Areas of expertise for Dr. Pickens include esophageal cancer, lung transplant, and lung cancer. His professional affiliations include Atlanta VA Medical Center and Emory Clinic. He studied medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. For his professional training, Dr. Pickens completed residency programs at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a hospital affiliated with the University of Alabama, and a hospital affiliated with the University of Michigan. He is in-network for several insurance carriers, including Humana HMO, Humana Bronze, and Humana Catastrophic. Distinctions awarded to Dr. Pickens include: Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract Resident Research Award and UAB Department of Surgery Resident Research Award.