Department of Radiology
Meg Francis, M.D., PGY2, joined the UAB Department of Radiology in July 2025. Originally from Louisville, Mississippi, she earned her undergraduate degree from Jackson State University and later completed her master’s degree in biomedical sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She went on to complete medical school at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine.
The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Research & Education (R&E) Foundation recently expressed its appreciation to Christopher T. Hensley, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Radiology, for his recent service on the foundation’s grant review study sections.
Gerardo Torres-Flores, M.D., joined the UAB Department of Radiology as an assistant professor in the emergency radiology section in July 2025. With a diverse background, he brings a passion for teaching and dedication to advancing the field of radiology.
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.
David Reisner, M.D., joined the UAB Department of Radiology faculty September 2025 as a clinical associate professor. He completed his undergraduate studies in economics at the University of Pennsylvania before earning a medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College (then known as Jefferson Medical College) of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Cheri L. Canon, M.D., FACR, FSAR, FAAWR, president, UA Health Services Foundation; chief physician executive, UAB Health System; professor emerita, UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Radiology, has been named the latest recipient of the American College of Radiology’s Radiology Leadership Institute® (RLI) Larry R. Muroff Luminary Award.
Haley Feezell, M.D., PGY2, joined the UAB Department of Radiology in July 2025. Originally from Rogers, Arkansas, she earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas before completing her medical training at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Cathy Chen, M.D., joined the UAB Department of Radiology faculty in July 2025 as a clinical assistant professor in the breast imaging section. She completed her undergraduate studies in chemical and biological engineering at Princeton University before earning her medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine.
Early detection of breast cancer saves lives. Yet myths and misconceptions often prevent people from getting the screenings they need. Stefanie Woodard, D.O., associate professor and chief of breast imaging in the Department of Radiology, helps separate facts from fiction.
Rani Al-Senan, Ph.D., joined the UAB Department of Radiology in August 2025 as an associate professor in the Division of Physics and Engineering. He completed his undergraduate studies in radiological sciences at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. He then earned his master’s degree in medical physics from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He obtained his doctorate in medical physics from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
The Department of Radiology has eight faculty members who have earned promotions and one who was awarded tenure for 2025. These achievements represent significant milestones in their academic careers and highlight their unwavering dedication to advancing research, educating the next generation, and serving our patients and community.
Catherine Bridges Adams, M.D., Ph.D., PGY2, joined the UAB Department of Radiology in July 2025. Originally from Coventry, Rhode Island, she earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado Denver before completing both her medical and doctoral training at the Medical University of South Carolina. Get to know Dr. Adams better with three quick questions!
Nathalie Correa, Ph.D., joined the UAB Department of Radiology as an assistant professor in the Division of Physics and Engineering in August 2025.
UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office welcomed 18 individuals in its 11th cohort of Institute for Leadership in August 2025.
The UAB Department of Radiology is pleased to announce a change in leadership in the Human Imaging Core (HUMI). Junaid Raja, M.D., MSPH, FACP, co-director of Pediatric Vascular and Interventional Radiology, program director of the Integrated Interventional Radiology Residency, and assistant professor in the Division of Vascular and Interventional radiology, will assume the roles of the HUMI Core Facility director and Radiology Data Safety Monitoring Board chair effective September 2025.
We proudly celebrated the 2025 Radiology Awards at our All Hands meeting in July. With the whole department tuned in, it was a wonderful an opportunity to recognize the outstanding individuals who make the Department of Radiology such a remarkable place to work and grow. We are fortunate to have an incredible team whose talent, collaboration, and commitment elevate everything we do.
Jonah Barrett, a medical student working under the guidance of Jordan Perchik, M.D., assistant professor in the abdominal imaging section, recently co-authored a research study published in Academic Radiology titled “Documenting Disclosure: Limited Reporting of Generative AI Usage in Radiology Research Manuscripts.”
After a national search, Mahmud Mossa-Basha, M.D., has been named chair of the UAB Department of Radiology, effective November 1, 2025.
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.
Before there were MRI machines or CT scans—never mind the possibility of using AI to unlock the mysteries of the human brain—there was Civitan International.
Academic medical centers (AMCs) are among the United States’ most active hives of biomedical innovation thanks to their often robust research enterprises. Increasingly, AMCs like the Heersink School of Medicine play a central role in another realm of innovation: the biomedical/biotech start-up space.
Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), also known as Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome, is a rare, but serious, genetic disorder that causes abnormal blood vessels to form throughout the body. These abnormal vessels bypass much smaller blood vessels, or capillaries, creating direct connections between arteries and veins known as arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). This can lead to serious health issues, including internal bleeding and complications in vital organs like the lungs, brain, spine, liver and gastrointestinal tract.
The UAB Pancreatobiliary Disease Center (PDC) hosted the second annual Hops & Hope Fair on Saturday, May 31, 2025 at Cahaba Brewing Company.
The UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center recently announced five winners of the O’Neal Invests grant awards, two generously funded by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama (BCRFA).
Fourteen UAB chief residents recently completed the Chief Residents Leadership Development Workshop. The program, presented by the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office, was held on May 9, 2025.
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.
Suzanne Lapi, Ph.D., vice chair of research, director of the UAB Cyclotron Facility, co-leader of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center Experimental Therapeutics program, Emmet O’Neal II Endowed Professor in lung cancer research, and professor in the Division of Advanced Medical Imaging Research with the UAB Department of Radiology, has been appointed to the rank of Distinguished Professor in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
Desiree Morgan, M.D., vice chair of faculty affairs and professor in the abdominal imaging section in the Department of Radiology, was appointed as University Professor in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
The Center for Neuroengineering and Brain-Computer Interfaces (CNBCI) under the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine hosted its third annual NeuroGateways Symposium on April 10-11 at the UAB Alumni House.
Aparna Singhal, M.D., associate professor in the neuroradiology imaging section in the UAB Department of Radiology and a mom of three, recently stepped beyond her role as a radiologist to embrace a new title — author. Inspired by a desire to share her work with her own children, she wrote a one-of-a-kind children’s book introducing young readers to the world of radiology, “ABCs of Radiology for Kids”.
Each year, the UAB Service Awards celebrate the dedication of employees who have achieved service milestones of five years and beyond. Employees with 20-plus years of service were additionally recognized at a Service Awards reception on April 8. The Department of Radiology proudly celebrated two faculty members honored this year for their remarkable commitment to UAB- with 25 and 30 years of service.
The Department of Radiology is undergoing a leadership transition in the Division of Interventional Radiology (IR). Aliaksei Salei, M.D., director of IR operations, director of quality of IR, and associate professor in the Division of IR, will be stepping into the role of interim division director as we conduct a national search for a permanent division director. This change is effective, April 15, 2025.
November 2024 marked 20 years since the establishment of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute (EMBI) at UAB. The institute was made possible by a generous gift from the McKnight Brain Research Foundation (MBRF), matched by the university, to support research in cognitive aging and age-related memory loss. Ronald Lazar, Ph.D., professor in the UAB Department of Neurology, has been director of the institute since 2017.
The AI in Medicine and Nursing Symposium, hosted by the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, UAB Medicine, UAB School of Health Professions, UAB School of Nursing, and Maastricht University Faculty of Science and Engineering, concluded successfully, bringing together leading experts, researchers, and industry representatives to explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care.
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.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HIIE) celebrated its annual Innovation Awards on October 11, 2024, recognizing outstanding innovators and entrepreneurial achievements. Anath Shalev, M.D., director of the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center and founder of TIXiMED, was awarded the 2024 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award, the institute’s highest honor. Shalev's start-up, TIXiMED, recently advanced toward clinical trials after receiving FDA clearance for its novel Type 1 diabetes treatment, TIX100.
Eight faculty members recently graduated from UAB Medicine’s LEading Advancing Developing (LEAD) Fall 2024 leadership development program. The program, presented by UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO), recognized its graduates at a ceremony on Oct. 24, 2024.
The Department of Radiology is pleased to announce that, effective October 1, 2024, Siddhartha Gaddamanugu, M.D., will assume the role of program director, Neuroradiology Fellowship, succeeding Vee Prattipati, M.D.
A platform for undergraduate students to advance their research, the UAB Summer Research Academy (SRA) launched its seventh installment of the program on June 3, 2024. This competitive research program provides summer scholarships for students in the joint health sciences while preparing them for advancement to graduate or medical scientist training programs.
W. Scott Jennings, CPA, MBA, executive administrator of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Radiology, has been named the 2024 Will Ferniany Academic Medicine Leadership Award recipient.
The United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) recently held its annual conference in Birmingham, Alabama, from Jan. 9-14, 2024. Hosted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) J. Frank Barefield, Jr. Entrepreneurship Program, the event, titled USASBE 2024: Forging the Future Together, brought together educators, innovators, and entrepreneurs from across the country and featured many team members from the UAB Heersink School of Medicine and UAB Medicine.
Srini Tridandapani, M.D., Ph.D., has been named interim chair of the UAB Department of Radiology, effective March 1, 2024. Tridandapani is a professor and the vice chair for Imaging Informatics in the Department of Radiology and the founding director of the Division of Imaging Informatics.
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.
The Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation held a symposium titled "Generative AI for Healthcare: Progress or Peril" with multiple speakers, all innovators in the field of health care, on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
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.
Ryan Godwin, Ph.D., instructor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine and the Department of Radiology, and Sandeep Bodduluri, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Medicine and Instructor & Advisor for AI Programming for the Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation, have partnered to instruct the institute’s new graduate certificate course, Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine.
The UAB Heersink School of Medicine Office of Research introduces new faculty for Spring 2023. Please join Heersink School of Medicine and the Office of Research in welcoming these new faculty.
In honor of Pride Month, the Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion is sharing the initiatives implemented in the UAB Department of Radiology to create a welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ patients, students, and faculty members.
Andrew Smith, M.D., Ph.D., vice chair of innovation in the Department of Radiology and clinical director of AI in the Marnix E. Heersink Institute of Biomedical Innovation, recently published a study on the use of ChatGPT in Radiology with Asser Abou Elkassem, M.D., a Department of Radiology resident.
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.