New TB center at UAB has cross-disciplinary focus
Young’ university system makes center possible
TB experts at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) have announced the creation of a new International Tuberculosis Center. The center received formal designation in February by the board of trustees of the university system, which lets it apply for grants for research projects, says Nancy Dunlap, MD, PhD, assistant professor at UAB and medical consultant to the Alabama state TB program.
Taking advantage of the center’s status, three university departments have already applied for funding for three TB-related projects — one related to genetics, another to immunology, and a third to behavioral science.
Compared with the nation’s three federally funded TB model centers, the UAB TB center has no specific mandate other than to do TB-related research. As such, it was conceived specifically to promote cross-fertilization and foster interdisciplinary work, says Dunlap.
"TB research tends to be very channeled," she says. "But a lot of problems you’re dealing with can be impacted by other disciplines." The state university system, because it’s still young and "very entrepreneurial," provides an atmosphere that’s very hospitable to such an approach, she adds. "Because we’re such a young system, there aren’t tremendous hierarchies in place yet; here, the boundaries aren’t as firmly set as in some places."
The university system accepts applications for "center" designation each year. To be approved, a would-be center must show support from many different schools within the system.
Dunlap will serve as center director, with Michael Kimerling, MD, MPH (consultant to the medical arm of Medecins Sans Frontieres), acting as assistant director. Under the center umbrella, the two also plan to continue pursuit of their respective passions — Dunlap her molecular epidemiology, and Kimerling his training and research in Russia.
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