About the Griffin Society:

The Griffin Society at the University of Alabama at Birmingham serves to advance understanding of biomedical research by clinical residents, fellows and medical scientist training program (MSTP) students. The society's activities involve residents and fellows in clinical training programs at UAB-affiliated hospitals who have MD/PhDs, MSTP students in all phases of the program and UAB faculty with MD/PhD degrees. The main focus of the Griffin Society is a series of informal dinner meetings/social hours. The goal of the Griffin Society is to promote interactions between MSTP students, residents and fellows with interests in biomedical research, and MD/PhD faculty who have experienced the rewards and challenges of the career opportunities offered to those with a combined degree, allowing these groups to enrich each other with their different experiences and viewpoints. The society will also help MSTP students to understand the clinical context of their research and enables them to form contacts with people at more advanced stages of training.

The society is named for Frank Monroe Griffin, Jr., M.D., who founded the UAB MD/PhD training program in 1985 and directed the MSTP for 13 years. Dr. Griffin attended the Medical University of South Carolina and received his MD in 1966. He extended his training an intern and resident in the Department of Medicine, and a Fellow in the Division of Infectious Diseases here at the University of Alabama. He spent two years at the US Naval Hospital in Illinois and two years as a Research Fellow at the Rockefeller University prior to returning to UAB as a faculty member.

 Dr. Frank Griffin and Dr. Robin Lorenz

Inaugural Griffin Society Event: 

The Griffin Society and the MSTP program collaborated with VSA arts of Alabama to host the inaugural Arts in Medicine (AiM) lecture in Spring 2009. The talk, entitled “The Creativity of Neurobiology,” was presented by Dr. David Sweatt. In addition to being the Chairman of the Neurobiology Department at UAB, Dr. Sweatt is an accomplished artist whose work truly bridges the gap between art and science as he represents neurobiological processes through abstract painting. Almost 100 people from across UAB attended the lecture, and all highly praising Dr. Sweatt’s presentation as well as the AiM lecture series. 

		At the reception afterwards, the Griffin Society logo was unveiled. The logo was designed by Don Stewart (http://www.dsart.com) a local artist and UAB medical school graduate, who will be the next lecturer at the Griffin Society AiM lecture in fall 2009.
Griffin Society Logo

Second Annual "Arts in Medicine" Griffin Society Event: 

Don Stewart, M.D., presented during the Second Annual Arts in Medicine Lecture on Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 6:00 pm in Margaret C. Spain Auditorium on the UAB campus.  The event was free and open to public and sponsored by VSA arts of Alabama and the Griffin Society

Dr. Stewart received his BS degree in Biology and Art at Birmingham-Southern College in 1981, paying his way with a nightclub act as a comic ventriloquist. Initially, he enrolled in art classes as a respite from the rigors of premedical studies. Soon, however, he was exposed to the process of composite imagery, and began exploring techniques in ballpoint drawing. Don continued to pursue artistic interests as a hobby during medical training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. After receiving his M.D. in 1985, Dr. Stewart moved north to Minnesota, to complete an internship in surgery at the Mayo Clinic. The lifestyle of a surgical resident proved, however, to be at odds with his creative side. By year's end, Don opted to discontinue his medical studies, after accepting awards for both short fiction and poetry and publishing his first two composite drawings. He has since worked as a graphic artist, writer, and creative consultant through his company, DS Art (http://www.dsart.com).