The Heersink School of Medicine could not provide groundbreaking research, world-class medical training, and nationally recognized patient care without its incredibly hardworking and talented faculty and staff. We believe that recognizing exceptional individuals within our organization is crucial to expressing our gratitude to them as well as our value in their work. We celebrate our faculty and staff both through internal awards and by recognizing their external honors.
Dean’s Excellence Awards for Faculty
The Dean’s Excellence Awards for Faculty recognizes the exceptional achievements of faculty in teaching, research, service, mentorship, and fostering diversity within the Heersink School of Medicine. Sixteen remarkable faculty members were named in 2023.
“Their skill and dedication enhance our impact across all our mission areas. I’m proud to call these faculty members colleagues and friends, and I congratulate them on this most well-deserved honor,” said Anupam Agarwal, M.D., senior vice president for Medicine and dean of the Heersink School of Medicine.
Recognized for achievements in teaching:
Desiree E. Morgan, M.D., FSAR | Department of Radiology
Chere L. Stewart, M.D. | Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Women’s Reproductive Healthcare
Hari Jeyarajan, M.D. | Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Head and Neck Surgery
Diana M. Lin, M.D., FCAP, FASCP | Department of Pathology
Recognized for achievements in diversity enhancement:
Erica M. Stringer-Reasor, M.D. | Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology
Carlie Stein Somerville, M.D. | Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine
Recognized for achievements in mentorship:
Jayme Locke, M.D. | Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation Surgery
Shaundra Blakemore, M.D. | Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Recognized for achievements in research:
Veena B. Antony, M.D. | Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care
Sooryanarayana Varambally, M.Sc., Ph.D., MBA | Department of Pathology, Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology
Rui Lu, Ph.D. | Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology
Jereme Wilroy, Ph.D. | Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Recognized for achievements in Service:
Daniel B. Cox, M.D. | Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
David W. Kimberlin, M.D. | Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Davis Bradford, M.D. | Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine
Jennifer McCain, M.D. | Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Dean’s Excellence Awards for Staff
The Heersink School of Medicine is excited to announce the launch of the Dean’s Excellence Awards for Staff in 2023. These awards will acknowledge the outstanding contributions of Heersink staff members across all mission areas including education, clinical care, and basic, translational, and clinical research.
These awards will recognize staff members who foster a sense of belonging, build cooperative teams that promote inclusivity, offer innovative solutions, inspire positive change in people and processes, and participate within and outside of their unit/department for the greater good of the Heersink School of Medicine.
Distinguished Faculty Lecture honoring Casey Weaver
Casey Weaver is the latest recipient of the annual Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Award. Weaver earned this honor through his contributions as a scientist and mentor as well as his service to UAB. It is the highest honor bestowed by UAB’s academic health center on a faculty member who has advanced the frontiers of science and made outstanding contributions to education, research and public service.
“Dr. Weaver is a premier physician-scientist, whose research into the developmental decisions of CD4 T lymphocytes has led to new insights into the pathogenesis of autoimmunity, and new therapies for treating autoimmune diseases and cancer,” said George Netto, M.D., professor and Robert and Ruth Anderson Endowed Chair of the Department of Pathology.
Three faculty elected to join the Association of American Physicians
The Association of American Physicians elected Anindya Dutta, Ph.D., David Kimberlin, M.D., and Alan T. Tita, M.D., Ph.D., from the Heersink School of Medicine to join the organization. The honorary medical society advocates for the advancement of scientific and practical medicine and has over 1,700 active members and approximately 600 emeritus and honorary members internationally.
Anindya Dutta, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Genetics, researches genomic instability in cancer cells and noncoding RNAs in differentiation and cancer. His laboratory identified many of the replication initiation proteins in human cells, used genomics technology to identify hundreds of origins of replication in human chromosomes, discovered a major mechanism by which human cells prevent over-replication of their DNA and identified a novel class of circular DNA present in normal mammalian cells.
David Kimberlin, M.D., co-director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, is an expert in the treatment of congenital and perinatal viral infections. His current studies include evaluating novel treatment approaches for neonatal HSV, new antiviral drugs for congenital CMV, long-term benefits of antiviral therapy in congenital CMV and natural history studies of acute flaccid myelitis and neonatal enteroviral sepsis.
Alan T. Tita, M.D., Ph.D., Mary Heersink Endowed Chair of Global Health, associate dean for Global and Women’s Health, and professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has a background in maternal-fetal medicine, perinatal epidemiology and international health. Tita leads the design and conduct of collaborative multi-site and single-site clinical trials and observational studies that influence practice and policy globally.
Bhatt elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation
Surya Bhatt, M.D., MSPH, an associate professor in the UAB Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, and endowed professor in airways disease, has been elected as a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI).
The nonprofit medical honor society comprises over 3,000 physician-scientists from all medical specialties and has a mission to promote the advancement of research that enhances the understanding of diseases and improves their treatment.
Bhatt is a physician-scientist with a focus on research in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Bhatt directs the UAB Telehealth Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program which aims to provide COPD patients with pulmonary rehabilitation at home with the help of telemonitoring and new technology.
"It is an honor to be elected to the ASCI and to be part of such a distinguished community of physician-scientists,” said Bhatt. “I am dedicated to pushing the boundaries of pulmonary medicine research through novel and innovative approaches."
Bentley receives 2023 ASCI Young Physician-Scientist Award
Nicole Bentley, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery, received the 2023 Young Physician-Scientist Award from the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI).
The ASCI is one of the nation’s oldest and most esteemed nonprofit medical honor societies. It focuses on the special role physician-scientists play in research, leadership in academic medicine, clinical care and medical education.
The award recognizes Bentley as a physician-scientist who has made significant achievements in her research and provides her with a two-year longitudinal experience with opportunities for awards, mentorship, education and networking.
Bentley specializes in deep brain stimulation, epilepsy surgery and functional movement disorder.
Lindeman named a member of the Macy Faculty Scholars Class of 2023
Brenessa Lindeman, M.D., MEHP, FACS, associate professor in the Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, has been named a member of the Macy Faculty Scholars Class of 2023.
The Macy Faculty Scholars Program identifies and nurtures future educators in medicine and nursing. Macy Faculty Scholars receive salary support of $100,000 per year over two years to develop an educational project in their institution and take part in career development activities.
Lindeman’s areas of interest are competency-based assessment, trainee supervision and autonomy, the clinical learning environment, and endocrine surgical disease including thyrotoxicosis and outpatient adrenalectomy.
“It is my true honor to represent the UAB Heersink School of Medicine and the Department of Surgery as part of the Macy Faculty Scholars Program,” said Lindeman. “As one of few surgeons to ever take part in the program, I am excited to embark on this journey to improve surgical education and training in the United States and beyond.”
King received the Wolcott Award for Excellence in Clinical Care Delivery
Peter King, M.D., professor in the Department of Neurology, received the Wolcott Award for Excellence in Clinical Care Delivery from the United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
The prestigious award is given to a VA health care practitioner who has demonstrated excellence and dedication to the delivery of patient care as recognized by patients, colleagues, and leadership. It is the highest honor for healthcare providers within the VA.
The Wolcott Award citation lauded King for his leadership and “hands-on” approach to clinical care. He has performed over 16,000 EMG studies for veterans in the southeast allowing for accurate neurological diagnosis of primary muscle disease, myasthenia gravis, peripheral neuropathy, radiculopathy, war-related nerve injuries, and other acquired neuropathies.
King was honored at a ceremony in Washington D.C. on May 10.
Sun named HHMI 2023 Freeman Hrabowski Scholar
HaoSheng Sun, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Cell Developmental and Integrative Biology, has been named to the inaugural class of Freeman Hrabowski scholars by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
The class consists of 31 scholars from 22 U.S. institutions who are all outstanding early career faculty in science and have the potential to become leaders in their research fields, understand the experiences of trainees from underrepresented races and ethnicities in science and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion through their mentorship.
Freeman Hrabowski scholars will be appointed to a five-year term, renewable for a second five-year term after a successful progress evaluation. Each scholar will receive up to $8.6 million over 10 years, including full salary, benefits, a research budget and scientific equipment. They will also participate in professional development to advance their leadership and mentorship skills.
“Throughout my scientific training, opportunity and excellent mentorships have allowed me to pursue my dream career of academic research,” HaoSheng said. “I hope to pay this forward to the next generation of science trainees by establishing a fun and all-inclusive lab environment where rigorous science is conducted at UAB. Promotion of strong mentorship, scientific outreach and diversity/inclusivity are important components of our lab culture.”