News

February is American Heart Month, but heart health is important all year round. Elizabeth Jackson, M.D., a cardiologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cardiovascular Institute, says making small lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of heart disease and the use of medications to regulate health.

An estimated 9% of Americans will develop an eating disorder at some point in their lives. This includes several serious but treatable mental and physical illnesses. National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is being observed Feb. 26 through March 3 this year to promote knowledge and encourage those affected to seek treatment.

“I know more about lungs than I ever wanted to,” said Wanda Tunnell, 65. The Tuscaloosa, Ala., resident’s double lung transplant in May 2021 was the culmination of a long journey of unanswered questions and terrifying episodes of breathing trouble.

The Birmingham Business Journal (BBJ) recently released its 2024 “Top 40 Under 40” list, which honors up-and-coming local professionals who have distinguished themselves in their fields before age 40.

In August of 1995, the Miley family found themselves in a hospital room celebrating the arrival of their newest addition, a baby girl named Brooke. A year later, the family was back in the hospital for a different reason. Brooke had restrictive cardiomyopathy, a life-threatening condition that the hospital could not treat.

Currently used Food and Drug Administration-approved transplant drugs — with the addition of an also already FDA-approved complement inhibitor — are the optimal immunosuppression regimen for pig-to-human kidney transplants, according to a landmark discovery by University of Alabama at Birmingham investigators. The peer-reviewed research is published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Small teams of UAB Medicine cardiologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, and nurses are making a positive difference in South America, where they volunteer to share their expertise in complex pediatric heart disease and defects with local doctors.

The UAB Health System and Infirmary Health have entered a relationship to bring collaborative, comprehensive cancer services to patients in southern Alabama, southeast Mississippi and the Florida panhandle. The result of a multi-year planning effort on behalf of the leadership of the two organizations, this partnership was born with the goal of decreasing the burden of cancer, improving outcomes, and expanding cancer scientific discovery through an increased footprint and resources of both organizations.

UAB Health System Chief Strategy Officer David Randall was named on Becker’s Hospital Review’s 2023 list of “Health system chief strategy officers to know”. This exclusive list highlights leaders who develop short- and long-term strategic plans that drive progress at their hospitals and health systems.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has received eight 2024 Women’s Choice Awards designations for women’s health practice areas.

UAB Hospital was designated as a Magnet organization in 2002, 2006, 2011, 2015, and 2019 by the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®.  This prestigious designation recognizes excellence in nursing services.  In February 2024, UAB Hospital is applying for re-designation.

Each January, National Birth Defects Awareness Month is observed to raise awareness, help improve the health of people with these conditions, and expand the networks of support. Most birth defects are not preventable, and many are critical conditions that can cause lifelong challenges. However, thanks to medical advances in diagnosis and treatment, women and their babies now receive better care than ever before.