The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Medicine seeks a distinguished physician-leader to serve as the Chief of the Division of Hematology and Associate Director of Translational Research at the UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center. This role requires a dynamic leader with a robust background in hematologic malignancies. The successful candidate will oversee a rapidly growing division encompassing over 25 faculty members, and multiple cutting-edge programs including CAR-T and Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT).

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and expand the clinical, research, and educational missions of the Division of Hematology.
• Oversee strategic planning and implementation to advance the division’s goals in patient care, research, and education.
• Foster an environment of excellence in patient care, clinical research, and education.
• Collaborate with other departments and leaders within the UAB Health System to integrate and enhance cancer care across the institution.
• Manage faculty recruitment, development, and retention.
• Ensure optimal allocation of resources across the division.
• Represent the division and cancer center in national and international forums.
• Enhance the division’s impact through publications and leadership in clinical trials.

Required Qualifications

• MD or equivalent with board certification in Hematology and/or Medical Oncology.
• Demonstrated leadership experience in academic medicine and management of a large division or program.
• Proven track record of research in hematologic malignancies, with substantial peer-reviewed extramural funding.
• Strong commitment to mentoring and development of faculty, fellows, and residents.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience in translational research with a focus on hematologic malignancies.
• Leadership roles in national hematology/oncology societies.

Division of Hematology & Oncology

The UAB Division of Hematology and Oncology is an integral part of one of the nation’s largest health systems. Nationally known for our compassionate care, cutting-edge research, and comprehensive training programs, we’re dedicated to delivering the most advanced care.

The Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is committed to clinical excellence and improving patient outcomes through high-quality, multidisciplinary care. We also conduct world-class, cutting-edge laboratory research and clinical trials, as well as develop new therapies. In addition, our fellowship program continues to train tomorrow’s specialists, producing outstanding graduates who are proud to call UAB home.

Blood Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Program

Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Program

About the Program
Treating blood disorders and cancers cannot be done alone.  It requires the strong will of a patient, the support of a family, and the compassion and expertise of a world-renowned health care team.

Since the UAB Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cell Therapy Program opened in 1991, we have dedicated each day to lead with innovation and serve with compassion, along with the most advanced treatment methods in a comfortable, cutting–edge facility. Each patient is treated by a team of healthcare professionals dedicated to providing outstanding care throughout the transplant process. The program is constantly building a work environment of professionalism where each person is valued and respected. The sole focus is ensuring the best possible results, the greatest quality of life, and the hope for a healthier future. Here at the UAB Bone Marrow Transplant Program, we celebrate life every day.

BMT
The BMT unit provides both autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplants, including haploidentical and umbilical cord transplants if necessary, and our program leads the nation in high-risk AML transplants. Our unit is staffed with physicians, pharmacists, nurses, nurse practitioners, clinical care coordinators, transplant coordinators, patient care technicians, research/data staff, social workers, nutritionists, and support staff who are dedicated to provide the best care for patients throughout the transplant process.

Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center

Targeting sickle cell disease to relieve suffering and enhance the quality of life for patients andtheir families.

Founded in 1983, the UAB Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center brings together scholars and researchers working in the forefront of basic, translational and clinical research, with the overarching goals to discover new ways to treat patients with sickle cell disease.

The Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center performs cutting edge research—supported by both NIH and industry funding—in five networked clinic sites across the state.

The Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center has led multiple clinical research studies, many of which have already been translated into improved patient care for this population. The principal investigators in the Center are in constant pursuit of knowledge that will provide improved therapies and ultimately cure this genetic disease.

We actively engage with community partners across Alabama to promote rural outreach, access, and patient education.

In addition to research and patient care activities conducted with outside hospitals and clinics, UAB has long-standing relationships with local community-based organizations that work closely with our sickle cell program to ensure patients remain faithful to their care plans.

Hematology & Oncology Research Areas

Cancer Cell Regulation

We have extensive expertise in diverse aspects of cancer cell biology including DNA replication and repair, epigenetics, RNA biology, metabolism and cell signaling. Projects focus on emerging research areas including cancer stem cell analysis, single cell transcriptomic, epigenomic and proteomic analysis, chromatin structure analysis, RNA splicing and regulation, and tumor bioenergetics.

Tumor Microenvironment

Our faculty and trainees study bidirectional interactions of cancer cells with their microenvironment, including the role of inflammatory factors and signals, and of immune cells, in regulating cancer cell growth, cancer progression and response to therapy. We collaborate to capitalize on the strengths of the UAB Program in Immunology to characterize immune and inflammatory responses to tumors.

Cancer Therapeutics

The Division explores mechanisms of resistance to cancer treatment, factors determining response and resistance of individual cancers to treatment (precision medicine), identification of novel targets and development of novel therapeutic strategies and cancer chemoprevention (a particular strength in our institution). Our program profits from many unique resources, such as the UAB cyclotron and advanced imaging facility, the Pharmacometrics core, and the Alabama Drug Development Initiative. Specifically, the ADDI is a consortium between UAB and the Southern Research Institute (SR), which supports identification of cancer therapeutic candidates against novel targets using SR’s expertise in library screening and chemistry, and the clinical trials and phase one unit of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB.

Cancer Outcomes

A particular strength is our investigation of factors determining cancer outcomes across all diseases, all ages and across the entire trajectory of disease. Faculty and trainees enjoy the considerable expertise and resources of the Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship, and UAB’s overall strength in conducting outcomes research.

Hematologic Disorders

The UAB Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center has led multiple clinical research studies, many of which have already been translated into improved patient care for this population. The principal investigators in the Center are in constant pursuit of knowledge that will provide improved therapies and ultimately cure this genetic disease. Our benign hematology physicians are expert at managing all types of blood, bleeding and clotting disorders.

UAB Health System

The UAB Health System is undergoing an energizing time of change and growth.  With newly announced appointments of Dawn Bulgarella as Chief Executive Officer of UAB Health System and Anupam Agarwal, MD as Senior Vice President for Medicine and Dean of the Heersink School of Medicine, UAB Health System is poised to build on its strong foundation and reputation and take its success to the next level.

UAB Health System is a rapidly growing $7B organization with more than 37,000 employees. Its headquarters along with its flagship academic medical center, UAB Hospital, are based in Birmingham, Alabama. UAB Health System is anchored by UAB Hospital, its 1,207-bed tertiary hospital and academic health science center. UAB Hospital is consistently among America’s best hospitals and with multiple specialties ranked annually by US News & World Report, is recognized annually as Alabama’s top hospital.  In 2022, UAB Hospital’s volumes exceeded 135,000 emergency room visits, 53,000 inpatient discharges and over 4,000 deliveries. UAB Hospital is a healthcare destination for the state and region and serves as the backbone of the healthcare system in the state of Alabama.

The UAB Heersink School of Medicine has experienced tremendous growth in National Institutes of Health grant funding and recently received a transformational $95M naming gift. This gift will further support priority initiatives, recruitment, and retention of nationally recognized faculty leaders. Given the demand for services, UAB has several ongoing and pivotal expansion initiatives and is embarking on its 5-year strategic plan.

UAB Health System – Awards and Recognition

• #1 Best Large Employer in America, Forbes, 2021
• #4 Best Employer for Diversity, Forbes, 2021
• UAB Medicine has received the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader designation from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation every year since 2016
• UAB Hospital is the largest academic medical center in Alabama and the 4^th largest public AMC in the United States
• UAB Hospital has been recognized every year since 2013 by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of the 100 Great Hospitals in America
• Becker’s Healthcare named UAB Medicine as on the nation’s 150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare in 2023
• UAB Hospital is Alabama’s only Magnet-designated facility recognized for nursing excellence and one of only a handful of organizations around the globe designated five consecutive times.
• Only NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in a 4-state region and one of the original 8 designated in 1972
• State-of-the-art Cardiovascular Institute that is national ranked and provides full spectrum of Heart and Vascular Services
• Only American College of Surgeons (ACS) accredited Adult Level I Trauma Center in Alabama caring for over 1/3 of trauma cases in the state
• Level IV Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the only one of its kind Alabama, caring for the sickest babies in the state and region
• Comprehensive Transplant Institute is a national leader in organ transplantation and in 2022, performed the world’s first transplant of genetically modified kidneys from a pig into a human
• The nation’s first and only Level I Ocular Trauma Center
• Springbuk, a national leader in health care analytics, named UAB as one of the 100 Healthiest Employers in America

The O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center

One of the nation’s leading cancer research and treatment centers, the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at The University of Alabama at Birmingham is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center located in a four-state area that includes Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. UAB’s cancer services are routinely recognized as being among the nation’s best.

From bench to bedside, the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB is at the forefront of improving cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment, and researchers here have pioneered advances in chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, immunotherapy and nutrition.

Cancer Service Line

The O’Neal Cancer Service Line leads the clinical arm of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center and touches over 10,000 new cancer patients annually, which includes over 125,000 outpatient visits, approximately 7,000 inpatient discharges, 7,500 cancer surgeries, 41,000 infusion therapy treatments, and 2,500 radiation therapy starts.  The service line includes Alabama’s only adult Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy program, which has grown by 71% in the last 4 years.  With the recruitment of a new Deputy Director and Division Director of Hematology/Oncology and the construction of a state of the art Infusion Therapy Center, the Infusion Therapy program has expanded by 49% since 2019 and the Hematology/Oncology faculty by 30%, leading to an increase of 51% in outpatient clinic visits.

Cancer Center Overview

The Center offers a full array of treatment options from multidisciplinary clinics filled with experts from across cancer fields to the latest state-of-the-art technology. The Center is home to an outstanding faculty of more than 330 physicians and researchers, many of whom are internationally and nationally recognized for their expertise in oncology. The Center treats an estimated 5,000 new patients each year. The O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Alabama and one of the first 8 centers in the United States that were designated in 1972.  The O’Neal Cancer Center celebrated 50 years of continuous designation in 2022 and its legacy of excellence in cancer care, discovery, education, and outreach and engagement across the state of Alabama.  Over 400 clinicians and researchers are united every day in working toward the ultimate goal of eliminating cancer as a public health problem. During its most recent NCI review, the O’Neal Cancer Center was rated as “Outstanding”, placing it in the top 25% of NCI-Designated Centers. With a focus on reducing cancer disparities across the state of Alabama, the O’Neal Cancer Center has an extensive Community Outreach and Engagement focus with over 400 trained Community Health Advisors across the state.

In 2019, the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center received a generous $30M naming gift from O’Neal Industries to strengthen clinical programs, accelerate research and translation of discoveries into clinical trials, enhance recruitment of top talent, and advance UAB’s mission to eliminate cancer as a major public health problem both locally and globally.  In the same year, the UAB Health System established the O’Neal Cancer Service Line as one of its signature service lines.  For the first time in the history of UAB, the entire cancer enterprise was structured under the leadership of the Cancer Center Director, currently Dr. Barry Sleckman, and in a dyad partnership with Health System leadership.  This change has led to significant growth in UAB’s cancer clinical enterprise since 2019 and served as a catalyst for its future growth and success, including a major, proposed capital project to build a new cancer hospital and ambulatory facility.

You can learn more about the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center with the following resources:

State of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir0BaqYQoeU

2022 Year in Review

https://www.onealcanceruab.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Oneal_Individual-Pages_0601.pdf

Reflecting on 50 Years – O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZyNwV7vvvg 

University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB): is a research university and academic health center that discovers, teaches, and applies knowledge for the intellectual, cultural, social, and economic benefit of Birmingham, the state, and beyond. UAB is internationally renowned for its intensely collaborative culture that has — for more than five decades — produced breakthroughs in education, health care, research, and service. UAB was ranked #1 in the United States, and in the top 10 worldwide, in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 2018 Young University Rankings.

UAB Medicine

UAB Medicine is the third largest public academic medical center in the country, with more than 1,900 beds and almost 18,000 employees. UAB Hospital is the eighth largest hospital in the nation, the flagship of the UAB Health System and the teaching hospital for the UAB School of Medicine. Situated among major research centers and clinics, UAB Hospital provides patients with a complete range of primary and specialty care services, as well as the most up-to-date treatments and innovations in health care. In addition to UAB Hospital, UAB Medicine includes The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital, UAB Callahan Eye Hospital, as well as several primary and specialty care clinics, a dozen member and affiliate hospitals within Alabama, more than 10 cancer associates in the Southeast, and the Viva Health HMO.

UAB Hospital is ranked year after year as Alabama’s top Hospital by US News and World Report with top ranked specialties, the only Magnet Nursing-designated adult hospital in Alabama and a destination for comprehensive care for the people of Alabama and the surrounding region.

Location: Birmingham, Alabama

Location: Located in the heart of the Southeast, Birmingham is a short drive from Atlanta, Nashville, Chattanooga, New Orleans, Memphis and Gulf Coast beaches. Some of the most beautiful suburbs in the United States surround the city. With its picturesque surroundings, Birmingham has been recognized as an “All American City”, one of the top ten American cities to live and work, and one of the top ten entrepreneurial and job growth hot spots in America. The combination of pleasant weather, geography, diverse culture, activities, and lifestyle make this city a wonderful place to live, raise a family, and practice medicine. In tandem with our institution’s strong diversity efforts, UAB highly encourages candidates from underrepresented minorities to apply.

Metropolitan Birmingham

Metropolitan Birmingham: is the cradle of the American Civil Rights Movement. Birmingham draws people from around the world to its inclusive communities, extraordinary lifestyle, excellent schools, and comfortable climate. The world’s best beaches, beautiful lakes, and Appalachian Mountains are a short drive away. UAB provides competitive salaries and generous benefit packages.

Downtown Birmingham has enjoyed a revitalization in the last two decades with the development of Railroad Park – an award-winning urban park – and its adjacent Regions Field, home to the minor league Birmingham Barons.  Birmingham also boasts the brand-new Protective Stadium, a state-of-the-art multipurpose stadium that is home to the UAB Blazers football program, the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions and the USLC’s Birmingham Legion FC.  Legacy Arena completed an extensive renovation in 2022 and is home to the Birmingham Squadron, the G league affiliation with the New Orleans Pelicans.  The park and stadium projects have spurred major growth in surrounding districts, including craft breweries, boutique shops, restaurants, loft and apartment developments, innovative workspaces, and hotels.  Because of this growth, and its sports history, Birmingham was selected to serve as the host city of the 2022 World Games and welcomed 375,000 spectators to watch the nearly 3,500 athletes from 99 nations compete in 223 medal events.

Birmingham is also a renowned culinary destination, with one of its signature restaurants recently winning two James Beard Foundation awards and many other restaurants named finalists.  Food critics across the country have discovered Birmingham’s food scene and consistently rank it as one of the best food cities in America.

There are a host of attractions only a short walk from UAB’s campus, the Birmingham Civil Rights District National Monument, comprised of sites such as the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Kelly Ingram Park, and the Civil Rights Institute – a major destination for visitors from around the world.  Birmingham’s cultural scene is thriving with museums, numerous galleries, music and arts festivals, theaters and live music venues, professional ballet and opera companies, a School of Fine Arts, and the recent restorations of the historic Lyric and Alabama theaters.  The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame and the Carver Theatre are completing restorations in the downtown entertainment district.

Birmingham is in proximity to many state and national parks, lakes, urban green spaces, hiking, and biking trails.  The city has more green space per capita than any other major city in the United States.

A full list of Birmingham Accolades can be found on the Birmingham Business Alliance website at:

https://www.birminghambusinessalliance.com/birmingham-accolades

How To Apply

The University of Alabama has retained the services of Academic Med to assist with this strategically important search. The search for this esteemed position is being conducted by Academic Med Principals, Gentry Zacheis & Jim Hagood. Interested candidates should submit their curriculum vitae, a cover letter, and three references to Jim Hagood at jim@academic-med.com. All inquiries, nominations, and applications will be handled with confidentiality.

Application Requirements:

• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vitae

EEO/AA Statement

UAB is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and family-friendly environment in which all faculty and staff can excel and achieve work/life balance irrespective of, race, national origin, age, genetic or family medical history, gender, faith, gender identity and expression as well as sexual orientation. UAB also encourages applications from individuals with disabilities and veterans.