New class enters UAB’s leadership academy

Carlie Stein Somerville, M.D., an associate professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, turned an HSF-GEF grant into a nationally recognized program that provides multidisciplinary support to help young adults transition to adult care. Four years later, “we have been able to show the impact that we can make with patients and families,” she said.

Karen Cropsey, Psy.D., director of UAB’s Center for Addiction and Pain Prevention and Intervention, served on an expert panel studying the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act.

Curiosity led Jenna Taer to the Computer Forensics Research Lab — and on to a master’s degree in cybersecurity. Then a major industry scholarship let her network with CEOs in a field she loves.

A childhood illness, a year spent working for the UFC and an on-campus internship are all fueling a grad student’s goal of breaking down health care barriers through biotechnology.

The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees voted to appoint one chair and three professors to endowed positions during its Feb. 3 meeting. Those honored are Jeffery Walker, Lewis Shi, Farah Lubin and Brant Wagener.

Anath Shalev, M.D., did everything she could to change treatment for Type 1 diabetes from her lab, but getting to first-in-human trials meant taking a step she had always resisted. The most surprising thing about launching a startup, though? “I have enjoyed it.”

The AI Literacy Course that fellow Jordan Perchik, M.D., began in 2020 for UAB trainees now reaches 25 programs in 10 countries — at a time when radiology faces global shortages and a proliferation of artificial intelligence tools.

The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees also voted to accept endowments for four chairs, a professorship and a lecture.

Seven questions for Michael Sloane, Ph.D., on his seven-year quest to race on every continent.

Alumna Shreya Malhotra was named among the fifth cohort of Stanford University’s Knight-Hennessy Scholars, the largest fully endowed graduate fellowship in the world; Malhotra graduated in 2020 with a bachelor’s in neuroscience and a master's in public health as part of the Science and Technology Honors Program.

Jake Chen, Ph.D., associate director of the Informatics Institute, is the first ACM member in Alabama to be honored as a Distinguished Member in this category.

Gayan Wijeratne, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, is studying versatile molecules with heme iron centers that could be useful in new cancer therapies and greener, cheaper fuel cells. He also will use this grant to attract more high school students to higher education in science.

Assistant Professor Wenli Bi, Ph.D., in the Department of Physics will expand studies in a field that could lead to new green technologies — and more opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities in cutting-edge physics.

Meet four more hardworking staff who completed their degrees this month.

The first installment, “Bending the Arc: The Vote,” which tells the stories of Black people and white allies who fought for racial justice during the 1960s, is the collaborative effort of retired and current UAB employees and community partners.

What was it like to complete a degree while working full-time during a pandemic? Three employees share their stories ahead of this weekend’s commencement ceremonies.

“Is Mommy a Doctor or a Superhero?,” written by emergency medicine physician Amy Faith Ho, M.D., uses colorful illustrations and whimsical characters to show that doctor moms are heroes and children can find superheroes within themselves.

With his idea for a coil that travels through the vasculature much like a sailboat riding the breeze, a UAB neuroradiologist has earned a commercialization grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

A faculty member in the School of Health Professions turns his own experiences running research projects into a vision for a comprehensive, automated digital solution with the help of funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

A novel detergent-like compound developed by UAB researchers that blocks HIV and HSV viruses from entering cells could have the same effect against the virus that causes COVID-19. The team is exploring the compound’s potential with a commercialization grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

Colleagues explain say retiring Animal Resources Program Director Samuel Cartner, DVM, Ph.D., has helped shape the institution’s research.

ScopeAssist, invented by a physician and an engineer, is designed to help surgeons deal with the rigors associated with endoscopic surgeries.

Doctors don’t have anything to reliably collect urine from neonates. A solution to this problem earned a commercialization grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.