February 11, 2003

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Dr. Ashita Tolwani, a University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) nephrologist, has been awarded one of two national Pfizer Scholars Grants for Faculty Development in Clinical Epidemiology. The award was based on her proposal to compare continuous high-dose and low-dose kidney dialysis for intensive care patients who are in acute kidney failure.

The Pfizer grants are awarded for three years, at $65,000 per annum. Medical schools may advance only one application each.

Tolwani, an assistant professor whose medical degree is from UAB, was trained in both nephrology and critical care medicine. She currently is finishing work on a master’s degree in epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health.

UAB, with 128 ICU beds, currently provide 24-hour-a-day dialysis therapy to about 300 patients a year, ranking it among the nation’s leaders.