Dear Prospective Applicant,
We appreciate your interest in the PM&R Residency Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Since 1964, UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center (SRC) has offered the stability and comfort of a well-rounded residency program, with an established yet evolving didactic and clinical program set to meet the needs of the physiatric trainee. This is an exciting time for our program as we open the brand-new UAB Rehabilitation Pavilion, an adjacent hospital focused on inpatient rehabilitation.
As residents, we are excited to train at a center that is among an elite group of programs that have been nationally designated as both a Spinal Cord Injury Model System and Traumatic Brain Injury Model System. We also house the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, which supervises and directs the collection, management, and analysis of the world's largest spinal cord injury database.
These features of our program lend to a strong inpatient rehabilitation experience for residents as we spend time on each service in our rehabilitation hospital – stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury and neuroscience. Our skills with managing typical rehabilitation populations are further sharpened through outpatient clinic experiences in spasticity management, amputee medicine, cancer rehabilitation, wound care, and adult spina bifida comprehensive care – in addition to stroke, brain, and spinal cord injury follow up clinics.
Our program’s musculoskeletal medicine, electrodiagnostic medicine, and interventional spine curriculum is robust as well. Due to the PM&R’s partnership with UAB Sports and Exercise Medicine, we have the opportunity to rotate through multiple sports medicine and general musculoskeletal medicine clinics throughout our residency. All our residents become well versed in musculoskeletal ultrasound by way of our ultrasound curriculum, which is hosted by our very own program director. For those specifically interested in sports medicine, high school and collegiate level sideline coverage is easily accessible. Residents who are interested in interventional spine or pain medicine are well supported with multiple interventional spine specialists within our department and our own NASS recognized Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine fellowship, making experience and mentorship in these areas abundant.
Perhaps our program’s greatest attribute is the comradery and friendships developed between residents. We support each other through difficult experiences that come up throughout training but more often we get to celebrate each other – through weddings, welcoming children to the world, or holiday parties. It is difficult to find a week that our residents are not hanging out outside of work grabbing dinner, playing in our kickball and volleyball league or getting together for some fun on the pickle ball courts. Our program is special in that most of the time, our attendings join us too!
Birmingham is a hub for medical professionals who bring with them a welcome cultural diversity while still maintaining a deep Southern charm. Nicknamed “The Magic City,” Birmingham has experienced an urban revitalization with many new and attractive additions including parks, restaurants, breweries, music venues, and entertainment districts. Birmingham offers beautiful suburbs with excellent public schools that are ideal for growing families but also offer affordable options for young professionals. Please feel free to contact us via email, call, or direct message via our Instagram page with any questions you may have about UAB, the residency program, or Birmingham. Good luck with the application process and please do not hesitate to reach out!
David Berry, D.O. - Administrative Chief
