Dr. Bailey served in the UAB faculty for 42 years, with 36 of those years in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine. He is the founding director of the UAB Lung Health Center, which has been integral to studies of asthma, smoking cessation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and tuberculosis.
He has been honored throughout his career with many awards, including the NHLBI Preventive Pulmonary Academic Award, the Max Cooper Award for Research Excellence, and the Tinsley Harrison Award for Teaching Excellence.
Dr. Bailey has consistently demonstrated his passion for teaching and his dedication to students, serving as an invaluable and influential mentor to over fifty mentees. In 2014, he was the first recipient of the aptly-titled “Dr. William C. Bailey Outstanding Mentor Award.”
Dr. Dunlap served as a faculty member for 26 years. She provided leadership for the Department and the Health System in truly extraordinary ways, including overseeing the operations of the Kirklin Clinic, Patient Services, MIST, HealthFinder, Physician Services, and the Office of Data Resources.
She has served as a content expert on health issues for the US House of Representatives on the Committee on Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee. She also served as Physician-in-Residence for the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. In addition to these prestigious positions, Dr. Dunlap has also received the NIH Physician Scientist Award and the NIH Tuberculosis Academic Award.
Dr. Dunlap and Mr. John D. Johns established the Pulmonary Faculty Development Endowed Fund. This fund honors Drs. Ben Branscomb, J. Durwood Bradley, Dick D. Briggs, and William Bailey. Her gift not only supports and honors her colleagues, but also leaves a lasting impact on the Division, the University, and the field of pulmonary medicine.
Dr. Harding served as a faculty member for 27 years. During her service, she was Medical Director for the UAB Respiratory Care Polysomnography Program and the Medical Director of the UAB Sleep/Wake Disorders Center. Under her Directorship, the Sleep/Wake Disorders Center has been continuously accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and has remained a referral center for Birmingham and surrounding regions.
She provided expert consultative services to a number of state and national agencies including the Alabama Department of Public Health, the Alabama Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Task Force, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Office of the Inspector General.
Dr. Harding is also an active contributor to sleep medicine’s development, holding leadership roles in the American Thoracic Society, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Board of Sleep Medicine, as well as writing on the necessary knowledge and best practices for sleep medicine professionals.
We would like to extend our deepest appreciation to Dr. Bailey, Dr. Dunlap, and Dr. Harding for their dedication and service to this division, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and to the people of this state and nation.