Harrison Walker, M.D., professor in the UAB Department of Neurology, was recently appointed as the Susan and Rodney Barstein Endowed Faculty Scholar in Parkinson’s Disease. The position was established by an endowed gift to UAB from Susan and Rodney Barstein, whose goal is to support innovative research in Deep Brain Stimulation to improve therapy for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

A recent grant award in the Department of Neurology serves to help investigators analyze how a group of brain cells may be responsible for changes to neural circuits that lead to the movement disorder dystonia.

Monica Pasala, M.D., PGY1, joined the UAB Department of Neurology in June 2024. Get to know Dr. Pasala better with three quick questions!

The UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office recently recognized eight individuals in its sixth cohort of Sharing Authentically to Inspire and Lead (SAIL). The spring 2025 graduates were honored at a ceremony on April 8.

The UAB Department of Neurology welcomed Sarah Letang, Ph.D., to the faculty as assistant professor in February 2025.

Seasonal allergies are known for causing congestion, sneezing, and itchy eyes, but for many, they also cause migraines. As the weather changes and pollen fills the air, people prone to migraines often notice their headaches becoming more frequent or intense.

The Center for Neuroengineering and Brain-Computer Interfaces (CNBCI) under the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine hosted its third annual NeuroGateways Symposium on April 10-11 at the UAB Alumni House.

A new endowed scholar position in the UAB Department of Neurology has been established thanks to a generous gift. The Susan and Rodney Barstein Endowed Faculty Scholar in Parkinson’s Disease, named in recognition of donors Susan and Rodney Barstein, serves to support a faculty member in the Department of Neurology whose specific focus is Parkinson’s disease.

L. Burt Nabors, M.D., William Austin Brown Endowed Professor, Vice Chair for Research, and Director of the Division of Neuro-Oncology in the UAB Department of Neurology, has been appointed to the rank of Distinguished Professor in the Department of Neurology.

Four members of the UAB Department of Neurology will be honored among 300 UAB employees for 20-plus years of service at a reception on April 8 at Hill Student Center: Randall L. Foster (35 years), Martina Bebin, M.D., MPA (30 years), Nita A. Limdi, Pharm.D., Ph.D., MSPH (30 years), and L. Burt Nabors, M.D. (25 years). 

Neuroscience is actively researching immunotherapies and neuroprotective compounds that could eventually help mitigate the impact of chronic stress on inflammatory states. However, prevention remains the primary focus for now.

Alyssa Leibengood, M.D., PGY1, joined the UAB Department of Neurology in June 2024. A native of Overland Park, Kansas, Leibengood completed both her undergraduate education and medical school at the University of Kansas.

Nine faculty members recently graduated from UAB Medicine’s LEading Advancing Developing (LEAD) spring 2025 program. The program, presented by the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office, recognized its graduates at a ceremony on March 13, 2025.

The UAB Department of Neurology is proud to welcome our newest class of residents in the 2025 Match.

The Heersink School of Medicine is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of its 1R01 Award. Securing extramural research funding is a very competitive process, and this award is a testament to these investigators’ groundbreaking research and dedication to advancing biomedical science.

Established in response to a need to expand access to neurologic care throughout Alabama, the acute teleneurology service at UAB recently recognized a significant milestone as it marked 10,000 consults.

The UAB Department of Neurology welcomed Shaida Andrabi, Ph.D., to the faculty as a professor in January 2025.

For faculty in academic medicine, career growth and professional development often come with challenges. To explore these challenges and opportunities for growth, Sima Patel, M.D., FAES, FANA, an Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, began collaborating in 2021 with Jane B. Allendorfer, Ph.D., FAES, an Associate Professor of Neurology at UAB, and 24 investigators through the Women in Neurology Collaborative Study (WINCS).

Four students from the College of Arts and Sciences—three from the Undergraduate Neuroscience Program and one from the Undergraduate Immunology Program—have been nominated for the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

November 2024 marked 20 years since the establishment of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute (EMBI) at UAB. The institute was made possible by a generous gift from the McKnight Brain Research Foundation (MBRF), matched by the university, to support research in cognitive aging and age-related memory loss. Ronald Lazar, Ph.D., professor in the UAB Department of Neurology, has been director of the institute since 2017.