The UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery honored survivors of traumatic injury and their families, as well as first responders and healthcare professionals, at the third annual Heroes and Healers event on Friday, May 1, 2026.
A red-carpet movie premiere
The Heroes and Healers event is known for its documentary-style films about the honorees. This year, the event transformed into a “movie premiere,” complete with a location change to the Alys Stephens Center and a red-carpet photo experience. More than 250 guests were in attendance.
Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery Director Jeffrey Kerby, M.D., Ph.D., and UAB Hospital CEO Brenda Carlisle, MSHA, BSN, RN, CENP, opened the event with remarks before handing the microphone over to event’s emcee, KD Hill.
Emcee KD Hill.
Hill was a 2024 Heroes and Healers honoree, and his dramatic story of rescue, recovery, and resilience was celebrated in a short film shown at the event. In 2023, Hill was a recent graduate of, and defensive tackle for, the University of Mississippi. He had his eyes set on the NFL and had been invited to try out for two teams when he had car crash on I-65. His leg was trapped between a tree and his vehicle, and it was necessary to have his right leg amputated below the knee so that he could be extricated from the vehicle. Through the lifesaving efforts of the first responders and UAB care team members on the scene, his care at UAB Hospital’s Level I Trauma Center, and his therapy at Spain Rehabilitation, he overcame his injuries. He is now a nationally-recognized public speaker and author of “The Uphill Climb: The KD Hill Story.”
“The team here at UAB didn’t just treat me, they helped strengthen me,” Hill said in his opening remarks. “They supported and challenged me. Because of that, I stand here today.”
The 2026 trauma honorees
The 2026 patient honorees were Carmen Knight, a burn survivor, and Jacob Smith, a traumatic brain injury survivor.
Honorees Carmen Knight and Jacob Smith.Knight was injured in 2025 after fainting related to prediabetes. While she was frying chicken and French fries to stabilize her blood sugar, she fell. While trying to grab the counter, she accidentally grabbed the fryer and pulled it down with her. She was covered in second and third degree burns after being covered in hot grease. She received care from the UAB trauma and burn teams.
Smith was injured in 2024 when the car he was working under fell, causing multiple skull and facial fractures and a traumatic brain injury. He spent weeks in the trauma and burn intensive care unit, the neurological intensive care unit, and Spain Rehabilitation Center.
Each honoree was recognized with a short-film exploring their journey through injury, treatment, recovery, and getting back to the activities in their lives that they love. All individuals who were a part of their care were asked to stand and be recognized, highlighting the many health care professionals, first responders, and family members it takes to save and heal a single patient.
A behind-the-scenes look at the UAB Trauma Center
This year, in addition to the two honoree videos, a new type of film was shown: a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to keep the UAB Hospital American College of Surgeons-verified Level I Trauma Center running 24/7/365, or as the center’s motto states, “Always Here, Always Ready.”
Left to right: Daniel Cox, Jeff Richey, Reese Cameron, Felicia Sanders, and KD Hill.
This story was told from the perspective of four trauma care team members: Daniel Cox, M.D., associate chief medical officer and Trauma medical director; Reese Cameron, RN, BSN, a trauma nursing team lead; Jeff Richey, PA-C, a Trauma Burn ICU advanced practice provider; and Felicia Sanders, COTA/L, an acute care occupational therapist assistant.
Cox said the Heroes and Healers event has become a much-anticipated annual event for the UAB Trauma team.
“This event gives us all a chance to pause and celebrate the recoveries and resilience of our trauma patients, who we often don’t get to see months and years after their time in the hospital,” Cox said. “This year, we were also able to reflect on the expertise and dedication that our team members bring to work every day, for every patient.”
Benefitting trauma survivors
In addition to UAB employees, first responders, the 2026 honorees, and their guests, several trauma survivors were also in attendance, including former Heroes and Healers honorees and members of the UAB Trauma Survivors Network (TSN).
Trauma survivors Otis Dorsey, Carmen Knight, and Melanie Manning.Heroes and Healers is an annual event supporting the UAB chapter of the TSN. The network hosts monthly virtual support groups, providing survivors from across Alabama and beyond with peer support and a space to connect.
In a video shown during the program, survivor Melanie Manning shared how the UAB TSN support group has been beneficial for her.
“There was nothing like this when I was hurt, and it was extremely difficult,” Manning said. “Now, I can help other people who are going through this by sharing my hard-won lessons and letting them know they aren’t alone.”
About UAB Trauma
As an American College of Surgeons-verified Level I Trauma Center, UAB Hospital has robust and extensive resources to care for the most severely injured patients across the state.
Left to right: UAB trauma surgeons Rondi Gelbard, Samantha Baker, Erin White, Daniel Cox, Jeffrey Kerby, Preston Hewgley, Taylor Wallen (fellow), and Shannon Carroll.
These resources include 24-hour in-house coverage with at least two trauma surgeons on-site at all times, a team of 23 trauma surgeons, more than 40 advanced practice providers, and access to specialties such as burn care, wound care, emergency medicine, the UAB blood bank, neurosurgery, radiology, anesthesia, physical medicine and rehabilitation, social work, chaplains, and orthopedic, vascular, thoracic, plastic, and oral and maxillofacial surgery.
The UAB Trauma Center sees over 7,000 patients annually (over one-third of all trauma patients in the state of Alabama), caring for a daily average of 85 trauma patients from multiple areas throughout the hospital, and evaluating about 20 new trauma cases daily. Medical professionals provide specialized care throughout UAB, including the Emergency Department, the Trauma/Burn Intensive Care Unit, the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit, the Trauma/Burn Nursing Unit, and the Acute Trauma Care Unit.