Andrew Hardaway, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, has been chosen as a 2025 Pittman Scholar by the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. Hardaway follows a long list of faculty members from the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center to receive this award. 

The notable honor of Pittman Scholar distinguishes assistant professors who have held the rank for fewer than five years for their exceptional research achievements and potential for future contributions to their fields.

The award is named after former School of Medicine Dean James A. Pittman Jr., M.D., highlighting the school’s commitment to fostering innovation and excellence in medical research.

Hardaway’s research reaches across many schools and centers including the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC), the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, both in the Heersink School of Medicine, and the Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) in the School of Health Professions.

His areas of interest include psychiatry, neuroscience, obesity, addiction and eating disorders. The Hardaway Lab studies how the brain generates purposeful behavior and how it specifically controls eating at the behavioral, cellular and molecular level. His lab uses cutting-edge basic science to provide the basis for new therapies for those with brain and eating disorders. 

Each Pittman Scholar was nominated by their department chair and will receive $12,500 annually for three years to support their research and scholarly activities. 

“It is an incredible honor to be recognized by my peers as a Pittman Scholar for the work that my lab is doing,” Hardaway said. “I look forward to continuing this work at UAB in collaboration with diverse trainees, publishing this work in some of the top scholarly journals, and competing at the highest levels of science.”

According to the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, the Pittman Scholars program “exemplifies Heersink’s commitment to advancing medical research and innovation by recruiting and retaining top-tier scientists and physician-scientists.”

More than 60 faculty have been awarded this honor since 2015. View all the 2025 Pittman Scholars here.