All Recent News | School of Health Professions News

High-Tech hide-and-seek being played in UAB classroom

SAM 940 NormanBolus HalieStephenson ShannonPettway

Norman E. Bolus, MPH, CNMT, Halie Stephenson, Shannon PettwayThe University of Alabama at Birmingham offers a class where students play hide and seek.

However, they are not looking for each other and they cannot see what they are looking for. Read more

PT program celebrates 50 years

Past PT Faculty Celebrate Program's 50th Anniversary

L/R: Geneva Johnson, Jo Clelland, Betty Canaan, Cara Adams, Joan BergmanThe UAB Physical Therapy program, which began in 1964, graduated the first class of baccalaureate degrees in 1967 before there was a University of Alabama at Birmingham.

On Saturday, May 17, 2014, the School of Health Professions celebrated the UAB PT program's 50^th anniversary with a dinner and reception at The Club in Birmingham. In addition to alumni from nearly every class of graduates, many of the founding members were in attendance including Joan Bergman, the first physical therapist hired by University Hospital, who initiated the UAB PT program.

SEE MORE: pictures from the 50^th anniversary event Read more

UAB recognizes clinical nutrition pioneer Weinsier

Roland L. Weinsier, M.D., Dr.PH., who founded EatRight by UAB and authored the groundbreaking Handbook of Clinical Nutrition, was honored by the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a portrait unveiling on Friday, April 25, 2014. Read more

UAB students spend Spring Break serving others

Physician Assistant student w/childSo what did you do for Spring Break?

Beach? Check.

Exotic destination? Check.

Provide medical services to those in need? Wait, what? Read more

UAB graduates 1st class of Saudi Arabian hospital administrators

EMSHA Graduation Ceremony in Saudi ArabiaA joint partnership between the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Health Services Administration and the King Fahad Specialist Hospital-Dammam graduated its first class of Saudi Arabian hospital administrators on Saturday, December 21, 2013. Read more

Delitto, renowned PT researcher, named inaugural Gossman Lecturer

Anthony Delitto, Ph.D., PT, FAPTAThe University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Physical Therapy selects Anthony Delitto, Ph.D., PT, FAPTA, as the inaugural lecturer for the Marilyn R. Gossman Endowed Lectureship. Delitto, associate dean for research at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, is recognized around the world for his accomplishments and contributions to the PT profession. Read more

Journey from High School dropout toward Health Administrator

*Editor's Note: Nicholas Colleran delivered this moving address at the SHP Scholarship Luncheon on Friday, March 21, 2014. He was kind enough to allow us to share his story with everyone and we thank him for being so open and inspirational.

Nicholas Colleran Scholarship Luncheon Speech

Nicholas Colleran Scholarship Luncheon Speech

Nicholas Colleran delivers Scholarship Luncheon speechI want to start by thanking everyone for all your contributions and allowing me to be here. It is my pleasure to speak to all of you this afternoon. My name is Nicholas Colleran and I am from Weymouth, Massachusetts which is about 15 minutes south of Boston. I am a student in The Master of Science in Health Administration program at UAB. I want to personally thank the Ryland Family for the scholarship they provided for me and for all those who have made contributions to our program. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say we are all extremely grateful. Read more

UAB Excellence in Business honors PT alumnus Kleinman

When Ron Kleinman, PT, was looking for a college to attend he wrote, that’s correct - he physically wrote, to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and asked for a list of the best Physical Therapy schools in the United States. The APTA wrote back and placed the University of Alabama at Birmingham at the top of the list and Kleinman was soon on his way south from Ohio.

UAB Excellence in Business honors Jan Jacks

University of Alabama at Birmingham alumna Jan Jacks is an artist. Her works are vivid and rich and she uses oils and fingers to create masterpieces that are devoured over and over again by the public.

However, Jacks is not your traditional artist. She is the owner, baker and artist behind Dreamcakes Bakery located in Homewood, Ala. Read more

UAB student discusses genetic testing at Rare Disease Symposium

Emily Wakefield presentation, Rare Disease DayUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham graduate student Emily Wakefield, a second-year in the UAB School of Health Professions Genetic Counseling program, addressed an audience of rare disease patients, along with their family, friends and care givers, about the benefits, limitations and fears of genetic testing.
February 28, 2014, marks the seventh worldwide Rare Disease Day and Wakefield’s remarks came at UAB’s Rare Disease Symposium. This is the first year UAB has celebrated the international event. Rare diseases are categorized as those that affect fewer than 200,000 people. Read more

Rimmer honored by AAP for best paper of 2013

James H. Rimmer, Ph.D., director of the Lakeshore Foundation / UAB Research Collaborative, has been selected to receive the AAP Excellence in Research Writing Award by the Association of Academic Physiatrists and the editorial board of the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. The award, which is given annually to the lead author of the best paper published in the AJPM&R each year, is for Rimmer’s article titled “Telehealth Weight Management Intervention for Adults with Physical Disabilities: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Read more

UAB program uses Standardized Patients, Simulators to prepare Genetic Counseling students

Dawn Taylor Peterson, Ph.D., monitors simulatorSitting in the clinic room alone with her crying baby is a 20-something year old mother. She does not know it, but she is about to be told that her 10-month-old son who is being evaluated for failure to thrive may also have a genetic condition that could lead to additional health and developmental problems in the future.

Delivering the news is a second-year graduate student in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Genetic Counseling Program. This is the first time the student will have the opportunity to deliver this type of abnormal test result during her training as a genetic counselor.

Fortunately for all involved, this is a simulation session where the mother is a standardized patient and the baby is a high-fidelity mannequin. The session provides the genetic counseling class members the opportunity to deliver difficult and complex genetic test information in a realistic, yet supervised environment. Unfortunately, this will not be the last time any of them deliver bad news. Read more

SHP alumna first Genetic Counselor for UAB Cytogenetics Lab

When the University of Alabama at Birmingham Clinical Cytogenetics Laboratory decided to hire their first ever genetic counselor they started by meeting with prospective applicants at the 2012 National Society of Genetic Counselors conference in Boston - the logical place to find the best genetic counselors in the United States.
Read more

OT class builds chairs for children in Uganda using cardboard, paper, flour and water

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Occupational Therapy's OT 673 and OT 674 classes consider Assistive Technology. When many people think of AT, they picture amazing advances like prosthetic limbs, optical character recognition (OCR) software or speech generating devices.

So when co-instructors Deek Cunningham, MS, OTR/L, and Gavin Jenkins, Ph.D., OTR/L, both assistant professors in the OT department, asked the class to build chairs – using only cardboard, paper, flour and water – as assistive devices. You can imagine what went through the students’ heads. Read more

UAB School of Health Professions Dedicates new Building Addition

Melanie Talbot Montgomery, Richard Margison, Donna Hamer, Dean Harold P. Jones, Jon Vice, Mike WilliamsOn Friday, Oct. 11, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) celebrated the new addition to the School of Health Professions Building. Richard Margison, UAB vice president financial affairs and administration, Suzanne Austin, UAB vice provost for student and faculty success and Eric Jack, Ph.D., dean of the Collat School of Business, joined the school Dean Dr. Harold P. Jones in a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside of the building located at 1705 University Blvd. Read more

School of Health Professions Honors Hiett, Shmerling

L/R Dean Jones, Tee Hiett, Debbie and Jim ShmerlingThe University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Health Professions dedicated the Debbie and Jim Shmerling Endowed Scholarship in Honor of Tee Hiett at a special ceremony on Friday, Sept. 20, 2013. The Shmerling’s $25,000 gift created the permanent endowment scholarship which will assist deserving students entering or enrolled in the Master of Science in Health Administration (MSHA) Program with preference shown to applicants formally enrolled in the MSHA/MSHI (Master of Science in Health Informatics) dual degree option. Read more

O’Connor wins most distinguished award given by Health Care Management

Stephen J. O’Connor, Ph.D., a professor in the UAB School of Health Professions Department of Health Services Administration (HSA), was awarded the Myron D. Fottler Exceptional Service Award by the Health Care Management (HCM) Division of the Academy of Management (AOM). This award, considered by many to be the most distinguished award given by the HCM Division, is not an annual award and is given only when a suitable nominee is presented. O’Connor was nominated by HSA colleague Robert Weech-Maldonado, Ph.D. Read more

OT class given $5, 5 minutes to make a difference in world

The assignment was simple. Okay, maybe not simple, but definitely basic. Students in the UAB School of Health Profession’s Department of Occupational Therapy class OT 673 were asked to make an assistive device that would help people with an injury or disability. Read more

Physician Assistant program offering three options for workforce needs

Because of the Affordable Care Act, the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Physician Assistant Studies (PA) degree program is adding options for students to better prepare them for workforce needs. Currently, all graduates from the PA program can be employed in any setting; however, the program has a history of adding additional courses and clinical rotations in surgery, allowing students to be better prepared for surgical subspecialty when they graduate. Now the students will have the option to obtain additional clinical rotations in trauma or primary care. Read more

Four SHP alumni named to inaugural UAB business award

The “UAB Excellence in Business Top 25” award winners have been announced and four of them graduated from the School of Health Professions. The UAB National Alumni Society partnered with the Birmingham Business Journal to present the awards.