Alyssa Leibengood, M.D., PGY1, joined the UAB Department of Neurology in June 2024. A native of Overland Park, Kansas, Leibengood completed both her undergraduate education and medical school at the University of Kansas.

Nine faculty members recently graduated from UAB Medicine’s LEading Advancing Developing (LEAD) spring 2025 program. The program, presented by the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office, recognized its graduates at a ceremony on March 13, 2025.

The UAB Department of Neurology is proud to welcome our newest class of residents in the 2025 Match.

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. Allendorfer, Ph.D., FAES, an Associate Professor of Neurology at UAB, and 24 investigators through the Women in Neurology Collaborative Study (WINCS).

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.

November 2024 marked 20 years since the establishment of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute (EMBI) at UAB. The institute was made possible by a generous gift from the McKnight Brain Research Foundation (MBRF), matched by the university, to support research in cognitive aging and age-related memory loss. Ronald Lazar, Ph.D., professor in the UAB Department of Neurology, has been director of the institute since 2017.

Nita Limdi, PharmD, Ph.D., MSPH, FAHA, has been appointed associate dean for Genomic Medicine, effective Oct. 1. Limdi will lead efforts to expand UAB's Genomic Medicine program, focusing on interdisciplinary collaborations, securing grant funding, and enhancing partnerships. Her extensive research in pharmacogenomics and leadership in national consortia underscore her commitment to advancing genomic medicine.

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. 7.

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. 24, 2024.

The complexity of the human brain has long been an enigma that neuroscientists have sought to untangle. Now, new technology at UAB will act as a critical tool to help researchers and clinicians interpret the brain in unprecedented ways.

Training grants are an essential component of fostering research, education, and professional development for scientific pathways. They help support students through career development, collaboration and specialized training. The UAB Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Program is a NIH T34 training program for students pursing a Ph.D. in biomedical research. 

Graduate Biomedical Sciences (GBS) at UAB recently welcomed its new class of GBS students pursuing their Ph.D. across eight interdisciplinary training themes. The GBS Doctoral Training Program provides interdisciplinary education and mentorship while allowing GBS trainees to perform doctoral research in more than 350 labs across campus.

In a recent study, UAB researchers found that rather than stimulating both sides of the brain using Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), unilateral right DBS may avoid DBS-related declines in verbal fluency and response inhibition in patients with movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease.

Heersink School of Medicine introduced four new research focus areas in 2022. Of these focus areas, Brain Health and Disease Across the Lifespan aims to improve understanding of brain development, aging, health, and disease.

David S. Geldmacher, M.D., professor in the UAB Department of Neurology and Warren Family Endowed Chair in Neurology, has been named the 2024 recipient of the Brewer-Heslin Award for Professionalism in Medicine. Established by the late Gov. Albert Brewer, the award honors faculty members of the Heersink School of Medicine who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to providing highly skilled and deeply compassionate medical care to their patients.

UAB Heersink School of Medicine has awarded four grants for the 2023/2024 Heersink Multi-Investigator Program Awards, which are each funded with $150,000 per year for two years.