UAB Briefs: Honor for Saag, IndiaFest and taking it to the streets
Welcome to another installment of UAB Briefs.
In this weekly online feature, we keep track of interesting people and events on campus.
This week, we learn that noted UAB AIDs researcher Dr. Michael Saag has received additional national recognition.
UAB students, staff and faculty have a chance to get involved in the community this Saturday, March 23.
And Indian culture takes the spotlight on campus with IndiaFest, beginning this week and continuing through April 18.
Know people, places and programs on the UAB campus that deserve a mention? Email jchambers@starnespublishing.com.
MORE TO BE DONE
Dr. Michael Saag, director of the UAB Center for AIDS Research and a professor in the School of Medicine, has been appointed to the Presidential Advisory Council of HIV/AIDS.
Saag, who is also a professor in the UAB School of Medicine, was sworn in as a member of the council on March 14, according to UAB Media Relations.
The council provides advice and information on HIV/AIDS to the secretary of the federal department of Health and Human Services in order to promote effective treatment and prevention and ensure quality of care for those with HIV or AIDS.
“Great progress” has been made in efforts to stop HIV/AIDS, according to Saag. However, “there is still much work that remains,” he said.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV, with about one in seven of those people unaware that they are infected.
There are an estimated 40,000 new infections annually, with about 52 them occurring in the Southeast, the CDC says.
“I look forward to continuing the efforts to end the HIV epidemic in America,” Saag said.
Along with other honors, Saag was the recipient of the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award.
He’s also been listed as one of the Best Doctors in America since 1994.
CELEBRATING INDIA
UAB and the Birmingham community will celebrate Indian art and culture in March and April with IndiaFest.
IndiaFest is presented by the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center in collaboration with the UAB Department of Art and Art History and the Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts.
Fee events include film screenings, a dance competition, community yoga, crafts, a lecture and an evening of social dance at ArtPlay.
The series kicks off with film screenings at AEIVA on March 21 and March 28, and a special Holi dinner at Taj India restaurant on March 24 and March 25.
Taste of India, Alabama’s first and only bhangra and Bollywood fusion dance competition, is to take place at the Alys Stephens Center on March 30.
The series will be on April 18 at 7 p.m. with a free outdoor concert on Engel Plaza by Falu, a Grammy Award-nominated, internationally recognized vocalist.
Falu, who performed for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House, is known for her blend of classical Indian vocal training with a inventive, modern style.
A full calendar is available at alysstephens.org.
TAKE IT TO THE STREETS
UAB students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in a twice-yearly community service program, Into the Streets, on Saturday, March 23, from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at various sites in the Birmingham area.
Sponsored by the Leadership and Service Council and held each fall and spring semester, Into the Streets gives students and other members of the UAB community a chance to come together and help the university accomplish its mission of encouraging partnerships that improve education, health, economic prosperity and quality of life.
Volunteer sites will include Railroad Park and Vulcan Park & Museum in Birmingham, and Moss Rock Preserve in Hoover.
Community placement will be done on a first-come, first-served basis, and all students must download their Engage event pass for check-in.
The event will begin at the Hill Student Center Amphitheater.
For details and registration, go to uab.edu/students/involvement/civic-engagement/into-the-streets.