UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Associate Professor, Assistant Program Director of Resident Research for the General Surgery Residency Program, and Program Co-Director for the Surgery Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Karin Hardiman, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed to the American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgeon Scientist Program Committee.

Her appointment will be an initial three-year term as a member. The committee is responsible for choosing the National Surgeon Scientist Program Scholarship (NSSP) recipients and mentoring them. There is an increasing recognition that the number of surgeon scientists in the US is decreasing and the goal of this program is to identify and cultivate young surgeon scientists to improve their chances of success. The goal of the program is to comprehensively train the next generation of surgeon scientists. 

As a member of the ACS National Surgeon Scientist Program Committee, Dr. Hardiman will work with peers to foster the ACS mission of creating an inclusive research program that trains the next generation of surgeon scientists. 

Dr. Hardiman received her medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine and completed her residency in general surgery and fellowship in colorectal surgery at Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine in Portland. 

In 2019, she was recruited from the University of Michigan, where she had an academic appointment for eight years. Dr. Hardiman currently practices at the Birmingham VA and University Hospital with clinical interests in colorectal cancer, anal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and anorectal disease, utilizing minimally invasive surgery. 

Her research focuses on improving the treatment of colon and rectal cancer via basic and translational research with a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded lab studying the role of intra-tumor genetic heterogeneity in colorectal cancer metastasis and its response to therapy.