The Heersink School of Medicine Office of Research held its Annual Research Retreat on Feb. 14 at the UAB Alumni House. The agenda included presentations and contributions from numerous research leaders. The annual retreat aims to recognize newly developed and identified research areas and set goals for the future of the Heersink research enterprise.
Tika Benveniste, Ph. D., senior vice dean at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, provided welcome and opening remarks. Updates were provided on the four strategic research focus areas and how the areas utilized an initial $1 million allocated in 2023, highlighting how the focus areas collaborated on instrumentation/technology and strategic workforce recruitment. Additionally, Benveniste briefly discussed the current National Institutes of Health landscape.
Following Benveniste’s opening remarks, directors of several institutes and centers presented. Brian Davis, Ph.D., director of the Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, discussed the pivot to genetic-based therapies in cystic fibrosis and significant themes for the research center. Erik Roberson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UAB Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC), offered attendees a broad update on Alzheimer’s disease, including a brief history of the ADRC and its recent milestones. Maria Pisu, Ph.D., professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Population Science, explored cancer research in areas with persistent poverty and introduced the National Cancer Institute-funded CARES Center.
UAB President Ray Watts, M.D., joined to provide strategic research updates regarding improving research infrastructure and insight into the efforts being made to support the success of our institution and investigators. Watts also touched on the new Huron suite that will replace the Integrated Research Administration Portal, the upcoming transition to EPIC, and faculty recruitment. Chris Brown, Ph.D., UAB vice president of Research, followed Watts, adding to his insightful remarks and stating, “[UAB’s] commitment to research and the research enterprise is unwavering.” In his updates, Brown discussed UAB’s Office of Research updates regarding clinical trial reorganization and efficiency and the improvements made to the Institutional Review Board for Human Use (IRB) process.
Fran Lund, Ph.D., director of the Immunology Institute and this year’s UAB Distinguished Faculty Lecturer, presented information on leveraging solid organ transplantation to understand how human immune responses evolve and persist within tissues. Following Lund, Jennifer Croker, Ph.D., senior administrative director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), introduced the CCTS and discussed how research can transform health. Renee Heffron, Ph.D., director of the Center for AIDS Research, updated attendees on the current initiatives at the center and their goal of moving toward epidemic control.
Breakout sessions were held for attendees to discuss artificial intelligence (AI) in research and the workforce. AI was presented as a viable tool that could enhance efficiency and success in grant writing. Groups were encouraged to consider AI regarding training, proposal and administrative productivity, and solutions to roadblocks. Groups also examined the value of a skilled workforce as essential in driving research growth, making the point that training and development are key. Participants shared strategies around enhancing, supporting, attracting, and retaining the UAB workforce.
Following the breakout sessions, Anupam Agarwal, M.D., senior vice president for Medicine and dean of the Heersink School of Medicine, made closing remarks and encouraged attendees to work together to leverage our collective expertise to drive innovation and continue advancing medical research. “Together, we can achieve great things and make a lasting impact on the health of our communities and beyond,” said Agarwal as he closed the retreat. “I look forward to seeing the remarkable achievements resulting from our collective efforts.”