Colleagues,

An endowed professorship is one of the highest academic honors that a faculty member can receive. It is my pleasure to announce that Brant M. Wagener, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed to the Simon Gelman, M.D., Endowed Professorship, effective Feb. 3, 2023.

Dr. Wagener is an Associate Professor within the Critical Care Medicine and Translational and Molecular Biomedicine divisions of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine. He is the director of Clinical Research, the Systemic Training in Anesthesia Research Program, and the Resident Mentored Research Experience Track within the department.

Dr. Wagener is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health for his work on traumatic brain injury and pneumonia, and collaborates with multiple investigators both inside and outside UAB. He is clinically active in both the Surgical Intensive Care Unit and the operating room, as well as resident and medical student education. He has published numerous articles on acute lung injury, bacterial pneumonia, chronic critical illness, and cognitive dysfunction among other topics in high-impact journals. His research interests involve basic, translational, and clinical research questions.

He obtained his Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy at the University of New Mexico (UNM) in 2009 and did a preliminary year in Internal Medicine at UNM. After completing his residency, Research Fellowship, and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship at UAB, he joined the department as an Assistant Professor in 2015.

As we wish Dr. Wagener great future success, I would also like to recognize Timothy Ness, M.D., Ph.D., for his extensive contributions as a funded researcher. Moreover, we laud him for his outstanding mentorship and teaching while holding this professorship.

Dan E. Berkowitz, M.D.
Alfred Habeeb Professor and Chair