Few challenges to the health of our state demand more urgent attention than chronic disease. Heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and related conditions continue to affect far too many individuals and families across Alabama. Addressing these complex challenges requires innovation, collaboration, education, and community engagement. Encouragingly, we are seeing remarkable momentum across each of these areas.
A significant milestone was the July 2025 establishment of the UAB Comprehensive Healthy Living Research Center, a university-wide interdisciplinary research center dedicated to chronic disease prevention and control. Under the leadership of Director Mona Fouad, M.D., MPH, senior associate dean for Access and Engagement, and Co-director Irfan Asif, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine and associate dean for Primary Care and Rural Health, the center serves as a hub for community-engaged research, bringing together researchers, healthcare providers, community organizations, and community residents to develop practical solutions that help prevent disease and improve health. By involving communities as true partners—not simply participants—the center is helping ensure that research translates into lasting impact where it is needed most.
This commitment to collaboration was on full display during the inaugural Healthy Living Research Center Symposium, which brought together federal, state, academic, and community leaders in April to advance the science of community-engaged research. Discussions focused on how partnerships can accelerate chronic disease prevention efforts and improve health outcomes across Alabama and beyond. Events like this strengthen the relationships necessary to transform research discoveries into meaningful changes in the lives of our citizens.
Equally important are conversations about policy and systems-level change. This spring, the annual Montgomery Health Policy Meeting convened leaders from healthcare, government, public health, and community organizations to examine nutrition, lifestyle medicine, and social drivers of health. The meeting highlighted innovative approaches, including teaching kitchens and practical nutrition education, that can empower individuals and communities to adopt healthier behaviors. Such discussions remind us that improving health outcomes requires addressing not only medical care but also the environments and circumstances that shape daily choices.
UAB’s Grand Challenge initiative, Live HealthSmart Alabama, continues to demonstrate how community-centered strategies can improve health and wellness. Through health screenings, nutrition programs, mobile wellness services, increased access to healthy foods, and investments in safer, more active neighborhoods, Live HealthSmart Alabama is helping make healthy living more accessible. The recent $4 million commitment from Novo Nordisk will enable the initiative to expand into additional rural and urban communities, strengthening a model that is already making a measurable difference in communities across Alabama.
Chronic disease prevention and control also depend on access to high-quality primary care. That is why the recent announcement of Goodrich Rural Innovation in Training for Alabama (GRIT) is so important. Supported by a transformative $10 million gift from Mike and Gillian Goodrich, GRIT will expand rural residency programs, provide scholarships, strengthen rural clinics, and help train and retain primary care physicians in underserved communities. By building a stronger rural health workforce, we are creating opportunities for earlier diagnosis, preventive care, and better long-term management of chronic conditions.
Together, these initiatives and many more across our campus reflect the power of UAB’s integrated approach to improving health. Through groundbreaking research, thoughtful policy engagement, impactful community partnerships, and investments in the future healthcare workforce, we are combatting chronic disease from every angle. While much work remains, I am inspired by the dedication of our faculty, staff, students, partners, and supporters who share a vision for a healthier Alabama.