On Thursday, August 1, 2019, Sean Skelton, PT, DPT, a Physical Therapy Resident in UAB Medicine, became the first to finish the UAB Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency program. Skelton received a graduate certificate during a small ceremony at UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center.

Mercy Catholic Medical Center announces Christopher Cullom, FACHE, alumnus of the UAB School of Health Professions’ M.S. in Health Administration program (Class 42), as president effective August 12, 2019. He will oversee MCMC – Mercy Fitzgerald Campus and MCMC – Mercy Philadelphia Campus. Mercy Catholic Medical Center is part of Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic.

Kayla Stinson, a UAB School of Health Professions’ M.S. in Health Physics second-year student, was awarded a prize for her research presentation at the Health Physics Society annual meeting on July 7, 2019.

Enyonam “Enyo” J. Kpomblekou-Ademawou, who is graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Management in the pre-professional track from the School of Health Professions is announced as the speaker for UAB's undergraduate ceremony. Kpomblekou-Ademawou has earned presidential and dean’s list honors. 

Tapan Mehta, Ph.D., a scientist with appointments in UAB’s Diabetes Research Center and Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC), has been named director of research for the Department of Health Services Administration.

Brenda Bertrand, Ph.D., professor in the UAB School of Health Professions' Department of Nutrition Sciences and director of the nutrition science graduate program, is honored with a 2019 UAB President's Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Faculty and alumni from the UAB Department of Physical Therapy, along with students from the UAB Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, were joined by students from UAB’s Department of Occupational Therapy and School of Engineering, to adapt electric toy cars for Alabama children with disabilities as part of the nationwide GoBabyGo program.

The Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) approved certification of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Graduate Program in Healthcare Quality & Safety. The UAB HQS program, housed in the School of Health Professions, is one of only four programs nationally to earn the initial certification.

“CAHME certification demonstrates our program’s commitment to excellence in educating healthcare quality and safety professionals,” said Allyson Hall, Ph.D., director of UAB’s HQS program and professor in Health Services Administration.

The certification of UAB HQS and the other three programs, represents an important milestone in an almost three-year process. In 2016, David Nash, MD, MBA, founding dean of the Jefferson College of Population Health approached CAHME about the idea of offering certification—and ultimately accreditation—for healthcare quality and safety education. Nash then joined with Christy Harris Lemak, Ph.D., chair of the UAB Department of Health Services Administration to accelerate the process.

A 2017 summit with 20 attendees, plus a survey of programs, demonstrated strong interest that led to a task force of academics from Healthcare Quality & Safety programs across North America designated as Founding Members. Of those 10 programs, only four applied for and passed the initial certification vote.

“We recognized the need for national standards, a defined set of competencies, and a collaborative effort to lead this emerging and important new part of the health care field,” said Lemak who also teaches and conducts research in the areas of health care management and leadership development. “Being a part of this initial group of programs is what UAB is all about – leading for better care for patients and communities around the world.”

For programs to earn certification, they must follow the Board approved standards and pass an independent application review by leading academics, practitioners in quality and safety, CAHME Board members, and staff from the National Association for Healthcare Quality.

CAHME is the only organization recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation to grant accreditation to individual academic programs offering a professional master’s degree in healthcare management education.

“CAHME certification and (eventual) accreditation of HQS instruction broadens our ability to fulfill our mission of improving the quality of healthcare management education, both in North America and globally,” said Anthony Stanowski, DHA, FACHE, president and CEO of CAHME. “We are grateful to the many academic and industry leaders who have worked so hard to achieve this important milestone.”

Andrew Butler, PT, Ph.D.,FAPTA, dean of the UAB School of Health Professions, was honored as a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) at the PT NEXT conference on June 13, 2019. The FAPTA award is the association’s highest honor.

Michelle Kung, a second-year student in the UAB School of Health Professions’ Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Administration-Health Services program, recently completed the year-long Albert Schweitzer Fellowship and results from her work with middle school students in Alabama show decreases in students’ misuse of prescription medications, and their use of cigarettes, vape and alcohol.

The Alabama Chapter of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (Alabama HIMSS) delivered four merit scholarships in 2019 – all four scholarships were awarded to students in the UAB School of Health Professions’ Graduate Programs in Health Informatics.

Theresa Meadows, alumna of the UAB School of Health Professions’ M.S. in Health Informatics program (MSHI, 1998), has been named to Health Data Management’s (HDM) Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT for the second straight year.

Krystle Glasgow, MIS, CNMT, NMTCB(CT), NMAA, clinical coordinator and teacher in the UAB School of Health Professions’ M.S. in Nuclear Medicine Technology (NMT) program, has been named to the Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging’s (SNMMI) inaugural “Ones to Watch” list.

For the 4th year in a row, students in the UAB School of Health Professions’ Doctor of Physical Therapy program hosts Oxford-style debates to better learn the issues they may face in the PT field.

Kara Arnold, Sean Maleknia, and Hallie Taylor, third-year students in the UAB School of Health Professions’ Physician Assistant program placed 4^th at the American Academy of Physician Assistant’s 2019 National Medical Challenge Bowl. This is the second time in the past four years that the UAB PA team reached the Final Round.

By Adam Pope, UAB Media Relations

The perpetual association of current symbols with wheelchair users has been criticized for insufficiently representing individuals with other disability types.Recent research from the UAB School of Health Professions Department of Occupational Therapy has assessed individual comprehension and perceptions of nine existing and newly created accessibility pictograph symbols, and it identified one that represented universal access to fitness equipment.

Brenda Bertrand, professor and director of the UAB School of Health Professions’ (SHP) M.S. in Nutrition Sciences program, is winner of the 2019 Outstanding Dietetics Educator Award from the Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors (NDEP).

Monica S. Aswani, DrPH, assistant professor in the UAB School of Health Professions’ Department of Health Services Administration, wins the 2019 International Health Economics Association (iHEA) Student Prize for her paper titled “Differential Impact of Hospital and Community Factors on Medicare Readmission Penalties”.

Jana Cason, DHS, OTR/L, FAOTA, alumna of UAB Occupational Therapy Class of 1998, is the 2019 American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Emerging and Innovative Practice Award.