the pursuit of parkinson's - The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Dean’s Corner
Dear Colleagues:
As many of you may already know, I have decided to step down as dean and vice president. A
nationwide search for my successor has recently started, and after a sabbatical I will return to the
faculty once my replacement has been named.
This decision was not reached easily. During my seven years as dean and vice president, I have
enjoyed meeting and working with people for whom the UASOM at the University of Alabama
at Birmingham means so much. I have had the privilege of leading this exceptional program and
am grateful for the opportunities that have presented themselves during my tenure here. It is and
has been a privilege and honor to work with the faculty and staff that make the UASOM and
UAB so successful. Some recent commendable achievements include:
• Bruce R. Korf, M.D., Ph.D., being named the new chairman of the medical affairs committee
for the National Neurofibromatosis Foundation (NNFF);
• David Weiss, Ph.D., being selected to receive a Senator Jacob Javits Award in the
Neurosciences by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), one
of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
During my past seven years as vice president and dean, the UASOM has seen the total amount
of NIH-funded research increase yearly, and we are now ranked 17th in the nation in this
respect. At the same time, 11 programs in the UASOM are nationally ranked by the U.S. News
& World Report, as is our research (24th) and our primary care (22nd). Clearly, none of this
could have occurred without the hard work and support of committed staff, faculty, physicians,
researchers, and administrators.
I look forward to what the future holds—both for me professionally and personally and for the
UASOM. Your continued support of the UASOM and its programs is needed now more than
ever. To find out how you can make a difference, please contact the development office at (205)
934-4469 or visit them online at [www.uab.edu/uasom/development]. You can also contact your
University of Alabama Medical Alumni Association at (205) 934-4463 to learn more about
opportunities and unmet needs in the organization.
My best to you.
Sincerely,
William B. Deal, M.D.
Vice President for Medicine and Dean
On the Cover: In Parkinson’s disease, dopamine-producing cells within the brain die like a tree—the axons in
the brain’s stratium die back toward the cell body. Illustration by Art & Science.