Three years after establishing the Stephen and Jana Foster Endowed Scholarship in Physical Therapy, Steve (‘80) and Jana Foster have added $100,000 to the fund to increase the scholarship to the Dean level—which requires a minimum of $250,000—to support more physical therapy students in the UAB School of Health Professions.
Their aim is simple: to help affirm students’ decision to pursue physical therapy and help relieve the financial burden accompanying that decision.
Growing up, Steve, now the CEO of TherapySouth, fully understood economic hardships. He attended Samford University through a federal grant before attending the UAB Department of Physical Therapy in 1978.
“I grew up in a family that, even though we didn't have much, it was instilled in us to give back, to be appreciative of what we had, and to be sensitive and understanding of people who were in situations that were not as fortunate as our own,” Steve said.
Six years after graduating, Steve started a private physical therapy practice that he sold to a national firm after a decade of operating.
Steve dreamed of opening a therapist-owned practice that specialized in hands-on care close to a patient’s home. In 2006, he opened TherapySouth and did just that. The practice employs more than 250 providers and has expanded to 44 clinics—with more to come by the end of 2024—across Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.
It’s been more than four decades since Steve received his UAB degree, but he hasn’t forgotten what it feels like to need financial assistance. Because of this, the Fosters are dedicated to giving back to bless others the way they have been blessed.
One of those blessed by the Foster’s gift is Trent McMullen. In 2021, McMullen was the second recipient of the Stephen and Jana Foster Endowed Dean Scholarship in Physical Therapy.
“The scholarship not only helped ease the financial burden, but also, it made me feel like Steve trusted me enough to do well in school and become a great clinician,” McMullen said.
The Fosters don’t just bless students like McMullen through the endowed scholarship; they invest in their careers. Every year TherapySouth hires about five to six students from UAB’s graduating class. In addition, TherapySouth offers several students each semester the opportunity to participate in clinical rotations.
Both the financial aid and the encouragement brought McMullen’s career full circle. Today, he’s working as a physical therapist at TherapySouth’s McCalla location.
“I love making an impact on people’s lives,” McMullen said. “I love knowing I can walk through patients’ journeys with them and ease their pain and their mind. Hopefully through my work I give glory to God and am a light in people’s lives.”
Steve also supports the school by guest lecturing for third-year students for a class called Vision Values.
“We talk about how to create a vision of a practice or vision for your profession, and then how to incorporate your values into your business, and then the practical just nuts and bolts of what it takes to start a practice,” Steve said.
In creating TherapySouth, Steve’s faith and philanthropy were key components he wanted to carry with him in business. In 2021, TherapySouth opened a nonprofit Woodlawn location. Although Steve doesn’t get to practice as often as he’d like, when he gets the choice, he works out of Woodlawn.
In addition to this, TherapySouth supports a scholarship to UAB physical therapy students with financial hardship.
“It all started because UAB gave me the opportunity to be a student and has been very supportive even in my professional development,” Steve said. “Anything that I've been able to accomplish in my practice and business is a result of UAB. We wanted to give back to the university that made it possible for me and my family.”
The UAB National Alumni Society recently selected Steve to receive this year’s Honorary Life Membership Award. He will be honored at the 2024 Alumni Awards dinner in September.
--Written by Emma Lang
