News

UAB Medicine’s Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Executive Council, in partnership with the APP Central Office, recently recognized outstanding providers during the fourth annual APP Champion Awards. The awards celebrate advanced practice providers who exemplify UAB Medicine’s core values and make exceptional contributions to patient care, teamwork, innovation, and clinical excellence across the organization.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis and joint disorder worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. It affects about 32 million people in the United States alone, including an estimated 13% of women and 10% of men age 60 and up. However, it isn’t always a normal part of aging.

Vasectomy is a safe and effective form of permanent birth control for men, but many aren’t familiar with the details. Here, UAB Medicine urologist Patrick Murray, M.D., answers some common questions about this outpatient procedure.

Andrew Walker will join UAB Health System as the inaugural executive vice president of finance, effective October 26, 2026. As UAB Health System continues to grow in size and complexity, this newly created position will provide dedicated executive leadership over financial strategy, system integration and long-term capital planning.

Most men don’t spend much time thinking about fertility until it’s time to start a family. So, couples often are surprised to learn that male factors contribute to infertility about half the time.

Effective Oct. 1, 2026, the UAB Hospital-Callahan Eye Emergency Department will become UAB Hospital-Callahan Eye Urgent Care.

The UAB Department of Urology has recently expanded its comprehensive urologic and fertility care services at UAB Medicine Hoover Primary & Specialty Care, offering patients evaluation and treatment for a wide range of conditions, including men’s health, prostate and urinary concerns, cancer, and family planning. The location also brings male and female infertility services together, giving couples access to coordinated fertility care in one setting.

Premature and sick newborns are at high risk of having neurodevelopmental delays that can affect their language and reading skills, particularly when they are in a neonatal intensive care unit. The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children’s of Alabama launched the NICU Bookworms reading program in 2021. This program helps reduce these deficits, increase parent-infant bonding and encourage shared reading starting at birth for all babies. This year, City of Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin joined employees at UAB and Children’s of Alabama to celebrate the five-year anniversary of the program and recognize all that has been accomplished since its establishment. Mayor Woodfin joined families in UAB’s Regional Newborn Intensive Care Unit to read to some of UAB Medicine and Children’s of Alabama’s smallest patients.

As the school year is beginning to ramp up for high school and college students, fall sports are also on the horizon. Student-athletes playing football, volleyball, soccer and cross country are preparing to return to early mornings and late nights filled with training, schoolwork and practices.

Congratulations to the most recent winner, Kristen Cone, RN. Below, a patient explains what makes Kristen worthy of a DAISY Award.

Walt Smith, M.D., is a shoulder and elbow surgeon with UAB Sports & Exercise Medicine. Here, he answers some common questions about ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries and how they’re treated. This information is based on a typical patient and may not apply to every case.

At about 3 months old, Beauregard damaged his rhinotheca, or upper beak. This trauma resulted in his losing a portion of his upper mandible. After exploring various options to remedy his injury and making adjustments to his way of life, animal health specialists at the Birmingham Zoo reached out to the maxillofacial prosthetic experts of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. This team consisted of dental prosthetist, Chris Seidenfaden, maxillofacial Prosthodontist, Michael Kase, DMD, and oral surgeon, Jay Ponto, M.D., D.D.S.