of the Medical Education Information Services (MEIS) team moving forward.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) hosted its annual Learn Serve Lead conference Nov. 3-7, 2023. More than 4,500 individuals from across a multitude of medical professions and communities attended the conference in Seattle, Washington. Among these attendees were a cohort of UAB Heersink School of Medicine faculty, staff, and students.
On Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, students from Heersink School of Medicine gathered to celebrate faculty, courses, and course directors at the annual Argus Awards Ceremony.
As part of Heersink School of Medicine’s commitment to providing an excellent experience for its medical students, renovations have been completed on the 4th and 5th floors of Volker Hall on the Birmingham Campus. The construction on these floors, which began earlier this summer, installed two relaxation spaces, including individual and group seating, tables, and a full kitchen.
On Nov. 15, 2023, UAB’s Heersink School of Medicine, Department of Medical Education, and Medical Alumni Association hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Heersink Family Active Learning Center. The brand-new center in Volker Hall represents a milestone in UAB’s cutting-edge medical education curriculum. The construction of this space was made possible by a generous donation from the Heersink Family Foundation.
Jason Noah, who began working in Medical Student Services (MSS) in 2013, reflects on how he has seen the department grow substantially in that time. In his goal to foster connections between student and Medical Education leadership, he sees himself as one small part of a larger mission to develop student leaders and commit to their lifelong success.
On Tuesday, September 19, 2023, the Healthcare Educators Academy (HEA) at UAB gathered to celebrate the program’s outgoing and incoming cohort of mentors and mentees. The reception was held at the UAB National Alumni Society House and included faculty and dean participation from across the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Optometry, Health Professions, and Public Health.
Nine Heersink staff members were honored at the 2023 Dean’s Excellence Awards for Staff reception. Recipients, guests, and Heersink leaders gathered in the Wallace Tumor Institute Lobby on Sept. 14 to celebrate the inaugural group of honorees. Read about this year's honorees and see photos from the reception.
Jason Noah, director of Student Success Programs in the Department of Medical Education, has been selected as a recipient of the inaugural Dean’s Excellence Awards for Staff.
In 2023, second-year medical students Cody Grier and Henry Haken completed their summer research opportunity in an inaugural program with the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH). In partnership with the Heersink School of Medicine Montgomery Regional Campus, the ADPH provided guidance to Grier and Haken as they developed projects centered around health literacy.
Heersink School of Medicine is proud to announce nine staff members have been selected as the inaugural Dean’s Excellence Awards for Staff winners.
As part of Heersink School of Medicine’s Medical Student Services, the Academic Success Program provides personal, professional, and educational support to UAB medical students. Each semester, the Academic Success team invites students to participate in the variety of tutoring and learning services they offer. Students have access to the program all four years of medical school.
On August 13, 2023, members from the UAB Heersink School of Medicine incoming MS1 class gathered with friends, family, faculty, and staff to celebrate the White Coat Ceremony.
In April 2023, Alejandra Colón-López, Ph.D., the Department of Medical Education’s first postdoctoral scholar in its history, received a MERIT award from NIH/NIGMS. The Mentored Experiences in Research, Instruction, and Teaching (MERIT) Program is an Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (K12) that aims to allow postdoctoral scholars opportunity for research and teaching experiences.
In fall 2023, the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine opened the doors of its Heersink Family Active Learning Center to students, heralding a new era of teaching and learning for UAB medical students.
The Department of Medical Education mourns the recent passing of Robin Lester, Ph.D., Course Director for the Neuroscience Module. Dr. Lester was a pillar of innovative education within the Heersink School of Medicine, and his loss will be felt throughout our department.
The Department of Medical Education lost a significant member of its family with the passing of Shawn Harmon, M.D., Ph.D., Clerkship Director of Montgomery Pediatrics. Dr. Harmon's colleagues and students share memories of their friend and describe the impact he leaves behind.
The Department of Medical Education mourns the recent passing of John Taylor, Director of Medical Education Information Services. Please join us in remembering and honoring the legacy John leaves behind.
As leaders from Heersink School of Medicine's House Staff Council complete their terms, they reflect on their time of service, the projects they are proud to take part in, and the future of House Staff Council leadership.
In May 2023, rising MS4 student Laura Minton Garton received travel scholarships from the Alabama Academy of Radiology and the UAB Caduceus Club for an advocacy trip to Capitol Hill.
Chere Stewart, M.D., is one of four faculty to earn the 2023 Dean's Excellence in Teaching Award. In this article, she reflects on her background in Heersink School of Medicine and on her current role as clerkship director.
On May 20, 2023, Heersink School of Medicine hosted its 2023 Commencement ceremony at Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama to celebrate its 186 graduating medical students.
Heersink School of Medicine's 2023 student award recipients have been announced. Celebrations were hosted last week for each campus to honor award recipients.
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.
Caroline Harada, M.D., has been named the new associate dean for Strategic Initiatives, Medical Education.
The Office of Service Learning is proud to announce its newest and most diverse cohort for the Health Equity Scholars program.
On April 22, 2023, students from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) professional schools will join with UAB's Anatomical Donor Program (ADP) to host a memorial service honoring those who donated their bodies to scientific learning.
With 100 percent of the class of 2023 matching into residency positions, UAB students will continue their medical education at 78 institutions in 31 states across the country.
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.
Will Brooks, Ph.D., has been named assistant dean for Preclinical Education in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, a new position created to support the delivery of active and engaging instruction in the preclinical modules.
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.
Re-accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education is a way the UAB Heersink School of Medicine holds itself and its education programs accountable to established national standards. Read about how the re-accreditation process guided changes to programs, facilities and leadership in the past, as well as updates that are underway.
Nine students from the UAB Heersink School of Medicine were named in the 2022-2023 class of Alabama Schweitzer Fellows, a group of graduate students across Alabama who will spend the next year implementing service projects designed to address social factors that impact health.
With 100 percent of the class of 2022 matching into residency positions, UAB students will continue their medical education at 82 institutions in 30 states across the country.
Construction on the Volker Hall sixth floor renovation is completed, and teams from medical education will be moving into the space over the next few weeks. The sixth floor construction is the first of three renovations that will transform the Volker Hall education tower.