Students/Faculty

Addy Bias, a senior majoring in biobehavioral nutrition and wellness, created the mural that is displayed in the stairwell on the north side of the Susan Mott Webb Nutrition Sciences Building (WEBB). Bias wanted to create a piece that represented movement and the School of Health Professions from her viewpoint. We sat down with Bias to learn more.

Emily Pounds, a clinical research coordinator in the Department of Nutrition Sciences, created the mural that is displayed in the stairwell on the south side of the Susan Mott Webb Nutrition Sciences Building (WEBB). She used her artistic background to create a mural titled, “A Spot in the Sun.” We sat down with Pounds to discuss her upbringing, her connection to art, and what UAB means to her.

Christine C. Ferguson, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow with the School of Health Professions Research Collaborative, and Daniel L. Smith, Jr., associate professor in the Department of Nutrition Sciences, receive the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) of Alabama’s Outstanding Academic Mentor Award.

UAB Doctorate of Physical Therapy third-year students are finishing up their clinical experiences before graduation in December. One student in particular is making strides to combine his love for sports with his physical therapy skills.

Noah Dehart, a third-year student in the UAB Doctor of Physical Therapy program was selected by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) for the Charles Harker Internship. Dehart becomes the first student from UAB to be selected.

Every year, the School of Health Professions recognizes top faculty, staff and students with awards. Here are the winners of the awards for 2023.

Alanis Stansberry, a second-year student in the UAB PhD in Nutrition Sciences program, has been selected as a 2023-2024 Fellow of Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama (ASF).

Brenda Bertrand, Ph.D., RDN, program director, UAB M.S. in Nutrition Sciences, has been selected for the 2023 Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions Leadership Development program. She is the first faculty member from UAB to be chosen by ASAHP for this program.

For the third consecutive year, the UAB School of Health Professions (SHP) has awarded members of the SHP faculty with faculty grants. This year’s winners are Alexandra Evancho, PT, DPT, assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy; Seung Yup (Joshua) Lee, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Health Services Administration; and Megan Carpenter, OTD, OTR/L, SCFES, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, and Elizabeth Wylie, PT, DPT, NCS, assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy.

Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, PhD, RD, Professor and Webb Endowed Chair of Nutrition Sciences was selected by the American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO) as the winner of the 2023 Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr. Distinguished Achievement Award. 

Thanks to the generosity of alumni and friends, numerous scholarships have been established to benefit students in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. These are the 2022-23 scholarship award winners.

Amy Y. Landry, Ph.D., the University of Alabama at Birmingham Howard W. Houser Endowed Professor in Health Administration, is the winner of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration, Quint Studer Gratitude Prize for Teaching Excellence.

Kiara Thompson, a third-year student in the UAB Doctor of Physical Therapy program was awarded the 2022 SAHPD Student Leadership in Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Award from the Southern Association of Health Professions Deans at Academic Health Centers.

On March 23, 2022, we celebrated the hard work of MSHA Class 56 as they finished the didactic portion of their time at UAB with a first-of-its-kind Signing Day event.

At a ceremony in Montgomery on August 13, 2022, Howard W. Houser, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the UAB Department of Health Services Administration and former associate dean in the School of Health Professions, officially received his Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame plaque and was honored in person by the organization and its board.

Jewell J. Dickson, OTD, MPH, OTR/L, ATP, FAOTA, associate professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, was named to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Roster of Fellows for her contributions to championing change through leadership, service, and advocacy.  

At the start of the pandemic, many people became hobbyists — picking up crochet needles, gardening books, or rolling out dough to ease the anxieties brought on by quarantining. For second-year occupational therapy student Julie Anne "JuJu" Dorris, the art of breadmaking crept into her life, influencing her creativity in support of her own well-being. 

Shannon H. Houser, Ph.D., MPH, RHIA, FAHIMA, professor in the UAB Department of Health Services Administration, won an American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Triumph Mentor Award.

For the second year in a row, a student team from the University of Alabama at Birmingham M.S. in Health Informatics (MSHI) program wins the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Student Case Competition.

Kerry McAlpine, administrative supervisor for our Department of Occupational Therapy, is one of the first six honorees of the UAB Shared Values in Action Program (UAB VIP Award), launched in January to honor employees whose work exemplifies and embodies one or more of values of integrity, respect, diversity and inclusiveness, collaboration, excellence and achievement, accountability and stewardship.