People

Nicolaas Geurs, D.D.S., M.S., inaugural holder of UAB's Weatherford-Palcanis Endowed Professorship in Dentistry and the Dental Alumni-Joseph F. Volker Chair of Clinical Dentistry, has been selected as the next dean of the UAB School of Dentistry following a national search. He will begin his new role June 1.

Annalise Sorrentino, M.D., professor in the Department of Pediatrics, will take on the role Oct. 1, 2024. She replaces Frank Messina, Ph.D., professor in the Collat School of Business, who has served as UAB’s FAR since 2008 and is retiring from UAB at the end of September.

Johnny W. Scott, M.D., Ph.D., professor of nuclear medicine in the Department of Radiology, graduated from the School of Medicine in 1975 and has been a member of the faculty since 1978. Last month, he was honored for 45 years of service.

The Commission on the Status of Women awarded Jesse Rattan, Ph.D., Mitzi Swift, Grace Jepkemboi Komol, Ph.D., Amanda Watts and Jewell Dickson-Clayton for their commitments to providing significant service to and advancing issues that primarily affect underrepresented populations.

Richard O. Davis, M.D., will be honored for 50 years of service to UAB at the annual Service Awards Program Reception on April 10 in the Hill Student Center.

Sheryl LeAnn Perkins, DHA, will join Human Resources May 6 from the Arkansas State University System, where she oversaw the system's $10 million self-insured health plan fund.

Donna Andrews came to UAB to keep a promise to her mother. Working here was just her path to that goal of getting her four-year degree. But two diplomas and countless students and events later, this longtime staffer in the University Honors Program has created a legacy that will outlast her — whenever she retires.

Victor Jordan, an Instrument and Control Technician in the Energy Management department of UAB Facilities, is one of three employees who will be honored for 45 years of service to UAB on April 10.

Vern Bush, Kevin Davis and Brittany Martin are the first-quarter 2024 honorees of the UAB Values in Action Program. Nominations for second-quarter 2024 honorees are open through April 24.

Alan T.N. Tita, M.D., Ph.D., has led some of the most notable clinical trials in recent years in obstetrics and gynecology. Now he has been selected for the academic medical center’s highest faculty honor.

Woodruff-Borden, who joined UAB as senior vice president of Academic Affairs and provost on Feb. 1, shares how UAB’s bold culture attracted her to Birmingham, outlines her priorities and points to several opportunities for growth.

Caroline Harada, M.D., professor in the Department of Medical Education, received HSF-GEF grants to provide mentorship and recognition for junior faculty clinician educators at all six health professions schools at UAB. Participants have been promoted, published research, taken on leadership roles and won teaching awards.

Anna Sorace, Ph.D., core director and associate professor in the Department of Radiology, has leveraged HSF-GEF grants to help grow UAB’s nuclear imaging program.

Daniel Chu, M.D., division director of GI Surgery, leveraged an HSF-GEF grant to help Enhanced Recovery Programs reach widespread use at UAB and establish himself as a leader in the field.

Carlie Stein Somerville, M.D., an associate professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, turned an HSF-GEF grant into a nationally recognized program that provides multidisciplinary support to help young adults transition to adult care. Four years later, “we have been able to show the impact that we can make with patients and families,” she said.

A partnership between pediatrician Snehal Khatri, M.D., and program director Betsy Hopson will focus on care for patients across the lifespan, including addressing palliative and memory challenges. The unique approach was made possible through an HSF-GEF grant.

Michael Mugavero, M.D., professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, received HSF-GEF funding to launch the UAB Learning Health System project, where the people setting the research questions are not individual investigators with their own niche interests, “but the people in the trenches.”

Gabriela Oates, Ph.D., director of UAB’s institutional Social Determinants of Health Core, is leading a project funded by an HSF-GEF grant to improve care by combining patient records with their residential information. The goal: “to improve patient care and people’s health.”

Lori Edmonds, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Education, has an idea to combat teacher burnout as it becomes a major issue in classrooms nationwide.

The dedication to collaborative efforts shown by Chris Minnix, Ph.D., director of the Blazer Core Curriculum, has earned him the 2023 Sam Brown Bridge Builder Award.