For physicians called to academic excellence, community-based care, and leadership in the future of family medicine.
Train at the intersection of academic medicine and deeply rooted community care. At Cahaba’s Highlands Campus, residents experience the strengths of a university-connected training environment while remaining grounded in the relationships, mentorship, and whole-person philosophy that define community family medicine.
This is a residency for physicians who want rigorous preparation without losing sight of why they entered medicine in the first place. Here, residents grow into clinically excellent, academically engaged physicians… equipped to lead in evolving healthcare environments while remaining deeply connected to the people and communities they serve.
Why
Highlands?
“You’re not just choosing a program. You’re choosing the kind of doctor you’re becoming.”
Our Highlands Campus combines the depth and opportunities of an academic medical environment with the mission, continuity, and practical formation of a well-established community-based residency. Residents benefit from enhanced scholarly development, lifestyle medicine training, leadership formation, and direct access to university resources… while still training in settings where relationships and whole-person care remain central.
GROUNDED
The Highlands Track is deeply connected to the history, rigor, and diverse clinical opportunities of university-based academic medicine. Residents gain access to enhanced specialty exposure, scholarly mentorship, simulation opportunities, and academic career development within a major university system.
GRAFTED
As part of the Cahaba + UAB Family Medicine Residency, Highlands residents participate in a proven culture of leadership formation, mission-minded care, innovative curriculum, and community-based training that has shaped outstanding physicians across both urban and rural settings.
What makes Highlands Distinct
The best of both worlds.
Academic Scholarship & Research
Highlands residents receive direct support from scholarly advisors and faculty mentors with opportunities to present posters, case studies, curriculum projects, and presentations at state and national conferences.
Enhanced Lifestyle Medicine Training
Through close collaboration with UAB’s Sports & Exercise Medicine Fellowship, residents receive expanded training in nutrition counseling, exercise medicine, prevention, and long-term health behavior change.
Leadership Development
Residents participate in advanced physician leadership training, faculty development experiences, grand rounds, workshops, and interdisciplinary educational opportunities designed to prepare future leaders in healthcare.
Community Engagement
Serve patients and communities through wellness vans, student-run clinics, school sports physicals, and outreach initiatives that connect academic medicine to real-world community impact.
Population Health & Practice Transformation
Develop skills in quality improvement, digital health, practice transformation, interprofessional collaboration, and systems-based approaches to care.
“The Highlands track combines the academic strengths of a university setting with the heart of community care… training doctors in digital health, lifestyle medicine, and interprofessional teamwork while preparing them to lead with excellence in today’s evolving healthcare landscape.”
TRAINING BEYOND EXPOSURE
Lifestyle & Preventive Medicine
Advanced training in exercise counseling, nutrition, behavior change, and preventative care strategies.
Scholarly Activity
Research mentorship, curriculum development, case studies, presentations, and conference participation with strong faculty support.
Interprofessional Collaboration
Work alongside specialists, academic faculty, fellows, and interdisciplinary teams across diverse care settings.
Simulation & Educational Development
Access university-based simulation opportunities, departmental grand rounds, and institutional educational programming.
Community-Based Care
Remain deeply connected to community-oriented family medicine through longitudinal patient relationships and underserved outreach opportunities.
CREATING LEADERS FOR THE FUTURE
Highlands residents benefit from enhanced access to:
UAB Faculty Development training
Departmental Grand Rounds
University-wide educational programming
Lifestyle Medicine workshops & symposiums
Specialty department updates
Simulation-based learning opportunities
“In our program, have the opportunity
t o focus on procedural skills through
our EndoSim module (endoscopy
training), POCUS workshop with our
personal Vscan devices, and CVL
placement session. While not
necessarily skills I anticipate using on
a daily basis, it’s a no-brainer to take
advantage of these opportunities t o
add as much a s possible t o m y
physician tool belt.”
By The Numbers
Our residents don’t just meet requirements… they build uncommon breadth, adaptability, and readiness.
140+
Lifestyle medicine training hours with experts in nutrition and exercise counseling
20+
Scholarly activities accepted at national conferences
30+
Average annual hours of community medicine experiences
Direct involvement in wellness vans, student-run clinics, and school outreach initiatives
READY TO LEAD FORWARD?
Come train where academic rigor, community care, and leadership development grow together.
Schedule a rotation and experience what it looks like to become both grounded and grafted.