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This year marks the 60th anniversary of UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center (SRC). Spain Rehab was dedicated on April 26, 1964, and made possible by a $500,000 gift from philanthropists Frank E. and Margaret Cameron Spain and funding from the Foundation for Hearing and Speech.

UAB Medicine’s Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) Falls Clinic was established to help patients age 60 or older who are experiencing falls or balance problems. This clinic began as an initiative designed to reduce the number patients visiting the emergency room after experiencing a fall.

The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research has announced its annual rankings in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding among Schools of Medicine along with funding by discipline for individual departments. In the latest 2023 report, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) ranks No.23 nationally among Departments of Physical Medicine and sees an increase in annual funding.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Medicine Adult Spina Bifida Clinic is the only program in the Southeast region that provides multidisciplinary care for individuals with spina bifida for their entire lifespan.

The W. Jeff Terry Award is presented to a physician member of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama in recognition of a medical career that has encompassed not only high ethical and professional standards but has also outstanding leadership and advocacy.

Following a busy interview season, UAB’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is excited to welcome four new PGY-1 residents. The incoming PM&R residents are Cyrus Byramji (UAB Heersink School of Medicine), Hannah Howard (University of Kentucky College of Medicine), Meaghan Kane (Florida State University College of Medicine), and Christopher Truong (UAB Heersink School of Medicine).

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) led a collaborative research effort with the UAB Department of Health Services Administration and UAB School of Health Professions Research Collaborative to evaluate the health care needs of people aging with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). Using data from the National Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) Database managed by the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), researchers looked at the demographic information, severity of their injury, employment status, and the health conditions of people living with TSCI between 2015 and 2019.

The roots of National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) date back to 1970. At that time, the Rehabilitation Services Administration of the United States Department of Health Education and Welfare began to fund demonstration project at medical centers throughout the country, collectively known as the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS).

The Paul W. Burleson Award is presented to a physician member of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama in recognition of a medical career that encompasses not only high ethical and professional standards in patient care, but also includes extraordinary service to physician organizations at the county, state, and national levels.

UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Associate Professor Jereme Wilroy, Ph.D. is passionate about his research to benefit the lives of individuals with disability through exercise, rehabilitation, and sport.

Cynthia Francis, M.D. and Darien McNeill, M.D. were selected as the 2024-2025 Chief Residents for the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Program. Effective April 1, 2024, Dr. Francis will serve as Administrative Chief and Dr. McNeill will serve as Education Chief.

The American Psychological Association has selected UAB’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation associate professor Megan Hays, Ph.D., ABPP as the 2024 recipient of the Division 22 Mentoring Award.

UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation leadership is proud to support and advance its faculty to the next level of development and growth. Congratulations to Drs. Azuero, Teranishi, and Twist on their new leadership roles within the department.

Living with spinal cord injury (SCI) can have a negative effect on person’s mental health and desire to participate in activities, so there continues to be a need to explore ways of improving mental health.

UAB Medicine Spain Rehabilitation Center is one of only 10 rehabilitation hospitals in the country designated as a Rehabilitation Innovation Center formed to change the face of clinical care for Americans with disabilities.

Following extensive research and personal experience, Jereme Wilroy, Ph.D., associate professor in UAB's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, found that many public health professionals are not prepared to design health promotion programs and opportunities to address the pervasive health disparities that continue for the over 60 million Americans with disabilities.

Rachel Cowan, Ph.D., associate professor at the  University of Alabama at BirminghamDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and program co-director for UAB’s Spinal Cord Injury Model System, was awarded $1.6 million from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command to study the impact of fitness on quality of life after spinal cord injury.

Associate Professor Danielle Powell, M.D. has been appointed Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs in the UAB Heersink School of MedicineDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) recently held the largest annual conference in the world for interdisciplinary rehabilitation research. It was the 100th annual conference, and it brought together researchers, clinicians, administrators, and others to learn about cutting-edge research and its translation into clinical practice.

The UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation welcomes Assistant Professor Radhika Sharma, M.D., effective November 2023.