UAB School of Health Professions Current News
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SEE MORE: photos from the event on the SHP Flickr page
Nutrition Sciences: Brewer, Chusyd, SchneiderTaking home first place honors were:Daniella Chusyd, Nutrition Sciences
“Body Composition and Associated Metabolic Profile of Zoo-Maintained Female African Elephants”
READ MORE: Chusyd's research featured in UAB News
Some female African elephants in zoos exhibit abnormal reproductive cycles. Therefore, we wanted to examine the potential association of body composition (i.e. fat and lean mass) and metabolic and inflammatory parameters on ovarian cycles in zoo-maintained African elephant females.
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Lowman wins UAB President's AwardJohn D. Lowman, PT, Ph.D., CCS, assistant professor in the UAB Department of Physical Therapy, wins the UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He is one of 11 UAB faculty members to be honored during the 2015 Faculty Awards Convocation.“It is the hard work and successes of my students that make me look good. I would much rather that my students and mentors be esteemed more than I; that they be praised for their diligence and dedication, and I go unnoticed,” said Lowman. “It is an honor to employ and develop the gifts I have received, and I hope I will continue to work with prudence and patience, for the benefit of our students, and not waste my talents or rest in vain complacency. I sincerely appreciate all of the people that have encouraged and helped me develop as a teacher and I am sincerely humbled in being nominated for, and especially receiving, this award.”
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award winner Rasulnia, 2nd from rightMazi Rasulnia:Mazi is Founder of M Consulting and Co-Founder and President of PACK Health in Birmingham, Alabama. He has the distinction of receiving three degrees from three schools at UAB. He earned a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Public Health and a Ph.D. M Consulting provides strategic planning to pharmaceutical companies, payers, and health systems. PACK Health provides personalized services to patients in order to improve chronic conditions. He credits UAB with providing him the knowledge and skills to apply business principles in health care.
Mark Bowling:
Mark is Owner and President of MedTrust, Inc., a company he founded in 1993. He earned his Master of Hospital and Health Administration from UAB in 1982. Upon graduation, Mark received the foundation to branch out and start his own physician practice management firm after working 10 years for Humana Hospital Corporation. When he established MedTrust, he consulted his professors and colleagues on how to structure his business. Headquartered in Martinez, Georgia, MedTrust employs 25 people; and provides physician practice and medical clinic management services.
Geagan (2nd left), Zasa (middle), Bowling (2nd right)Gretchen Napier Geagan:Gretchen serves as CEO of Life-Links Geriatric Care Management in Brentwood, Tennessee. She received her Master of Health Administration from UAB in 1995. For the past 20 years, Gretchen has devoted her career to making the final phase of life, for those she serves, as fulfilling as possible. She joined Life-Links in 2009 as co-owner and became the owner and CEO in 2012. Life-Links’ Care Managers are Certified Members of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers and have Master’s Degrees in related fields or years of professional experience.
Eric Robinson:
Eric is CEO for Natchez Community Hospital and Natchez Regional Medical Center in Natchez, Mississippi. He earned his Master of Business Administration in 2004 and his Master of Healthcare Administration in 2005, both from UAB. Eric was named CEO at Natchez Community Hospital in 2012 and CEO of Natchez Regional Medical Center in 2014. Currently, he is tasked with consolidating the operations of the two who have been competitors for the past 40 years. Combined, they employ more than 500 people and provide surgical and general medicine services to Adams County, Mississippi.
Robert J. Zasa:
Robert is Managing Partner at Ambulatory Systems Development Management based in Incline Village, NV and Dana Point, CA. He earned his Master of Hospital and Health Administration from UAB in 1975. He entered the field as an administrator for the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans and operated Brookwood Medical Center in Birmingham. Founded in 1986, ASD provides management and consulting services to ambulatory surgery centers throughout the United States. Currently, ASD works to develop, turn around, and manage surgery centers in joint ventures with physicians and hospital systems.
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courtesy U.S. News & World ReportThe UAB Master of Science in Health Administration program is now ranked #2 in the nation according to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. That is currently the highest ranking for any program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.The MSHA program, housed in the Department of Health Services Administration, is only one-tenth of a point behind the top ranked program in the category of Best Grad Schools in Health Care Management.
The UAB Physician Assistant program makes the highest jump of any program in the UAB School of Health Professions, leaping nine notches up to 16th in the nation. The PA improvement gives the school three Top 20 ranked programs.
The latest rankings were released in the 2016 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools.”
“Every year many different groups hand out many different rankings yet the gold standard year in and year out is U.S. News & World Report because it is based upon the input of peer programs and institutions; and let me tell you, there is no better feeling than to be named one of the best in the nation by your peers,” said UAB School of Health Professions Dean Harold P. Jones, Ph.D. “To be ranked takes input from everyone involved in a program both past and present; it is the culmination of students, alumni, faculty and staff working together to better each other and that effort is reflected in each of these programs.”
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Standing L/R: Foster, Demark-WahnefriedSeated L/R: Brown, Graham, SlovenskyCecilia Graham, Ph.D.: The Joseph F. Volker Award for the regular, full-time faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in and dedication to teaching, distinctive research and other scholarly endeavors, and/or notable service to the School, University and community. She was presented by David Morris, Ph.D.
Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, Ph.D.: The Excellence in Scholarship Award for the faculty member has made significant scholarly contributions resulting in the advancement of knowledge. Contributions include funded research, involvement in research process, publications in peer reviewed journals and more. She was presented by Paula Chandler-Laney, Ph.D.
Donna Slovensky, Ph.D.: The Excellence in Service Award for faculty member who has made significant contributions to the School or their profession including projects and positions that bring national, state or local recognition and more. She was presented by Christy Lemak, Ph.D.
Michelle Brown, MS, MLS(ASCP)SBB: The Excellence in Teaching Award for faculty member who exhibited success in developing effective teaching methods, courses and teaching materials that generate student learning, critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and research. She was presented by Tino Unlap, Ph.D.
Mary Foster: The Beverly W. Smith Outstanding Employee Award for a non-faculty employee who excels in numerous areas such as professionalism, attitude, productivity, efficiency, creativity, communication and competence. She was presented by Cathy Jones.
Visit our Flickr page (https://www.flickr.com/photos/uab_shp/sets/72157648800749224/) to see all the photos from the day.
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PA Student Carl FrizellNelson Memorial Scholarship WinnerCarl Frizell, a UAB Physician Assistant student, is awarded the Ron Nelson Memorial Scholarship from the Physician Assistant Foundation. The $2,000 award is given annually to students “who plan to advance healthcare delivery in rural areas” and that is a cause that is close to Frizell’s heart.
“Being a resident of Holmes County, Mississippi, one of the poorest counties in the nation and currently the poorest county in the state of Mississippi, has led me to become a future Physician Assistant who plans to become an impactful healthcare provider, especially in rural communities,” said Frizell, who is scheduled to graduate in December 2015.
The PA Foundation, which has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to students, said they received more than 1,200 applications and only awarded 38 scholarships.
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Eventual winner UNC - Chapel Hill presents at2015 Case CompetitionA record 38 universities, including more than 200 students, from across the United States and Canada competed in the 9th annual Health Administration Case Competition. The winning team, for a record third year in a row, was University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The UAB team, consisting of Greg Beliles, Sydney Davis and Sarah Hughes who are all students in the UAB Master of Science in Healthcare Administration program, reached the semi-final round.
The event, held at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham Wynfrey Hotel on February 26 - 27, was hosted by the UAB Department of Health Services Administration and UAB Health System.
The Case Competition takes a real-life problem, in this case it was determining the need to build a comprehensive respiratory center, and asks graduate students from programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education) (CAHME) to best solve the problem. At the two-day competition, the students present their case to leaders from the healthcare industry in multiple rounds.
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Richard J. Umbdenstock, FACHE, delivers Jordan LectureRichard J. Umbdenstock, FACHE, president and chief executive officer of the American Hospital Association, delivered the 11th annual L.R. (Rush) Jordan Distinguished Lecture to a crowd of hospital administrators and UAB School of Health Professions alumni and students.He opened by saying, “Mr. Jordan’s work in integrated healthcare was visionary and his contributions to healthcare leadership education were legendary.”
He then addressed the students from across the country in attendance for the Health Administration Case Competition.
“The passion for collaboration you are showing just by showing up tells me that you are already owning a critical leadership skill,” said Umbdenstock who recently received the American College of Healthcare Executives 2015 Gold Medal Award. “This is so much more of a team sport today than it has ever been, and it will be going forward.”
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Cecilia Graham, Ph.D., (center) Cerasoli LecturerA concept-based approach to physical therapy education was the message delivered by Cecilia Graham, PT, PhD, during the 18th annual Pauline Cerasoli Lecture on February 6.“A picture of the physical therapist of the future is emerging,” Graham said. “We envision movement system experts who are leaders, innovators, collaborators, and entrepreneurs who can synthesize rapidly changing information, integrate advances in technology into practice, and have the flexibility to thrive in an evolving health care environment.”
Her vision results in the creation of an exciting but challenging opportunity for educators to prepare future physical therapists and physical therapist assistants.
“I decided the time was right to begin a dialogue about future curriculum models in physical therapy,” she said. “I want to help stimulate discussion about what education models would be good [for the profession].”
She asked attendees to think about their experiences as students or clinical educators. “What aspects stuck with you the most? What made some experiences more meaningful than others?”
Graham then identified different factors that affect the need for curricular change. One factor is the information explosion.
