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.

Parents will do anything for their children. But when one father’s health began to fail, his daughter gave him the most meaningful gift of all: life.

When Shannon Kline first learned she had polycystic kidney disease six years ago, she knew the diagnosis might one day lead to a kidney transplant. PKD runs deep in her family. Both her grandfather and mother received kidney transplants at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and her physicians had always monitored her kidney function closely. Still, the 44‑year‑old elementary school teacher thought the need for surgery was far in the future.

UAB Hospital has once again earned international recognition, securing a place as Alabama's top-ranked hospital on Newsweek’s prestigious list of the World’s Best Hospitals 2026.

In a milestone for UAB Medicine, transplant surgeons have performed the institution’s first robotic kidney transplant surgery, marking a major step toward expanding minimally invasive options for transplant recipients.

The UAB Division of Transplantation recently performed a split-liver transplantation – marking the first use of this life-saving procedure at UAB and Children’s of Alabama (COA) in almost a decade.

When kidney transplant patients at the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute celebrate their first year after transplant, they ring a bell. The bright tone of the “Bell of New Beginnings” resonates throughout the clinic, marking the first anniversary of a journey toward a new chance at life.

People who have received or donated organs for transplant understand why it’s often called “the gift of life”. Madison County resident and UAB Medicine patient Martha Yarbrough, 85, continues to cherish that gift since receiving a kidney from her sister in 1972.

Days after finishing her first semester of medical school, Amaris Elston awoke in a hospital room. She felt drained as her body started to adjust to its new reality.

Surgeons with the University of Alabama at Birmingham have achieved a significant milestone in liver transplantation. The institution recently performed its 3,000th adult liver transplant, solidifying its position as a leading center for liver transplantation in the region and nation.

The 2024 Transplant Games of America brought together thousands of participants and spectators July 5-10 in Birmingham, Ala., to create a truly unforgettable experience. UAB Medicine was honored to serve as the presenting medical partner for the Games, which began in 1990 to support the gift of life that organ donation represents and celebrate the individuals and families touched by transplantation.

Drew Ferguson, whose distinguished career in sports medicine at UAB and Children’s of Alabama spans over 40 years, understands the pursuit of excellence in health care. He has witnessed and been part of many care and safety advances for athletes, but he’s also benefitted personally from the progress of medical science. He’s received two kidney transplants at the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute that, in his words, have been a major part of his good fortune in life.