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The first baby born through a uterine transplant at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) debuted on July 24. He is the first baby in the world born after a uterine transplant outside of a clinical trial.

AL.com caught up with two of the doctors that were part of this groundbreaking procedure: Dr. Trey Leath, a gynecological oncologist who participated in the uterine transplant surgery and birth, and Dr. Deidre Gunn, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist who worked with new mom Mallory on her embryo implantation. You may recognize Dr. Gunn as Miss America 2005. These interviews were edited for length and clarity.

AL.com: You’re the director of the gynecological oncology department but also had a role in this particular program. How did you get involved, and what is your expertise?

Leath: So, I am a board-certified and fellowship-trained gynecologic oncologist. As part of (gynecological and obstetrics) training, we’re taught really advanced pelvic surgery. The surgical skills that are necessary that may allow uterine transplantation to be performed are skills that we possess.

AL.com: Looking back at your career, is this the kind of thing you imagined doing as a doctor?

Leath: In a word, no. I really didn’t imagine it. I remember seeing the first reports years ago. And I was like, “That’s really interesting.” Although this is something that I didn’t necessarily envision (the procedure) can be value added to not only the patient as an individual or a patient as part of a family but also to perhaps society at large.

AL.com: What was going through your mind as this surgery was about to happen?

Leath: In the operating room, it’s “Don’t mess this up.” There may have been more colorful language. Two of the more unique and interesting and awe-inspiring events in medicine for me, especially outside of the oncologic realm, were when we hooked up the blood vessels from the donor uterus to Mallory’s blood vessels and we took the clamps off. And you saw the uterus (restore blood flow to) itself. It was incredible. It is hard to put it into words. The second amazing thing was when we delivered her baby by Caesarean.

AL.com: What have you learned from this experience that will help you do a more efficient job the next time?

Leath: So I think that what has been most beneficial is learning new surgical techniques. In many ways, I compare the procedures that we perform to an ultra-radical cancer operation. I think it has given me a new appreciation for some things that I wouldn’t necessarily think I would do or that I could do. It has given me additional information that I can utilize.

AL.com: Is there anything that you want to add?

Leath: Innovation in medicine, just like in many things or everything in life, is rarely (from just) an individual. It’s a team, and the way that we achieve the best outcomes and the best innovations are as part of a team. And really, all the kudos need to go to Mallory.

AL.com: Do you feel like this is your next evolution as a fertility doctor?

Gunn: I definitely feel privileged to have the opportunity to do this because not very many centers in the world or in the US are doing uterine transplants. It’s definitely a groundbreaking procedure.

AL.com: What do you feel like was the biggest challenge?

Gunn: As a clinician, I was really going to the data and looking at these case reports and what other centers have done. It’s not something that my partners have had decades of experience with, or I can just call up my friend and (ask), “Hey, what are you doing at your clinic?” It’s exciting and really intellectually challenging. I’ve enjoyed being part of something that’s so cutting-edge. But I think from the perspective of the patient; there are a lot of ups and downs. It’s really a roller coaster to get through this. But for the carefully selected patient who’s been very thoroughly counseled, I think it’s a very good option.

AL.com: Mallory got really emotional when she was talking about you at the press conference. What were you experiencing as she was talking about what you contributed to the whole process?

Gunn: It was just really incredible to have been a part of it and to have been a part of this team because it’s not one or two people. It is really this team of amazing people who all have their niche and their particular skill set that contributes to this. That’s one of those things that can only happen at a place like UAB. That’s why I love UAB so much. That was the first time I had seen Mallory’s baby as well. So just being able to see the baby and (have) the rewarding sense of (Mallory going) through this entire process, and now she’s at the end of it with her dream come true.

AL.com: What has been the public’s response after all this has happened?

Gunn: I think people are amazed at the science and have lots of questions. And there (are) lots of unknowns among the general public about infertility in general and this subset of infertility diagnoses. There’s just a lot of factors that people have never thought of. We have the technology to be able to put a donor uterus into someone, and it may carry a pregnancy, and it’s just really phenomenal. So I think people recognize the science of it, but also the human element of being able to help someone have their family in this way is really cool.

AL.com: Is this something you pictured going through the Miss America pageant circuit (she won in 2005)?

Gunn: No, I thought I was going to be a pediatrician. Then I went through med school, and (thought) “I love kids, but I really don’t want to be their doctor.” I really liked women’s health, and I liked surgery and the continuity of care and the patient. I didn’t even see myself doing infertility until I was well into residency and then decided to do a fellowship. I can remember vividly sitting at the national meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine back in 2014 when the surgeon who pioneered this procedure gave a plenary lecture on this and presented videos of the surgery, and walked us through it. I just sat there and (thought), “This is crazy. This is amazing. That’s just unreal,” I never imagined that I would get to be part of something like that. So as a physician, it’s just a really special thing.

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When Bob Dickerson looks back on his childhood in a segregated Birmingham in the 1960s, one figure stands out: his neighbor who made money by selling vegetables out of the back of his pickup truck.

Dickerson, who now leads the Birmingham Business Resource Center, grew up south of the city limits in a Black community called Roosevelt City. Residents, including Dickerson’s parents, incorporated Roosevelt City in 1967 as its own independent city as part of a movement that swept the South, as Black people claimed self-governing power and fought to preserve their communities.

He recalls his mother, and many others in the neighborhood, buying squash and beans from their neighbor Charlie Davis.

“He was proximate to us,” Dickerson, 70, told AL.com. “He represented success in my viewpoint because he was a member of the community and a business owner.”

Dickerson shared his observations of Birmingham’s Black workforce through the years during a Q&A at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute as part of last weekend’s Freedom Fest event. He spoke about his childhood, career and where things stand today in terms of economic opportunity for Birmingham’s Black community.

Of course, Dickerson recalled, there were other Black business owners in Birmingham 60 years ago. He went on to work for A.G. Gaston, the well-known businessman who owned the A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham’s core that served as the headquarters for efforts to desegregate the city, as well as an insurance company and a bank, amassing a portfolio of millions. Black residents also held key positions in the steel and construction industries, Dickerson said.

“They were building houses, renovating houses,” he said during the Freedom Fest event. “The most wealthy folks had the biggest houses because they built them.”

Other popular avenues of work for Black Birmingham residents in 1963 included Black-owned grocery stores and other retail, he said. But Black business owners were turned away from traditional banks in 1963 for loans and subjected to discrimination in the hiring process and on the job, meaning wealth-building opportunities were extremely limited.

“When you think about the wealth gap, we have been robbed of wealth throughout the history of America,” Dickerson said. “That economic robbery still impacts our community. How do we take the money we make and use it for ourselves that creates wealth?”

Dickerson found his own path, now counting five decades of banking and financial experience. He’s the executive director of the Birmingham Business Resource Center, a local nonprofit he founded in 1996 after learning that the metro area didn’t have a program that combined loans with capacity building and advocacy for business owners. He saw that Black business owners were particularly impacted by a lack of access to capital – and so he set out to find a way to fill the gap.

Since then, the Birmingham Business Resource Center has loaned nearly $900 million to local businesses, as well as provided consulting services and supplier and vendor development.

Dickerson also serves as CEO of Foundation Capital, a U.S. Small Business Administration-certified development company. He founded the annual A.G. Gaston Conference that organizes leaders to address economic mobility for people of color along the mission of “navigating the journey from civil rights to economic justice.”

After graduating from the Tuskegee Institute with a business administration degree in 1973, Dickerson started his first post-grad job at Birmingham Trust National Bank. He climbed the ranks to be the second Black officer at the bank – and, to his knowledge, the third Black person in the region to become an officer of any bank, he recalled.

“Banks weren’t recruiting us. In fact, I’d never thought about working for a bank. My connection to the bank was going in the bank and opening an account or cashing a check,” he said, adding that relationships he built through a summer job working for lawyers got him a way in.

Per Dickerson’s calculations based on his work with local small businesses and his study of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s data on small, minority-owned business, local Black business owners’ share of Birmingham’s business revenue makes up less than one percent, even though the city’s population is nearly 70% Black. That trend exposes still-existing barriers facing Black business owners in the region to market access that other businesses have, Dickerson said.

In Birmingham’s neighborhoods with the highest median household income, Black residents were earning $93,139, while white residents were earning $152,778, per 2020 data. Poverty is concentrated highest among Black residents. And of Birmingham’s roughly 5,076 employers counted by the most recent Census Bureau data from 2017, 12% are minority-owned – which includes but isn’t limited to Black-owned businesses.

“We still are a long way from being fair,” Dickerson said, adding that he’s pushing for major business leaders to strategically support more Black businesses.

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Aprio’s recent deal created a much larger accounting office in Birmingham for the firm.

Aprio first came to Birmingham in 2017 when it absorbed local accounting firm Yeager & Boyd, and it recently made another strategic move.

Following the merger of Culotta Scroggins Hendricks & Gillespie PC with and into Aprio LLP effective Aug. 1, Aprio will have about 70 employees in Birmingham.

“We just wanted to further invest because Birmingham’s a growing market,” said Cheri Husney, chief growth officer with Aprio. “The state of Alabama has, certainly, more opportunity.”

Rob Shirley, an audit partner with Aprio’s Birmingham office specializing in senior living facilities, franchises, nonprofits and investment funds, said Aprio has had more of a national practice in Birmingham.

John Santamour, a tax partner with Aprio’s Birmingham office specializing in manufacturing, technology and insurance, said the Culotta deal also allows Aprio to “be able to expand those service offerings from Aprio as a national firm to more of the Birmingham and Alabama marketplace.”

As for where a joint office for the combined practices might be, Santamour said it might make the most sense to pick a location somewhere between Culotta’s 3049 Massey Road office and Aprio’s 1200 Corporate Drive office. That process is still in an exploratory phase.

Husney said consolidation in the accounting industry is driven in part by clients’ needs for more geographic diversity and more services available through a single partner.

“I know we’re seeing a lot in that top 100 space around consolidation, but it is also driven a little bit by what clients are seeking in their providers,” Husney said.

Shirley pointed out a generational aspect of the trend that’s also making mergers and acquisitions attractive in the field.

“They’re aging,” he said of the leaders of many accounting practices. “A lot of them don’t have succession plans and things like that.”

Santamour said joining a larger partner can also give members of an accounting practice new training and advancement opportunities.

Aprio plans to continue looking for growth opportunities in Alabama.

“We’ll continue to look at firms and other opportunities throughout the state and throughout the country,” Shirley said.

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The first 7 month’s-worth of events in Birmingham have been an absolute blast. We’ve seen festivals. We’ve seen rock stars. We’ve seen Shrek: The Musical and Shrek raves. Although the summer months are winding down, the amount of happenings to participate in about town are still growing in numbers. The first week of August is a great set of days for those who enjoy art, poetry, seafood, music, comedy, and celebrations - AKA it’s a great week for every Birmingham resident. Here are a few of our favorite events to check out this week.

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Art Opening - Jon Osborne at Rojo (Thursday)

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Jon Osborne has long been a favorite creator amongst art lovers both inside and outside the city of Birmingham. This writer is proud to be amongst those ranks with a Jon Osborne piece beautifying my home. The Magic City artist has works found all over town and has appeared in numerous galleries, but will be calling Rojo home through the month of August. The opening reception this Thursday evening is sure to be a fun celebration.

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Bards & Brews August Open Mic: International Beer Day at the Central Library (Thursday)

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Birmingham is a city full of many forms of greatness. One of the talented groups that we can’t overlook is the Magic City poetry scene. We are blessed with dozens of voices that could wow open mics across the country. Bards & Brews is one of the best ways to witness the wonders of a Birmingham poetry night in person. The monthly event always features beer as well, with this Thursday’s International Beer Day celebration at the Central Library featuring brews from Good People Brewing.

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Tim Heidecker at Saturn (Friday)

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There are funny people. There are good musicians. Rarely does someone find themselves good at both - especially not good enough to be paid for it! Tim Heidecker is one of these uniquely gifted humans. Known for his comedy wits over the last couple decades, Heidecker is showcasing his music talents as well on his latest tour which includes a stop at Saturn this Friday night. There’s a reason this is one of About Town’s most anticipated shows in August.

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Back-To-School Shrimp Boil at Cajun Steamer Bar & Grill (Saturday)

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It was a fun summer, but alas it’s nearly the time where kids and teachers return to school once again. Cajun Steamer Bar & Grill in Cahaba Heights says “Not so fast” to the end of summer this Saturday with an all-you-can-eat shrimp boil that also includes specials on daiquiris and Steamer’itas.

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Hit Different BBQ Celebration with TAE at Brock’s Gap (Sunday)

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The Hit Different! BBQ and Grill food truck is celebrating one year of operations this Sunday, and it’s sure to be an event to remember! The festivities take place at Brock’s Gap Brewing with one of the Magic City’s most talented musicians in TAE providing the celebratory soundtrack. Great food, beer, and music? Sounds like the ideal way to close out the weekend.

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Cover image from @tracehudson_

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — NFL great Tom Brady has become a minority owner of English second-tier soccer team Birmingham and wants to bring a winning mentality to an underperforming club.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion has partnered with the club’s holding company, U.S.-based Knighthead Capital Management, and becomes chairman of a new advisory board, Brady and Birmingham said Thursday.

“Maybe you are asking, ‘What do you know about English football, Tom?’” Brady said in a club video. “Well, let’s just say I’ve got a lot to learn. But I do know a few things about winning.”

Birmingham said Brady will “apply his extensive leadership experience and expertise across several components of the club.” That includes working alongside the sports science department to advise on health, nutrition and recovery programs.

“Birmingham is an iconic club with so much history and passion and to be part of the Blues is a real honor for me,” Brady said.

Birmingham last played in the Premier League in 2011, the same year it won the English League Cup — one of two major trophies the club has captured in its 148-year history.

Brady joins a number of other American sports stars to invest in English soccer clubs.

Former NFL player J.J. Watt recently became a minority investor in Burnley, which has just been promoted to the Premier League, while PGA Tour golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas have said they will be minority owners of Leeds after investing in 49ers Enterprises, which is in the process of taking over the second-tier team.

Basketball star LeBron James has been a part-owner of Liverpool since 2011 because of a small stake in the club.

Brady has partnered with Knighthead Capital on several other ventures and the club’s new chairman, Tom Wagner, is looking forward to Brady’s “direct impact.”

“Tom Brady joining the Birmingham team is a statement of intent. We are setting the bar at world class,” Wagner said. “Tom is both investing and committing his time and extensive expertise.”

“The goal,” Wagner added, “that Tom has committed to own is to make Birmingham a respected leader in nutrition, health, wellness, and recovery across the world of football.”

Brady won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and another with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021.

He retired in February, after Tampa’s loss in the playoffs.

Under Birmingham’s new ownership, former Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook has taken up the same role and Hope Powell, the former coach of England’s women’s team, has been hired as women’s technical director.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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