Department of Surgery

Abhishek Parmar, M.D., an associate professor in the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, has been invited to join the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Continuing Education Committee and to serve as the co-director of the SAGES Train the Trainer Program. 

The UAB Department of Surgery is proud to announce that Executive Administrator, Mary McDougal, MPA, has been awarded the 2025 Dean’s Excellence Award for Staff for her role in overseeing the administrative functions of the Department of Surgery and its 650 faculty and staff. 

The UAB Department of Surgery is proud to announce the recent promotion of ten faculty members.

Ten Heersink School of Medicine staff have been honored with the 2025 Dean’s Excellence Awards. Now in its third year, the Dean’s Excellence Awards for Staff recognize individuals who have made significant and meaningful contributions to the school’s mission through their work in education, service, and research.

UAB’s Wound, Ostomy, and Continence (WOC) team was recently featured on a podcast for WOC teams nationwide.

The UAB Department of Surgery is proud to spotlight the exceptional research accomplishments of our faculty, trainees and research staff.

UAB Department of Surgery Professor and Vice Chair of Basic Research Aurelio Galli, Ph.D., D.Sc., and UAB Division of Surgical Oncology Assistant Professor Angela Carter, Ph.D., along with their research team, were featured on the cover of Science Signaling and in ScienceAdvisor.

The UAB Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) has been awarded its third consecutive three-star rating in the Society for Vascular Surgery’s Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS VQI) during its annual evaluation.

The 2025 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress is almost here! As many members of the UAB Department of Surgery begin to pack their suitcases and double-check their conference itineraries for their arrival in Chicago, Illinois, make sure to keep the following event details in mind.

The UAB Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy is honored to welcome the inaugural fellow for the newly launched Advanced Podiatric Limb Salvage and Reconstruction Fellowship: Jonathan Gomez Garcia, DPM, MBA.

The UAB Department of Surgery is honored to welcome five faculty members in the month of September: Drs. Juliet Blaskeslee-Carter, Michael “Frank” Gleason, Luis Hidalgo, Victoria Huynh, and Erin White.

The beginning of August marks the new step in the training process for our incoming fellows and an exciting new chapter for our graduating trainees.

UAB was well represented at the 84th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) Clinical Congress of Acute Care Surgery, with five faculty serving as presenters, discussants, and panelists thought leaders on the national stage.

Four doctors are set to join the UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery’s Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship next August: Ben Hazen, M.D., Justin Leavitt, M.D., Paul Shadowen M.D., and Sierra Smith, M.D.

From its vibrant culinary scene to its stunning Appalachian foothills, Birmingham is gaining recognition as both a medical hub and a city where life outside the hospital thrives.

Robert Hollis, M.D., MSPH, assistant professor of the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, and Ridley Brown, BSN, RN, oncology navigator at the O'Neal Cancer Center, have been featured in the UAB MedCast episode: “What is the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) and why does it matter?”

Kimberly Hendershot, M.D., a professor in the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, is now president of the Alabama Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

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.

Rachael Rafferty McCurdy, DNP, RN, AGACNP-BC, recently joined the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery as the new trauma performance improvement (PI) coordinator.

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.

Since its launch, the Compassion Closet has been embraced and supported by UAB staff and the community alike, and its mission continues to grow.

The UAB Division of Gastrointestinal (GI) Surgery has received reaccreditation for an additional three years as a fellowship program specializing in advanced GI surgery, minimally invasive surgery (MIS), and abdominal wall surgery.

Participants in the UAB Department of SurgeryPre-College Research Internship for Scholarship and Mentoring (PRISM) and Future Surgeons and Scientists Investigating Oncology (FUSSION) programs came together to present their completed research to peers, mentors, and family members.

Andrea Gillis, M.D., MSPH, assistant professor in the UAB Division of Breast & Endocrine Surgery, and Peter Abraham, M.D., a recent UAB General Surgery Residency graduate and incoming UAB Endocrine Surgery (AAES) fellow, received awards at the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (AAES) 45th Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Sushanth Reddy, M.D., Associate Professor in the UAB Department of Surgery’s Division of Surgical Oncology and Head of Surgery for the UAB Pancreaticobiliary Disease Center, recently joined UAB MedCast to discuss the multidisciplinary management of chronic pancreatitis.

Benjamin Wei, M.D., a professor in the UAB Department of Surgery and the program director of the UAB Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency in the UAB Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Charles W. Breaux, Sr. and Ann K. Breaux Endowed Professorship in Cardiothoracic Surgery.

The UAB Department of Surgery is honored to announce the appointment of Aurelio Galli, Ph.D., D.Sc., and Karin Hardiman, M.D., Ph.D., to the roles of Vice Chair of Basic Research and Associate Vice Chair of Basic Research, respectively.

The UAB General Surgery Residency Program has named the new members of the 2025–2026 General Surgery Residency Council.

The UAB Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) and Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery have earned the highest caliber of quality accreditation from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for procedural outcomes and patient care in the evaluation of surgical cases spanning from January 2022 through December 2024 – placing UAB in the top one percent of all U.S. cardiothoracic surgery programs.

The UAB General Surgery Residency Program has welcomed ten new trainees to the department and celebrated the graduation of its eight chief surgeons.

The UAB Department of Surgery’s Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery team highlights the dangers of red-light running and urges caution behind the wheel.

Christina Lundeen, BSN, RN, a clinical care coordinator in the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, has been named a 2025 Patient Experience Hero by UAB's Office of Patient Experience and Engagement.

Four new fellows are set to join the UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery this August as part of the 2025-2026 Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship.

Kristy Broman, M.D., MPH, an assistant professor in theUAB Department of Surgery’s Division of Surgical Oncology and a member of the UAB Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship, recently joined UAB MedCast alongside colleagues John Dubay, M.D., Ph.D., and Venkatesh Krishnasamy, M.D., to discuss percutaneous hepatic perfusion (PHP) for metastatic uveal melanoma.

The UAB Department of Surgery’s Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery is committed to training and equipping the next generation of trauma surgeons through theTrauma and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship.

UAB Department of Surgery Assistant Professor Kimberly Kopecky, M.D., MSCI, has been featured in the “What's Brewing with Berman” video series from the Society of Surgical Oncology's president, Russell Berman, M.D., to further discuss her project on eliciting patient values.

It was a persistent cough that never seemed to go away – which made a church trip to the Holy Land a bit more trying for Trinity United Methodist Senior Pastor Rev. Brian Erickson in February of 2016.

Rajamiyer Venkateswaran, M.D., MBBS, M.S., a professor in the UAB Department of Surgery’s Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and chief of heart, mechanical circulatory support and lung transplant service, presented at the Heart Failure Foundation conference in Bengaluru, India, this month.

The UAB Department of Surgery is honored to welcome three new faculty members – Drs. Jonathan Antonetti, Sophie Dream, Daniele Zanella – and announce the assistant professor appointment of Dr. Sergio Acuna Mancilla.

J. Bart Rose, M.D., MAS, an associate professor in the Department of Surgery, is a spring 2025 O’Neal Invests awardee, along with his research partners Benjamin Larimer, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Radiology, and Michael Niederweis, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Microbiology.

Robert Russell, M.D., MPH, a professor in UAB’s Department of Surgery and director of the trauma program at Children’s of Alabama, was recently appointed as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Surgical Research (JSR).

If you’ve ever wondered who fuels our department’s teaching, research, and creative problem-solving, look no further than Mississippi’s native son, ‘Bill Nye’-enthusiast, and champion to improve outcomes for all patients – Dr. Demario Overstreet.

Toria N. Pettway, LMSW, a psychiatric social worker for the UAB Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery, has been named the 2025 recipient of the UAB Social Work Partnership in Community Service Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to patient care, mental health advocacy and community engagement.

J. Bart Rose, M.D., MAS., an associate professor in the UAB Department of Surgery, joined UAB MedCast to discuss the complexity of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and the use of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) as an effective treatment option.

Dana Doriety, RN, BSN, MSHQS, a nurse burn educator in the UAB Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery, recently represented UAB at the 48th Annual Alabama Fire Fighters Conference in Guntersville, Alabama on June 20.

Rachael Guenter, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology in the UAB Department of Surgery, was recently featured in The Endocrinologist, the Society for Endocrinology’s official magazine, for her pioneering research in neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and pancreatic cancer. Her interview highlights her efforts to develop new therapeutic models and understand molecular pathways that drive these complex diseases.

UAB General Surgery Resident Michelle Onuoha, M.D., shares her journey into surgery and the influences that inspired her to pursue a career in medicine.

Smita Bhatia, M.D., MPH, a pediatric oncologist and distinguished professor in the UAB Department of Pediatrics, received the inaugural UAB Department of Surgery Mentorship Award. The award recognizes her for her role in supporting the success of faculty members, especially in the area of research.

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.

UAB Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery Assistant Professor Robert Sorabella, M.D., has been appointed the Surgical Director of Pediatric Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support at Children’s of Alabama.