Alumni

Ellie Prados didn’t follow a straight line to medical school.

And that may be one of the things she values most about her experience at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

The Baton Rouge, La., native arrived at UAB with a clear interest in medicine and an initial plan to study Biomedical Sciences in the School of Health Professions. After her freshman year, however, she changed direction, moving into the pre-Physician Associate track.

Two years later, she changed direction again, returning to Biomedical Sciences before graduating in May 2026.

Those changes were not setbacks. They were part of finding the path that was right for her. She said the support she received from SHP made it possible to explore those options without feeling like she was navigating them alone.

“It all worked out perfectly,” Prados said.

A place that already felt like home

Prados’ connection to UAB began before she was a student.

While she was in high school, her father was pursuing an Executive Doctor of Science in Healthcare Leadership at UAB. His time in Birmingham gave Prados the opportunity to visit the city, experience campus and begin imagining what her own future might look like there.

Her family’s UAB connections extend well beyond her father. A cousin graduated in Healthcare Administration, a second cousin is also a UAB graduate, and her brother currently works at the university.

But Prados’ relationship with UAB ultimately became her own, and it did not take long for “The Magic City” to make an impression, as she, “fell in love with it.” She enjoyed exploring the city’s Botanical Gardens and art museums and appreciated the generosity of the people she met throughout the community.

For an out-of-state student, Birmingham quickly became more than the city surrounding her university.

It became home.

Finding the right academic path

Prados had been interested in Biomedical Sciences from a young age because of its clinical focus and its connection to her long-term goal of becoming a physician.

“I knew I wanted to take something that would give me more experience in courses I would see later on in medical school,” she said.

One of the most important people in that process was Tyler Wright, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences.

Prados called Wright “the most supportive” person during her transition back into Biomedical Sciences. His mentorship extended beyond helping her academically.

“He told me how to best ‘market’ myself during med schools’ interviews,” Prados said. “Dr. Wright was always checking in on me and was super nice about it all. He was awesome.”

Wright was not the only person Prados turned to during her time at SHP.

She said one of the things that made the school unique was how willing faculty and staff were to help.

“Most of them did not even know who I was, but wanted to help me out anyways,” Prados said. “Even those that weren’t my advisors or professors, I could go to them, and they would be so willing to help me out. It speaks to how supportive SHP is for all of its students.”

Getting involved — and finding her people

For Prados, finding her place at SHP extended well beyond the classroom.

She became an SHP Ambassador, an experience that gave her the opportunity to share her own story with prospective students and help high school students envision what their own college experiences could look like.

The role also reinforced something she learned throughout her undergraduate experience: getting involved can change the way students experience college.

“Get involved,” Prados advises to young students. “My life would be very different if I didn’t jump in as a freshman.”

Through SHP’s student organizations, Prados developed leadership skills, grew more confident and built friendships that she expects to carry well beyond graduation.

“All of SHP’s majors have their own clubs, and I think I made a lot of my lifelong friends through those organizations,” she said. “When you look around at graduation and realize you know all those people, it is an amazing feeling.”

Finding her people became an important part of what made UAB feel like home for Prados.

Preparing for what comes next

Prados’ next step will take her back to Louisiana.

She will attend the Louisiana State University School of Medicine New Orleans, where she plans to pursue a career as an OB/GYN.

Her interest in the field developed while working as a medical assistant during her time at UAB.

“Working with women and for women is something I have a big passion for,” Prados said.

Getting to this point required plenty of hard work. Prados prepared for the Medical College Admission Test in just two months while also working and taking summer classes.

Her undergraduate experience in Biomedical Sciences helped prepare her for that challenge.

“I have had so many different experiences, especially with the team-based learning that BMD has,” she said. “It is an experience I would not have had anywhere else.”

Looking back, Prados describes her time in SHP as motivational, challenging and rewarding.

“It is all worth it,” she said. “Whenever you apply yourself to these classes and you’re really learning and getting close to your professors and classmates, it is challenging but always rewarding.”

For prospective students, Prados’ story offers a reminder that choosing a career in healthcare does not mean having every step perfectly planned from the beginning.

Plans can change. Interests can evolve. Students can discover new possibilities along the way.

Krystle Glasgow, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Sciences faculty member, was awarded the UAB Young Alumni Rising Star Award.

The UAB National Alumni Society has awarded the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award to Shannon Houser, PhD, MPH, RHIA, FAHIMA, FHIMSS, a graduate of the Department of Health Services Administration and a current faculty member.

Our PhD in Nutrition Sciences alumni spotlight is on Christian Behrens, Jr., PhD, RD, class of 2020. He shares with our students about careers outside of academia.

UAB alumnus Chuck Stokes (‘83) was a leader, mentor, and someone that many aspired to be. Today, his legacy of service lives on through a fund established to support future leaders in health administration.

UAB Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences is proud to announce that Biotechnology Assistant Professor Kimberly McCall, Ph.D., was recently recognized at the Gulf-South Summit in Nashville, TN, in March 2025.

In the fall of 2023, the UAB School of Health Professions launched an undergraduate program in Disability Studies and Rehabilitation Science. This year, the program unveiled a minor option to the program.

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MSHA alumnus Ian McFadden, and his wife Angela, establish a scholarship because, “I wanted to do what was done from me.”

Samara Sterling, alumna of our PhD in Nutrition Sciences program, has worked at The Peanut Institute, in Albany, Georgia, as the director of research and nutrition since 2018. Sterling is passionate about plant-based nutrition, and this position fits one of her core values – to empower people with the knowledge they need to make their own dietary decisions.

Dillan Brewer serves as a prime example of what it means to pay it forward. His passion for selflessly serving others can be seen through his mentorships and his extracurricular involvement within the health care industry and other nonprofit organizations.

Lauren Miller is a highly accomplished physician assistant with a profound commitment to her field. Her journey is marked by a relentless pursuit of excellence, continuous learning, and a passion for improving patient care in dermatology.

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Wardine Alexander serves as the District 7 representative and President Pro Tempore of the Birmingham City Council. She is proud to be our alum and proud of how UAB instills service learning: “We each have a role to play in our communities and if that can be fostered while you are a college student, then that will stay with you throughout the rest of your lifetime.”

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You could say Tiffany Chaney was born to serve, and you would not be wrong. Even as a teenager – the infamous eye-rolling years for so many of us – she was engaged in serving others. “I don’t really remember a time when service was not included in my way of being.”

Benjamin Burgess enlisted with the Marine Corps out of high school, then earned his B.S. in Biomedical Sciences at UAB. He then transitioned to the Navy and earned an MBA and his Doctor of Medicine from UAB Heersink. Learn why commitment and service have always been pillars in his life. 

Adrianne Smiley, EdD, OTD, OTR/L (MSOT, 2015) is the kind of person who believes if you want to see change, the best way of going about it is by being the change you seek. For her, the inequalities in health care she can identify through her experience and dedication to her profession fuels her desire to continue to find new ways to advocate for equal healthcare opportunities for all.

Ask a health professional why health care and they usually want to help people. Ask a Physical Therapist why they chose PT, it's likely a sports related injury that sparked their interest. For Andrew Stanley PT, DPT, MTC, CMPT, ACSM CEP (DPT, 2009), all the above led to his commitment to service and dedication to others.