On Dec. 6, 2023, the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute (CTI) announced a change in leadership. Jayme Locke, M.D., MPH, resigned her position as CTI director, and Clifton Kew, M.D., and Carlton Young, M.D., have been appointed as interim co-directors for the CTI. Both changes are effective as of Dec. 5, 2023.
“I am humbled to be asked to be an interim co-director of the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute,” said Kew. “I recognize the collective effort of prior leadership behind the success of the CTI. With optimism, I believe in the bright future of the institute, fueled by our dedicated team and shared commitment to excellence in patient care, research, and education.”
Kew completed his fellowship in transplant nephrology at UAB in 1997 and joined the faculty in the Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine. He served as the medical director for the Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Programs from 2016-2021, and currently serves as Transplant Nephrology section chief in the Division of Nephrology.
“Being asked to be co-director of the Comprehensive Transplant Institute is a great honor and responsibility,” said Young. “Upholding and promulgating the values and principles that define UAB are paramount. Collectively, the medical staff, ancillary staff, and administration are dedicated to leading CTI with humility and gratitude.”
Young joined the UAB faculty in 1997, served as the surgical director for the Pancreas Transplant Program from 1997-2021, and currently holds the position of assistant dean for Medical Student Diversity and Inclusion in the Heersink School of Medicine. He also serves as the director for the Pediatric Renal Transplant Program at Children’s of Alabama.
UAB has completed more than 16,000 successful organ transplants since 1968, when a UAB team performed Alabama’s first kidney transplant. Since then, UAB has been consistently recognized as one of America’s top transplant centers, with patients travelling from across the globe to access the lifesaving skill, expertise, and commitment of our transplant surgeons and physicians.
“We are grateful to Dr. Locke for her nearly five years of dedicated service as CTI director and the many outstanding achievements that took place under her leadership,” said Anupam Agarwal, M.D., senior vice president for Medicine and dean of the Heersink School of Medicine. “I welcome Drs. Kew and Young to their new roles and am confident they will continue the CTI’s mission of excellence and its profound impact within Alabama and beyond.”