O’Neal Cancer Center celebrates 2026 Research Retreat award winners
The UAB O’Neal Cancer Center recognized achievements at every stage of the research journey, from undergraduate and graduate students to postdoctoral researchers, residents, and staff at its 2026 Annual Research Retreat, celebrating excellence across the cancer research community.
Two special honors also recognized the legacies of influential UAB leaders: Albert F. LoBuglio, M.D., and Seng-jaw Soong, Ph.D.
Albert F. LoBuglio Distinguished Faculty Award
Rob Welner, Ph.D., associate professor in the UAB Department of Medicine and co-leader of the Cancer Biology & Immunology program at the O’Neal Cancer Center, received the Albert F. LoBuglio Distinguished Faculty Award, recognizing distinguished contributions to the O’Neal Cancer Center’s research mission.
The award honors Albert F. LoBuglio, M.D., a prominent physician-scientist and former director of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, who died Sept. 11, 2026, at age 88.
LoBuglio led the cancer center as director from 1983 to 2004, helping build its national reputation, recruit outstanding researchers and expand its research enterprise. The award bearing his name recognizes faculty excellence while preserving the legacy of a leader whose contributions shaped generations of cancer researchers at UAB.
Undergraduate and Post-Baccalaureate Awards
First Place: Danielle George
Second Place: Esther Lee
Graduate Awards
First Place: Chloe La Prairie
Second Place: Opeyemi Iwaloye
Third Place: Jonathan Moye
Honorable Mention: Opeyemi Iwaloye
Honorable Mentions: Caroline Ennis and Tarah Vijayasarathy (not pictured here)
Postdoctoral and Resident Awards
First Place: Aaquid Siraj Syed, M.D. (Mobile Infirmary)
Second Place: Naoki Hama
Staff Awards
First Place: Richard Laube (Received by Christina Larson)
Second Place: Dilani Patel (Received by Andrea Comba, Ph.D.)
Seng-jaw Soong Award for Excellence in Biostatistics Research
Divya Sahu, Ph.D., received the Seng-jaw Soong Award for Excellence in Biostatistics Research.
The award, established in 2008 by the Soong family honors Seng-jaw Soong, Ph.D., a pioneering biostatistician whose contributions helped shape cancer research at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Celebrating Research Excellence
The 2026 Research Retreat award recipients represent the breadth of talent and collaboration that drives the O’Neal Cancer Center’s research mission, by recognizing achievements being made today and by the next generation of scientists who will shape the future of cancer research.
Congratulations to all the 2026 Research Retreat award winners.