In Pursuit of Precision - University of Alabama at Birmingham

NEWS
BRIEFS
by Roger Shuler and Shane Ivey
Garrison Named UAB President
UAB alumna and former faculty member
Carol Garrison, Ph.D., acting president of the
University of Louisville, has been named president
of UAB.
Garrison, UAB’s sixth president, will succeed
UAB interim president Malcolm Portera,
who is chancellor of the three-campus system.
Portera was asked by the board to serve temporarily
as president following the June 1
departure of W. Ann Reynolds, Ph.D.
“Dr. Garrison is, by every measure, a perfect
fit for UAB,” says trustee John Russell
Thomas, who chaired the search committee.
“She is an innovator, a collaborator, and a
visionary administrator.”
In nominating Garrison for the position,
Portera cited highlights of her background that
bear an “uncanny” similarity to the goals and
mission of UAB. “At the University of Louisville,
Carol Garrison has been a leader in garnering
significantly increased private and public support,
attracting and retaining top-quality faculty,
and building the university’s research portfolio,
particularly in the health sciences, while promoting
interdisciplinary research.”
Named interim president at the University
of Louisville in June, Garrison had served as
chief academic officer and chief operating
officer of that institution since 1997. In that
capacity, she has had oversight for a growing
medical center and helped create an undergraduate
research initiative and expand the
honors program.
With more than 20,000 students and 5,200
employees, the University of Louisville
includes schools of medicine, dentistry, and
law, as well as arts and sciences, business, engineering,
education, and other disciplines. The
institution recently completed a $350-million
capital campaign.
Garrison, a native of Montclair, New Jersey,
earned her bachelor’s degree at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She
received her master’s degree from the School
of Nursing at UAB in 1976 and earned a
pediatric nurse practitioner certificate from
the school in 1978. From 1976 to 1978, she
was an assistant professor in nursing. In 1982,
she earned a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the
University North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
where she was an assistant professor.
Garrison joined the faculty at the
University of South Carolina in 1982. She
was named professor and chair of epidemiology
and biostatistics in 1992, and in 1994 she
became associate provost and dean of the
graduate school. In 1997 Garrison became
provost at the University of Louisville.
“UAB’s history of growth and accomplishment
is remarkable,” Garrison says. “That
record has been achieved through an entrepreneurial,
‘roll up your sleeves and get it done’
attitude that I find exciting and enticing. I am
honored and eager to lead this great university.”
UASOM Ranked 16th in NIH Funding
The University of Alabama School of
Medicine climbed from 17th to 16th in
National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding
for 2001.
As of May 15, 2002, nine departments of
the UASOM were ranked in the top 10 in
NIH funding:
• Anesthesiology—9th
• Family Medicine—9th
• Neurobiology—9th
• Surgery—8th
• Physical Medicine—8th
• Pediatrics—7th
• Medicine—4th
• Ob/Gyn—2nd
• Microbiology—1st
Other UAB disciplines that appeared in the
NIH rankings were pharmacology (71st for
2001), psychiatry (61st), public health (48th),
physiology (43rd), anatomy (39th), radiology
(33rd), genetics (32nd), ophthalmology
(29th), pathology (22nd), pediatrics (16th),
and veterinary sciences (14th).
UASOM Listed among
Best Graduate Schools
The UASOM is again listed among the
nation’s best, according to the 2003 U.S. News
and World Report ranking of graduate schools.
The UASOM ranked 28th in the research
category and 30th in the primary care category.
Three UASOM medical specialties also were
ranked by the magazine: AIDS (4th), internal
medicine (11th), and women’s health (14th).
UAB Recognized among Best Hospitals
Nine programs from UAB are ranked in
this year’s U.S. News and World Report’s
annual “America’s Best Hospitals” issue.
The magazine selects 50 programs in 17
medical specialties. UAB’s is the only
Alabama hospital included in the listing.
The rheumatology program was ranked
6th, up from 8th place in 2001; the cancer
program moved up to the 17th rank; and
the program in kidney disease advanced to
15th. The heart program (cardiology and
cardiac surgery) ranked 24th.
The gynecology program was ranked
40th, and its program in hormonal disorders
again ranked 27th. In the treatment
of respiratory disorders, UAB’s program
ranked 22nd, up from the number 42 slot
last year. The hospital’s rehabilitation program
was ranked 19th, and its otolaryngology
program (ear, nose, and throat) ranked
50th.
The 2002 rankings mark the 11th consecutive
time the rheumatology program
has been ranked. Cardiology has been
ranked for the past seven years and gynecology
for four years.
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