Whether you are new to Birmingham or a local considering a neighborhood change, navigating the housing market can be tough – but we know from experience that an inside scoop from your peers is always beneficial. For this student insight feature, our co-contributors reached out to a few of their classmates to learn more about their current neighborhoods and how they feel it works for their med student lifestyle.

The Office for Diversity and Inclusion is excited to host the next Staff Grand Rounds session featuring UAB’s University Ombudsperson. Michelle R. Horvath, J.D., will discuss practical strategies to navigate workplace conflicts effectively.

In this second quarterly space and facilities article, we will focus on space assignment and space management. The Heersink School of Medicine has roughly 1.8 million square feet to manage, fund, and account for across 60 campus buildings, and the school is the predominant occupant in over 20 of the facilities. Most of the school’s space [85%+] is assigned to our academic departments, while the remainder is assigned to the Dean’s Office, Medical Education, regional campuses, Heersink institutes, and institutional research cores. All assignable space is organized into three main categories: administrative space, clinical research space, and basic research space; these groups account for 54%, 8%, and 38% of the school’s total space footprint, respectively.

Hosted by the Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion in collaboration with the School of Health Professions, a panel discussion was held on March 19 to honor Jean Cowsert, M.D. The event served as a testament to Cowsert's pioneering spirit and enduring contributions to the medical field.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is an international awareness week observed during the second week of March.

The 51st Annual Medical Alumni Weekend began Friday, Feb. 23 at Volker Hall, where the Medical Alumni Association (MAA) and UAB Heersink School of Medicine Advancement staff greeted the many alumni for the activities planned for Friday afternoon.

As newly admitted students navigating your way into medical school, oftentimes, the most beneficial information you can receive will come from those who have most recently been in your shoes. Therefore, every year we recruit first year medical students to serve as our Vital Signs Contributors, helping us to provide student insight. We are so thrilled to introduce to you this cycle’s Vital Signs Co-Contributors: Gavin, Elena, Kayla, Laci, and Nayana

To help you get to know more about the UAB Heersink School of Medicine and its Student Senate, as well as the city of Birmingham, your Vital Signs Student Co-Contributors interviewed the MS1 Student Class Treasure, Vice President, and Class President.

This is the first of a new series of articles in which we will provide quarterly updates on the major space and facilities projects ongoing in the Heersink School of Medicine. For those of you directly involved in these projects, we will continue to interact with you on a regular basis as they progress. Currently, Heersink oversees 1.8 million square feet of space dedicated to education, administrative support, and research. In addition to this Heersink space, clinical spaces are managed by the hospital planning group.

On Nov. 15, 2023, the Heersink School of Medicine, Medical Alumni Association (MAA), and Department of Medical Education partnered to host a combined alumni reception and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the recently completed Volker Hall renovation and the opening of the Heersink Family Active Learning Center.