The Heersink School of Medicine is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of its 1R01 Award. Securing extramural research funding is a very competitive process, and this award is a testament to these investigators’ groundbreaking research and dedication to advancing biomedical science.

Established in response to a need to expand access to neurologic care throughout Alabama, the acute teleneurology service at UAB recently recognized a significant milestone as it marked 10,000 consults.

The UAB Department of Neurology welcomed Shaida Andrabi, Ph.D., to the faculty as a professor in January 2025.

For faculty in academic medicine, career growth and professional development often come with challenges. To explore these challenges and opportunities for growth, Sima Patel, M.D., FAES, FANA, an Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, began collaborating in 2021 with Jane B.

Stress is a natural part of life, but when does it shift from a temporary challenge to a long-term burden on our bodies, specifically as it concerns brain health? The key differences between stress and chronic stress lie in their duration, intensity, and overall impact on well-being.

Khurram Bashir, M.D., Distinguished Professor, director of the Division of Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis, and vice chair for education, has been named the First Holder of the Burton Multiple Sclerosis Endowed Research Professorship in Neurology.

Erum Khan, M.D., PGY1, joined the UAB Department of Neurology in June 2024. A native of Bharuch, Gujarat, India, Khan completed her medical degree at B.J.

The UAB Department of Neurology welcomed Rebecca Brown, M.D., Ph.D., as an associate professor in November 2024.

Four students from the College of Arts and Sciences—three from the Undergraduate Neuroscience Program and one from the Undergraduate Immunology Program—have been nominated for the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

Claire Goode, D.O., PGY1, joined the UAB Department of Neurology in June 2024. A native of Birmingham, Goode completed her undergraduate education at Auburn University with a degree in biomedical sciences and her medical degree at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Auburn, Alabama.

Brittney Davis, PharmD., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Neurology, recently received a five-year, K23 grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the NIH to study sex-specific pharmacogenomic and metabolomic factors related to adverse effects of anticoagulants, commonly known as blood thinners. The award amount is $818,838 starting in September 2024.

November 2024 marked 20 years since the establishment of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute (EMBI) at UAB.

The UAB Department of Neurology welcomed Muhammad Bilal Tariq, M.D., to the faculty as an assistant professor in July 2024.

Rachel Smith, Ph.D., is collaborating with researchers across UAB on the two-year project, which will focus on the intracranial neural networks responsible for major depressive symptoms in epilepsy patients. 

Nita Limdi, PharmD, Ph.D., MSPH, FAHA, has been appointed associate dean for Genomic Medicine, effective Oct. 1.

The UAB Department of Neurology was recently approved by the Association of Postdoctoral Programs for Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN) as a match site for a neuropsychology fellow. The approval marks the restarting of the neuropsychology fellowship in the department.

The UAB Department of Neurology welcomed Joao Pereira, Ph.D., to the faculty as an assistant professor in July 2024.

UAB was among the first medical centers in the country to obtain a MEG, having done so originally in 2001; however, evolving technology has created a need for replacing the old technology with a new one.

November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month, and the Epilepsy Genomics Clinic at UAB is reimagining how to treat epilepsy in adults with an innovative approach.

National Epilepsy Awareness Month is observed throughout the month of November, providing support, awareness, and education to promote understanding and improve the lives of those effected by epilepsy. At UAB, the Epilepsy Center, located within Civitan International Research Center, offers clinical, research, and educational services to patients with epilepsy.

Twenty-two UAB employees recently graduated from the Emerging Leaders Series (ELS) fall 2024 leadership development program. The program, presented by UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO), recognized its second cohort of graduates at a ceremony on Nov.

This is a step toward an understanding of the brain that ultimately describes the mechanistic basis of human cognition and behavior.

Eight faculty members recently graduated from UAB Medicine’s LEading Advancing Developing (LEAD) Fall 2024 leadership development program. The program, presented by UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO), recognized its graduates at a ceremony on Oct.

Leveraging the existing Alabama Trauma and Statewide Stroke systems, UAB and ADPH have created a model for a more integrated and effective system of emergency stroke care.

Results suggest that, rather than stimulating both sides of the brain using DBS, unilateral right DBS may avoid DBS-related declines in verbal fluency and response inhibition in patients with movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease.

Blazer Bridge Fund provides financial support to innovative ideas and inventions by the UAB community, encouraging advanced discovery. 

UAB Medicine has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus with the added distinctions of Target: Stroke℠ Honor Roll Elite Plus and Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll.

This finding suggests that therapy to remodel synapses could help memory in old age and dementia patients.

For 11 consecutive years, U.S. News has named UAB Hospital the best hospital in Alabama, with several specialties and procedures ranked among the best.

By prohibiting the Activin A protein from functioning, researchers were able to halt the development of dyskinesia symptoms and effectively erase the brain’s “bad memory” response to L-DOPA treatments.