It is with great pride that I present this year’s Children’s of Alabama Year in Review. We celebrated much success in 2025, and we aim to continue this positive trajectory in 2026.
Those of us who work here at Children’s understand how special the hospital is. In 2025, many outside entities took notice. Newsweek listed us among its greatest workplaces—specifically for women—and among its best specialized hospitals. Forbes (Best-in-State Employers) and NRC Health (Excellence in Patient Experience) both praised our work, as well.
But awards are not our primary focus—our patients are. And we made many strides for them last year, offering novel treatments, unique procedures, new programs and leading-edge clinical care. We also laid the groundwork for future improvements in care through our groundbreaking research.
Great leaders are often the key to successful enterprises, and we welcomed one in 2025: Yung Lau, M.D. Though not new to us—he’s been at Children’s and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) for more than 30 years—he is new in his role as physician-in-chief at Children’s and chair of the UAB Department of Pediatrics. He lays out his vision for the future of both in this report.
Our partnership with UAB is foundational to our success. Children’s, the UAB Department of Pediatrics, and the UAB Sections of Pediatric Surgical Subspecialties work together to form the cornerstone for children’s health care in Alabama and the region. This report reflects our great relationship and the impact it has for our patients.
Looking ahead, we are committed to building on our successes and continuing to provide the best, most advanced care for children and adolescents. Our leadership, talented and compassionate physicians, surgeons, nurses, allied health professionals, and staff each will play a crucial role in shaping our future success.
Sincerely,
Thomas G. Shufflebarger
President and CEO
Children's of Alabama