UAB Heersink School of Medicine has awarded four grants for the 2023/2024 Heersink Multi-Investigator Program Awards, which are each funded with $150,000 per year for two years.

Bradley Yoder, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, has ranked No. 8 of over 800 principal investigators in the fields of anatomy and cell biology, according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research report for 2023. Yoder achieved this ranking after securing over $4.2 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.

The Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion hosted the annual Women in Medicine and Science Promotion Reception April 11, which recognized women faculty promoted at the end of 2023. The honorees and their guests were greeted by Heersink leadership to celebrate their remarkable achievements.

The Goldwater Program received 1,353 nominations from 446 institutions this year, and the winners will receive a scholarship covering tuition, housing, fees and books.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine saw great success in acquiring research funding in 2023, making significant strides in securing resources to advance human health through biomedical discovery.

In the intricate landscape of cellular biology, a group of dedicated Heersink investigators is unraveling the mysteries of protein glycosylation, particularly focusing on the enigmatic world of sialylation. Led by Susan Bellis, Ph.D., the Glycobiology group at UAB delves deep into the significance of sialic acid modifications and their profound impact on cellular behavior. As we sat down with Bellis, she shared valuable insights into the group's pioneering work and its pivotal role in shaping our understanding of glycobiology.

The UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine is pleased to announce the newest cohort of James A. Pittman Jr., M.D., Scholars.

Bradley Yoder, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, introduces the Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Group.

Green will graduate with his doctoral degree in biology from UAB on Dec. 8.

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.

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.

Researchers found 19 Bacteroides vulgatus genes that were unique to three strains that show early engraftment in patients after a fecal transplant, as opposed to seven strains that did not show early engraftment. Most transplant failures occur in the first four weeks.

Hunter Caroline Davies will receive her master’s degree in anatomical science at UAB’s summer commencement Aug. 11. But she is already back in the classroom as part of the Heersink School of Medicine’s class of 2027.

Braden McFarland, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology and co-director of the UAB Undergraduate Cancer Biology Program, was recently awarded a $1.6 million R01 grant from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health to study the role of human gut microbes in mouse models of glioblastoma.

The 31 new scholars from 22 U.S. institutions are all outstanding early career faculty in science who have the potential to become leaders in their research fields and advance diversity, equity and inclusion. Each scholar will receive up to $8.6 million over 10 years.

Knowledge of this previously unrecognized mechanism may aid therapy for patients with interleukin-6 signaling mutations and hyper-IgE Syndrome, or HIES.

The findings indicate that inflammation is present in the brain early in the disease’s progression, but how inflammation affects disease progression remains unknown.

The first large multi-ancestry genetics study of osteoarthritis, or OA, has found 10 novel OA-associated genetic loci, and results showed some of the OA-associated regions are robustly found in every population ancestry studied.

The Heersink School of Medicine has achieved eight years of accreditation — the highest level available for medical schools across the U.S. — by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education after a rigorous two-year process.

This finding suggests utility of treatments before fecal microbial transplants to reduce recipient microbial communities. This would help donor microbial strains dominate in the recipient.