UAB Heersink School of Medicine is delighted to announce that Tiago Colicchio, Ph.D., has been elected as a Fellow of the American Medical Informatics Association (FAMIA). This prestigious honor reflects his outstanding contributions and dedication to the field of medical informatics.

Yung Lau, M.D., has been named interim chair of the UAB Department of Pediatrics, effective Nov. 1. Lau is a professor of Pediatrics and vice chair of Clinical Affairs in the Department of Pediatrics. He holds the Thomas N. Carruthers Endowed Chair in Cardiology. He also serves as division director for Pediatric Cardiology.

The Alabama sports medicine community mourns the loss of a legendary athletic trainer and icon Robert Andrew “Drew” Ferguson, who passed away this past month. Ferguson’s lifelong commitment to education and the well-being of athletes left a lasting impact on sports medicine and athletic training in Alabama.

For over 20 years, Lisa Willett, M.D., MACM, has shaped the medical education landscape through dedication, mentorship, and advocacy for her trainees. She received the 2024 Ellen Gregg Ingalls/UAB National Alumni Society Lifetime Achievement in Teaching Award in recognition of her contributions at UAB and beyond, influencing future physicians and fostering a culture of excellence without ego, the motto she coined to describe UAB internal medicine residents.

The Heersink School of Medicine honored the achievements of eight esteemed faculty members during the Fall 2024 Endowed Chairs and Professorships Reception, held Oct. 29 at the Wallace Tumor Institute. Families, faculty, and leaders of the Heersink School of Medicine joined the honorees to celebrate their outstanding contributions to medical education and research. Anupam Agarwal, M.D., dean of the Heersink School of Medicine, opened the event by welcoming guests and recognizing the significance of these prestigious appointments.

James Cimino, M.D., distinguished professor of Medicine and chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will deliver the closing keynote address at the prestigious American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) 2024 Annual Symposium. The event, which will be held Nov. 9-13, 2024, in San Francisco, California, will bring together global leaders and experts in biomedical and health informatics.

The Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation hosted a Grand Rounds presentation titled "How an Innovation System Uncovered Breakthrough Solutions for CAUTI and AKI" with speaker Todd Dunn, an experienced transformation and innovation executive, on Tuesday, Oct 3.

Many of the research and learning opportunities at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) that improve the lives of students, patients, and medical professionals are funded through grants. UAB’s Physician Scientist Development Office (PSDO) works to provide grant support and other resources to recruit, train, and retain a pipeline of physician-scientists. PSDO received two recent grants that will equip trainees with the necessary training and resources to excel in their journeys to become the next generation of physician-scientists.

On September 25, 2024, UAB Heersink School of Medicine announced the poster winners for its 2024 Educational Research & Innovations in Clinical & Health Sciences (ENRICH) Week. ENRICH Week is an annual conference that aims to enhance teaching techniques, encourage curriculum innovation, and highlight research in 21st-century health education.

Twenty-nine individuals comprising six teams recently graduated from UAB Medicine’s High Performing Care Collaborative (HPCC) fall 2024 program. The program, presented by UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office, recognized its graduates at a ceremony on Oct. 3, 2024.

The Heersink School of Medicine is looking forward to hosting the next lecture in the Step AHEAD series, “Voices For Our Fathers.” This important panel discussion will feature family members of men who were unwittingly involved in the U.S. Public Health Service Study of Untreated Syphilis in the African American Negro Males, conducted in Tuskegee and Macon County, Alabama, from 1932 to 1972.

On September 28 and 29, 2023, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) held the inaugural UAB Global Health Symposium with a mission of “promoting equity in global health partnerships.” One year later, we reflect on the lasting impact of the symposium by recognizing collaborations that have seen continued success because of the event, including an ongoing partnership between UAB and Alexandria University.