Pediatric surgeon Elizabeth Beierle, M.D., was selected as one of 2016 Women Who Shape the State by Al.com. More than 100 women were nominated and 29 women were selected for the second annual presentation of this award, which seeks to honor women throughout Alabama. From the UAB School of Medicine, Mona Fouad, M.D., was also honored. 

Beierle is a pediatric surgeon who focuses on cancer surgery for children and infants, as well as surgery for birth anomalies in newborns. Beierle also aims to help the greater patient population and has dedicated her career to research about pediatric cancer. She has received numerous grants for her work on tumor biology from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Hyundai Foundation, Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation, Kaul Institute, American Pediatric Surgical Foundation, Children’s Miracle Network, and others. She also serves as a representative on the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.

Beierle’s commitment to helping patients stretches far past Alabama, as she is actively involved in the Children’s of Alabama Global Surgery Program and the International Pediatric Specialist Alliance for the Children of Vietnam. She and her husband, surgeon Mike Chen, M.D., have made 10 trips to Vietnam since 2008. During a recent trip, the husband and wife team operated on 16 children with complicated congenital anomalies, tumors and complex urological issues at Children’s Hospital #2, the largest children’s hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

There is no doubt, her work in the operating room and research lab has made an impact on the lives of many Alabamians, but her role as a mentor to a younger generations of surgeons, specifically female surgeons, is equally important. UAB. She serves as a role model, and Dr. Beierle’s commitment to her trainees can best be stated by Dr. Laura Stafman, a current general surgery resident at UAB and member of the Beierle lab:

“Dr. Beierle seemingly does it all. She is a busy pediatric surgeon, scientist, wife, daughter, runner, and the list goes on. She has shown me that you can achieve work-life balance as a surgeon and has encouraged me to maintain interests outside of surgery. She always asks about my family, and when I am unable to join my own family for holidays, she invites me to spend the holidays with her family. Despite her many interests and busy work life, she is always available to help. A fellow surgery resident recently had a procedure requiring sedation and Dr. Beierle took the time out of her weekday to drive her home from the hospital and make sure she had everything necessary. Watching her juggle all of her responsibilities effortlessly and with such enthusiasm has profoundly inspired me.”