1988 RetreatFor three decades, the annual Gail Cassell Microbiology Research Retreat has brought together members of the UAB Department of Microbiology for a weekend of shared knowledge, thought-provoking discussion, and in-person camaraderie in a collaborative setting. From hosting notable keynote speakers to gathering department members in serene locations, the retreat has provided a productive platform for scientific enrichment.

The retreat origins

The idea to host an annual department retreat came in 1988 from Gail Cassell, Ph.D., the then-chair of the Department of Microbiology. According to the department website, Cassell “wanted the retreat to serve as a learning ground for students and to bring students, postdocs, and faculty together to interact both scientifically and socially.”

According to David Chaplin, M.D., Ph.D., professor emeritus in the Department of Microbiology and previous department chair, Cassell’s original vision included not only the department itself but also the greater UAB microbiology community.

2000 Retreat“This included people from multiple UAB schools (Joint Health Sciences, School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, School of Public Health, School of Nursing, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering, and occasionally others) if their graduate students were enrolled in the microbiology graduate training programs,” Chaplin said. “Thus, the retreat provided valuable glue that held the broadly based microbiology community from across UAB together.”

Peter Burrows, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the Department of Microbiology, has been attending the retreat and helping organize it since its inception in October 1988. He recalls that this first retreat was held at Camp Laney in Mentone, Alabama.

“It had unheated log cabins with bunk beds, and it was cold. Everyone was standing by campfires to keep warm. It was a great success anyway,” Burrows said, adding that luckily, there was at least hot water in the shower rooms.

Burrows, the unofficial Master of Ceremonies for the annual research retreat, has been consistently attending the retreats ever since.

Past venues have included Lake Guntersville State Park, Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, The Chattanoogan Hotel, Historic Banning Mills in Banning, Georgia, and more.

“The retreat gives the students, postdocs, and faculty the opportunity to interact in a relaxed setting, away from everyday distractions, and learn about each other's research,” Burrows said. “We are a fairly large department, so this is important. It builds collegiality and collaborations.”

The speakers

2007 RetreatThe tradition of having a featured speaker at the retreat began in 1992, and originally, speakers were selected among primary or secondary faculty within the department. Charles Turnbough, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the Department of Microbiology, was the retreat’s first keynote speaker.

In 2002, the retreat began hosting speakers from outside UAB, all of whom are past faculty, postdocs, or graduate students from the Department of Microbiology. The 2002 keynote speaker was Thomas Tedder, Alter Geller Professor for Research and then-chair of the Department of Immunology at Duke University Medical Center.

The retreat has hosted many notable speakers over the years, including Max Cooper, M.D., in 2007 and Dr. Cassell herself in 2017.

“A major highlight was the year when Dr. Cassell came from her job as a research leader at Eli Lilly back to the retreat, gave a presentation on the critical need to develop new types of antimicrobial antibiotics, and announced her intention to create an endowment that would assure the retreat had financial support in perpetuity,” said Chaplin, who was the retreat’s keynote speaker in 2000.

“It's been a great opportunity to bring scientists from the multiple disciplines that make up microbiology together,” Chaplin added. “It's also provided a great opportunity for trainees to practice their presentation skills in a friendly, but rigorous, environment. Our community owes a great debt of gratitude to Dr. Cassell for inaugurating the retreat and for providing funding for it, and to Drs. Burrows and (Janet) Yother who have served as steadfast organizers for the many years of the retreat, and to the department office staff who have provided the logistical support that made it happen.”

The 30th annual retreat

2017 RetreatBurrows looks forward to this year’s retreat, which saw a two-year pause during the pandemic. The last retreat, in 2022, was a one-day event in Birmingham.

“It's nice to get out of town for the weekend and really ‘retreat.’ I hope this one is a success and that we can continue the tradition,” Burrows said.

The 30th annual Gail Cassell Microbiology Research Retreat will be held Nov. 8-10, 2024, at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, Alabama. The keynote speaker will be Robert. C. Axtell, Ph.D., distinguished alumnus and current associate professor in the Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Research Program at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

J. Victor Garcia-Martinez, chair of the Department of Microbiology, looks forward to what this year has to offer.

“The Department of Microbiology retreat has always been a wonderful opportunity for students, postdocs, and faculty to learn about the outstanding science being conducted in our laboratories, to facilitate in-person interactions, and to establish new collaborations in a relaxing environment conducive to creative and innovative thinking,” he said.