Award News
UAB Center for Women’s Reproductive Health, January 27, 2023
Congratulations to Dr. Marie-Carmella Ellie, Dr. James Markert and Dr. Alan Tita for their inductions into the National Academy of Medicine.
The Heersink School of Medicine, Written by Emily Liming Johns, January 25, 2023
Alan T. N. Tita, M.D., Ph.D., associate dean for Global and Women’s Health and inaugural director of the Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health was recently named the Mary Heersink Endowed Chair in Global Health.
Tita is a professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and senior vice chair of Research and Innovation for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He also serves as director of the UAB Center for Women’s Reproductive Health.
A leader in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, maternal-fetal medicine, and perinatal epidemiology, Tita strives to find solutions to shared global health challenges through research and innovative approaches. Tita is dedicated to providing excellent education for the next generation of health workers globally.
The Heersink School of Medicine communications staff sat down with Dr. Tita to discuss his new endowed chair position.
The Heersink School of Medicine, Written by Teresa Hicks, January 25, 2023
2023 Pittman Scholars Announced
The Heersink School of Medicine is pleased to announce the five faculty members being named the 2023 James A. Pittman Jr., M.D., Scholars.
The Pittman Scholars program recognizes the impacts of junior faculty and supports the recruitment and retention of highly competitive scientists and physician-scientists. The program is named for the late James A. Pittman, Jr., M.D., longtime dean of the medical school from 1973 to 1992. Pittman is considered a principal architect of the school for his ability to recruit top scientists and physicians to UAB.
Nominations are conducted by their department chairs based on their astounding research achievements and discoveries.
AAMCNEWS, November 12, 2022
Mona Fouad, MD, MPH, winner of the 2022 Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare, is recognized for her contributions to health equity research.
International Society of Hypertension, October, 2022
Recipient: Suzanne Oparil, MD
American Heart Association, Newsroom, October 26, 2022
Embargoed until 7 a.m. CT / 8 a.m. ET Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022
DALLAS, Oct. 26, 2022 – The American Heart Association, a global force for longer, healthier lives, will present its 2022 Joseph A. Vita Award to Paul Muntner, Ph.D., M.H.S., FAHA. He will be recognized with the award during the Presidential Session on Sunday, Nov. 6 at the Association’s Scientific Sessions 2022.
Written by Shawna Masters, Heersink School of Medicine News, October 21, 2022
Alan T. Tita, M.D., Ph.D., professor and senior vice chair of Research and Innovation in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN), has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).
Induction into NAM is considered one of the highest honors in health and medicine. Membership within the Academy recognizes those who have made major contributions to advance health care, medical sciences, and public health and have demonstrated a dedication to service.
“I am thankful to the Academy and the members who nominated me for this recognition,” says Tita. “This is the result of the support of our department and institution and extensive collaborations.”
The Academy specifically praised Tita as “an innovative and impactful perinatal epidemiologist and clinical trialist.” They noted his leadership of “large, collaborative, multi-center national and international trials and observational studies that have shifted practice and policy and improved the quality of national and global obstetric care.”
Tita, who was recently named the Mary Heersink Endowed Chair in Global Health, also serves as associate dean for Global and Women’s Health and director of the Center for Women’s Reproductive Health at UAB.
“This is amazing and humbling,” says Tita. “I have benefitted from the support and collaboration of so many colleagues and mentors. This is crucial for successful clinical research, and I think this honor rewards that collaboration.”
In 2022, alone, Tita led the groundbreaking Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy (CHAP) trial that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and he was selected to lead the Coordinating Center of the P3 (Pregnancy and Postpartum/Postnatal) EQUATE (Enhancing Access and QUAlity To Achieve Equitable Maternal and Infant Health) Network.
Penn Medicine News, October 17, 2022
They are among 100 new members to be elected this year to the Academy, one of the highest honors in health and medicine
PHILADELPHIA—Five Penn Medicine experts have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), one of the nation’s highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. Regina Cunningham, Elizabeth Howell, Steven Joffe, Katalin Karikó, and Drew Weissman are among the 100 new members, elected by current NAM members. They join 78 other University of Pennsylvania members who are part of the prestigious group of health care thought leaders, clinicians, and researchers.
UAB News, by Bob Shepard, October 17, 2022
Three faculty members of the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have been invited to join the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a physician or scientist in the United States.
Marie-Carmelle Elie, M.D., chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, James Markert, M.D., chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, and Alan Tita, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and associate dean for Global and Women’s Health, join 13 current or former UAB faculty members who have been honored during their careers with selection to NAM. Membership in NAM is widely viewed as one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine, and is limited to individuals who have demonstrated both exceptional professional achievements and outstanding commitment to service.
“We congratulate and thank these outstanding faculty whose pioneering research, patient care and service have earned them this prestigious honor,” said UAB President Ray L. Watts. “UAB is very proud to now have seven faculty in this elite academy (and a total of 16 academy members in our history), which speaks to our leadership role — nationally and globally — in forging the future of medicine.”
Northwestern University, News Center, September 20, 2022
Primary investigator: Melissa Simon, MD, MPH
