Tapan Mehta, an Indian American community medicine professor, has been named the first Heersink Endowed Professor in Primary Care at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UBA) Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine.
The appointment highlights a career dedicated to transforming healthcare delivery, leveraging advanced analytics, and expanding community health research.
Mehta serves as a professor and vice chair of research and improvement science within the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine. His academic journey at the institution spans more than two decades, beginning when he first arrived as a graduate research assistant.
With a background in engineering and biostatistics, Mehta applies an interdisciplinary methodology to health services research, designing systems intended to optimize chronic disease management programs for communities in Alabama and beyond.
Since joining the Department of Family and Community Medicine in 2022 as its first vice chair of research, Mehta has overseen the growth of the department’s research enterprise. Under his direction, the program achieved a No. 13 ranking in the 2025 Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research rankings.
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His approach centers on integrating patient-centered and community-engaged research within clinical practice to enhance healthcare accessibility and patient outcomes.
“Tapan’s leadership, innovation, and commitment to improving both health outcomes and provider experiences across our state represents an incredible belief in what our department can accomplish,” said Irfan Asif, chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. “He is helping define the future of primary care research and demonstrating how data-driven innovation can impact public health.”
Mehta maintains leadership positions across multiple major national research initiatives. He serves as the principal investigator for the Health Resources and Services Administration-funded Telehealth Outreach and Policy for Rural and Underserved Populations Rapid Response Center, noted as the country’s first center specializing in rapid telehealth policy research.
Additionally, he co-leads the Health Enhancement through Access and Research in Transformative Networks Primary Care Research Network and the P50 UAB Disability Health Promotion Research Center.
His contributions extend further as director of the Methods and Health Informatics Core within the Building and Innovating: Digital Health Technology and Analytics Center, and as director of the Data Coordinating Center for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded National Center on Health Physical Activity and Disability.
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He also serves as co-director of the University-wide Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education while leading large-scale pragmatic trials supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
Beyond his research portfolio, Mehta has contributed to institutional governance and mentorship. He previously served as chair of the UAB Faculty Senate and chaired its research committee, working collaboratively with central administration on employee well-being initiatives.
In recognition of his contributions as a mentor and educator, he received the 2025 UAB Graduate Dean’s Excellence in Mentorship award.
The newly established Heersink Endowed Professorship in Primary Care provides recognition for work shaping healthcare delivery and improving community health throughout Alabama and beyond.