When you train with us, you'll find rewarding relationships with our entire clinical immunology and rheumatology team. Take a few moments to learn a little more about us!
Discover Our Exceptional Educators
The leaders of our fellowship program are all national leaders in the specialty. Each has a passion for providing life-changing care for our patients today and for ensuring that care for tomorrow through training and discovery.
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Amanda Alexander, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Rheumatology Fellowship Director -
Angelo Gaffo, MD
Professor of Medicine
Rheumatology Fellowship Associate Director -
Mitali Sen, MD, MBBS
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Rheumatology Fellowship Associate Director -
Kenneth Saag, MD, MSc
Professor of Medicine
Division Director
Get to Know Your Fellow Trainees
As one of the largest academic rheumatology divisions in the nation—with U.S. News & World Report rankings in the top 12 rheumatology programs for 20 consecutive years—we attract trainees from across the United States and beyond. We find tremendous strength in our trainees, and we look forward to including you in our dynamic team of trainees.
Clinical Immunology & Rheumatology PGY4 Fellows
Pooja Agarwal, MD
Medical School: MGM Institute of Health Sciences
Residency: Brookwood Baptist Health
Hareem Farooq, MD
Medical School: King Edward Medical University
Residency: UAB Heersink School of Medicine
Jennie Hamilton, M.D
Medical School: University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Residency: UAB Heersink School of Medicine
Sreeram Pannala, MD
Medical School: Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences
Residency: Staten Island University Hospital - Internal Medicine Residency
Clinical Immunology & Rheumatology PGY5 Fellows
Lilian Culp, MD
Medical School: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Residency: University of Florida
Kate McCarty, MD
Medical School: Medical College of Georgia
Residency: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Charles Sutherland, MD
Medical School: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Residency: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Irakli Tskhakaia, MD
Medical School: Tbilisi State Medical University
Residency: Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital
The B.J. Harris Fellow
A chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and swelling around the joints, rheumatoid arthritis affects approximately 1% of adults worldwide, is two to three times more common in women, and can lead to progressive joint damage and disability if not treated early. Our division is actively pursuing research to improve the lives of people living with this painful, debilitating disease.
The family of B.J. Harris is proud to support UAB’s clinical research programs in rheumatoid arthritis. Their generosity funds the fellowship training of a promising rheumatologist in memory of Mr. Harris.
Congratulations to Irakli Tskhakaia, M.D., our 2026-2027 B.J. Harris Chief Fellow of Rheumatology. Dr. Tskhakaia completed his medical training at Tbilisi State Medical University in Georgia before moving to the United States for an internal medicine residency at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital, where he received the Outstanding Graduating Resident Award and the Sonia Stupniker Library Award for Scholarly Activity.
Dr. Tskhakaia's academic interests focus on outcomes research and the use of routinely collected clinical, imaging, and administrative data to better understand complications of rheumatic diseases. As part of his research training, he is enrolled in the Master of Science in Public Health in Applied Epidemiology program at UAB, where he is building expertise in epidemiologic study design, pharmacoepidemiology, large-database analysis, and clinical prediction methods. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including Clinical Rheumatology, ACR Open Rheumatology, and Current Opinion in Rheumatology, and he has presented research at national and international meetings, including ACR Convergence and the EULAR Congress. His long-term goal is to develop individualized risk-prediction tools that help clinicians identify serious but often under-recognized complications earlier and improve outcomes for patients with rheumatic diseases.
Got more questions? Reach out and let's talk.
We'd be delighted to talk with you about the many exciting possibilities that await you at UAB. Contact me for more details about the clinical immunology and rheumatology fellowship.
Amanda Alexander, MD, Program Director
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Angelo Gaffo, MD, Program Associate Director
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Mitali Sen, MD, MBBS, Program Associate Director
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