The Department of Urology is pleased to announce the appointment of Chen-Han Wilfred Wu, M.D., Ph.D., to the faculty at the rank of associate professor. Wu also serves as associate director for Precision Surgery in the Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute.

On Thursday, Nov. 20., the Heersink School of Medicine honored 20 faculty members at the Fall 2025 Endowed Chairs and Professorships Reception. This event recognizes Heersink faculty who have made major contributions to research, education, and clinical care.

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.

The Department of Urology is proud to spotlight Valencia Jones, an executive assistant in our department, whose open and welcoming spirit shines through her work.

Luke Shumaker, M.D., joined the Department of Urology as an assistant professor of reconstructive urology in September 2025. He completed his undergraduate degree in medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Purdue University. He then completed medical school at Indiana University before his residency training at UAB. He went on to complete a fellowship in abdominal urologic reconstruction at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Charles Peyton, M.D. associate professor in the UAB Department of Urology, has been selected as a recipient of the highly competitive 2025 NCI Early Career Cancer Clinical Investigator Award (ECIA). The ECIA is a funding mechanism provided by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to support early-career clinician-investigators who aim to pursue a career in cancer clinical research. Candidates must be nominated by their institution, typically an NCI-designated cancer center.

The UAB Department of Urology has launched the Genitourinary Reconstruction and Prosthetics Fellowship, a one-year, high-volume clinical fellowship designed to provide in-depth training in complex reconstructive urology. The fellowship is accredited through the Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons.

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.

John Knight, Ph.D., tenured associate professor in the UAB Department of Urology, has been named the Inaugural Holder of the John R. Burns, M.D., and Dean G. Assimos, M.D., Endowed Professorship. The appointment was approved at the Board of Trustees’ September 2025 meeting.

The UAB Department of Urology congratulates three of its faculty members who were recently promoted and awarded tenure.

Members of the UAB Department of Urology recently attended and presented at the 2025 Joint Meeting, 35th Congress of the European Society for Paediatric Urology in Vienna, Austria. 

The UAB Department of Urology welcomed Dustin Hyatt, M.D., in August 2025 as a clinical associate professor in the Section of Academic Community Urology.

The UAB Department of Urology is pleased to announce a partnership with three global leaders in healthcare technology and pharmaceuticals to support its premier endourology fellowship program.

In the UAB Department of Urology, a strong commitment to growth and professional advancement is shaping the future of clinical care, research, and education. By appointing faculty and staff to strategic roles, encouraging participation in institutionally recognized leadership development programs, and fostering an environment where initiative and ambition are celebrated, the department is cultivating a culture of excellence that empowers its team to lead with purpose and impact.

The Department of Urology is proud to spotlight Amy Harlow, an administrative associate in our department, whose positivity, determination, and eagerness to grow shine through her work.

Three esteemed leaders in the field of prostate care are joining the UAB Department of Urology in 2025, bringing heightened expertise and a specialized subset of services to patients across Alabama and beyond.

When joining the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office’s (LDO) Institute for Leadership Cohort 7 in Fall 2023, Marissa Keppley, MBA, who currently serves as Executive Administrator in the UAB Department of Urology, didn’t anticipate how transformative the experience would be, not just for her professional skill set, but for the relationships it cultivated.

What if the sugar we consume, or even the sugar our own bodies produce, could increase the risk of cancer? That’s the question driving groundbreaking research by Hyeyoung Nam, Ph.D., instructor in the UAB Department of Urology, who was recently honored with a Department of Defense (DoD) Concept Award for her study, “The Polyol Pathway Promotes Renal Cancer Tumorigenesis via Glucose-mediated Lipogenesis.”

After 17 years as a faculty member of the UAB Department of Urology, James E. Bryant, M.D., will be retiring from his post on Sept. 1, 2025. He will transition to a professor emeritus in the department and continue his work at the Birmingham VA Hospital.

The UAB Department of Urology welcomed Kazumi Taguchi, M.D., Ph.D., as an associate professor in June.