As a part of UAB, the Tinsley Harrison Internal Medicine Residency Program values every member of our program and the richly different perspectives, characteristics and life experiences that contribute to UAB’s unique environment.
By fostering a learning and working environment that welcomes, respects and supports each other, we cultivate physicians who practice world-class medicine—care that is individually tailored to the health needs of our patients. Our welcoming and respectful mindset — responsive to each individual — results in a spirit of camaraderie among our trainees, faculty and staff, and affords dignity to each patient. This ultimately inspires our physicians and scientists to build healthier communities.
The Tinsley Harrison Internal Medicine Residency Program is dedicated to:
- recruiting and retaining outstanding trainees,
- providing open and equal access to resources and opportunities,
- and equipping all trainees for success at UAB and beyond.
Health and Health Equity for Patients and Providers
Through curricular innovation, we have integrated topics aimed at helping trainees become better equipped at recognizing and addressing social determinants of health, in order to care for patients of all backgrounds. Our training addresses care for populations including, but not limited to, patients who are affected by health disparities, who are unhoused, have substance use disorder, are justice involved, have food insecurity, and who are un/under-insured.
Our program also educates trainees and faculty to cultivate respectful and supportive environments for all healthcare workers, both to maintain physician wellness and to improve the quality of care delivered to all patients. This approach is baked into everything we do, and is highlighted in the optional learning experiences* below.
Closing the Divide: Building Trust by Addressing Bias in Medicine
Closing the Divide expands the depth and scope of content that addresses encounters impacted by bias in the clinical environment. This initiative provides a framework for how to respond during these types of experiences and conveys how responses may vary across encounter types.
Strategic Training And iNnovation to Develop UPstanders
STAND UP is an immersive educational program that provides training through simulation and experiential learning, that teaches Bystanders (people present at an incident who do not take part) how to become Upstanders (people who speak or act in support of an individual, specifically intervening on behalf of someone who may be being bullied or attacked).
The EJI Experience
All residents are invited to join an optional annual educational journey to one of Alabama’s renowned cultural sites: the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Through this experience, residents can begin to build a bridge from the past to the present — to better understand how historical injustices connect to current societal issues, providing valuable insight into the many intangible but important factors that affect the delivery of health care in America.
Residency Program Directors of Access & Engagement
In alignment with the Heersink School of Medicine Office of Access & Engagement, our residency aims to strengthen pathways to institutional access and success, nurture an environment of belonging and well-being, and enhance excellence through engagement.
Karla E. Williams, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine Population Science
Director of Access and Engagement, Tinsley Harrison Internal Medicine Residency Program
KeAndrea Titer, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine and Population Science
Assistant Director of Access and Engagement, Tinsley Harrison Internal Medicine Residency Program
*These programs offer trainees interested in additional educational opportunities the choice to participate. While all are welcome, the trainings are optional. No individual is compelled to assent to ideas defined as divisive concepts by Alabama Senate Bill 129 codified at ALA. CODE § 41-1-90 et seq.