Lisa Schwiebert, Ph.D., professor of cell, developmental and integrative biology and senior associate dean for graduate and postdoctoral affairs.Lisa Schwiebert, Ph.D., professor of cell, developmental and integrative biology and senior associate dean for graduate and postdoctoral affairs, will become interim dean of the UAB Graduate School effective Nov. 1. She will be filling the vacancy created by the departure of Graduate School Dean Lori McMahon, Ph.D., who announced her intent to retire in December 2020.
Schwiebert has spent more than two decades mentoring graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty and has published more than 100 manuscripts, abstracts, reviews and book chapters on asthma, cystic fibrosis and immunology. In her role as senior associate dean, Schwiebert works with stakeholders throughout campus to facilitate and enhance training, oversight and career development.
“Dr. Schwiebert has a deep understanding of our Graduate School and has done outstanding work in keeping faculty engaged in developing new learning opportunities for students,” UAB Provost Pam Benoit said. “She will continue to build on the well-established success of the school during our search and is well positioned to help new leadership become oriented to our graduate programs.”
”Dr. Schwiebert has a deep understanding of our Graduate School and has done outstanding work in keeping faculty engaged in developing new learning opportunities for students.” |
Schwiebert also initiated and developed the NIH-funded Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA)-Mentored Experiences in Research, Instruction and Teaching (MERIT) program, which she directs. The IRACDA-MERIT Program, in partnership with institutions that serve under-represented students in Alabama, provides research and teaching experiences to UAB postdocs recruited from across the United States. In addition, Schwiebert represents UAB at the national level through her service on the Association of American Medical Colleges Postdoctorate Leaders Section and on NIH training grant-review committees.
During her career, Schwiebert has been recognized both at UAB and nationally for her mentoring and collaborative efforts; some of the awards she has received include the 2015 UAB Woman Faculty Member of the Year, the 2015 Dr. Sam Brown Bridge Builder Award, the 2016 UAB Graduate School Dean’s Excellence in Mentorship Award and the 2020 National Postdoctoral Association’s Distinguished Service Award.
McMahon will depart UAB at the end of October to take a role as vice president for Research at the Medical University of South Carolina. UAB has developed a new position that aligns the leadership of the Graduate School with the Office of Global Engagement at an intersection of two pillars of its strategic plan, Forging the Future. The university has initiated a national search for a vice provost for graduate and international education with support from the Isaacson Miller search firm. Candidates will be making public Zoom presentations between Oct. 5-15. More information on the search is available online.
