University of Alabama at Birmingham. School of Medicine. Office of the Dean.

The University of Alabama School of Medicine traces its origin to the establishment of the four-year Medical College of Alabama in Birmingham in 1945. The Alabama Legislature changed the Medical College's name to the School of Medicine in 1969. During the late 1960s and 1970s, the State of Alabama explored ways in which to expand medical education to meet the current and future demands for physicians. The School of Medicine played a central role in the complex debate that eventually led to the creation and continuing evolution of the University of Alabama System Medical Education Program and the University of South Alabama School of Medicine. Dr. James A. Pittman, School of Medicine dean from 1973 to 1992, and his predecessor Dr. Clifton K. Meador, each play central roles in this debate.