Our talented leadership team guides our efforts to realize the tripartite aim of academic medicine: research, education, and patient care. Our Chair, Vice Chairs, and Division Directors bring incredible expertise and passion to their roles.

Meet Our Interim Chair

Mark Dransfield, M.D.

Mark Dransfield, M.D., has been appointed interim chair of the UAB Department of Medicine, effective September 1, 2024. Dransfield is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine. He holds the Ben Vaughan Branscomb Chair of Medicine in Respiratory Disease.

“I am honored and humbled to be asked to serve as interim chair for the Department of Medicine, which is an important transitional role for both the department and the school," said Dransfield. "Seth has assembled an outstanding leadership team and I look forward to working with them to continue to advance our missions throughout the interim period."

Dransfield, a UAB faculty member since 2003, full professor since 2016, and division director since 2021, is a leading expert in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with over 300 published research papers. He has held various leadership roles, including medical director of the UAB Lung Health Center and chair of the Lancet Commission on COPD. Dransfield's leadership will be instrumental in maintaining the department's excellence during this transition. 

Dransfield will continue to direct the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine during the interim, with Tracy Luckhardt, M.D., joining him in the role of Associate Division Director.

Dransfield succeeds Seth Landefeld, M.D., MACP, who stepped down after 12 years as Department of Medicine Chair to join Stanford University's Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences.

Meet Our Division Directors

Ken Boockvar, MD, MS

Director, Gerontology, Geriatrics & Palliative Care

Andrea Cherrington, MD, MPH

Inaugural Division Director, GIMPOP

Mark T. Dransfield, MD

Director, Pulmonary, Allergy, & Critical Care
Interim Chair, DOM

Bassel El-Rayes, MD

Director, Hematology & Oncology

Orlando Gutierrez, MD

Director, Nephrology

Nicole Lohr, MD, PhD

Director, Cardiovascular Disease

Kondal Kyanam, MD

Interim Director, Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Fernando Ovalle, MD

Director, Endocrinology, Diabetes, & Metabolism

Martin Rodriguez, MD

Director, Infectious Diseases

Kenneth G. Saag, MD, MSc

Director, Clinical Immunology & Rheumatology

Meet Our Vice Chairs & Directors

Lisa Willett, MD

Executive Vice Chair, DOM
Vice Chair, Education and Faculty Development

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Robert C. Bourge, MD

Senior Vice Chair, DOM

Cynthia Joiner, PhD

Vice Chair, Research Operations and Development, DOM

Timmy Lee, MD, MSPH

Vice Chair, Research, Nephrology

Erica Stringer-Reasor, MD

Vice Chair, Access and Engagement

Dhaval Raval, MD

Director, Ambulatory Services

Elizabeth Turnipseed, MD, MSPH

Vice Chair, Clinical Affairs