The UAB Medical Center represents an ideal environment for combined training in basic biomedical science and the intricacies of modern clinical medicine. Unlike many other similarly sized Universities, UAB is a very young institution that has developed a very entrepreneurial spirit of expansion of its research mission. UAB was established in 1969 with the intention of building a major biomedical research institution. In its short 40-year history, the University has expanded its facilities, resources, and faculty to become an internationally recognized research entity. Major components of the UAB Health System include the University Hospital, The Kirklin Clinic, and the Callahan Eye Hospital. UAB clinical faculty serve as Health System physicians.

UAB Hospital is the centerpiece of the UAB Health System. It is located in the Medical District of Birmingham on the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus. Situated among major research centers and clinics, UAB Hospital, a 900-bed facility, provides patients with a complete range of primary and specialty care services, as well as the most up-to-date treatments and innovations in health care. As a University hospital, UAB Hospital is a major center for clinical research and the home of some of the top medical programs in America. Our new UAB Hospital facility opened in November 2004. The 885,000-foot, 11-story hospital includes 37 operating suites, 2 procedure rooms, 3 medical surgical units, 4 intensive care units - trauma and burn intensive care, surgical intensive care, neuroscience intensive care, and cardiovascular intensive care, and a 38,000 square foot emergency department.

The Kirklin Clinic, a member of the UAB Health System, is a specially designed center for outpatient care housing more than 700 physicians in 35 specialties. The Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital opened its doors for the public in 1963. In 1971, The Callahan Eye Foundation's ophthalmology residency training program combined with The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). This program has trained over 200 ophthalmologists since its inception.

In July 1997, The Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital became a part of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System. As a part of the health system, The Callahan Eye Foundation maintains its mission to provide quality eye care, offers an ophthalmology residency program and participates cooperatively with UAB in the research of eye diseases.

There are 15 clinical departments with a total of 858 full-time faculty members. There is a fairly even distribution among junior and senior faculty: 28% Professor, 24% Associate Professor, 37% Assistant Professor, and 11% Clinical Instructors. There are 40 part-time and 692 volunteer faculty members. The largest clinical department, Medicine, has 303 full-time faculty members; the smallest is Dermatology with 12. All specialties and subspecialties are well-represented, providing an exceptional clinical education experience for students.

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