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The UAB Department of Pediatrics welcomed one new faculty member in the month of February. Please join us in making them feel at home!

Zaili Luo, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

L to R: Camden Hebson, David Askenazi and Ahmed AsfariLast month in honor of National Heart Month, three researchers from UAB were chosen as the 2024 inaugural recipients of the Hope Fund Award and received $25,000 each in research support. The Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center at Children’s of Alabama is honored to support the following researchers and their commitment to enhancing the care of pediatric patients affected by congenital heart disease:

L to R: Sam Gentle, Viral Jain and Kent WillisSam Gentle, M.D., assistant professor, Viral Jain, M.D., assistant professor and Kent Willis, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Neonatology, received Career Development Grants from American Heart Association.

Scott James, M.D., associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, was named chair of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS) Workforce Development Committee.

Sam Gentle, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Neonatology, received the SSPR Young Investigator Award at the Southern Society for Pediatric Research (SSPR) Annual Meeting in New Orleans last weekend.

Ammar Saadoon Alishlash, MD, associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, was invited as a speaker at the First Qatar International Thoracic Conference held in Doha between February 15-17, 2024. 

David Kimberlin, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, was recently appointed to the United States National Sustainability Committee (NSC) for the Elimination of Measles, Rubella, and Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS).

At the Faculty Black History Month quiz, our colleagues correctly answered Black History questions to receive the following books:

Suresh Boppana, M.D., professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, was elected to the Faculty Council.

Top L to R: Tom Harris, Ariel Salas, Jeffrey Blount, Christy Foster, Byron Lai and Hope WilsonChildren’s of Alabama and the Kaul Pediatric Research Institute (KPRI) are pleased to announce the 2024 awards. The major goal of the KPRI grant program is to allow investigators to obtain data that will advantage applications for additional extramural funding. This will bring new knowledge to the care of children, leverage the investment of the KPRI, and allow projects to be competitive for the very best science on the national stage. A second, but important, goal is to ensure that a dedicated funding source is available to unique segments of the pediatric research, education, and quality improvement enterprise.

Congratulations to Alan Tita, M.D., Ph.D., and Waldemar Carlo, M.D., professor in the Division of Neonatology, who have received an award from The Clinical Research Forum.

R to L: Valerie Davis and Edward Lose. Not pictured: Terry Hope.Congratulations to the three faculty promoted on the Clinical Faculty Track effective January 1, 2024!

Nancy Tofil, M.D., M.Ed., professor in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, has been selected for the 13th Pediatric Leadership Development Program (PLDP) cohort.

The UAB Department of Pediatrics welcomed one new faculty member in the month of December. Please join us in making them feel at home! 

I am delighted to announce that Jeffrey Lebensburger, D.O., MSPH, professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Hugh Morgan Chair in Hematology/Oncology, will become vice chair of Faculty Development, effective Jan., 1, 2024.

Chibuzo Ilonze, M.D., MPH, assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, was selected to participate in the 2023 class of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Clinical Research Training Institute (CRTI).

Karen Fowler, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, received the 2023 National CMV Foundation Professional Impact Award at the Congenital Cytomegalovirus Public Health and Policy Conference in Salt Lake City, UT in October.

The Pediatric Heart Transplant Study (PHTS) has awarded the Children’s of Alabama/UAB Pediatric Transplant and Heart team it PHTS Vanguard Award. This award is given to centers who have met criteria signaling a program’s reliability, timeliness, and adequate volume.

The Department of Pediatrics is pleased to honor these faculty members. They have attained a level of excellence recognized by their peers due to their exceptional contributions for the development of the department and in turn, the achievers of tomorrow - our children.

L to R: Xianzhen Hu, Michael Lopez, Shelby Rorrer, Katherine English, Matthew Alexander, and Muthukumar KaruppasamyThe Alexander Lab received the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Impact Award from the Birmingham chapter for their work on neuromuscular diseases.