Department of Surgery
Demario S. Overstreet, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, has received a two-year (L30) Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program (LRP) award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The highly competitive award renewal follows his previous L70 Research LRP award and supports his continued commitment to patient-oriented clinical and translational research. This award also marks his second consecutive award from the National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Programs.
The UAB Department of Surgery is honored to announce the upcoming arrival of Anji Wall, M.D., Ph.D., who will serve as the Vice Chair of Surgical Ethics and Division of Transplantation Director of Perfusion and Procurement Services, effective August 1, 2026.
Saulat Sajjad Sheikh, M.B.B.S., assistant professor and surgical director of the liver transplant program in the UAB Division of Transplantation, has been appointed to serve as vice chair-elect of the Surgical Skills Committee for the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS).
Britney L. Corey, M.D., MACM, program director of the UAB General Surgery Residency Program, and Samantha Baker, M.D., MsHPE, assistant professor in the UAB Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery, have co-edited a newly published textbook titled, “Graduate Medical Education in General Surgery: Processes and Strategies for Program and Learner Success,” released in April 2026 through Springer Publishing Company as part of their Excellence in Medical Education series.
Aurelio Galli, Ph.D., D.Sc., vice chair of basic research for the UAB Department of Surgery, in collaboration with Angela Carter, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology, has been awarded $10,000 from the O'Neal Cancer Center to support research aimed at improving treatment for glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer.
The UAB Department of Surgery continues to build on its strong tradition of research excellence, celebrating the latest scholarly achievements of its faculty, trainees, and staff.
Adam Lucy, M.D., MSHQS, a chief general surgery resident, begins his days at UAB Hospital reviewing patient charts over caffeine and music. He then leads a team of students and junior residents through early rounds before the operating rooms are fully in motion. Each morning sets the tone for a fast-paced day focused on patient care and surgical training.
The UAB Department of Surgery General Surgery Residency Program has started the new academic year, welcoming nine new trainees to the department and celebrating the graduation of its chief residents.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery welcomed Lt. Gen. John. J. DeGoes, Surgeon General of the United States Air Force and U.S. Space Force, and Chief Master Sgt. James M. Woods, Chief of the Medical Enlisted Force, for a visit to see firsthand the growth and success of the military-civilian partnership between UAB and the U.S. Air Force.
UAB Medicine's Leadership Development Office celebrated the graduation of 18 healthcare leaders from its 12th cohort of the Institute for Leadership during a ceremony held June 24 at the Heersink Conference Center Lobby.
Annabelle Fonseca, M.D., MHS, an associate professor in the UAB Division of Surgical Oncology, is leading research that uses machine learning to identify patients with pancreatic cancer who are at high risk for not receiving guideline-concordant care, the evidence-based treatment associated with the best outcomes.
It is with great enthusiasm that the UAB Department of Surgery welcomes Teviah Sachs, M.D., MPH, as director for the Division of Surgical Oncology, beginning July 15, 2026.
Karin Hardiman, M.D., Ph.D., the associate vice chair of basic research in the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, and Eugenia Kharlampieva, Ph.D., professor in the UAB Department of Chemistry, have pioneered a promising new strategy to overcome one of the most persistent challenges in rectal cancer care – resistance to standard chemoradiation therapy.
The UAB General Surgery Residency Program recognized outstanding residents, faculty, advanced practice providers, and staff during its annual Awards Day celebration.
Jacqueline Garonzik Wang, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UAB Division of Transplantation and co-director of the Comprehensive Transplant Institute, has been named the Arnold G. Diethelm Endowed Chair in Transplantation Surgery, recognizing excellence in academic surgery and leadership in the division.
Anushka Arora, an undergraduate researcher in UAB's Honors College Personalized Pathway program, won first place in her category at the UAB Spring Expo for her poster presentation, “A Pilot Study: Psychosocial Correlates of Pain in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis.”
The UAB Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) has earned a three-star rating—the highest distinction awarded by the Society for Vascular Surgery's Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS VQI) for the fourth consecutive year through the 2025 Commitment to Vascular Quality Improvement (CVQI) Awards.
The UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office (LDO) is proud to honor the latest graduates of the Emerging Leaders Series (ELS) — 24 accomplished professionals who represent the breadth and strength of our institution.
John Killian, M.D., Ph.D., volunteer clinical assistant professor in the UAB Division of Transplantation, is the first author of a kidney transplant study that has been named the latest Featured Discovery by the Heersink School of Medicine.
Steven Forsythe, Ph.D., postdoctoral research fellow in the UAB Division of Surgical Oncology, won first place in the data blitz flash talk category at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's 22nd Annual Postdoc Research Day.
The UAB Vein Program, with its outpatient UAB Vein Clinic located at UAB Hospital – Highlands, provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment of the full spectrum of venous disease, from cosmetic concerns to complex conditions such as deep vein thrombosis, chronic venous insufficiency, venous ulcers, and pelvic venous disorders. Learn about what common vein concerns may look or feel like, and how to get care.
The UAB Department of Surgery is proud to announce that Saulat Sheikh, M.D., will serve as the surgical director of the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute’s Liver Transplantation Program, effective Wednesday, July 1, 2026.
Douglas Anderson, M.D., M.S., associate professor in the UAB Division of Transplantation, has been selected to serve as the Region 3 representative on the Pancreas Transplantation Committee of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Anderson was chosen by the OPTN Regional Councilors and Vice President following a national review of committee applications, and his three-year term runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.
Adam W. Beck, M.D., professor of surgery and director of the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has led an international multidisciplinary consortium that has published a landmark consensus report in Circulation, one of the world’s leading cardiovascular journals.
Douglas Anderson, M.D., M.S., associate professor in the UAB Division of Transplantation, has been appointed to the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Committee of the Society of University Surgeons (SUS).
Martha Tankersley, associate vice president of the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute, has been named a recipient of the second quarter 2026 UAB Values in Action Program (VIP) Award, one of the university’s highest employee recognitions honoring individuals who exemplify UAB’s shared values of collaboration, integrity, respect, and excellence.
Kelly Chapman, BSN, RN, CWOCN, a certified wound, ostomy and continence nurse in the Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery and the team-lead and supervisor of the UAB inpatient wound care team, was named the inaugural Certified Nurse of the Year by the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB).
Brittney Knott, a doctoral candidate and a researcher in the laboratory of Paige Porrett, M.D., Ph.D., will give an oral plenary presentation at the 31st International Congress of the Transplantation Society on September 23, 2026, in Sydney, Australia.
Bhuwan Giri, M.B.B.S., an assistant professor in the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, has been awarded the Career Development Award from the Research Foundation of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons(ASCRS) for his project entitled, “GDT Cell Dysregulation in Bile Acid-Mediated Progression of Colitis-Associated Cancer (CAC).”
For fourth-year medical student Leopold Nkengbeza, art and medicine are two sides of the same calling. From illustrating complex surgical procedures to contributing to the Volker Hall mural, he uses creativity to make medicine more accessible and meaningful.
Anya McDaniel, UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine second-year student, has been selected as a national recipient of the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship. The award will fund McDaniel’s second year of research in the UAB Department of Surgery on a collaborative project between Angela M. Carter, Ph.D., and Karin M. Hardiman, M.D., Ph.D., which McDaniel joined last summer as a participant in the department's Short-Term Research Experiences Advancing Medical Students (STREAMS) program.
The UAB Department of Surgery is honored to recognize the outstanding research contributions from its faculty, trainees, and staff.
Elizabeth Beierle, M.D., Charles D. McCrary Endowed Chair in the UAB Division of Pediatric Surgery, has been selected as a recipient of the 2026 O’Neal Invests Award from the O’Neal Cancer Center.
Callie Clowdus, LPN, and Laurel Waldrop, NP, of the Division of Surgical Oncology graduated from the UAB Wound Scholars Advanced Program on May 14, 2026.
UAB Department of Surgery Fay Fletcher Kerner Endowed Chair Herbert Chen, M.D., has been named a distinguished professor, one of the highest academic honors UAB confers, in recognition of his exceptional contributions to surgical education, clinical care, research, and leadership in academic medicine.
Ioannis Liapis, M.D., MPH, a postdoctoral research fellow in the UAB Department of Surgery, recently received the Steve Sotsky Pancreatic Cancer Research Award from the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA) for his presidential plenary presentation on diagnostic delays in pancreatic cancer at the 2026 AHPBA Annual Meeting, held March 19-22, 2026, in Miami Beach, Florida.
Four surgeons from the UAB Department of Surgery are now providing specialized surgical care to patients in Mobile and Baldwin counties through UAB's partnership with Infirmary Health, which is based out of the Mobile, Alabama area. Katelin Holmes, D.O., Jillian McCabe, M.D. R.D., James Sahawneh, M.D., and Udai Sibia, M.D., MBA, bring fellowship-trained expertise in a variety of fields, including diseases of the breast, skin and soft tissues, and the entire gastrointestinal tract, to Infirmary Health facilities, extending UAB's reach throughout southern Alabama.
Jacqueline Garonzik Wang, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UAB Division of Transplantation and co-director of the Comprehensive Transplant Institute, has recently been featured on UAB MedCast.
Tania Arora, M.D., a professor in the UAB Division of Surgical Oncology and Vice Chair of Access and Engagement in the UAB Department of Surgery, has been appointed as co-chair for two prestigious surgical society committees.
The UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine is proud to announce the winners of the 2026 Dean's Excellence Awards for Faculty, recognizing exceptional faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, service, access and engagement, and mentorship.
The UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery honored survivors of traumatic injury and their families, as well as first responders and healthcare professionals, at the third annual Heroes and Healers event on Friday, May 1, 2026.
Fifty-six UAB Department of Surgery staff members collectively logged more than 3.3 million steps during a four-week wellness challenge in March, organized by the department's Access & Engagement Committee.
J. Bart Rose, M.D., MAS, associate professor in the UAB Division of Surgical Oncology and chief in the Section of Hepatopancreatobiliary Disease, brought his expertise directly to patients and caregivers across the country during a live virtual Q&A hosted by the Neuroendocrine Cancer Awareness Network (NCAN).
UAB Vice Chair of Global Surgery Lily A. Gutnik, M.D., MPH, has been appointed as an associate scientist of the Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health (MHIGH).
Alizeh Abbas, M.B.B.S., a research resident in the UAB General Surgery Residency Program, has been selected for membership in the Delta Omega Honor Society.
Mary Catherine “Cathy” Duncan, RN, who was recognized at the UAB Medicine Service Awards Luncheon for 45 years of service, will retire on May 15, 2026.
Daniel I. Chu, M.D., MSPH, FASCRS, director of the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Selwyn M. Vickers, M.D., FACS, Endowed Chair, has been recognized by the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation (CCF) as this year’s Healthcare Honored Hero for the 2026 Alabama/Northwest Florida Take Steps Walk.
UAB General Surgery resident Autumn Beavers, M.D., was named the first recipient of the Legacy of Service Award at the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama's 10th Anniversary Celebration of Service on April 11, 2026, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Aurelio Galli, Ph.D., D.Sc., and Angela Carter, Ph.D., have been named the school’s latest recipient of the Featured Discovery award. This recognition celebrates notable faculty research contributions and highlights the impact of their scientific advancements.
Jacqueline Garonzik Wang, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UAB Division of Transplantation and co-director of the Comprehensive Transplant Institute, is the senior author on a multi-center study reporting the first U.S. clinical experience using normothermic machine perfusion to rescue donor kidneys declined through the national allocation system. The study, “The use of a centralized normothermic preservation and assessment center to rescue kidneys declined after standard allocation,” is published in the American Journal of Transplantation.