Adam Agee has been named director of Information Technology for the Heersink School of Medicine, effective December 1, 2023. Agee has served as interim director since June 2023 after the passing of longtime director John Taylor. In this role, Agee will strategize the vision and guide the direction of the Medical Education Information Services (MEIS) team moving forward.

UAB Department of Neurosurgery Professor and Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery Director Jeffrey Blount, M.D., MPH, and Professor James Johnston, M.D., MPH, recently presented at the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies’ 18th World Congress of Neurosurgery as invited faculty lecturers. 

UAB Department of Neurosurgery Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellow Michael Feldman, M.D., presented at the 2023 Joint Pediatric Section Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023.

Department of Neurosurgery Clinical Research Manager Anastasia Smith, MPH, and Global Neurosurgery Program Manager Martina Gonzalez Gomez, M.D., MSc, recently represented the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at two organized neurosurgery meetings. 

Leslie Rhodes, M.D., associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Cardiology, has been named the next president of UAB's chapter of the American Medical Women's Association (AMWA), facilitated by the Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion. 

UAB Department of Neurosurgery PGY-6 Neurosurgery Resident Dago Estevez-Ordonez, M.D., Ph.D., recently completed the UAB Graduate Biomedical Sciences program, earning his Doctor of Philosophy in neuroscience. 

UAB Department of Neurosurgery Professor Brandon Rocque, M.D., M.S., presented at the 2023 Joint Pediatric Section Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023.

UAB Department of Neurosurgery Professor James Johnston, M.D., MPH, was recently named to the Accreditation Council for Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowships’ Board of Directors. 

Meghan Hofto, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics and leader of the Pediatric Underserved and Global Health Scholars program, instructs both the Foundations of Global Health I and Foundations of Global Health II courses

The UAB Heersink School of Medicine recently ushered in the joyous festival of Chanukah (or Hanukkah) with a vibrant Public Menorah Lighting event held on Thursday, Dec. 7. Hosted by the Office for Diversity and Inclusion Student Affairs, the Chabad of Alabama, and the Jewish Medical Student Association, this festive event brought together UAB leadership, students, and community members. The gathering was filled with meaningful speeches, networking opportunities, music, and traditional Chanukah treats.

The holiday season is officially upon us! For many, this most magical time of year is associated with Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s final ballet-- the enchanting, dreamlike story of a girl whose nutcracker comes to life on Christmas Eve. This season, thanks to a partnership with the Alabama Ballet, UAB Sports and Exercise Medicine is helping to keep the entire cast of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker® en pointe.

From January to May of 2023, Shelby Lyda, M.D., was extremely tired and had brain fog, but she chalked it up to the demands of a residency program.

On Dec. 6, 2023, the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute (CTI) announced a change in leadership. Jayme Locke, M.D., MPH, resigned her position as CTI director, and Clifton Kew, M.D., and Carlton Young, M.D., have been appointed as interim co-directors for the CTI. Both changes are effective as of Dec. 5, 2023.

Adam Agee has been named director of Information Technology for the Heersink School of Medicine, effective December 1, 2023. In this role, Agee leads Medical Education Information Services (MEIS) in its mission to guide, procure, develop, support, manage, and secure all aspects of information technology for the Heersink School of Medicine’s faculty, staff, and students.

Congratulations to all the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, UAB Medicine, UAB Health System, and Health Service Foundation leaders who were recognized on the Who’s Who in Healthcare list!

The Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health hosted guest seminar speaker Albert Manasyan, M.D., MPH, associate professor in the UAB Department of Pediatrics and head of the Department of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ), on Tuesday, Dec. 5.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) hosted its annual Learn Serve Lead conference Nov. 3-7, 2023. More than 4,500 individuals from across a multitude of medical professions and communities attended the conference in Seattle, Washington. Among these attendees were a cohort of UAB Heersink School of Medicine faculty, staff, and students.

Co-investigators Paul V. Benson, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Pathology, and Threnesan Naidoo, M.B.Ch.B., professor and head of Division of Forensic Pathology at Walter Sisulu University and president of the College of Forensic Pathologists of South Africa, are using forensic pathology to research tuberculosis (TB) in a partnership between UAB and the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) in Durban, South Africa.

The UAB Sports and Exercise Medicine service line opens its new clinic at UAB Hospital-Highlands on Monday, December 4, 2023. It moves from its former location on the first floor to a newly renovated clinical space on the third floor.

Lillian Brady, Ph.D., Elizabeth Lucas, Ph.D., Michael Alec Owens, Ph.D., and Kirsten Schoonover, Ph.D., received their postgraduate degrees at UAB, went to another prestigious institution to complete their postdoctoral research, and returned to UAB for full-time positions. Today, they work in the UAB Department of Psychiatry and share their stories about the road back to UAB.

Alan T. N. Tita, M.D., Ph.D., director for the Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health (MHIGH) and associate dean for Global and Women’s Health, and Cynthia Ye, Ph.D., a researcher in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, have partnered to instruct the Global Health Research Methods course.

On Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, students from Heersink School of Medicine gathered to celebrate faculty, courses, and course directors at the annual Argus Awards Ceremony.

Desalyn Johnson, fourth year Heersink student, has received the Jefferson Underwood Minority Scholarship Award. The Medical Association of the State of Alabama (MASA) presented Johnson with her award at their Oct. 19 meeting in Montgomery.

After a national search, Justin Turner, M.D., Ph.D., has been named chair of the Department of Otolaryngology in the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine, effective May 31, 2024. In this role, Turner will support the growth of the department; identify future opportunities and needs; and provide strategic leadership for all aspects of the department, including representing the department within the UAB enterprise, creating collaboration opportunities, and building bridges across the institution.

Anupam Agarwal, M.D., dean of the Heersink School of Medicine, welcomed 13 esteemed faculty members, their families, and Heersink School of Medicine leaders to the Wallace Tumor Institute on Nov. 14 to honor the new endowed chairs and professorships for their contributions to modern medicine and medical education.

As part of Heersink School of Medicine’s commitment to providing an excellent experience for its medical students, renovations have been completed on the 4th and 5th floors of Volker Hall on the Birmingham Campus. The construction on these floors, which began earlier this summer, installed two relaxation spaces, including individual and group seating, tables, and a full kitchen.

On Nov. 15, 2023, UAB’s Heersink School of Medicine, Department of Medical Education, and Medical Alumni Association hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Heersink Family Active Learning Center. The brand-new center in Volker Hall represents a milestone in UAB’s cutting-edge medical education curriculum. The construction of this space was made possible by a generous donation from the Heersink Family Foundation.

Department of Medicine Facilities Coordinator Corey Cates, M.S., was six years old when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. For doctors to uncover Cates’ diagnosis, it took a two-and-a-half-hour drive as well as a one-week stay at the Children's Medical Center in Dallas, TX in 1996.

The inaugural UAB Global Health Symposium was held September 28-29, bringing together a diverse group of health care workers from around the world to discuss equity in global health.

Coming together in joy and unity with the Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion, Asian Pacific Medical Student Association, UAB Medicine, and Asian American Pacific Islander Faculty Association on Nov. 15 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. for friendship, food, and dancing is just one way you can celebrate Diwali this year. Check out five other ways you can celebrate this joyful time.