Throughout the course of his life, University of Alabama at Birmingham patient Bill Wingate has had four open heart surgeries, seven heart valve replacements and multiple heart catheterizations. Wingate is one of the estimated 2 million people living with a congenital heart defect, and this Heart Month, Wingate is using his story to inspire others.

UAB Medicine employees work together daily to save lives, and sometimes it’s for one of their own. This was the case with Joy Marsh, an administrative support specialist at the UAB Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Lab, who suffered a heart attack shortly after arriving at work in November 2023. Her coworkers helped transport her to the UAB Emergency Department, then a surgery and cardiology team inserted a tiny tube called a stent to reopen a section of artery that was 100% blocked.

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. The Mississippi family […]

UAB Medicine Chief Diversity Officer André Lessears recently was recognized by the Birmingham Business Journal (BBJ) among its 2024 Leaders in Diversity and as one of the Top DEI Leaders for 2024 by software developer ProvenBase.

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.