UAB Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery Assistant Professor and Medical Student Surgery Clerkship Director Jessica Fazendin, M.D. has been selected as the visiting professor from UAB to the University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) Medical Center.

UAB Division of Breast & Endocrine Surgery Assistant Professor and Medical Student Surgery Clerkship Director Jessica Fazendin, M.D., FACS, was a recent recipient of the 2022 Argus Award for Best Clinical Educator, Birmingham Campus, alongside General Internal Medicine Professor Lisa Willett, M.D.

The UAB Department of Surgery is honored to recognize the following faculty members who were admitted into the Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons:

• Dr. Jonathan Black
• Dr. Kristy Broman
• Dr. Jessica Fazendin
• Dr. Xiaoming Shi
• Dr. Danielle Sutzko

UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Assistant Professor Quince Gibson, M.D., MBA, has spent the last year and a half as the sole GI surgeon provider at Whitfield Regional Hospital in Demopolis, Alabama, but looking back, his path to medicine has proven far different from Gibson's initial career trajectory.

Dale Davis, RN, BSN, is having a full circle moment. Last month, after 29 years at UAB, Davis retired. After one week of retirement, Davis is returning to work where his UAB career first started - in the UAB Emergency Department as a nurse.

UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Professor and Director for Gastrointestinal Biology Research Aurelio Galli, Ph.D., D.Sc., was one of the featured authors of the recently published article, "Syntaxin 1 Ser14 phosphorylation is required for nonvesicular dopamine release," in Science Advances.

The UAB Department of Surgery’s Professor Aurelio Galli, Ph.D., D.Sc., has been appointed as the Dr. Champ Lyons Endowed Chair in General Surgery and Associate Professor Britney Corey, M.D., MACM, FACS, has been selected for the Dr. Marshall Urist Professorship.

Several members of the Department of Surgery's General Surgery Residency Program were chosen for the distinct honor of serving as UAB Heersink School of Medicine Learning Communities House Staff Mentors for the 2023 - 2024 year.

UAB Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery Professor James F. George, Ph.D., has been chosen to serve as the Department of Surgery's Vice Chair of Basic Research.

Professor Emeritus

Areas of Interest
immune regulation of post-transplant vascular disease and allograft rejection, transplantation and heart failure outcomes research

Have you been diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism or an endocrine-related condition that needs surgery? The UAB Section of Endocrine Surgery is honored to serve and treat patients of Alabama and beyond as one of the southeast’s premiere endocrine research and surgery centers.

UAB Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery Assistant Professor Andrea Gillis, M.D., and Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Instructor Margaux Mustian, M.D., MSPH, have been selected as Associate Clerkship Directors for the Department of Surgery Clerkship Program.

UAB Department of Surgery Assistant Professor Andrea Gillis, M.D., was recently awarded the Dr. Sharon Spencer Legacy Award for Outstanding Service by the Cancer Awareness Network at their 25th-anniversary celebration.  Photo - L to R: Dr. Andrea Gillis & Director of Community Health Access Claudia Hardy

UAB Division of Breast & Endocrine Assistant Professor Andrea Gillis, M.D., has been selected as the recipient for the Society of University Surgeon's 2022-2023 George P. Yang, M.D., Ph.D. Junior Faculty Award for the Underrepresented in Medicine for her research project, Mixed Methods Analysis of Molecular Mediators of Social Determinants of Health in Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.

The UAB Department of Surgery is happy to announce three new faculty who joined the department in September: Andrea Gillis, M.D., Marcos E. Pozo Jatem, M.D., and Kristen Wong, M.D..

UAB General Surgery Chief Resident Frank Gleason, M.D., MSPH, recently presented his paper “Patient factors related to patient engagement technology (PET) usage in thoracic surgery” at the 103rd annual meeting of the American Association of Thoracic Surgery. This year’s meeting took place in Los Angeles, California, from May 6-9, 2023.

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
Diaphragm surgery, lung and esophageal cancer, chest wall trauma and tumors, diseases of the trachea, mediastinal tumors, pleural disease, pneumothorax, paraesophageal hernias, esophageal motility disorders, outcomes research, clinical trials, education

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
congenital heart disease, neonatal cardiac surgery, single ventricle palliation, heart transplantation, adult congenital heart disease, quality improvement, clinical outcomes research.

Last week, a group from UAB’s Center for Injury Science (CIS) met with colleagues in Houston for the first investigator meeting for a large-scale upcoming trauma clinical trial.

UAB Division of Breast & Endocrine Surgery Assistant Professor Lily Gutnik, M.D., was recently appointed to serve as an Associate Scientist in the UAB Center for Women’s Reproductive Health (CWRH).

UAB Surgery Assistant Professor Lily Gutnik, M.D., has been selected as an inaugural member of the UAB Social Science and Justice Research (SSJR) consortium, a pilot initiative of the University-Wide Interdisciplinary Research Centers (UWRIC) Program.

UAB Department of Surgery Assistant Professor and Associate Vice Chair of Global Surgery Lily Gutnik, M.D., recently delivered the keynote speech for the physicians’ oath ceremony at her alma mater, the Medical School for International Health (MSIH) at Ben Gurion University of the Negev inBe'er Sheva, Israel. 

UAB Department of Surgery Division of Breast and Endocrine SurgeryAssistant Professor Lily Gutnik, M.D., has been named one of the "Top 40 Under 40" honorees by Birmingham Business Journal.

UAB Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery Assistant Professor Lily Gutnik, M.D., has been selected for the 2023-2024 Union for International Cancer Control (UICC’s) Young Leaders Programme.

UAB Division of Breast & Endocrine Surgery Assistant Professor Dr. Lily Gutnik has been chosen to serve as a panelist for the Fogarty Global Health Fellows and Scholars / LAUNCH Program's 20th-anniversary commemorative event.

UAB Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery Assistant Professor and Global Surgery Associate Vice Chair Lily Gutnik, M.D., has been selected to speak at the Virtual Research Forum held by the Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health (MHIGH) where Pilot Project grantees will be recognized.

UAB Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery Assistant Professor and Associate Scientist for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research (MHRC) Lily Gutnik, M.D. has been selected to receive the 2022 UAB MHRC Excellence in Mentoring Award.

UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Associate Professor, Assistant Program Director of Resident Research for the General Surgery Residency Program, and Program Co-Director for the Surgery Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Karin Hardiman, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed to the American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgeon Scientist Program Committee.

UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Associate Professor Karin Hardiman, M.D., Ph.D., was recently appointed to serve as a standing member on the National Institutes of Health’s Bioengineering, Technology, and Surgical Sciences (BTSS) Study Section.

UAB Surgery Assistant Professor Brent Haverstock, DPM, FACFAS, and Professor Mark Patterson, M.D., will discuss the work of the UAB Advanced Limb Preservation Program at the Alabama Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Fall Forum.

UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Professor Kimberly Hendershot, M.D., FACS, had an eventful Surgical Education Week, rising to two new leadership positions and winning a conference Shark Tank competition.

UAB medical student Brendon Herring, MSand Bart Rose, M.D., MAS, FACS, of the Division of Surgical Oncology recently published “Under-Representation of Racial Groups in Genomics Studies of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms” in Cancer Research Communications.

Professor Emeritus

Areas of Interest
adult cardiac surgery, surgery for heart failure, mechanical circulatory support and surgery for heart failure, surgical education

UAB Department of Surgery and the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center teamed up this summer to support melanoma awareness at the inaugural Steps Against Melanoma Walk at Veterans Park in Hoover.

Medical professionals from UAB, including Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Injury Prevention Coordinator Libby Kellen, RN, BSN, demonstrated ways community members can stop a bleeding wound and help save lives.

UAB Department of Surgery research resident Bayley Jones, M.D., was recently recognized at the 9th World Congress of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Society as the ERAS Nursing and Allied Health Professionals Abstract Presentation Winner in Lisbon, Portugal.

Bayley Alexandra Jones, M.D., a UAB Department of Surgery research resident, was selected as a recipient of the 2023-2024 Association for Academic Surgery/Association for Academic Surgery Foundation Trainee Clinical Outcomes/Health Services Trainee Research Award.

UAB Medical Student Meghna Katta was selected by the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) as a recipient of the 2022 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Award.

University of Alabama at Birmingham John H. Blue Chair of General Surgery Dr. Gregory Kennedy, has been named executive vice chair of the UAB Department of Surgery.

UAB Surgery Administrative Director Marissa Keppley, MBA, recently presented on the impact of AI-informed communications at the Association of Academic Surgical Administrators (AASA) 2023 Mid-Year Retreat.

Planning an international trip? Review the resources available to make your trip safer and less costly.

UAB Department of Surgery Division of Surgical Oncology Assistant Professor Kimberly Kopecky, M.D., MSCI, was selected as the 2025 recipient of the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) Young Investigator Award.

Several members of the UAB Department of Surgery have been selected to participate in UAB Medicine leadership programs.

Associate Professor
Chief, Section of Adult Cardiac Surgery

Areas of Interest
coronary artery disease, minimally invasive treatment of atrial fibrillation, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, aortic valve surgery, mitral valve and tricuspid valve repair, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), atrial septal defects, disorders of the thymus gland, chest tumors, saphenous vein harvest, pericardial effusions

UAB Division of Breast & Endocrine Surgery Associate Professor Brenessa Lindeman, M.D., MEHP, FACS, was recently selected as a participant in the 2023 cohort of the Momentum Leaders in Medicine at UAB.

Brenessa Lindeman, M.D., MEHP was awarded a $5,000 grant from the Association for Surgical Education Foundation (ASEF), stemming from the Center for Excellence in Surgical Education, Research and Training (CESERT) program.

UAB Division of Breast & Endocrine Surgery Associate Professor Brenessa Lindeman, M.D., MEHP, FACS, has been accepted into the Association of Women Surgeons’ Shining Star Leadership Program.

The UAB Department of Surgery is honored to announce Brenessa Lindeman, M.D., MEHP, FACS, as the Vice Chair of Education. 

Division of Transplantation Professor and Arnold G. Diethelm Endowed Chair in Transplantation Surgery Jayme Locke, M.D., MPH, was accepted as a member into the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) in April 2022. 

From its recent accolade as one of the nation's top culinary destinations to its stunning Appalachian foothills views, Birmingham has earned a reputation as a destination ideal for both work and play.