Anderson Lab Research Activities

Dr. Peter Anderson is a Professor of Pathology and Director of Pathology Undergraduate Education, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Heersink School of Medicine. He received his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Washington in Seattle and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University.  After veterinary school, he was selected to participate in a Human and Comparative Pathology Residency Training Program at the UAB School of Medicine. He did a residency in human pathology and focused on using animal models to study human diseases.  He went on to obtain his Ph.D. in Experimental Cardiovascular Pathology at UAB.  Dr. Anderson has been on the faculty at UAB since 1986 and has been actively involved in research related to cardiac hypertrophy, atherosclerosis, and intravascular stents.

Dr. Anderson was the cardiovascular pathologist responsible for animal and human studies of the first balloon-expandable coronary stent approved for use in humans by the FDA.  He and his collaborators have continued to perform important studies into the characteristics of stents and the vascular response which results in restenosis after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI).

Dr. Anderson has also had a long-standing commitment and dedication to teaching.  He has championed many innovations in health sciences education; particularly in the area of technology-enhancing learning. He holds leadership positions in many national and international educational organizations.  In addition, he has been a member of the National Board of Medical Examiners for over 20 years.

Dr. Anderson has received numerous teaching awards at his own institution; including the Ellen Gregg Ingalls/UAB National Alumni Society Award for Lifetime Achievement in Teaching.  In 2008 he was the recipient of the Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teaching Award sponsored by the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and the American Association of Medical Colleges – given to the best medical educator in the US and Canada.  He received the Michele Raible Distinguished Teaching Award in Undergraduate Medical Education presented by the Association of Pathology Chairs and he was the recipient of the  American Society for Investigative Pathology Robbins Distinguished Educator Award.  Recently he received the 2021 UAB Heersink School of Medicine Dean’s Excellence Award in Teaching. Dr. Anderson was also selected as a Fulbright Foundation Senior Specialist and he has been active in Global Health activities worldwide.

The Pathology Education Instructional Resource website (http://peir.net) was developed by the Anderson group and continues to provide materials and a platform for the development of innovative educational materials for health professional educators and students.