Anupam Agarwal, M.D.
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On Friday, January 13, I was honored to speak at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Event, hosted by the Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI).
With the momentum we have made in only a year from the historic Heersink family gift, I am excited to see more benefits and positive outcomes as we move forward.
This November, I am reflecting on gratitude. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve Heersink School of Medicine in a leadership capacity. The work we do here every day is vitally important for our patients, their families, and our communities.
A few weeks ago, I was presented with the annual UAB Medicine Pulse Survey results.
This month, I step into the interim dean role and look forward to leading in this capacity.
In the world of medical research, physicians have relationships with many sorts of entities—hospitals, universities, pharmaceutical companies, corporations, nonprofit organizations and more. When an academic journal accepts a paper from a researcher or physician, that acceptance typically comes with the stipulation that the author(s) disclose absolutely any and all potential conflicts of interest.
In February, when Dr. Ray Watts, president of UAB, asked me to serve as the interim senior vice president for medicine and dean of the medical school, my first reaction was, “No, thank you.” I was extremely honored, but I felt like my plate was already full with other responsibilities.
One of the things that makes medical care at major academic medical centers like UAB special is the scientific discovery that unfolds daily that helps us understand biological mechanisms in ways that lead to better care for people suffering injury or disease.
Being part of a world-class academic medical center – focused on training medical and graduate biomedical students, conducting research and caring for thousands of patients – it is sometimes easy to forget that our campus is also home to world-class student athletes. The drive, determination and focus important to being a college athlete are similarly important in our students, clinicians and scientists.
One of the pleasures of serving as the interim dean and senior vice president is congratulating, on behalf of everyone in the School of Medicine, our faculty as their contributions of hard work and talent are recognized. I have been doing that a lot lately.