Explore UAB

by John I. Kennedy, Jr., MD, DOM Senior Advisor & Director for Wellness
We have a disease. It is highly contagious. Although it has afflicted millions of people, we still do not fully understand how it is spread. The severity of the illness is highly variable, as are the specific symptoms and duration of acute episodes. It can produce irreparable injury, and sometimes it leads to death. In its sinister nature, it has the capacity to mimic Salmonella typhi or Mycobacterium tuberculosis, hiding quietly in the primary host while leaping out to inhabit others, creating outbreaks and terror among the people. Read more here.

We are excited to announce the six Department of Medicine faculty who received 2020 SOM Dean's Excellence Awards! The honors were given to both junior and senior faculty who made significant contributions across five different areas: teaching, research, service, mentorship, and diversity enhancement. Well deserved, everyone!

The Walter B. Frommeyer, Jr., Fellowship in Investigative Medicine is an annual research award that supports a two-year intensive, mentored research experience. Congratulations to our 2020 Frommeyer Fellows, Drs. Chao He and Smith Giri!

Many residents of low-income Birmingham neighborhoods are not able to access COVID testing. To address this concern, the Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center (MHRC) has begun a unique testing outreach to address transportation and other barriers to health care.

When a patient recovers—or convalesces—from a severe respiratory infection, the antibodies in their blood can help others who are still sick. Infectious Diseases Professor Sonya Heath, MD, MS, and Assistant Professor Todd McCarty, MD (pictured above) are spearheading a study to determine whether convalescent plasma can help patients who are ill with COVID-19. Last weekend, the physicians treated three patients as part of an expanded access clinical trial in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic.