UAB Briefs: Breast cancer events, Mr. and Mrs. UAB, NIH funding

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In this weekly online feature, we keep track of interesting people and events on campus at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

We also provide updates regarding UAB’s efforts to cope with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

For example, Gov. Ivey’s “Safer at Home” state order remains in effect and restricts visitors in state hospitals. UAB Hospital and UAB Medicine clinics have implemented and must enforce these visitation guidelines.

For information regarding how to plan your in-person UAB Medicine hospital or clinic visit, click here.

To read other UAB COVID-19 updates or find health information, go to uab.edu/coronavirus.

Let us know about people, events and programs on campus that deserve a mention in UAB Briefs. Email jchambers@starnespublishing.com.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

Since it began in 1996, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama (BCRFA) has raised more than $9.7 million to support cancer research at the UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

To take part in Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the BCRFA and other organizations are hosting in-person and virtual fundraisers and other events in Birmingham and surrounding communities, according to UAB Media Relations.

Here are just a few of those events:

  • Cahaba Brewing Goes Pink During October: Cahaba Brewing will offer a specially brewed tart cherry and hibiscus Berliner Weisse with a percentage of proceeds benefiting the BCRFA.
  • Pink Up The Pace: The third annual Pink Up The Pace 5K is going virtual for 2020. Raise money for breast cancer research by running during October. Participants can compete for fastest 5K time or participate in the collaborative distance challenge, connecting runners across the state.
  • Pink Ribbon Project: Fire stations across Alabama will “Go Pink” to support breast cancer research throughout October. More than 20 stations will sell specially designed Pink Ribbon Project T-shirts for $15 and $20 with proceeds going to the BCRFA.
  • Sister Talk: The O’Neal Cancer Center’s Office of Community Outreach & Engagement will host a webinar on October 13 to initiate a conversation among women about their fears and questions around breast cancer. The event features breast cancer survivors as panelists. Click here to register.
  • Breast Cancer 101: The O’Neal Cancer Center’s Office of Community Outreach & Engagement will host an educational webinar on October 19 to discuss the basics of breast cancer, including screening, prevention, treatment and more. The session will feature Dr. Helen Krontiras of the O’Neal Cancer Center as a guest speaker. Click here to register.

For details on all the events planned for October, go to bcrfa.org/bcam-2020.

MR. AND MS. UAB WINNERS

Xavier Turner of York and Angela Lee of Dothan are the new Mr. and Ms. UAB for 2021, according to UAB Media Relations.

York and Lee were introduced at the halftime of the UAB Blazers’ homecoming football game against The University of Texas at San Antonio at Legion Field on Saturday, October 3.

First alternates in the competition are Michael Ho of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Cassidy Nolan of Hueytown.

Started in 1981, the Mr. and Ms. UAB Scholarship Competition is one of UAB’s longest-standing homecoming traditions, and is presented by the UAB National Alumni Society. 

The winners each receive $2,500 scholarships and serve as ambassadors of UAB and on the Student Alumni Society Leadership Council in the coming year. The first alternates each receive $1,000 scholarships. 

Turner, 20, is a junior majoring in political science and criminal justice in the College of Arts and Sciences and in the UAB Honors College Global and Community Leadership Honors Program. 

Lee, 20, is a junior majoring in chemistry and mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences and in the Honors College’s Science and Technology Honors Program. Lee has been on the Presidential Honors List since fall 2018 and has received multiple UAB math scholarships.

Ho, 20, is a junior majoring in French and neuroscience in the College of Arts and Sciences and in the Honors College’s Global and Community Leadership Honors Program.

Nolan, 20, is a junior majoring in elementary education in the School of Education. Nolan is a recipient of the Academic Achievement Scholarship and New Student Programs Leadership Scholarship. 

UAB NIH FUNDING

Research funding at UAB from the federal National Institutes of Health topped $300 million in 2019.

The school received just over $328 million, according to UAB Media Relations, citing the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.

UAB was ranked 22nd in the list of schools receiving NIH funding, and UAB ranks ninth among public universities.

“Topping $300 million in 2019 reaffirms UAB’s place as a leading academic research institution,” said Chris Brown, UAB vice president for research. “The leading schools in research are also the leading schools in health care, and a robust research enterprise is central to attracting and retaining the brightest faculty and students.”