By: Mark T. Dransfield, M.D., Chair of the Department of Medicine

Dear Alumni, 

The past few months as the permanent chair of the Department of Medicine have been a blur. But even when I’ve had to double-check my seatbelt on this wild ride, it has been an honor to serve in a new leadership role. I didn’t aspire to this job as a resident, but in so many ways, it’s the kind of challenge that UAB has been preparing me for over the last 20 years. 

To give you a sense of where we are as a department, I can honestly report that even as we are navigating some financial uncertainty, we are doing well. Like many academic medical centers, we're facing a shifting research landscape, and this year's budgeting process looked quite different than in years past. We were asked to identify $8 million in cost reductions to offset an anticipated decrease in state funding. That's not an insignificant number — though it represents only about 3% of our annual operating budget. 

Through the dedicated work of our leadership team — our division directors, vice chairs, and others — we've been able to minimize the impact on our people: our staff, providers, faculty, and trainees. Most importantly for many of you, there has been little disturbance to our residency program, something I'm truly thankful for. 

On a happy note, I'm tremendously proud of our most recent ABIM Board scores. We're celebrating a 100% pass rate this year. This is a testament to the incredible teachers of internal medicine we have here. Speaking of which, we actually had to create a whole new category at this year's Recognition Day. Six faculty members had somehow collectively earned ten Top 10 Teacher awards across our department. These folks are now officially retired from the voting process, having earned the title of "Master Teacher." They are JR Hartig, Tavo Heudebert, Ryan Kraemer, Jason Morris, Ashita Tolwani, and Lisa Willett. If you get a chance, send them your congratulations. 

I also realize we're all still processing the loss of Latesha Elopre, who trained in our residency from 2009 – 2012 and was thriving in many leadership roles as mid-career faculty in our Division of Infectious Diseases. She was one of our true shining stars — an incredible doctor, investigator, and friend. The Board of Trustees recently honored her life and work through a posthumous appointment to the Jeanne M. Marrazzo, MD, MPH, Endowed Professorship in Innovation and Advancement through Mentorship. I hope we can all find comfort and inspiration in her lasting legacy. 

As we look toward 2026, we don't know what challenges lie ahead. But I'm confident we'll face them together and continue to serve our patients, our community, and each other with excellence. 

Drop by anytime. Dr. Willett and I are in LHFOT most days and would love to see you. 

All my best, 
Mark