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Our mission is to recognize and reward research excellence in the Department of Medicine, to foster mentorship, and to facilitate the career development of junior research faculty.

The Dream Council header imageThe 2023 DREAM Council.

The DREAM (DOM Research Excellence Advancement and Mentoring) Council plays a key role in advancing early-career faculty by selecting candidates for prestigious departmental awards that pave the way toward securing a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Career Development Award (K award). These K awards provide critical support and protected time for faculty to develop their research skills, enabling them to become highly trained research scientists. The Council also helps select recipients of the Heersink School of Medicine Pittman Scholars Award and facilitates the placement of medical students into research labs through the Koopman Medical Student Research Excellence Award. In total, the Council oversees six departmental research awards and leads the organization of the annual Trainee Research Symposium, showcasing the achievements of rising researchers.

Serving on the DREAM Council offers junior faculty valuable opportunities to gain significant institutional service experience, while providing senior faculty with a platform to mentor the next generation of researchers. Our long-term vision is to turn the aspirations of research scientists within the Department of Medicine into reality, fostering a culture of research excellence that will have a lasting impact across the institution.

DOM DREAM Council Leadership

Jarrod Barnes, Ph.D., MBA

Jarrod Barnes, Ph.D., MBA

Chair

Carmen De Miguel, Ph.D., MS

Carmen De Miguel, Ph.D., MS

Chair-Elect

Timmy Lee, M.D., MSPH

Timmy Lee, M.D., MSPH

Ex Officio

  • Jarrod Barnes, Ph.D., MBA
  • Carmen De Miguel, Ph.D., MS
  • Timmy Lee, M.D., MSPH
  • Jarrod Barnes, Ph.D., MBA

    Jarrod Barnes, Ph.D., M.B.A., is an assistant professor in the UAB Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine. He began his work at UAB in 2017. Barnes’ research is focused on dysregulated glucose metabolism and its role in aberrant glycosylation in pulmonary vascular disease. Specifically, his work has demonstrated that glucose dysregulation impacts glycosylation and glycosyltransferases that drive cell proliferation in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). His research explores the molecular mechanisms that regulate metabolism and glycosylation in IPAH, as well as other pulmonary diseases including COPD and Cystic Fibrosis. Barnes’ laboratory not only engages in novel research, but also provides training and mentorship for students studying the fields of lung biology and glycobiology.

    Barnes trained in Glycobiology at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center at the University of Georgia. He was then recruited to the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, where he combined his basic research experiences with more translational approaches in the Department of Pathobiology within the Lerner Research Institute. While working at the Cleveland Clinic, Barnes became a Research Associate and the Director of the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Center of Excellence Biorepository.

  • Carmen De Miguel, Ph.D., MS

    Chair-Elect

  • Timmy Lee, M.D., MSPH

    Timmy Lee, M.D, M.S.P.H., is a professor in the UAB Division of Nephrology and Section Chief of Nephrology at the Birmingham VA Medical Center. He also serves as Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Medicine and holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

    Lee has been involved in hemodialysis vascular access research since 2002. He has active clinical trials, large epidemiologic studies in dialysis vascular access, and a laboratory-based translational research program in dialysis vascular access. The goal of his research program is to develop novel therapeutics to prevent and treat complications of hemodialysis vascular access dysfunction and to improve the delivery and processes of care for patients requiring hemodialysis.

    Lee received his medical degree at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport and completed his internal medicine residency, nephrology fellowship, and Master of Science in Public Health program at UAB.

  • Jarrod Barnes, Ph.D., MBA
  • Carmen De Miguel, Ph.D., MS
  • Timmy Lee, M.D., MSPH

DOM DREAM Council Committee Members

Member

Division                                                                                                              

Email

Jarrod Barnes, PhD - Chair

Pulmonary, Allergy, & Critical Care Medicine

jbarnes@uabmc.edu

Carmen De Miguel, PhD, Chair-Elect

Nephrology

mdemiguelgarijo@uabmc.edu

Raymond Jones, PhD

Gerontology, Geriatrics, & Palliative Care

raymondjones@uabmc.edu

Sushant Bhatnagar, PhD

Endocrinology, Diabetes, & Metabolism

sushantbhatnagar@uabmc.edu

Caroline Presley, MD

General Internal Medicine & Population Science

capresleyc@uabmc.edu

Anju Bansal, PhD

Infectious Diseases

anjubansal@uabmc.edu

Juan Calix, MD PhD

Infectious Diseases

juancalix@uabmc.edu

Rena Patel, MD

Infectious Diseases

renapatel@uabmc.edu

Glenn Rowe, PhD

Cardiovascular Disease

glennrowe@uabmc.edu

Andrea Burden, PhD

Immunology & Rhematology

aburden@uabmc.edu

Tony Merriman PhD

Immunology & Rhematology

trmerriman@uabmc.edu

Stephen Clarkson, MD

Cardiovascular Disease

sclarkson@uabmc.edu

Qing Zhao, PhD

Gastroenterology & Hepatology

qingzhao@uabmc.edu

Jenna Casey, PhD

Pulmonary, Allergy, & Critical Care Medicine

jennifercasey@uabmc.edu

Joe Chiles, MD

Pulmonary, Allergy, & Critical Care Medicine

jwchiles@uabmc.edu

Christian Faul, PhD

Nephrology

cfaul@uabmc.edu

Jorge Gamboa, PhD

Nephrology

jorgegamboa@uabmc.edu

Abigail Hernandez, PhD

Gerontology, Geriatrics, & Palliative Care

abigailhernandez@uabmc.edu

Rui Lu, PhD

Hematology & Oncology

ruilu@uabmc.edu

Kevin Riggs, MD

General Internal Medicine & Population Science

kriggs@uabmc.edu

Timmy Lee, MD

Ex Officio;VCR

tclee@uabmc.edu

Melanie Martin

Chair's Office Liaison

melaniesmartin@uabmc.edu