News

For more than nine years, Elizabeth Alfano has helped support the daily operations of the Division of Academic General Pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pediatrics. As an Administrative Office Specialist IV, Alfano plays a key role in coordinating schedules, maintaining important clinic resources and supporting the teams who care for patients and families.

Cancer treatment, while lifesaving, often comes with a wide range of physical, emotional and social challenges for young patients. Pediatric cancer survivors may face long-term effects from their treatments, impacting everything from mobility and strength to cognitive function and emotional well-being.

For families of children with disabilities, accessing health care often means navigating complex systems while managing significant caregiving demands. As more children with complex medical needs require coordinated, long-term care, reducing barriers and wait times has become increasingly important.

Elizabeth Proezna, M.D., PGY-3, and Rafaella Navarro Hoyos, M.D., PGY-2, in the UAB Department of Pediatrics, spent two weeks in Peru and realized a medical truth widely sought after in the UAB community. They learned that sometimes the most powerful medicine isn't just in the treatment, it's in a spirit of collaboration that can cross distance and borders.

Sudden cardiac arrest is a life-threatening condition in which the heart stops beating after its normal electrical signals are disrupted.

After more than 25 years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and nearly a decade with the UAB Department of Pediatrics, Cathy Turner, MSHA, CPA, CGMA, is retiring as executive administrator, concluding a career defined by steady leadership, operational strength and an unwavering commitment to the people who power pediatrics.

A national study led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is helping explain why some childhood cancer survivors develop new cancers years after their original treatment. The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, found that inherited genetic changes can greatly increase the chance of developing a second cancer later in life.

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) can happen unexpectedly, affecting children, teens and adults who may seem healthy just moments before collapsing. Through patient care, education and statewide partnerships, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pediatrics and Children’s of Alabama are working to improve awareness...

After nearly three decades of leadership, Carl Coghill, M.D., professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, will step down as medical director of the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Children’s of Alabama as he prepares for retirement in May 2026.

For the past three years, Jalisa Lankford has been a steady and motivating presence within the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, serving as an administrative supervisor who balances leadership, efficiency and compassion in a fast-paced clinical environment.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pediatrics is proud to announce that Matthew Alexander, Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Neurology, has been awarded a $149,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support research focused on a rare neuromuscular disease.

For more than five decades, Richard Whitley, M.D., distinguished professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, has helped shape not only the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics, but the field of pediatric infectious diseases on a global scale.

UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office would like to welcome 19 individuals in its 12th cohort of the Institute for Leadership in the spring of 2026. The goal of the UAB Medicine Institute for Leadership is to enhance existing personal, leadership, and management competencies while leveraging current leadership strategies and trends.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics is proud to announce that Daniel Cooper, M.D., resident in the Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program, has been selected as the 2026-2027 Med-Peds Chief Resident.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics is proud to announce that Samantha Weaver, DNP, CRNP, assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Neurology, has been appointed co-director of Children’s of Alabama’s Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Clinic.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics is proud to announce that Elizabeth Sullivan-Ingram, D.O., fellow in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, has received the Pediatric Fellow Attendance Award.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics is proud to recognize Scott Turner, DNP, assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Neurology, on his election as a Fellow of the American Headache Society (AHS).

For many families, an autism diagnosis is the gateway to critical early support such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and applied behavior analysis.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics is proud to recognize the recipients of the 2025 Pediatric Health Services Foundation (HSF) Clinical Program Development Grant. These grants support innovative, multidisciplinary initiatives designed to enhance pediatric care, strengthen clinical programs and improve outcomes for children and families.

The brain grows fastest in the first three months of life, and this rapid growth makes early experiences and interactions especially important.

2025 marks 80 years of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a milestone that reflects decades of advancement in clinical care, research and education. What began in 1945 as a small academic unit with a local focus has grown into a statewide leader shaped by a longstanding partnership with Children’s of Alabama.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics is proud to highlight Ginger Glover, Pediatrics Third Party Follow-Up Representative with the Department of Pediatrics Billing team.

UAB’s first nonprofit startup, Dream a Little Dream, is improving global cystic fibrosis care by empowering medical teams with cost-effective tools and training.

UAB experts offer insight on Tourette syndrome, and the care patients may need after diagnosis.

A new clinical trial is investigating how different amounts of breast milk affect the growth and health of premature babies, aiming to find the best feeding strategy for their early development.

The Bryant quadruplets were born at 23 weeks and four days — 115 days premature — and are the new Guinness World Records title holders for the most premature quadruplets.

XMEA is a recessive, genetic disease that causes progressive muscle weakness.

Very-low-weight newborns need extra oxygen and can develop deadly bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Differences in gut fungi predict getting, or not getting, BPD.

This spring, the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees awarded the rank of Distinguished Professor to five and the rank of University Professor to four faculty members.

Becca, a mom from England, and Zoy, a mom from Alabama, first connected as a potential surrogate match. Their journey through a high-risk pregnancy and a five-and-a-half-month NICU stay bonded them forever as sisters.