Honoring trauma survivors, care teams and first responders, the Heroes and Healers event will feature three short films, with proceeds supporting the UAB Trauma Survivors Network and its peer mentoring and support programs.The University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery will host the third annual Heroes and Healers event on Friday, May 1, at the UAB Alys Stephens Center.
The event celebrates survivors of traumatic injury, as well as the medical care teams and first responders who saved their lives and helped them on the road to recovery.
Heroes and Healers is known for the short documentary-style films about each honoree, which are shown for the first time publicly at the event. This year, the event is inspired by a movie premiere, complete with red carpet photos, hors d’oeuvres from Tre Luna and the exclusive first viewing of the three films.
The 2026 Heroes and Healers honorees are burn survivor Carmen Knight and trauma survivor Jacob Smith. The event will be emceed by 2024 honoree KD Hill, who is a trauma survivor, author and public speaker.
This year’s event will feature a short film showing a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to keep the UAB trauma center running 24/7/365 — or as the center’s motto states, “Always Here, Always Ready.”
Division Director Jeffrey Kerby, M.D., Ph.D., says the event is a moving experience that highlights the resilience of patients, the commitment of UAB health care teams and the bravery of first responders across the state.
“The Heroes and Healers event gives us a moment to recognize the entire system of care that is crucial to meeting the needs of our patients,” Kerby said. “Seeing our former patients thriving after injury is powerful, and a reminder of why we do what we do.”
Learn more and purchase tickets at the UAB Center for the Arts website.
Proceeds from the Heroes and Healers event benefit the UAB chapter of the Trauma Survivors Network, which supports programs for trauma survivors and their families like peer mentoring and support groups.
The UAB trauma center sees over 7,000 patients annually (over one-third of all trauma patients in the state of Alabama), caring for a daily average of 85 trauma patients from multiple areas throughout the hospital, and evaluating about 20 new trauma cases daily. As an American College of Surgeons-verified Level I trauma center, UAB Hospital has robust and extensive resources to care for the most severely injured patients across the state.