Dr. Locke completed her undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry at Duke University and her medical degree at East Carolina University prior to matriculating to Johns Hopkins Hospital where she received training in general surgery and multi-visceral abdominal transplantation. Dr. Locke completed her Master of Public Health degree with an emphasis in biostatistics and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She joined the surgical faculty at UAB upon completion of her training at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Locke is a well-funded investigator, and currently holds an NIH K23 Career Development Award and a Clinical Science Faculty Development Grant through the American Society of Transplantation. She has authored 52 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 11 book chapters. Dr. Locke is frequently invited to present her research as a visiting professor at many prestigious academic centers around the US and at international transplant meetings, including the World Transplant Congress, the British Transplantation Society, the American Transplant Congress, and the National Kidney Foundation. In addition, Dr. Locke is an Associate Editor for Transplantation and is a regular peer reviewer for several journals, including the American Journal of Transplantation and the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology to name a few. She is an invited member of the ASTS Providing Better Access to Organs Task Force and Diversity Affairs Committee, the AST Kidney-Pancreas Committee, The Transplantation Society Young Member Committee, and the United Network for Organ Sharing Pediatric Transplant Committee. Dr. Locke is the recipient of numerous honors and has most recently received the American Transplant Congress Young Investigator Award, the Birmingham Business Journal’s Top 40 under 40 Award, and was named one of AL.com’s 2015 Women Who Shape the State.

Dr. Locke is an abdominal transplant surgeon who specializes in innovative strategies for the transplantation of incompatible organs, disparities in access to and outcomes after solid organ transplantation, and transplantation of HIV-infected end-stage patients. Her research interests include complex statistical analysis and modeling of transplant outcomes and behavioral research focused on health disparities.

She is collaborating with the CET on the critical appraisal of international clinical practice guidelines in transplantation.