Heart & Vascular

Summer brings warmth and vitality, creating many opportunities for fun outdoor recreation and leisure. However, ticks are more active during the summer and can make enjoying the outdoors challenging. 

Regular exposure to salt water or chlorine in water can take a toll on skin and hair if not managed properly. Swimmers in oceans or chlorinated pools are exposed to environmental factors that can disrupt the body’s natural barriers. Rachel Falkner, M.D., an assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Dermatology, provides practical strategies to maintain healthier skin and hair without sacrificing time spent in the water. 

The UAB Department of Surgery is proud to announce that Saulat Sheikh, M.D., will serve as the surgical director of the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute’s Liver Transplantation Program, effective Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

The annual UAB Medicine Service Awards were created to honor employees for years of faithful service and acknowledge their special contributions to our organization. As part of the 2025 Service Awards recognition, Mary Duncan, RN – a clinical care coordinator with the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery – reflected on her years at UAB Medicine.

For Chloe Yeager, MSN, RN (MSN 2025), a recent graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing’s Accelerated Master’s in Nursing Pathway, nursing wasn’t just a career change; it was a calling discovered in one of life’s most defining moments. Now working as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department at UAB Hospital, Yeager represents the thousands of UAB graduates who choose to remain in Alabama and those who remain within the UAB Health System.

When parents welcome a new child, eye color is often one of the first physical characteristics they notice. Parents may wonder whether this trait has any implications for their child’s health and development.

At its annual conference in April, the Alabama Emergency Nurses Association (AENA) honored three emergency caregivers at UAB Hospital and UAB St. Vincent’s East with AENA Excellence Awards for 2025. These awards recognize nurses and advanced practice providers who demonstrate outstanding leadership, clinical expertise, and commitment to emergency care.

Each year, UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center (SRC) selects a patient, former patient, or a patient’s family member for its Ambassador of Hope Award, which recognizes courage and determination that inspire others facing the challenges of a disability. The recipient for 2025 is Sean Torbert of Phenix City, Ala.

From adolescence to adulthood, women’s health is often surrounded by misconceptions that can lead to confusion and misinformation. Sarah Dunk, M.D., assistant professor in the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, addresses some of the most common misconceptions.

After he suffered a traumatic brain injury in May 2024, doctors said Jacob Smith had a 100 percent chance of an unfavorable outcome. Two years later, Smith is walking, talking and still pursuing his passion, a pursuit connected to the accident that changed his life.

As warmer weather draws families to pools, lakes and rivers, a University of Alabama at Birmingham expert, Jakub Godzik, M.D., associate professor in the UAB Department of Neurosurgery, urges families to take diving safety seriously. 

As temperatures rise and families head to pools, lakes and beaches, pediatricians at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children’s of Alabama are reminding parents that water safety starts long before children step into the water. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4, making prevention one of the most important steps families can take during warmer months.