University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Associate Professor and Trauma Medical Director Daniel Cox, M.D., has received a new appointment in the Air Force.

Professor
Chief, Trauma Service
Trauma Medical Director

Areas of Interest
trauma, surgical critical care, trauma systems, military medicine

The Alabama chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation will host its 12^th annual Casino for a Cause on Thursday, Oct. 27, from 6:30 p.m. – 10 p.m., at Haven.

Professor
Chief, Section of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Director, Fourth Year Medical Student Clerkship
A.D. Pacifico, M.D., Endowed Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery

Areas of Interest
pediatric cardiac surgery, quality improvement and outcomes research

Professor
Director, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
John W. Kirklin Endowed Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery
Surgical Director, Cardiovascular Operating Room
Director, UAB Cardiovascular Institute

Areas of Interest
adult cardiac surgery, cardiac valvular disease, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, outcomes research

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest 
combat casualty care, emergency response, shock, resuscitation, critical care, translational medicine, medical education, austere medical care, extracorporeal life support 

Professor
Director, Division of Plastic Surgery
Bruce F. Connell M.D., Endowed Chair in Plastic Surgery

Areas of Interest
abdominoplasty, aesthetic surgery, body contouring, breast reduction and mastopexy procedures, complex wound healing problems including pressure sores, liposuction, trunk contouring after gastric bypass

Associate Clinical Professor

Areas of Interest
breast reconstruction, abdominal wall reconstruction, body contouring, aesthetic breast surgery, facial rejuvenation

Together with the Comprehensive Transplant Institute and UAB Medicine, the UAB Department of Surgery hosted the 4th International Congress of the International Society of Uterus Transplantation (ISUTx).

Numerous members of the UAB Department of Surgery attended the annual Surgical Education Week meeting in San Diego, California, from April 13-15, 2023.

The UAB Department of Surgery is proud to welcome three new faculty members who have joined the department this October: Sarah B. Bateni, M.D., MSW, MAS, Stuart D. Hurst, M.D., and Joseph S. Walker, M.D., FACS.

The UAB Department of Surgery welcomes Jarrad Rowse, M.D., as assistant professor in the Division of Vascular Surgery & Endovascular Therapy.

The UAB Department of Surgery is honored to welcome Mary McDougal as Executive Administrator.

The UAB Department of Surgery is honored to welcome Division of Transplantation Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Muhammad Rabbani.

The UAB Department of Surgery is honored to welcome two new faculty members – Dr. Melanie Rose and Dr. Rachael Guenter.

The UAB Department of Surgical Oncology participated in the Pancreatic Cancer PurpleStride Walk on Saturday, April 29, in Railroad Park.

The UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery has been awarded a $15,000 grant from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Alabama Committee on Trauma (COT) for the purchase of 1,000 gun locks to distribute across Alabama in the goal of injury and death prevention.

This Match Day, the UAB Divisions of Plastic Surgery and Vascular Surgery are honored to welcome new trainees to their programs.

Associate Professor
Section Chief, Thoracic Surgery
James H. Estes Family Endowed Chair for Lung Cancer Research in the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB

Areas of Interest
lung and esophageal cancer surgery, chest wall surgery, tracheal resection and reconstruction, mediastinal tumors, outcomes research, airway disorders, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, lung nodules, mediastinal tumors, chest wall tumors, malignant pleural effusions, pneumothorax, esophageal disease (benign)

Photo: Jacqueline Lewis, M.D., by Ammarr Croskey, The Birmingham Times 

To celebrate Women’s History Month this past March, UAB Surgery’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee member and General Surgery Research Resident Katherine McElroy, M.D., interviewed Jacqueline Lewis, M.D., to discuss her impact on the field of surgery and future hopes for the field.

On Monday, February 17, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. in the Hoover Public Library, Department of Surgery Associate Professor Colin Martin, M.D., FAAP, FACS, will speak on "Diet, Stress, and Gut Health" along with Professor and Graduate Program Director of Biology Stephen Watts, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Chief, Section of Endocrine Surgery

Areas of Interest
Hyperparathyroidism, parathyroidectomy, thyroid radiofrequency ablation

Vikas Dudeja, M.D., FACS, James P. Hayes, Jr., Endowed Professor in Gastrointestinal Oncology and Director of the Division of Surgical Oncology, has been accepted into the Society of Clinical Surgery (SCS), one of the most prominent clinical societies for surgeons.

UAB Division of Surgical Oncology Director and James P. Hayes, Jr., Endowed Professor in Gastrointestinal Oncology Vikas Dudeja, M.D., FACS, was recently elected to the position of recorder for the Association of Academic Surgery (AAS) at this year's Academic Surgical Congress (ASC) in Houston, Texas.

UAB Division of Surgical Oncology Director and James P. Hayes, Jr., Endowed Professor in Gastrointestinal Oncology Vikas Dudeja, M.D., FACS,has received additional research funding from the Department of Defense totaling $2,119,086.

Associate Professor
Program Director, Advanced Aortic and Endovascular Surgery Fellowship
Medical Director, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Areas of Interest
aortic aneurysmal disease, aortic dissection, aortic valve repair and valve sparring aortic root replacement, aortic stent grafting and endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR), minimally invasive valve repair, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR)

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

Professor

Areas of Interest
breast reconstruction and hand surgery

Associate Professor
Co-Director, Pre-College Research Internship for Scholarship and Mentoring (PRISM)

Areas of Interest
pancreatic, liver, gallbladder and bile duct diseases and cancers, stomach cancer, small bowel tumors, health disparities research

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.

Clinical Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest 
clinical and translational research in trauma and general surgery, hemorrhage control, complex abdominal pathology, infectious complications, educational innovation using cognitive retention tools

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.

Professor
Vice Chair, Basic Research
Director for Gastrointestinal Biology Research
Champ Lyons Endowed Chair in General Surgery
Distinguished Professor in the Heersink School of Medicine

Areas of Interest
brain development and plasticity, neurotransmitters, substance abuse

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.

Professor
Director, Division of Transplantation
Co-Director, UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute

Areas of Interest
Kidney transplantation, Liver transplantation, Living donation, Machine Perfusion, Health Services Research

Professor
Medical Director for Surgery/ Surgical Critical Care
Chief of Critical Care Service

Areas of Interest
trauma, critical care, emergency general surgery, surgery education research, biomarkers, wound healing

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.

Assistant Professor
Primary Practice Location: Whitfield Regional Medical Center, Demopolis

Areas of Interest 
global surgery, rural surgery, health informatics, genetic epidemiology

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.

Assistant Professor 
Director of Endocrine Surgery Research
Co-Director, Pre-College Research Internship for Scholarship and Mentoring (PRISM)
Associate Clerkship Director, UAB Surgery 
Committee Leader, Surgical Grand Rounds

Areas of Interest
breast and endocrine surgery, surgical oncology

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..

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest 
progression from immune homeostasis that leads to permissive dysplasia in colitis-associated cancer and novel avenues for its prevention, diagnosis, and treatment