On Tuesday, the UAB Department of Surgery celebrated and honored former department chair Kirby I. Bland, M.D.., with the 2018 Kirby I. Bland, M.D., Visiting Lectureship. Eastern Virginia Medical School’s Department of Surgery Chair L.D. Britt, M.D., M.P.H., D.Sc. (Hon.), F.A.C.S., F.C.C.M., presented his talk, “The State of Healthcare in America: Major Challenges for Integrated Academic Health Systems — What Should be the Strategies to Address Them?,” as the lectureship’s visiting professor. Britt is an esteemed leader in the field of surgery and long-time colleague and friend of Bland.

During the morning portion of the lectureship events at Surgery Grand Rounds, Britt unveiled a new portrait of Bland commissioned by the UAB Department of Surgery and painted by local artist Larry Bishop. The evening portion of the lectureship consisted of an annual black-tie dinner to honor Bland at which UAB Surgery faculty and chief residents paid tribute to Bland by sharing stories of his kindness and compassionate leadership.

The Kirby I. Bland, M.D., Visiting Lectureship was established to honor the distinguished career of Kirby I. Bland, M.D., who served as chair of the UAB Department of Surgery for nearly 16 years. During his illustrious career, Bland was a mentor to countless medical students and residents, set the bar for patient care and pioneered surgical research. Bland is a clinician scientist, renowned for his research on novel therapies in breast, colon and rectal cancers. He continues to focus heavily on performing translational research.

Check out photos from the event above or view them on Flickr.

Next year’s Kirby I. Bland, M.D., Visiting Lectureship will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019. Mary Hawn, M.D., M.P.H., professor and chair of surgery at Stanford University, will serve as the event’s 2019 visiting professor.