School's new Dean joins PT Faculty

On July 1, 2019, Andrew J. Butler, MPT, MBA, PhD, new dean of the UAB School of Health Professions joins our faculty as a professor and researcher. He comes to us from the Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions at Georgia State University, where he is professor of physical therapy and associate dean for Research.

Butler has a special interest in neuro-rehabilitation, functional neuroimaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation. He is director of the Clinical Neuroplasticity Lab at Georgia State, and is the principal investigator on a project exploring the use of rehabilitation robots in the homes of veterans.

On Friday, June 14, 2019, Dr. Butler will be honored as a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the APTA. The ceremony is part of APTA's NEXT Conference & Exposition Programming in Chicago. He joins UAB PT Chair David Morris, PT, PhD, FAPTA, as our two FAPTA members.

Welcome Dr. Butler!

Meet Sheree Chapman York

Sheree Chapman York, PT, DPT, MS, is not your typical assistant professor. She joins the UAB Department of Physical Therapy after more than 40 years of physical therapy practice in a broad range of roles from physical therapist all the way up to director of the Physical and Occupational Therapy Department and Early Intervention Services at Children's of Alabama. In addition, York has practiced and taught physical therapy from as near as here at UAB to as far away as Wurzburg, Germany. Her career experience is an invaluable asset to our department and our students.

York will be teaching pediatric physical therapy, which is ideal considering her 20 years' experience at Children's of Alabama and a career dedicated to helping children. She will also assist with our professional practice course series concerning business management and the “I Can Do It, You Can Do It” program.

She led the development of the early intervention and preschool services in Alabama mandated by the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA, 1987). Currently, York is President of the International Organisation of Physical Therapists in Paediatrics (IOPTP), which is part of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy. During her illustrious career, she has sat on numerous advisory boards in the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), held office in the Alabama Chapter of the APTA (ALAPTA), and the APTA Section of Pediatrics now know as the Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy. She is also an ex-officio member of the UAB School of Health Professions Dean’s Advisory Board.

Throughout her career, York has earned countless awards and honors at the local, state and national levels. A few of her major honors include:

• “Fab 40” Distinguished Alumni Award, UAB School of Health Professions 
• Lucy Blair Service Award, American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
• George “Bud” DeHaven Service Award Section on Pediatrics, APTA
• Distinguished Service Award, Alabama Chapter of the APTA
• Special Friend to the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, AIDB

This is York's second tour of duty as a UAB PT faculty member. She served under the "Mother" of the UAB PT department, Marilyn Gossman, from 1990 to 1996 and we are beyond thrilled to have her back!

Meet the PT Faculty

Butler and York are our most recent members, but over the past couple years we have added many renowned researchers and educators to our faculty. Click here to see everyone.

Congratulations to Dave Brown!

It is with mixed emotions we say goodbye to David A. Brown, PT, PhD, FAPTA, joins University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) Health as Senior Vice President and Dean for their School of Health Professions.

For nearly a decade, he served as a professor and director of our PhD in Rehabilitation Science Program, and co-director of the UAB University-wide Research Center on Disability Health and Rehabilitation Science.

We wish him all the best!