Five faculty were honored with the 2024 UAB Graduate Dean’s Excellence in Mentorship Award April 22 at the UAB National Alumni Society House. The annual award recognizes five full-time regular UAB faculty members who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments as mentors of graduate students and/or postdoctoral fellows.

As far back as Samir Rana can remember he had been told stories of his ancestors and their work with herbal medicine.

For Rana’s family, medicine was more than just a means to an end. It was in their blood. His father and aunt worked in public health, and one uncle was a nurse, while another was a doctor. It was believed that Rana would also follow in the family’s footsteps and pursue a medical degree.