About the Program

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital (UAB) now offers a fellowship in advanced aortic and endovascular surgery. This is a 12-month non-ACGME accredited fellowship that begins on July 1 and ends on June 30.

In 2021, UAB Hospital was again named the best hospital in Alabama by U.S. News & World Report. Eight adult specialties are ranked among the best in the nation. The magazine also notes UAB Hospital as “high-performing” in 14 of 17 assessed adult procedures/conditions in the 2021-2022 Best Hospital rankings. Ranked programs included cardiology/heart surgery at #29 in the nation.

Fellows will be supervised by faculty assigned to the aortic service including Drs. James Davies, Clifton Lewis, and Kyle Eudailey. The program provides comprehensive exposure to all aspects of management of thoracic aortic disease, focusing on advanced aortic, aortic valve, TAVR, and endovascular surgery.

The goal of the fellowship is to provide specialized training in aortic and complex adult cardiac surgery to an individual who has successfully completed an ACGME accredited cardiothoracic surgery residency program and is eligible for board certification by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. The fellow can expect to gain exposure to transcatheter, endovascular, and open surgical cases.

Operative Experience

• Open Heart Surgeries >2100
• TAVR Operations >400
• TEVAR >150

The fellow will participate in the following educational conferences:

• Aortic Conference (Monthly)
• Morbidity and Mortality (Bi-monthly)
• Cardiac Case Conference (Weekly)

Associate Professor
Program Director, UAB Abdominal Transplant Fellowship

Areas of Interest
kidney transplantation, immunosuppression

Associate Professor
Director, ECMO Program at Children's of Alabama
Program Director, UAB Pediatric Surgery Fellowship

Areas of Interest
congenital diaphragmatic hernia, ECMO, minimally invasive neonatal and pediatric surgery, surgical education

Professor
Vice Chair, Access & Engagement

Areas of Interest
melanoma, sarcoma, cutaneous malignancies, and benign and malignant breast disease, inclusive organizational culture

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest 
quality improvement, geriatric trauma, health literacy in trauma and acute care surgery patients

Assistant Professor
Committee Member, Surgical Grand Rounds

Areas of Interest 
skin and soft tissue malignancies including melanoma, nonmelanoma skin cancers, retroperitoneal and extremity sarcoma, and neuroendocrine tumors

Professor
Director, Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy
Holt A. McDowell, Jr., M.D. Endowed Chair of Vascular Surgery
Director of Quality and Associate Chief Medical Quality Officer, CVI

Areas of Interest
complex aortic disease, including aortic dissection, suprarenal and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms, device development, outcomes research

Professor
Vice Chair, Faculty Development
Surgical Director, Hepatobiliary Clinic, Children's of Alabama
Charles D. McCrary Endowed Chair in Pediatric Surgery

Areas of Interest
pediatric surgical oncology, pediatric solid tumors, neuroblastoma

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
adult cardiac surgery, surgical critical care, ECMO

Assistant Professor
Associate Principal, Office of Clinical Practice Transformation

Areas of Interest
trauma systems, quality improvement, surgical critical care

Professor Emeritus, Surgical Oncology
Fay Fletcher Kerner Chair Emeritus, Department of Surgery
Surgeon-in-Chief Emeritus, UAB Hospitals and Clinics
Distinguished Faculty Scholar, UAB School of Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Senior Advisor to the Director
O’Neal- UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center
Editor-in-Chief, Emeritus, American Journal of Surgery

Areas of Interest
breast cancer, chemoprevention

PUBMED PUBLICATIONS

Assistant Professor
Associate Director for Quality, O'Neal Cancer Service Line
Member, Institute for Cancer Outcomes & Survivorship

Areas of Interest
surgical oncology, melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer, sarcoma, breast cancer, research on cancer care delivery

Associate Professor
Surgical Director, Liver Transplant Program

Areas of Interest

liver transplantation, minimally invasive hepatic surgery, surgical management of portal hypertension, surgical management of polycystic liver disease, comprehensive management of benign and malignant hepatobiliary tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma

The Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery is dedicated to educating the next generation of cardiac and thoracic surgeons, which has culminated in a program whose success can be measured by the caliber of its graduates.

Associate Professor

Areas of Interest
trauma, surgical critical care, motor vehicle crash injury prevention

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
host microbe interactions, mechanisms of microbial regulation of substance use disorders, bioengineering microbial-based therapeutics, hormonal and metabolic syndromes and disease

Professor Emeritus

Areas of Interest
trauma, hemorrhage, sepsis, gender dimorphism, immune functions, cardiovascular functions

Chair, Department of Surgery
Professor of Surgery
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Professor of Pediatrics
Fay Fletcher Kerner Endowed Chair
Surgeon-in-Chief, UAB Hospital and Health System
Senior Advisor, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB
Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Heersink School of Medicine

Areas of Interest
thyroid and parathyroid surgery, minimally invasive radioguided parathyroidectomy, adrenal surgery, endocrine surgery, neuroendocrine cancer biology

Professor
Director, Division of Pediatric Surgery
Joseph M. Farley Endowed Chair in Pediatric Surgery
Surgeon-in-Chief, Children’s of Alabama

Areas of Interest
anorectal malformation, Hirschsprung’s disease, bowel management, congenital anomalies, thoracic defects and minimally invasive surgery

Professor
Division Director of GI Surgery
Selwyn M. Vickers, M.D., F.A.C.S. Endowed Chair

Areas of Interest
colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticular disease and anorectal pathology, health care disparities research, Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), microbiome research

Associate Professor

Areas of Interest
laser procedures, skin tightening, resurfacing, fat grafting, transplantation, liposuction, reepithelialization, skin grafts, wound healing, minimally invasive surgery, laser surgery, fat transplantation

Clinical Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
adult heart and lung surgery (coronary bypass, heart valve, and aneurysm surgery), minimally invasive heart and lung surgery (TAVR procedure), lung cancer surgery, surgical diseases of the chest wall and lung

Associate Professor
Program Director, General Surgery Residency
Marshall Urist, M.D., Endowed Professor

Areas of Interest
minimally invasive GI surgery, foregut and anti-reflux, abdominal wall hernias, surgical education

Professor
Chief, Trauma Service
Trauma Medical Director

Areas of Interest
trauma, surgical critical care, trauma systems, military medicine

Professor
Chief, Section of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Director, Fourth Year Medical Student Clerkship
A.D. Pacifico, M.D., Endowed Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery

Areas of Interest
pediatric cardiac surgery, quality improvement and outcomes research

Professor
Director, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
John W. Kirklin Endowed Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery
Surgical Director, Cardiovascular Operating Room
Director, UAB Cardiovascular Institute

Areas of Interest
adult cardiac surgery, cardiac valvular disease, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, outcomes research

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest 
combat casualty care, emergency response, shock, resuscitation, critical care, translational medicine, medical education, austere medical care, extracorporeal life support 

Professor
Director, Division of Plastic Surgery
Bruce F. Connell M.D., Endowed Chair in Plastic Surgery

Areas of Interest
abdominoplasty, aesthetic surgery, body contouring, breast reduction and mastopexy procedures, complex wound healing problems including pressure sores, liposuction, trunk contouring after gastric bypass

Associate Clinical Professor

Areas of Interest
breast reconstruction, abdominal wall reconstruction, body contouring, aesthetic breast surgery, facial rejuvenation

Associate Professor
Section Chief, Thoracic Surgery
James H. Estes Family Endowed Chair for Lung Cancer Research in the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB

Areas of Interest
lung and esophageal cancer surgery, chest wall surgery, tracheal resection and reconstruction, mediastinal tumors, outcomes research, airway disorders, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, lung nodules, mediastinal tumors, chest wall tumors, malignant pleural effusions, pneumothorax, esophageal disease (benign)

Professor
James P. Hayes, Jr., Endowed Professor in Gastrointestinal Oncology
Director, Division of Surgical Oncology

Areas of Interest
pancreatic cancer, hepatobiliary malignancies, immunology and stromal biology

Assistant Professor
Program Director, Advanced Aortic and Endovascular Surgery Fellowship
Medical Director, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Areas of Interest
aortic aneurysmal disease, aortic dissection, aortic valve repair and valve sparring aortic root replacement, aortic stent grafting and endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR), minimally invasive valve repair, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR)

Assistant Professor
Director, Medical Student Surgery Clerkship

Areas of Interest
hyperparathyroidism, benign and malignant thyroid conditions, benign and malignant adrenal disease and complex management of inherited endocrine syndromes

Clinical Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
Benign breast disease and surgical management, breast cancer prevention and treatment

Professor

Areas of Interest
breast reconstruction and hand surgery

Associate Professor
Co-Director, Pre-College Research Internship for Scholarship and Mentoring (PRISM)

Areas of Interest
pancreatic, liver, gallbladder and bile duct diseases and cancers, stomach cancer, small bowel tumors, health disparities research

Professor
Director for Gastrointestinal Biology Research
Champ Lyons Endowed Chair in General Surgery
Distinguished Professor in the Heersink School of Medicine

Areas of Interest
brain development and plasticity, neurotransmitters, substance abuse

Associate Professor
Medical Director for Surgery/ Surgical Critical Care
Chief of Critical Care Service

Areas of Interest
trauma, critical care, emergency general surgery, surgery education research, biomarkers, wound healing

Professor
Vice Chair, Basic Research
UAB Cardiovascular Surgical Research Endowed Chair

Areas of Interest
immune regulation of post-transplant vascular disease and allograft rejection, transplantation and heart failure outcomes research

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest 
global surgery, rural surgery, health informatics, genetic epidemiology

Assistant Professor
Co-Director, Pre-College Research Internship for Scholarship and Mentoring (PRISM)
Committee Member, Surgical Grand Rounds

Areas of Interest
breast and endocrine surgery, surgical oncology

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest 
trauma and acute care surgery

Surgical Director, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
Associate Professor

Areas of Interest
adult cardiac surgery, valve repair/replacement, coronary artery bypass grafting with emphasis on arterial grafting, surgery for atrial fibrillation, thoracic aortic aneurysms, mechanical circulatory support including implantable long-term ventricular assist devices and short term temporary support, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), heart and lung transplantation

Professor
Vice Chair, VA Affairs
Associate Chief of Staff, VA Surgical Services
Director, Minimally Invasive Surgery at Birmingham VA
Assistant Program Director, Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship

Areas of Interest
foregut and bariatric surgery, achalasia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, hiatal or paraesophageal hernias, morbid obesity and metabolic syndrome, role of the microbiome in obesity, outcomes research

Professor
James C. Lee III Chair in Pediatric Plastic Surgery
Director, UAB Cleft and Craniofacial Center

Areas of Interest
pediatric plastic surgery, pediatric craniofacial surgery, outcomes research, biomechanics, wound healing

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
congenital heart disease, neonatal cardiac surgery, single ventricle palliation, heart transplantation, adult congenital heart disease, quality improvement, clinical outcomes research.

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
neuroendocrine tumors, notch signaling pathway, theranostics, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Assistant Professor
Associate Vice Chair, Global Surgery Equity
Assistant Program Director for Global Surgery, General Surgery Residency Program
Associate Scientist, O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB
Associate Scientist, Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center (MHRC)

Areas of Interest 
global surgery, global oncology, disparities, health services research, financial toxicity, oncoplastics

Professor
Surgical Director, Kidney Transplantation
Martha Robinson Tankersley Endowed Professorship in Transplant Clinical Excellence

Areas of Interest
kidney transplantation, pancreas transplantation, induction therapy

Professor