Dr. Daniel I. Chu is an NIH-funded colorectal surgeon in the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery. His lab is focused on identifying, understanding, and reducing health differences in surgery. His team uses mixed methods, implementation science, and multi-institutional collaborations to achieve these goals. Specific research areas include enhanced recovery programs (ERPs), health literacy-based interventions and patient engagement technologies. Dr. Chu’s team is also passionate about training the next generation of surgeons and surgical researchers. His team has mentored over 95 trainees since July of 2014 including high school, medical school, and graduate school students in addition to US and international resident/fellow trainees.

Current projects include:

• "Air Pollution in the Operating Room: Protecting Surgeons and Staff from Potential Inhalation Toxicants from Surgical Smoke"
• "Decisional Conflict in Diverticulitis"
• "Enhancing Health Literacy in Surgery (EHLIS)"
• "Establishing the Role of Health Literacy in Determining Surgical Outcomes in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)"
• "Evaluating the use of patient engagement technologies for Colorectal surgery patients in Rural settings"
• "Evaluation of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Outcomes for Surgical Patients at UAB (Effect of ERAS on Reducing Disparities and Improving Outcomes for African-American Patients with IBD)"
• "Examining Outcomes from a Service Line Bundle Database"
• "Factors Impacting Enrollment of Black and Hispanic Patients in Clinical Trials: A
  Multicenter Patient Survey"
• "Health Literacy Assessments for Colorectal Surgery Patients"
• "Health Literacy: Provider-Level Barriers to Patient Understanding"
• "Improving Surgical Outcomes and Experience with Patient-Centered Technology
  Racial Disparities And Health Outcomes"
• "Reducing Health Disparities using Telemedicine: Increasing Patient Engagement in Vulnerable Surgical Populations"
• "The Deep South Surgical Equity Research Network: Addressing Socioecological Determinants of Health"
• "The Effect of Enhanced Recovery of Surgery on Racial Disparities in the Cost of Colorectal Surgery"
• "The Relationship Between the Environment and Pollution with Surgical Outcomes and Disparities"
• "UAB SIRB - Adapting Enhanced Recovery Programs for Low Health Literacy Patients"
• "Understanding Disparities in Surgery for Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Through Health Literacy"
• "Unmet Needs of Rectal Cancer Patients - Urinary, Sexual Function, and Stool Symptoms"

Dr. Britney Corey is a board-certified, fellowship-trained minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgeon, specializing in foregut and anti-reflux operations and abdominal wall hernias. Her research interests center around improving surgical education and holistic review in graduate medical education. She is passionate about supporting learners during undergraduate and graduate medical education. She completed a Masters of Academic Medicine at USC Keck School of medicine to further these interests in surgical education. She has been program director of the General Surgery Residency since July 2020.

Current projects include:

• "From Publication to Presentation, Publication Rate of Abstracts from ASC"
• "Impact of Faculty Well Being on Medical Student Education"
• "Measuring the Impact of Faculty Evaluations"
• "Surgical Education Research to Promote Continuous Improvement"

Dr. Jayleen Grams, a professor in the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, is involved in an active research program as a surgeon-scientist and the education of medical students, surgery residents, and minimally invasive surgery fellows. She serves as the assistant MIS fellowship director. She is the current chair of the Resident and Fellows Education Committee for the Society of Surgeons of the Alimentary Tract.

Current projects include:

• "High-Resolution Manometry in Obese Population: Correlations Between BMI and Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) Pressure"

Dr. Karin Hardiman is a professor in the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, whose clinical interests include colorectal cancer, anal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and anorectal disease. Her primary research interests are in improving the treatment of colon and rectal cancer via basic and translational research. She has an NIH-funded laboratory studying the role of intra-tumor genetic heterogeneity in colorectal cancer metastasis and response to therapy. She also investigates the importance of multidisciplinary cancer care and survivorship care.

Current projects include:

• "Assessment of the Utility of Geriatrics Assessment to Predict Surgical Outcome"

Dr. Robert Hollis is an assistant professor in the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery. His clinical areas of expertise include colorectal cancer, hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, pelvic floor disorders including rectal prolapse, and benign anorectal conditions. He has particular interests in hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes and directs the UAB Hereditary Gastrointestinal Cancer Registry. The research that Dr. Hollis performs addresses health inequities by developing and implementing effective interventions. He has a specific focus on improving outcomes of patients with hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes. He has experience in the evaluation of surgical guidelines and national quality metrics. Additional research interests include improving outcomes and transitions of care for patients with a new ostomy.

Current research includes: 

• "American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Quality Collaborative"
• "An Evaluation of Hereditary Gastrointestinal Cancer Syndromes"
• "Implementing Mainstream Genetic Testing in Colorectal Cancer"
• "Qualitative Analysis of Stakeholders in Ostomy Care to Identify Opportunities for Health Literacy Sensitive Interventions"
• "Unplanned Healthcare Utilization Following Ostomy Creation for Colorectal Cancer"
• "Unplanned Healthcare, Self-efficacy, and Quality of Life in Ostomy Patients: The Role of Health Literacy"

Dr. Greg Kennedy serves as a professor in the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Executive Vice Chair of the UAB Department of Surgery. His research efforts are focused on chemoprevention of colon and rectal cancer. His funded laboratory uses genetic models to better understand how chemicals prevent tumor formation and what genetic pathways are responsible for their effects. The ultimate goal is to identify targeted agents that are better tolerated by patients in hopes of preventing colon and rectal cancer.

Current projects include:

• "Gastrointestinal Upset Through Stress (GUTS)"
• "Role of Casein Kinase II (CK2) in Colorectal Cancers"
• "Rural Alabama Surgical Quality Collaborative"

Dr. Melanie Morris is the Vice Chair of Perioperative Services for the UAB Department of Surgery. She is a specialist in minimally invasive colorectal surgery, colon and rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis), diverticulitis, and rectal prolapse. In addition to her clinical roles, she also serves as an Associate Chief Quality Officer for UAB Medicine.

Current projects include:

• "Comparison of NSQIP and Vizient on Predicting Surgical Outcomes"
• "Quality outcomes of surgical residents compared to other competency measures"
• "Review of NSQIP Data for Surgical Outcomes at UAB Hospital"
• "Surgical Outcomes Associated with the UAB Virtual Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Initiative"

Dr. Margaux Mustian is an assistant professor in the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery. She completed her residency in general surgery and a fellowship in advanced bariatric & minimally invasive surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Mustian’s research interest includes health disparities and access to healthcare.

Current projects include:

• "A retrospective blanket study for the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program. (MBSAQIP) database"
• "Assessment of Access and Quality of Bariatric Surgery"

Dr. Abhishek Parmar is an associate professor in the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery. He is board certified in General Surgery, has received numerous teaching and research awards, and has expertise in advanced laparoscopy of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition to his clinical interests, Dr. Parmar also has extensive experience with health outcomes research and is the author of more than 25 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract.

Current projects include:

• "Impact of COVID-19 on General Surgical Procedures"
• "Robotic vs Open Flank Hernia Repair: A Propensity Matched Analysis of the ACHQC Database"
• "STITCH Trial Perspectives"

Dr. John R. Porterfield joined the UAB Department of Surgery in 2008, returning to Alabama, his home state, after training at the Mayo Clinic. He has since achieved professorship and served as director of the General Surgery Residency Program. Dr. Porterfield speaks nationally and internationally regarding his expertise in surgical education, endocrine, and robotic surgery. He has authored five book chapters and contributed to 30 journal articles.

Current projects include: 

• "Modeling The Match: Building A Predictive Model For Successful General Surgery Residency Match"

Dr. Richard Stahl joined the faculty at UAB in 2010 as the medical director of bariatric surgery and professor in the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery-- having been one of the first Alabama surgeons to offer laparoscopic gastric bypass. He also serves as program director of the Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship.

Current projects include: 

• "ACS/ASE Medical Student Simulation-Based Surgical Skills Curriculum"
• "Gastroparesis: Evaluating Pyloroplasty and Gastric Stimulators as Operative Treatment"
• "What Elements of a Surgery Clerkship Site Influence the Decision to Pursue a Career in Surgery?"