Each year, our department personnel gather to celebrate the progress we make together. This year, we reported exciting patient stories, dynamic discoveries, and ongoing excellence in education. We are delighted to share this annual presentation.
On Wednesday, June 10, 2026, Mark Dransfield, M.D., chair of the Department of Medicine (DOM), and division directors delivered the annual State of Our Department address in the Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium, highlighting the accomplishments, challenges, and future priorities as one of the nation's largest departments of medicine.
Dransfield opened the presentation with an emphasis on the department’s continued growth and impact across its tripartite mission, despite the financial pressures, health care reforms, and economic uncertainty of the past 18 months. He reminded attendees of the missions that unite UAB’s entities and shared his personal vision for the department: “To be the destination of choice for the brightest, most creative and team-oriented people — faculty, clinical providers, staff and trainees.”
Dransfield also celebrated the people who make up the DOM, noting their size and complexity: 607 faculty, 408 trainees, 254 providers, and 1,154 staff members, offering special thanks to the department's executive leadership team. The DOM generated $350.5 million in revenue in FY25 through its research, clinical care and philanthropic efforts.
He went on to highlight the department's significant research impact, noting that DOM research expenditures totaled $181 million in FY25 and averaged 40% of the Heersink School of Medicine's overall research funding over the past five years.
In education, Dransfield celebrated the IM Residency Program’s continued 100% pass rate on the American Board of Internal Medicine certification examination. He also highlighted educational development programs, including the Medical Education Fellowship Track, and the TEACH DOM cohort of the department’s Faculty Development Program.
In FY25, DOM clinical teams provided life-changing care to more than 400,000 patients in our hospitals and clinics and partnered with UAB Medicine to continue expanding and integrating services across the enterprise in response to the acquisition of The Ascension St. Vincent’s Health System.
Division directors followed with presentations highlighting their respective successes over the past year.
Dransfield concluded by looking toward the future, outlining priorities focused on strengthening engagement and communication, reinvesting in research and education, enhancing clinical initiatives, and utilizing artificial intelligence to accelerate innovation across the department.
Faculty and staff with questions about the presentation are encouraged to submit them online and watch Announcements & Good News for responses and updates.
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