The Breadth of Our Research Program
Specific areas of research within the UAB Department of Surgery encompass a broad range of interests with direct medical relevance, including specific diseases and conditions such as cancer, diabetes, heart and lung failure, traumatic injury, vascular disease, kidney failure; specific treatments that include mechanically-assisted circulatory support, endovascular/vascular technologies, solid organ transplantation; surgical outcomes such as comparative-effectiveness, patterns of care, disparities; and surgical delivery issues including device and methods development.
Our Active Research Areas
Learn More about UAB Surgery Researchers
Beierle-Chen, Elizabeth, M.D.
Division of Pediatric Surgery
Research Focus: pediatric surgical oncology, pediatric solid tumors, neuroblastoma
Carter, Angela, M.D.
Division of Surgical Oncology
Research Focus: host microbe interactions, mechanisms of microbial regulation of substance use disorders, bioengineering microbial-based therapeutics, hormonal and metabolic syndromes and disease
Chen, Herbert, M.D.
Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery
Research Focus: thyroid and parathyroid surgery, minimally invasive radioguided parathyroidectomy, adrenal surgery, endocrine surgery, neuroendocrine cancer biology
Collawn, Sherry, M.D.
Division of Plastic Surgery
Research Focus: laser procedures, skin tightening, resurfacing, fat grafting, transplantation, liposuction, reepitheliazation, skin grafts, wound healing, minimally invasive surgery, laser surgery, fat transplantation
Dudeja, Vikas, M.D.
Division of Surgical Oncology
Research Focus: pancreatic cancer, hepatobiliary malignancies, immunology and stromal biology
Galli, Aurelio, Ph.D., D.Sc.
Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery
Research Focus: brain development and plasticity, neurotransmitters, substance abuse
George, James, Ph.D.
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Research Focus: immune regulation of post-transplant vascular disease and allograft rejection, transplantation and heart failure outcomes research
Gillis, Andrea, M.D., MSPH
Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery
Research Focus: breast and endocrine surgery, surgical oncology
Guenter, Rachael, Ph.D.
Division of Surgical Oncology
Research Focus: neuroendocrine tumors, notch signaling pathway, theranostics, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Iyer, Srikanth, Ph.D.
Division of Surgical Oncology
Research Focus: pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, acinar to ductal metaplasia (ADM) biology, notch and hedgehog signaling pathways in pancreatic diseases
Jaskula-Sztul, Renata, Ph.D.
Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery
Researneuroendocrine cancers, personalized cancer therapy, mouse models of neuroendocrine cancers, targeted drug delivery, nanomedicines, the tumor suppressor role of Notch
Porrett, Paige, M.D., Ph.D.
Division of Transplantation
Research Focus: uterus transplantation, VCA transplantation, reproductive immunology, transplant immunology, pregnancy alloimmunization, renal function during pregnancy, living donor kidney transplantation, sex and race disparities in transplantation, transplantation tolerance
Ren, Bin, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA
Division of Vascular Surgery & Endovascular Therapy
Research Focus: angiogenesis, cancer, endothelial cell and vascular biology, epigenetics, epitranscriptomics, gene transcription and translation, ischemic heart and vascular diseases, vascular niche in stem cells
Richter, Jillian, Ph.D.
Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery
Research Focus: trauma, hemorrhage, resuscitation, endothelial glycocalyx, lung injury, bioengineered in vitro models, mechanotransduction signaling
Rose, J. Bart, M.D., MAS
Division of Surgical Oncology
Research Focus: diseases of the stomach, small bowel, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and bile duct, Notch signaling pathways in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
Russell, Robert, M.D.
Division of Pediatric Surgery
Research Focus: minimally invasive pediatric surgery, pediatric trauma, neonatal surgery, quality improvement and outcomes research
Stafman, Laura, M.D., Ph.D.
Division of Pediatric Surgery
Research Focus: pediatric surgical oncology, pediatric solid tumors, minimally invasive neonatal and pediatric surgery