UAB - The University of Alabama at Birmingham

I'm originally from New Jersey, and I attended Tuskegee University. Birmingham is a lot slower than what I'm used to, but I definitely like it. The people here are a lot friendlier. Everybody takes their time with things, and I'm actually beginning to embrace it.

At first, I hated it because I was always on the go, and I'm like, "Why is everybody else around me moving slow as molasses? We need to pick up the pace, people." But I had to realize I was in a different environment. Even though everything is moving fast for me, it's not like that for everybody else.

I'm an only child, so I'm very introverted and used to being by myself. I can entertain myself. I don't need many friends, but I want to put myself out there in the community. Railroad Park has these classes for exercise and things like that. Monday through Thursday at 6 p.m. I like to go over there and work out on my off days. I get to meet new people, put myself in the community, and get involved.

No matter what, always, always keep trying. You have never failed until you give up. When you give up on yourself, that's when you have officially failed.

Brooke-Janee Lewis
Operating Room TECH - BSN

🐲 📚 💻 It's the first week of classes and the start of a new semester. We're so excited for all the activity on campus, and we can't wait for all the fun ahead this year.

Looking back at last week's move-in. Did you know that over the past decade, the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s campus has undergone remarkable expansion, drawing students from all corners of the nation and beyond to embrace its cutting-edge technologies, innovative learning environments, collaborative spaces and thriving community? https://go.uab.edu/3E3HEYj

If August had a theme, it would be "beginnings and endings." Before classes start for the 2023 fall semester, we want to look back at all the feels experienced during commencement this summer.

Blazers are Blazers for life, y'all.

📌 Parents: send this to your student.

We know that for some, $300 can be a lifeline.

Microloans from UAB’s Regions Institute for Financial Education help any Blazer student fix a tire, make rent or meet another emergency — with money available in as little as 24 hours. https://go.uab.edu/3YwcfaC

Four years after her sister’s passing, Jada King, a first-generation college student, graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing.

“Compared to most people my age, I had to grow up a little earlier as far as having to take care of my sister, and it was a different level of responsibility; but she also helped me,” King said. “I felt that, if I could care for patients like I took care of my sister, I could do that for the rest of my life.”

While King’s high school peers were worried about after-school activities, King was focused on getting home to help her mother care for Dejá. She taught her how to walk and how to feed herself and even administered seizure medications, sometimes in the middle of the night.

Her interest in the nursing profession peaked when she joined the Health Science Academy at Spain Park High School. Through the academy, she saw how she could help others like her sister and developed a goal of becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist. https://go.uab.edu/3OscvT6

As excitement builds for a new academic year at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, students, faculty and staff within the UAB College of Arts & Sciences' Departments of Physics and Biology will have a new place to call home.

The South Science Hall and East Science Hall facilities — part of the Science and Engineering Complex — celebrates its grand opening today! Get a sneak peek inside here: https://go.uab.edu/43nU1K4

📦 Last minute move-in tips for you and your students - hint, you don't need to pack the entire house... Check out our move-in guide to get some helpful tips for your arrival, living with a roommate, how to get involved on campus AND (most importantly) our campus dining locations! https://go.uab.edu/3OzDvAb

For Ph.D. student Maksim Dolmat, coming to Birmingham, Alabama, from Belarus was a bit of a culture shock.

“From the way apartments are set up to the city infrastructure, there was truly a lot I had to process those first couple of months I was here,” the 29-year-old said.

Dolmat began the chemistry Ph.D. program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in August of 2018. With a passion for science and to impact society, Dolmat was motivated to make his family back home in Belarus proud, even sending money consistently to help support them as he pursued this new opportunity.

He graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a doctorate in chemistry Aug. 11. https://go.uab.edu/3DXasSw

🚗 🚙 🚘 Move over for MOVE IN! Get ready Birmingham, UAB students are moving back in for the fall semester starting THIS Wednesday, August 16 - Friday, August 20th. Don't get caught up during your commute, check out these alternate routes to get you movin' on with your morning!
🔗 https://go.uab.edu/45rngfv

UAB Transportation recommends avoiding several general areas on campus where normal commuting routes will be affected by student move-in:
🛣️ 14th Street South to 18th Street South bounded by 11th Avenue South and University Boulevard
🛣️ 16th Street South will be restricted to one-way traffic headed south, between University Boulevard and 10th Avenue South
🛣️ Drivers will be able to travel westbound on 10th Avenue South to enter the two parking lots between 17th and 18th Street South and must turn left (south) onto 17th Street South
🛣️ Vehicles headed eastbound on 10th Avenue South will be able to access 16th Street South but must turn right (south)

What did you do this summer? Music students from the University of Alabama at Birmingham learned how to sing in Welsh and played jazz in Colombia this summer as they traveled with their peers. https://go.uab.edu/3KuaBAp

The Blazers will be back in Protective stadium in less than a month! Don't get caught with this season! Purchase your tailgate passes NOW to secure your spot on the Rooftop of Uptown Cantina with UAB Alumni📣 🎉

🏈 Season passes - $100 each
🏈 Single game passes - $20 each
🔗 alumni.uab.edu/tailgate

Talk about a wild tooth-pic from the archives! Retired UAB Dentistry faculty member, Steven J. Filler, DDS, became a volunteer dentist for The Birmingham Zoo in 1983; his first patient was a polar bear with a bad tooth...a.k.a. a molar bear! Over the years, Filler allowed dental students to accompany him on his zoo rounds on a regular basis.

ICYMI, For another consecutive year, UAB Hospital has been named the best hospital in Alabama, with several disciplines and procedures ranked among the best. https://go.uab.edu/3qf1PPK

I've been working towards my bachelor's degree for over 20 years. I'm days away from graduating, so I'm really, really excited that I'm finally reaching that milestone. It's been a long road.

I've worked at UAB since October 1, 2007. So that's how I became a student here. I've long dreamed of finishing my bachelor's degree. When I started working here with the tuition benefit, that was ideal.

I support the research enterprise at UAB by managing the VP's calendar and our office. I enjoy knowing that, in some small way, I participate in the research discoveries that happen at UAB.

There are a lot of exciting things going on here, and they touch people's lives in Alabama and beyond. And even though I am not a scientist doing the research, I'm still involved in that process. Knowing that I can play a part in improving people's lives is really fulfilling.

UAB has been very good to me both in employment and education. My boss Chris Brown has been extremely gracious and so good to work for. He's been so accommodating and has supported my goal.

Working at a place that supports you as a whole individual and not just as a worker is lovely. I just feel very fortunate and grateful.

Stephanie Carroll
Executive Assistant in the Office of Research
BS Psychology

Moving to a new country, living through the culture shock and navigating the language barrier are already big challenges. Add academic stress and long-distance relationships to the list, and that made up the life of one University of Alabama at Birmingham couple. Raiful Hasan and Taiaba Afrin, both from Dhaka, Bangladesh, came to the United States to pursue their doctorates. Through resilience and the help of mentors, they persevered through it all and successfully defended their doctoral theses this July.

Despite the challenges, Hasan and Afrin, both College of Arts and Sciences student researchers, showed exceptional academic prowess in their respective fields. Hasan is graduating with a Ph.D. in computer science, and Afrin is graduating with a Ph.D. in biology.

Read their story: https://go.uab.edu/3s49otn

We’re so excited for students to come back on campus this Fall! Start the school year on a high note and join us IRL for these exciting events!

💚UAB Alumni and their family are invited to join us for our second annual Legacy Family Day on August 13th! Meet Blaze and enjoy a fun filled day of face painting, balloon animals, snacks, water slides and MORE! UAB National Alumni Society

⚽ Come kick it with our soccer team! UAB Women’s soccer team plays Alabama on Sunday, August 20th at 6:00 p.m. UAB Athletics

🍔 We hope you brought your appetite! On August 24th, join us for a foodie fest challenge at the Campus Dining Kickoff! Be one of the first 500 students to conquer this epic feast and walk away with a FREE t-shirt! UAB Campus Dining

🎨 Art for all! Come out to the Arts Block Party on August 25th and enjoy an evening full of activities! UAB's Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, AEIVA

🏈 Get ready to kick off the season with the Blazer’s first home game! Come out and support Coach Dilfer at his first game of the season. Go Blazers! UAB Athletics

📆 That’s not all, we’ve got more this semester coming your way! Check the full calendar of events here, unplug and get involved! https://go.uab.edu/440GtUe

🎓 The University of Alabama at Birmingham will mark summer graduations with two commencement exercises, both Friday, Aug. 11.

This summer, 1,775 students are eligible to graduate and nearly 1,500 will walk in the ceremonies, which will be held Friday morning and Friday afternoon in Bartow Arena. https://go.uab.edu/3KqZAjj

⏰ It's time! Applications for summer and fall 2024 are now open. https://go.uab.edu/3YIUgwW

“Thanks to UAB, I felt prepared to dive into the deep end and take the chance to apply,” Mekki said. “Beyond giving me the educational background, UAB prepared me by mobilizing leadership opportunities that have helped me grow as a student and leader, which will hopefully help me excel in this role.”

Read more about Wajiha Mekki, a rising junior double-majoring in political science and cancer biology at University of Alabama at Birmingham, as she was recently accepted as a Johnson & Johnson intern for summer 2023. https://go.uab.edu/3q9EIGg

Today the National Institutes of Health has announced that UAB’s own Jeanne Marrazzo, M.D., has been selected to succeed Anthony Fauci, M.D., as the next director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) this fall.

This is a great opportunity for Dr. Marrazzo to make a big difference to the country, and it is indicative of the high regard that exists for both her and UAB. While we are sad to see her go, we are delighted that Jeanne has been called to this national service and we are proud to count her as one of us at UAB.

Read more: https://go.uab.edu/3KpSH1s

Pepper Place continues to be a Birmingham hot spot for delicious food, farmer's market finds, and now... a multimillion-dollar cancer research laboratory.

The lab is IN8bio’s new research and development facility in the Martin Biscuit Building at Pepper Place. This R&D space has about 6,000 square feet of wet lab space and around 4,000 square feet for offices, conferences and break areas. IN8bio is a biotechnology company focused on developing novel cellular therapies for cancer, with deep roots in cutting-edge cancer research developed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and other prominent institutes in the southern United States. https://go.uab.edu/3OzAMIm

It's the 🔥 dragon🔥 days of summer. And we can't wait for fall semester to start.

📚 Anatomy studies just got easier! Caroline Davies, UAB Heersink of Medicine student creates new site to assist with anatomy studies. As a research project for her master’s degree in anatomical sciences, Davies worked with Associate Professor Inga Kadisha, Ph.D., to build multiple digital tools to help UAB students in the coming semesters. With more than 1,500 slides and more than 500 interactive practice problems, the new “Virtual Interactive Brain Atlas”, or VIBA provides a comprehensive tool for UAB faculty and students alike! VIBA and additional resources can now be found on the Virtual Anatomy Lab.

Read more here: https://go.uab.edu/4704DRo
🔗 UAB Virtual Anatomy Lab access here: https://go.uab.edu/3YcitME

“We believe that engaging high school students with the many facets of public health can help bring awareness to the diverse opportunities available in our field,” said Jessica T. Chambliss, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Dean of Public Health Practice, UAB School of Public Health.

In June, the School of Public Health’s Office of Public Health Practice, the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety, and the Superfund Research Center co-hosted the Public Health Influencers Summer Institute for the second year.

This free summer enrichment program welcomes a group of high school students from the Birmingham area to attend a week of immersive public health experiences through the UAB School of Public Health.

Take a look! https://go.uab.edu/474ePs4

To me, the artwork is only as good as the conversation that it creates. And that's what our exhibitions are best at. So for me, this is a place where people in our community can come to talk about some of these really difficult things that aren't always easy to talk about in public in a way that feels truly inclusive.

I am the Lydia Cheney and Jim Sokol endowed director of AEIVA. This new endowment is the first ever non-academic staff endowment in the history of UAB. We are the only space in Birmingham solely dedicated to contemporary art at this museum-level scale.

I think of us as the ambassador for contemporary art to Birmingham. Contemporary art is a hard sell in a place like Birmingham. And so we recognize that. We're very conscious and aware of how we present the work, and it informs the types of work we bring. Even though we're bringing these artists from all over the country and sometimes in the world, we make sure that whatever the work is about and whatever this artist is interested in, there's something there we can connect to Birmingham.

One of the challenges of AEIVA is that people look at this building and don't know they're even allowed to be inside, but we are this wonderful resource, and everything we do is free. Our exhibits are free. Our programming is free. It's all free. And we have found our community now, and our openings are packed out, and that's great.

But there are still so many people I meet that have no idea what this place is: never heard of it, don't know we're here. I encourage people to just come. You can totally walk in off the street and look at the exhibits. We love to have people here.

John Fields
Lydia Cheney and Jim Sokol Endowed Director of AEIVA

With only 4 uterus transplant programs in the US, UAB is excited to announce a successful birth through our transplant program. It was the first program in the world to open outside of a clinical trial and offers hope for women across the country. 🔗 https://go.uab.edu/3Y68Wqm

🌊 Keep it cool with some water safety tips before jumping in this summer! ☀️ Many are flocking to the water as the summer heat ramps up, but what do you need to know before jumping in? We have the answers here! https://go.uab.edu/46WLbVH

UAB graduate, Arushi Kotru, has been selected for the United States Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship Program.

With a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical engineering and minors in biology and chemistry, the 22-year-old UAB Honors College graduate will be spending eight weeks this summer in Jaipur, India, where she will study reading, writing and speaking Hindi. https://go.uab.edu/46V40bG

The GOAT has been spotted on campus. IYKYK.

As UAB continues to celebrate a decade of growth, the university is looking forward to carrying this momentum forward into the years that come.

Find out how: https://go.uab.edu/3OmxCaB

It's surprising how far you can see with the drone at a relatively low elevation. You can go 70 ft up in the air and see for a long, long way. You don't even realize that a picture would be possible. That's what makes it so much fun because you can't have that perspective standing on the ground. You're seeing the world from a new perspective, and that never gets old.

If what I love to do is to capture images, I can't fathom a more fun way to do it than with a tiny helicopter flying around. It gives us so much freedom of creativity and is nearly limitless. There are rules and regulations that you want to follow for safety reasons and legal reasons. But there's no shortage of exciting opportunities. It's never a dull moment. It could be the most mundane assignment: take a picture of one building. And it will be an absolute blast, especially because you're working with people you enjoy, but what else? I can't think of another way that's more fun than that to do our job.

I absolutely love our photo/video team. It's the best group of people I've ever worked with. It's not just that we do our jobs well. We get along, and that makes work far more enjoyable. I know there's not a single person I'm going to be sent out with on a shoot who I will not have an enjoyable time with. We're going to laugh; we're going to enjoy spending time together while doing our jobs.

Carson Young
Digital Media Specialist: Videographer and Video Editor

Weeks ago, we shared the story of Delrico Gibson and how UAB was instrumental in ensuring he could use his artistic talents after experiencing a horrific accident.

Now, you can learn more about his amazing story via Forbes:
https://go.uab.edu/3pQNglh

Be sure to visit his exhibit now through August 12 at UAB's Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, AEIVA.

Summer grads, we see you! The deadline to RSVP to walk is coming up soon, so make sure you sign up ASAP.

Find more information on our commencement site: https://www.uab.edu/commencement/

To address the critical need for more emergency medical services in Birmingham and Alabama, UAB Hospital — with support from the State of Alabama — is creating 59 new exam rooms and more than 66,000 square feet of clinical space to meet service demand.

Read more: https://go.uab.edu/3PNIIGO
UAB Medicine

POLICE TRAINING EXERCISE: UAB Police will conduct a SIMULATED ACTIVE SHOOTER TRAINING EXERCISE in an unoccupied campus building from approximately 1-4 p.m. today — Wednesday, July 12 — to practice responding to a simulated active shooter event. The exercise is part of UABPD’s ongoing efforts to evaluate the university’s preparedness. https://go.uab.edu/3ro3inc

We wouldn't be UAB without U.

To create his works of art, Delrico Gibson must be able to grip and hammer each nail into the wood. He must pull the strings, wrap them tightly, make knots and cut the excess thread.

Three years ago, he could not move his fingers.

Learn how UAB experts stepped in to help Gibson recover. https://go.uab.edu/43nm0cC