James M. Markert, MD, has been named director of the division of neurosurgery in the Department of Surgery at UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham). Markert is a professor of surgery, physiology and biophysics, and pediatrics. Markert earned his medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He did post-graduate training at the University of Michigan, Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Chicago. He joined the UAB faculty in 1995. Markert is also the co-director of the UAB Brain SPORE, $13 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop new therapies to treat brain cancer. His major research interest is in the development of treatments for brain tumors using molecular biology, viral vectors and gene therapy. His current focus is on using an engineered herpes simplex virus as a vector to treat brain tumors. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Neurological Surgeons.