News

Glioblastoma is a deadly brain cancer that is difficult to treat because tumor cells spread into the healthy brain, where they cannot be completely removed by surgery.

Patients with diabetes remain at higher risk for heart disease even after their blood sugar, or A1C level, is brought under control. The long-lasting effect, known as metabolic memory, suggests that past elevated A1C may leave lasting changes in heart cells. However, the biological mechanisms responsible for this impact are not fully understood.

Natalie Gassman, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, was named chair-elect for the UAB Faculty Senate, effective September 1. Gassman will hold the title until August 31, 2027, while serving as chair of the Faculty Senate Research Committee. She will become chair of the Senate September 1, 2027, through August 31, 2028.

The UAB Department of Pathology has been strategically planning its digital pathology effort since well before its initial launch in 2024, but what is digital pathology? And why is this new initiative so important?

This year the Society of Forensic Toxicologists and The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists hosted their annual meeting jointly in Chicago, Illinois, September 19-24.

Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, and Alabama ranks second nationally in cancer-related deaths. Despite rapid advances in cancer biology, diagnostics, and treatment, student engagement in cancer research and matriculation into careers in cancer research is limited, often due to minimal exposure to cancer-related content in secondary education.

Twenty-three Heersink School of Medicine faculty were recognized Sept. 22 for their appointment to endowed chairs and professorships during a special reception.

Two Research and Clinical Experience in Pathology (RaCE4Path) students, Jack Alford and Lily Kilgore, presented at the 2026 UAB Heersink School of Medicine Dale J Benos Medical Student Research Day on September 14. Alford and Kilgore tied for first place in the poster presentation competition for pathology.

A multi-institutional, UAB-led study found that pathologists can reliably distinguish the spectrum of HER2-negative breast cancer subtypes, strengthening the evaluation of how HER2-targeted therapies can improve patient treatment.

UAB researchers Abhishek Guha, Ph.D., and Peter H. King, M.D., in the Department of Neurology, have received a multi-PI R01 research award from the NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to investigate novel molecular mechanisms underlying the development and persistence of pain after acute peripheral injury.

Ralph Sanderson, Ph.D., a professor emeritus in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, retired from the department on August 31, 2023, after 17 years of service at UAB and 34 years in the field of pathology.

The UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office (LDO) recently recognized 14 individuals in its ninth cohort of Sharing Authentically to Inspire and Lead (SAIL). The fall 2026 graduates received their certificates on Sept. 1.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death for women worldwide. HER2, or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, is a protein found on the surface of some cells in the body that regulate normal cell growth.

A study led by Lana Garmire, Ph.D., professor and vice chair of research in the Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, was published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.

The Department of Pathology at UAB makes thousands of diagnoses for patients each year. Of an estimated 150,000 annual visits to UAB Hospital, 90% of patients require some form of pathology service.

UAB researchers developed a novel RNA-based molecular test that more accurately distinguishes active C. diff infection from colonization, improving diagnosis of hospital-acquired illness and helping reduce missed cases and unnecessary antibiotic treatment.

The UAB Department of Pathology recently funded a travel award to Mahima Reddy who will present her research at a national meeting this year.

This month we meet Mahima Reddy, a Ph.D. candidate in the Wende Lab in the UAB Department of Pathology Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology. Reddy’s research focuses on O-GlcNAc-driven cardiac remodeling, which is similar to the cardiac pathology seen in diabetes-related heart failure.

Taylor Wallen, M.D., an assistant professor in the UAB Department of Surgery, and Krystal Rivera, a Ph.D. candidate, published “Plasma Regulates Homeostatic Pulmonary Endothelial Signaling to Mitigate Vascular Leak Following Polytrauma and Hemorrhagic Shock” as co-first authors in the journal Shock last month.

John Chatham, Ph.D., a professor in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, will retire at the end of the month, August 31, 2026, after 15 years of service in the Department of Pathology and more than 26 years at UAB.

Cristina Magi-Galluzzi, M.D., Ph.D., Robert and Ruth Anderson Endowed Chair in Pathology, presented the 2026 State of the Department on Wednesday, August 19. 

Eight research teams have been selected as the inaugural recipients of the Heersink School of Medicine’s Team Science Grant Program. The funded teams will tackle a wide range of health challenges while laying the groundwork for future large-scale research initiatives.

Hospital-acquired infections can lead to serious illness or death, especially in patients with weakened immune systems or other critical medical conditions. Clostridioides difficile, or C.

Zhu-Tokita-Takenouchi-Kim, or ZTTK Syndrome, is a rare disease primarily identified in children and is characterized by intellectual disability, delayed musculoskeletal development, and multi-organ anomalies. The disease was discovered in 2016 by Erin Eun Young Ahn, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Pathology Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, alongside her research team.

The UAB Translational and Molecular Sciences (TMS) Training Program (T32) for predoctoral trainees has been renewed for another five years by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences with an increased number of trainee slots. The program is co-directed by Rakesh Patel, Ph.D., and Mythreye Karthikeyan, Ph.D., both in Molecular and Cellular Pathology.

The Department of Pathology is thrilled to welcome three new faculty members in August. Awab Abdalhai, M.B.B.S., is joining the Division of Anatomic Pathology as an assistant professor, effective August 3, Tina I.

UAB researchers Daniel Tyrrell and Han-Fei Ding have received $4.9 million in NIH grants, advancing discoveries that could lead to new treatments for heart disease and aggressive cancers.

What if too many antioxidants could be just as harmful as too many oxidants? This question brought together more than 70 scientists, clinicians, faculty, trainees, and students from around the world for the inaugural Reductive Stress Mechanisms in Chronic Diseases Symposium, hosted by Rajasekaran Namakkal-Soorappan, Ph.D., at the Marnix E. Heersink Conference Center on July 9.

The Partnership Research Summer Training Program (PRSTP), directed by Upender Manne, Ph.D., Professor, Division of Anatomic Pathology, completed a successful eight-week program for the 2026 cycle.

The Southeastern Biosafety Laboratory Alabama Birmingham (SEBLAB) at UAB is one of 12 Regional Biocontainment Laboratories funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.