The Center for the Study of Community Health (CSCH), a University-Wide Interdisciplinary Research Center (UWIRC) housed in the UAB School of Public Health, will welcome a new director beginning July 1, 2025.
Gabriela Oates, PhD opens a new website, associate professor in the Heersink School of Medicine opens a new website (HSOM), will assume leadership of the Center while retaining her primary appointment in the HSOM and continuing her roles in the UAB Lung Health Center opens a new website and the Social Determinants of Health Institutional Research Core opens a new website.
“I am excited to lead the Center’s next successful chapter by building upon its rich foundation of community-academic partnerships, learning opportunities, and impactful research and working with everyone invested in the health and well-being of our communities,” said Dr. Oates.
Founded in 1993, CSCH focuses on reducing health risks among communities throughout Alabama. One of the original UWIRCs continuously funded since 1997, the CSCH offers prevention research opportunities to Center Scholars opens a new website from UAB schools and local communities who collaborate to improve the lives of Alabamians.
“The UAB UWIRC program and the CSCH are indeed fortunate to have a scientist of the caliber of Dr. Oates as a member and leader,” said Christopher Brown, Ph.D., vice president for research at UAB. “I look forward to her stewardship of the center and the addition of her scholarship to further its mission.”
Current director Jeffery Walker, Ph.D., who has led the CSCH since 2020, will continue to play a leadership role after stepping down at the end of the month.
“We are grateful to Dr. Walker for his leadership over the last five years,” said Paul C. Erwin, MD, DrPH, dean of the School of Public Health. “He has led the CSCH through some of its most challenging years, and I am grateful that he wants to continue being engaged with the communities the Center serves. I am excited to welcome Dr. Oates as the new director and look forward to her continuing the great work of the Center. Her expertise in community-based participatory research and her familiarity with communities in Birmingham and throughout Alabama will provide opportunities for us to expand the reach and scope of the Center.”