By Laura Gasque

The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing is a national leader in Family Nurse Practitioner education through both specialty tracks offered in the Master of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs, maintaining its standing as a leader in nursing education, as reflected in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report “Best Graduate Schools” rankings.

• Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner – No. 3
• Doctor of Nursing Practice Family Nurse Practitioner – No. 6

Graduates of the MSN and DNP Family Nurse Practitioner specialty tracks are educated to care for people across the lifespan, lead quality improvement initiatives and translate evidence into practice within different populations and clinical settings. As advanced primary care specialists, Family Nurse Practitioners diagnose and manage commonly occurring episodic and chronic health problems while promoting health and wellness for individuals, families and communities.

Faculty are leaders in the field

Associate Professor, Co-Coordinator for the Family Nurse Practitioner Specialty Track and Co-Director of the School’s Health Policy Fellowship D'Ann Somerall, DNP, MAEd, CRNP, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN (BSN 1995, MSN 1999, DNP 2011), has been a faculty member at the School since 2002. From 2010 to 2017, she worked at the School’s nurse-managed clinic at Bessemer Neighborhood Clinic and is currently a nurse practitioner at the nurse-managed PATH Clinic where she provides interprofessional care to uninsured patients diagnosed with diabetes. She is a founding member of the National Association of Family Nurse Practitioners. She serves on the executive board of the Nurse Practitioner Alliance of Alabama, where she previously served as President. She also previously served as Interim Executive Director of the Alabama State Nurses Association. This year, Somerall received the State Award for Outstanding Contributions from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. In 2025, she also was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. In 2020, she was named an AANP Fellow and recently received the inaugural Meritorious Service Award from the Alabama State Nurses Association.

Associate Professor and Co-Coordinator for the Family Nurse Practitioner Specialty Track David House, DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC, ENP-C, CEN, CNE, FAANP, FAAN, has more than 24 years of experience in administrative and clinical roles, and has practiced as an Emergency Nurse Practitioner for more than 15 years. House serves as Board Chair on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners and is a founding member of the organization. He has served as AAENP’s Lead Regional Director since 2019 and served as co-author of the 2021 ENP Competencies. House recently was selected for and completed the American Association of Nurse Practitioners Executive Leadership Program. House is a Scholar with the UAB Center for Interprofessional Education and Simulation and a Fellow of the 2019-2020 UAB Interprofessional Leadership program. In 2025, House also was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Impacting community health

Alumni and faculty from the UAB School of Nursing are playing a key role in operating and expanding the work of The Foundry Ministries Changed Lives Mobile Clinic, which provides health care services to clients of The Foundry, a faith-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation program in the Birmingham area. The School and The Foundry have maintained a strong, mutually beneficial partnership since 2013 and at the Changed Lives Mobile Clinic since 2018.

Assistant Professor Deborah Bowers, DNP, CRNP, FNP-C (BSN 1985, MSN 2013, DNP 2017), and Assistant Professor Emily Patton, DNP, CRNP, FNP-C (MSN 2013, DNP 2020), currently have faculty practices at the Changed Lives Mobile Clinic, where the School’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing students, Family Nurse Practitioner students, Doctor of Nursing Practice students and Albert Schweitzer Fellows have all had the opportunity to work together and provide different forms of care for patients as they fulfill their research and clinical requirements.

For her work at The Foundry Ministries, Bowers received the Alabama Leader Summit Community Impact Award, given to an individual who has impacted their community and made a difference in the lives of stakeholders. In 2023, she also received the Nurse Practitioner Alliance of Alabama’s 2023 Outstanding Faculty Award. The award recognizes a NP faculty member who is committed to the excellence of educating nurse practitioner students, demonstrates excellence in academic performance and leadership within the university. In 2016, she also was selected as one of Alabama’s first Albert Schweitzer Fellows.

Associate Professor Pamela G. Bowen, PhD, BBA, CRNP, FNP-BC (BSN 1988, MSN 1992, PhD 2012), is helping to create a healthier Alabama through her service on the Board of the Alabama Wellness Alliance as Community Access and Engagement Representative. Bowen has contributed to the development of the Alabama Physical Activity and Nutrition Plan 2023–2033 and is recognized as a Physical Activity Sector Leader, underscoring her influence in shaping strategies that promote healthier lifestyles statewide.

Making a difference in rural health

Instructor Melanie Baucom, DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC (BSN 2009, MSN 2010, DNP 2019), is Director of the Graduate Nursing Education Primary Care Scholars Program, mentoring nurse practitioner students who are dedicated to providing care in rural communities. Baucom also serves on the Alabama Rural Health Association Board of Directors, which promotes and advocates for rural health needs across Alabama.

Since its inception, more than 100 graduate nursing students have completed the Graduate Nursing Education Primary Care Scholars Program. Primary Care Scholars enroll in the same courses as their classmates but receive mentoring, individualized content relative to rural health issues, preceptorships with rural health providers, and other opportunities for professional and leadership development, with the end goal of after graduation, these nurse practitioners serve patients in rural communities.

Alumni are changing lives

Alumna Amber Pennington, MSN, FNP-C (MSN 2013), a family nurse practitioner, realized her dream of opening a primary-care clinic, Vernon Medical Center, in 2022 to help fill health care needs in her rural Lamar County hometown. Pennington credits much of her success to her education from the UABSON and to local community support.

“I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for UAB and the distance accessible master's program,” said Pennington. “I was married with young kids. It was amazing to be able to earn a degree I could be proud of while taking care of my family. In the future, I want to work closely with UAB and the schools of nursing in our area to get as many nurses to come through the clinic as I can. I think that new nurses would see this as an inspiration, that we can do it. We are going to have to if we want rural health care in Alabama.”

Alumnus Richkard Saint Louis, DNP, FNP-C (DNP 2024), received the School’s Young Alumni Merit Award in 2024, which recognizes outstanding alumni who are working in a health care setting and making a positive impact in patient care. Saint Louis serves as a Family Nurse Practitioner in the United States Army and has served in leadership positions such as the Primary Care Manager at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital Outpatient Clinic and Officer in Charge of the Acute Injury Clinic. His exemplary service has been recognized with numerous awards and decorations, including the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, the Army Achievement Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.