O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
This National Social Work Month, social workers from across UAB have a message for the community: medical social workers are an integral part of the health system.
Robert H. Hollis, M.D., MSPH, the leader of the O'Neal Cancer Center Colorectal Cancer Management Team and an assistant professor in the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, discussed key aspects of colorectal cancer as part of an educational video series produced by the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Rob Welner, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Medicine, has 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.
UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO) celebrated the graduation of the 11th cohort from the Institute for Leadership on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.
For many, the story of cancer in recent decades has been one of progress. Survival rates have improved dramatically, new therapies hold incredible promise, and once-deadly diagnoses now come with hope. Yet, as Smita Bhatia, M.D., MPH, director of the UAB Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship, and distinguished professor in the Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, reminds us, survival is only part of the story. The long-term health and quality of life of survivors require just as much attention—and that’s where the power of lifelong, risk-based care comes in.
UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office welcomed 18 individuals in its 11th cohort of Institute for Leadership in August 2025.
J. Bart Rose, M.D., MAS, an associate professor in the Department of Surgery, is a spring 2025 O’Neal Invests awardee, along with his research partners Benjamin Larimer, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Radiology, and Michael Niederweis, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Microbiology.
Chronic illnesses don’t take Saturdays off, and neither does the team at the UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center Infusion Clinic. After experiencing a staggering 44 percent increase in patient encounters since 2020, this 84-bay infusion clinic turned to a dedicated team of multidisciplinary clinicians to pioneer Saturday infusion services. This highly trained team is ensuring that patients with cancer and other chronic diseases have access to critical treatments like chemotherapy and immunotherapy on the weekends, keeping them in the hands of trusted specialists and out of emergency rooms.
The UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center recently announced five winners of the O’Neal Invests grant awards, two generously funded by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama (BCRFA).
Brain tumor symptoms vary widely and can often resemble other common health conditions. Understanding the risks, symptoms and treatment options can help lead to earlier diagnosis and better outcomes.
At UAB, we are proud to be home to one of the most comprehensive brain tumor programs in the region and part of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center—Alabama’s only NCI-designated cancer center.
The American College of Surgeons has recognized the UAB Department of Surgery as a Surgical Quality Partner across numerous areas of patient care. This achievement is due to UAB's participation in five leading registries that focus on the highest standards of surgical care.
Michael D. Toboni, MPH, MD, assistant professor in the UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was recently named the leader of the Gynecologic Oncology Disease Working Group (DWG) within the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The UAB Department of Urology, in collaboration with the Mike Slive Foundation, provided free PSA blood testing to more than 65 men during the Auburn University Men’s Basketball “AUTLIVE” cancer game vs. The University of Tennessee on Jan. 25. Their efforts were broadcast during ESPN’s coverage of the game, bringing widespread awareness to the significance of PSA blood testing as a screening tool for prostate cancer.
Twenty-two UAB leaders graduated among the ninth cohort of the UAB Medicine Institute for Leadership on Dec. 11, 2024. Institute for Leadership is a flagship program of the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office, an organization dedicated to providing tools and training to empower UAB Medicine’s leaders and the individuals and groups they manage.
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.
UAB has committed to a significant leap forward in biomedical research by approving the Center for Integrative Structural Biology during the June 2024 University of Alabama System Board of Trustees meeting.
UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office recognized 16 individuals in its eighth cohort of Institute for Leadership at a graduation ceremony on June 26, 2024.
A platform for undergraduate students to advance their research, the UAB Summer Research Academy (SRA) launched its seventh installment of the program on June 3, 2024. This competitive research program provides summer scholarships for students in the joint health sciences while preparing them for advancement to graduate or medical scientist training programs.
UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office recognized 13 individuals in its third cohort of Momentum Leaders in Medicine at UAB during a graduation ceremony on May 7, 2024.
The Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health is excited to announce the first recipient of its telehealth pilot grant, Noha Sharafeldin, MBBCh, MSc, Ph.D.
Congratulations to all the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, UAB Medicine, UAB Health System, and Health Service Foundation leaders who were recognized on the Who’s Who in Healthcare list!
Momentum in Medicine's third cohort includes an impressive list of 15 women leaders from a variety of roles, departments, and backgrounds within UAB Medicine.
John Osborne, Ph.D., assistant professor of Medicine at the Informatics Institute, recently received a notice of award for a U24 supplement to develop a cancer algorithm predicting the severity of cancer recurrence in patients. The work will build on previously funded work to identify recurrence retrospectively in UAB cancer patients using structured EHR data and clinical text.
On Thursday, May 18, UAB celebrated Clinical Trials Day. Since 2020, UAB has averaged nearly 300 new clinical trials annually.
The annual ArtBLINK Gala returned to the UAB Kirklin Clinic Feb. 4 and raised more than $900,000 for the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Alabama is one of three states currently offering an ovarian cancer car tag, thanks to the Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation. Proceeds from each tag purchased go directly to the Division of Gynecologic Oncology to support ovarian cancer research. Donations from the Drive Out Ovarian Cancer car tag have totaled almost $1.7 million since the tag's inception.
Anupam Agarwal, M.D., dean of the Heersink School of Medicine, welcomed faculty members and their families to the Endowed Chairs and Professorships Reception on April 25.
The Heersink School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB are consistently working toward eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem through cancer screening accessibility, public awareness, and innovative research.
The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama System recently approved the establishment of the Emmet O’Neal II Endowed Professorship in the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB. This endowed professorship, funded from the bequest of O’Neal Industries in memory of Emmet O’Neal II, will support lung cancer research. O’Neal Cancer Center Senior Scientist Suzanne Lapi, Ph.D., has been appointed as the first holder of this endowed professorship.
More than 40,000 women die annually from breast cancer. However, annual mammography can reduce this risk. Together, the UAB Departments of Radiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) are encouraging women to prioritize their breast health and awareness.
The Heersink School of Medicine communications staff sat down with Dr. Lewis Zhichang Shi to gain insights about the research of this study, UAB, and the science community.
Anupam Agarwal, M.D., interim dean of the Heersink School of Medicine, welcomed faculty members and their families to the Endowed Chairs and Professorships Reception on Sept. 29.
Medical Student Research Day celebrates the research accomplishments of medical students and provides them with the opportunity to present their projects to fellow students and faculty.
Soroush Rais-Bahrami, M.D., MBA, will serve as interim chair of the Department of Urology, effective Oct. 1, 2022.
The second year of UAB’s Momentum in Medicine program launched this month and includes 16 women across UAB Medicine and UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
The Heersink School of Medicine communications staff sat down with Dr. Anindya Dutta to gain insights about the research of this study, UAB, and the science community.
The Heersink School of Medicine communications staff sat down with Drs. Weaver and Zindl to gain insights about the research of this study, UAB, and the science community.
The Heersink communications staff sat down with Dr. Julie Kanter to gain insights about the research of this study, UAB, and the science community.
Erwin G. Van Meir, Ph.D., has been appointed to the newly established David Hart White Endowed Professorship for Brain Cancer Research at the NCI-designated O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB.
In part two of the Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion’s Black History Month Series, see how two UAB groups—the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Office for Community Outreach and Engagement and Live HealthSmart Alabama—are addressing challenges in underserved communities and seeking equity for the groups they serve.