Our chair, George J. Netto, M.D., Robert and Ruth Anderson Endowed Chair, recently had the opportunity to visit the Medical University in Pleven and the Center of Competence Leonardo da Vinci in Bulgaria. The university is one of five medical campuses in Bulgaria and the newly established Center focuses on personalized medicine, 3D and telemedicine, robotic and minimally invasive surgery. In 2020 UAB, through leadership by the department, established a memorandum of understanding for a partnership with the university.
In this Women in Medicine and Science month, we would like to salute our residency program.
In more than 30 years, Dr. Brandi McCleskey is the first woman program director, assisted by Drs. Andrea Kahn and Nirupama Singh as Associate Program Directors in Anatomic Pathology (AP) and Laboratory Medicine (LM), respectively, an all-female team leading our residents. The recruitment season for the 2022 class of residents has just begun and we are excited to see how they plan to showcase UAB once more to national and international candidates. 
Dr. Brandi McCleskey, Dr. Andrea Kahn, Dr. Nirupama Singh
Of the current 25 residents, 13 are women. They come from a large variety of backgrounds, states and other countries, and are led by the AP chief resident, Raima Memon, M.D., who is originally from Pakistan. In the senior class, she and Qing Wei, M.D., Ph.D., are the only woman, while in the third-year class there are five women residents: Drs. Sarah Anderson, Alison Burkett, Cori Clark, Sarah dePew, and Natalie Larsen. Kesley Green, M.D., is the only woman in the second-year class, while five other young women physicians have recently started their training at UAB: Drs. Falone Amoa, Brooke Bartow, Mishi Bhushan, Lisa Bianco and Caroline Stanek. Together with their male colleagues, these women are learning to be awesome pathologists and already providing outstanding care to countless patients at UAB.
We celebrate all our outstanding women faculty, trainees, and staff.
The American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) hosted a campaign in celebration of the Women in Medicine and Science in September. To learn more and support their campaign, visit their website.
The UAB Department of Pathology is sad to announce the passing of John Smith, M.D., Ph.D., MMMD, DSc (Hon), Professor, Laboratory Medicine and Clinical Chemistry Section Head, UAB Pathology, on September 19, 2021, at the age of 74.
Dr. Smith was a lauded member of the UAB Pathology family, having led the Division of Laboratory Medicine for 20 years as its director. In his tenure with the department he also served as Assistant Chief of Staff, UAB Hospital; Chair of the Promotions and Tenure Committee, UAB School of Medicine; Chair, UAB Faculty Senate; and UAB Faculty Representative to the University of Alabama Board of Trustees.
“John Smith’s impact on the Department of Pathology and in the fields of pathology and chemistry cannot be overstated,” says George Netto, M.D., Robert and Ruth Anderson Endowed Chair, UAB Pathology. “He was a lifelong learner, passionate about his field and about sharing his career knowledge with others. Dr. Smith was always finding ways to continue give back, and was a key contributor to the department and hospital labs in his role as section head for Clinical Chemistry.”
The Department of Pathology is honored to announce the promotion and tenure of three of our esteemed faculty colleagues for 2021, effective October 1, 2021:
Sameer Al Diffalha, M.D., Anatomic Pathology -- Promotion to Associate Professor
Dr. Al Diffalha is promoted from assistant to associate professor in the Division of Anatomic Pathology. He is co-director of the UAB Tissue Biorepository and associate scientist with the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center.
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