The UAB Department of Urology is pleased to announce the establishment of The John R. Burns, M.D. and Dean G. Assimos, M.D. Endowed Professorship, thanks to a generous gift of $500,000 from Drs. Assimos and Burns.
The endowment created by this gift will be used to recruit and/or retain an expert faculty member at UAB whose primary research is in the area of kidney stone disease. It will foster cutting-edge research, improve patient care, and further solidify UAB’s leadership in urological health.
“This incredibly generous gift has inspired our UAB Urology family,” said Thomas Chi, M.D., MBA, professor and chair in the UAB Department of Urology, and holder of the Anton J. Bueschen, M.D., Endowed Chair of Urologic Surgery and Research. “Drs. Assimos and Burns have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the success of our department through their endowment. They dedicated their whole careers to advancing our ability to treat patients with kidney stones and helped redefine our understanding of how stones form. Their work was a testament to the idea that life-changing discovery starts at the benchtop. Furthermore, this endowment will help us ensure we continue the Assimos and Burns legacy of a sustainable future in research that helps us cure stone disease. Retaining and recruiting the best talent is how we magnify our success, and gifts like theirs help us chart our future to dream big."
Assimos, professor emeritus in the Department of Urology, is a globally recognized researcher and clinician. Before joining UAB in 2012, he served as vice chair of urology at Wake Forest University. That same year, he became the inaugural chair of the newly established UAB Department of Urology, leading the department through its formation. Assimos is an NIH-funded physician-scientist, focusing on oxalate handling and synthesis, and their role in kidney stone formation.
“I remain indebted and committed to UAB for the many great opportunities and resources that were provided to me,” Assimos said. “The UAB experiences were truly the high points of my career. This gift is one of love for the department and institution. I know that it will be used for the continued propagation of research excellence.”
Burns, professor emeritus in the Department of Urology, joined the UAB faculty in 1980 after completing a research fellowship in kidney stone disease as an AUA Scholar. He spent his 32-year career concentrating on both the clinical and research aspects of urolithiasis.
“After spending my entire career at UAB, I have watched us grow from a small division of three faculty members to a large department of more than 25 members,” Burns expressed. “I hope that this gift will enable continued growth and excellence for the department.”