Commission on the Status of Women

Colleagues credit her with encouraging women and promoting them to positions of leadership and also call attention to her service as a leader.

“She is one of the most selfless people we have ever met,” said Michele Holloway Nichols, M.D., professor of pediatric medicine. “She is on call 24/7 and, indeed, we have called on her for assistance on weekends, in the middle of the night, and while she was on vacation.”

One instance that comes to mind occurred this year. UAB’s Pediatric Residency Program faced one of its greatest challenges when 26 of its 30 new interns were injured in a bus crash. Holloway said they immediately called Dr. Frazier, who quickly gathered a team “to put the interns back together again.”

Holloway said Frazier and her team were instrumental “helping us to pick up the broken pieces. She has been there for us, at every turn. We view this time as a ‘horrific, beautiful’ time in our program where we saw amazing things happen, and we attribute much of this to Dr. Frazier and her team.”

Her “talent for re-centering and re-charging people is like none other. She offers a listening ear, a compassionate heart, a “can do” perspective, new “eyes”, and a fresh outlook. Dr. Frazier has been a lifesaver for us in every sense of the word.

“I can say with certainty that a strong voice of encouragement behind the scenes, like Jamie’s, is crucial to the success of women in an academic field that is still largely male-dominated,” said Assistant Professor Susan Birket, one of the junior faculty who has sought her advice.

Elliott, she says, also donates her time to Girls Inc, where she mentored young girls in need of additional assistance in the Birmingham City Schools district and most recently is active role with the Girl Scouts, designing STEM-focused events for her Daisy troop.

“She is a champion for empowering girls and women to overcome the challenges facing them, and she is a facilitator of that development,” said Jacelyn Peabody, M.D./Ph.D student and CFRC trainee.

CFRC Director Steven Rowe, M.D., says of Elliott: “She has been an important advocate for emerging women leaders in research within our center, whether at the level of faculty or more junior trainees, and both encouraged and engaged them to reach for their goals and achieve positions of leadership at the institution. Behind the scenes, she has instituted policies of peer review and evaluation that bring these ideals to fruition.”

“Donna has been a tremendous personal resource for students in the University Honors Program,” said its Director Mike Sloane. “She is a strong female voice and role model… [and] a strong advocate for the academic and professional success of our female students.”

“I specifically admire her unceasing effort to support women students, and women of color in particular, guiding them through their academic careers and helping them navigate the transition into the professional world,” said Steven Chappell, a program alumnus who first encountered Andrews in the ’90s and has remained in touch ever since.

“Having grown up in a poor and rural community outside of Gadsden, Alabama, Donna’s prospects were unlikely to have included the multiple degrees or the significant influence she has had in her career,” said Ada Long, Emerita Professor of English and founding director of UAB’s University Honors Program.

“It hasn’t been easy for her as often the only African-American student or staff member in institutional contexts… [but] she keeps on keeping on, though, always keeping her eyes on the prize and inspiring others to do so as well.”

“Erica's devotion to women's rights and her commitment to empowering women permeates every aspect of her civic and intellectual life,” said Ashley Kuntz, her professor and mentor. “Through all of these curricular and co-curricular experiences, Erica aims to make it easier for other women to achieve professionally.”

Webb volunteers as an advocate for sexual assault survivors at the Crisis Center — 700 hours and counting — and encourages political engagement as a member of the American Association of University Women of Alabama student advisory council. She is president of Planned Parenthood Generation Action at UAB, an organization dedicated to reproductive rights and health care advocacy, and a student representative on the UAB Commission on the Status of Women.

“At every turn, she has ignored the naysayers and those who marginalize her perspectives and persisted in accomplishing the goals that are important to her,” Kuntz said.

Bono has approached setbacks with resilience and vigor, according to Kevin Leon, M.D., associate dean for Undergraduate Medical Education. Taylor has embraced challenges, sought out support and succeeded in overcoming, he said. "More impressively," he notes, she has became "a role model for other students faced with adversity.”

Bono has developed a strong research career and has numerous accomplishments related to her science background, says co-worker Alex Edgil. She is the UAB Heersink School of Medicine liaison and outreach coordinator for the Association of Advocates for Women in Science and one of the driving forces for establishing its “Women in X” seminar series to bring together physicians and scientists for panel discussions for a medical and graduate student audiences.

Bono also volunteers weekly at the Equal Access Birmingham student-run free clinic to provide care for the underserved population of Birmingham and is a role model and teacher to the first- and second-year medical students volunteering in the clinic.

Thurmond has paved the way for numerous women to achieve – enabling them to take on new responsibilities and advance their careers – and has made time to mentor women through a number of organizations. A strong supporter of student learning, she is very active in UAB’s Health Services Administration program and provides mentoring opportunities and makes time to discuss ideas, programs or case competitions, nominators say.

“Sandy showed her leadership and stewardship by becoming the first person to contribute to the account that will help [our Department’s UAB Women in Healthcare Leadership Initiative group] host educational sessions for women in the health care field,” said Randa Hall, assistant professor in the School of Health Professions.

Thurmond also has been “a great leader and promoter of women in the work place” by supporting work/life balances, offering flexible schedules and promoting female leadership throughout the Children's organization, said colleague Stacy White. She also provided significant opportunities for women through her involvement in the MOMENTUM Women's Leadership Program.

Finally, Thurmond has demonstrated her commitment to women’s health through support of American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, Open Your Heart and Circle of Red, a society of women with the passion, motivation and drive to influence change in the heart health of women in their community.

“Dr. Walley is a role model for women physicians,” one nominator wrote. “She is an advocate for herself and other women — inside and outside of work — and her patients.”

Walley also is well-known throughout the UAB community through her stance on banning tobacco products. She is on the executive committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Tobacco Control, and she has co-authored multiple policy statements, advocated and lobbied for increased tobacco control and helped educate health care providers, school employees and counselors. Additionally, she has been awarded an $80,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Health to study youth tobacco use in the Birmingham area.

“Currently at Children’s [of Alabama], the campus still has a smoking area, but I think that, with her determination, that too will end soon,” a nominator said.

As a member and prior chair of the Continuing Medical Education committee at Children’s of Alabama, Walley advocated for Grand Rounds lectures to be simulcast online and be archived as durable medical education materials for future CME uses.

“She made sure her appointments were scheduled as early as possible to ensure she would arrive to work on time each day after the treatment,” a nominator wrote. “She never missed a work commitment or deadline. Her optimism and dedication not only inspired many in our department, but throughout the UAB campus.”

Colleagues also admire Akins’ ability to handle conflict in the professional sphere; she is never afraid to speak up, even when the topic is controversial, a nominator said.

“In meetings, I am always in awe that she is not afraid to ask the tough questions,” they wrote. “Even in the face of adversity, she always handles herself in a professional and diplomatic manner.”

From mentoring women with whom she works, to sending encouraging notes to a male colleague’s wife while he was deployed, Akins consistently inspires the women within her unit and outside it.

“Akins’ continuous commitment to UAB, the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, colleagues and friends is a true testament to her total being,” one nominator said.

“UAB’s Steering Committee has looked to Kristen’s leadership, her ability to make sense in this very complicated system and to be steadfast in her commitment to improving the safe passage of our clients and to provide knock-your-socks-off service through patient engagement,” they continued.

While working with students, Noles doesn’t shy from explaining the obstacles one can face when working in a complex health system, but always reiterates the importance of maintaining hope and compassion for patients, caregivers, providers and other students.

In 2015, Noles helped develop the OCDU, a 20-bed dedicated unit for protocol-driven care of a specific subset of patients in observation status, collaborating with physicians in the UAB Hospital Emergency Department and Hospitalist Service and senior nursing leadership.

Noles also is committed to community service, using her personal time and resources to support the Courage Network for UAB’s breast-cancer survivors.

“Kristen has a far-reaching impact and is a true scholar,” a nominator wrote.

“She has consistently supported many women, especially minorities, first-generation college students and students with financial need,” one nominator wrote. “Isabella enjoys sharing academic and career advice, helping students find their passion and potential as well as caring for the overall well-being of the students she works with.”

Mak, who was named Ms. UAB in 2016, is a member of the Alabama Student Advisory Council of the Birmingham chapter of the American Association of University Women, for which she has helped plan the annual Alabama Women Student Leadership Conference. The conference connects hundreds of women college students across America and educates them on ways to address policies or issues affecting women and minorities.

As a first-generation college student from a single-parent household who has lived in the United States only about five years, Mak supports herself financially, which nominators say makes her work advocating for other women even more special.

“Isabella hopes to set an example to promote social justice and to break the cycle of poverty,” one wrote. “She devotes her time to lifting other women up, especially those who have other backgrounds and resources.”

As one of only eight MTSP students, Peabody’s mentorship counts a great deal to students rising through the ranks, said one nominee: “Jacelyn leads by example and has made it easier for other women to pursue careers as physician scientists by bolstering a love for science and helping them navigate the waters.”

As the head of the OB/GYN interest group in the School of Medicine, Peabody has sponsored a Women’s Health Day at UAB’s local student-run clinic, Equal Access Birmingham, to ensure low-income, uninsured women have access to health care. She also is invested in helping transgender individuals get the medical support they need.

The first of her family to pursue a medical degree or doctorate, Peabody’s motivation has always come from within, a nominator said, and she uses that energy to encourage others. For example, Peabody began the Letters to a Pre-Scientist program, which connects medical students in a pen-pal format with a child in a local middle school who is interested in the health sciences.

“Jacelyn will continue to be a strong advocate for women here at UAB and around the country,” one nominator said, “and she deserves to be applauded for the impact she’s had on her colleagues, local women she will likely never see again and young girls around the country who may one day be working with her.”

Cheney also invests her time and energy into Growing Kings, a local nonprofit that works with hundreds of under-served male youth each school year to improve their academic, behavioral and societal outcomes. Like many young people, one nominator wrote, the students who work with Growing Kings, for which Cheney is a board member, have big dreams and aspirations, but often are from single-parent, mother-led households that lack the support systems needed to make those dreams a reality.

“I have not met another individual more dedicated to seeing our mission achieved than Lydia Cheney,” that nominator continued. “She has not only given unselfishly beyond expectation but invests her time and energy into our organization’s success.”

Cheney also has two scholarships named after her at UAB, both of which give preference to students from low-income, under-served communities.

An art collector, Cheney has been a steadfast patron of women artists, advocating on their behalf in a highly competitive art market often dominated by men, one nominator said. Another said they refer to Cheney as the Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts’ “guardian angel,” due to Cheney’s unfailing ability to show up to every reception, artist lecture and event. Once she even allowed an exhibiting artist to stay in her home after they became stranded in Birmingham.

“Her faith in what UAB and AEIVA are, and are capable of, has helped to propel AEIVA’s and UAB’s art community to the national stage,” that nominator wrote.

Gerrity’s advocacy for the ARP comes from her veterinary background. In the 1970s, she graduated with a doctorate from Texas A&M University’s veterinary program and joined UAB as the director of the ARP in the mid-1990s. She holds certificates from the American College of Laboratory Medicine and the American Board of Medical Genetics and has served on numerous field-related committees and boards.

Gerrity also is part of two national organizations — the Federal Demonstration Partnership, a unique forum for individuals from universities and nonprofits to work collaboratively with federal agency officials to improve the national research enterprise, and the Council for Governmental Relations, which advocates for policies and practices that reflect mutual interests and separate obligations of federal agencies and research institutions with respect to research and graduate education. In these meetings, a nominator said, “there are still a majority of men in the higher levels of administration, so I have enjoyed the fact that Lauretta stands out in this group as a woman who has achieved a high-level university position and readily offers her knowledge of research policies and effective practices at these national forums, challenging bad regulations and promoting positive change.”

In turn, nominators say, the division has excelled locally, regionally and nationally because she has created a culture that enables them to function effectively and promotes career development and fulfillment.

When she arrived at UAB so many years ago, female leaders were rare in the division but today they are the rule rather than the exception. “What better service could one provide to other professional women?” one nominator asked rhetorically.

On a personal level, Ashworth is the first colleague to whom others turn when they face adversity because she allows them to “overcome their challenges with empathy informed by wisdom.

“So often, people view courage as a very public, loud activity. But Carolyn's courage is a quiet, consistent, persistent principled courage that drives.

Jones is a strategic thinker and a dedicated professional who has worked ardently to provide the best opportunities, benefits and resources for UAB employees and been a tireless advocate for underrepresented populations. She oversees the groups that deliver all core HR services of employment, relations, benefits, compensation and more, while also responsible for supporting and maintaining special programs such as child care, employee assistance and UAB’s disability-management program.

Her legacy of leadership extends beyond her 160-person staff and her past tenure as chair of UAB’s Commission on the Status of Women to mentoring of young professionals through civic and charitable organizations, from Women’s Exchange to YWCA to Girls Inc.

In short, “Her actions reflect that she is a firm believer in lifting other women up and giving them the resources they need to overcome adversity, both professionally and personally.”

“When it was not popular to focus on survivorship issues, Silvia took the road less traveled and focused her attention to survivors and loved ones from diagnosis until end of life. She was one of the forerunners to the survivorship care model practiced today,” said one nominator.

Gisiger-Camata’s works in the community include the Young Breast Cancer Survivor Network, Gulf States Breast Cancer Survivors Network and the Think Well Programs, which provide education and support to young survivors — many from poor or rural communities — to help them achieve their personal and professional goals.

Under her directorship, the Breast Cancer Survivorship Office physically reaches hundreds of women per year. Said another nominator: “Because of her vision and commitment to bringing that dream to reality, my family as well as many others have not only survived breast cancer but continue to thrive.”

Licensed as a Registered Professional Engineer in Alabama and five other Southern states, she has served on the leadership of numerous professional associations and in 2016 was inducted into the AGC Alabama Construction Hall of Fame.

In the community, Christy has supported groups such as Girls Inc., the Women's Network, the Eureka Program, Alabama Power's female engineers' organization ICAN and the Society of Women Engineers. Awards for those efforts include her selection as one of Birmingham Business Journal's Top 10 Women of 1991 and the Cahaba Girl Scout Council's 1994 Women of Distinction.

She has been a generous supporter of UAB Athletics along with her husband, Donald, since the inception of the program in 1977, when they became the first paying members of the Golden 100 booster organization. And in 2008, Hire helped launch Blazer Women's Athletic Society (BWAS) by hosting its inaugural Belles & Whistles fundraiser to provide female student-athletes with the greatest opportunity for success in academics and athletics. Events held throughout the year raise funds for scholarships and special projects.

The Hires also have been generous supporters of UAB’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, WBHM, UAB Hospital Patient Assistance Fund, UAB Marching Blazers, the schools of Medicine and Optometry and more.

A dedicated activist for social justice and reproductive rights, she has championed women's issues on campus. Mokashi founded the UAB chapter of URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity and also is a trained survivor advocate at Crisis Center Rape Response.

One nominator says Mokashi “loudly calls for accurate and honest sexual health education” as a tool to prevent disease and prevent sexual assault. “In my work with her as a student leader and advocate on the UAB campus, it has become very clear to me that Mugdha is often the person who stands up to say what no one else will.”

Mokashi also started a Women in STEM mentoring and outreach program with a faculty member that has allowed many undergraduates, graduates and professionals to connect and find support in a field she says can often be exclusionary and isolating.

Her long-term plans are to pursue an MD-PhD in gynecology, conduct research in women's health and provide access to adequate health care for low-income women of color.

Her research has focused on disparities in use of prenatal care and the role of HIV-related stigma on antiretroviral therapy adherence in women, and she has published on the role of reproductive stigmas in reproductive decision-making and unintended pregnancies.

In addition to her academic dedication, Rice has volunteered with the local Planned Parenthood.

Rice has been a mentor to women undergraduate and graduate students through formal roles, but she also is quick to help her peers when the need arises, they say.

Locher’s protégés now are faculty at UAB, University of Alabama, Tuskegee University, and Brown University, and in leadership positions at private research organizations and practices within the community. “More than 75 percent of Dr. Locher's mentees have been women, and close to one-third have been from minorities under-represented in science,” said Amy Ellis, Ph.D. assistant professor of nutrition sciences at UA. '"Her leadership by example has positively impacted me personally and professionally, and I aspire to emulate many of the qualities she exemplifies.”

Says another colleague: “Dr. Locher has left a lasting imprint on all with whom she teaches, works and mentors, and she truly leads by example. In every aspect of her work, she models excellence and then freely shares the necessary skills and knowledge to achieve that excellence with her students, colleagues and mentees.”

Jester has organized and implemented courses for research nurses and coordinators to improve their skills and educational and support services for clinical trials, even when resources were limited, and her colleagues note that she has tremendous skill for identifying and nurturing talent. Since its beginning in 2006, the six-week Research Coordinator Training Program has trained more than 745 (mostly women) researchers.

She subsequently accepted the challenge to direct the design and implementation of the university-wide clinical research support program to provide services to physician investigators and direct the Clinical Trial Office, and her enthusiasm, expertise, and persistence resulted in the successful establishment of the program that now helps support more than 50 clinical trials a year.

Jester is “recognized as both an excellent teacher and facilitator who consistently nurtures and motivates those around her to grow both as an individual and as a professional,” says her supervisor Richard Whitley, M.D.

Schwiebert joined the Department of Physiology and Biophysics in 1997 as an assistant professor, was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2003 and professor in 2013. In 2007, she was appointed associate dean for postdoctoral education. Since that time, Schwiebert helped create the Office of Postdoctoral Education, which provides postdoctoral students career advice and support.

“She isn’t afraid to tackle the hard questions about pay inequality, life as a mother in science, and working within a male dominated field,” said Theresa Ramos, a postdoctoral fellow in microbiology.

Schwiebert has negotiated benefits, vacation, minimum salary, and maternity and paternity leave for postdoctoral students.

“She also lobbied for trainees to have health insurance and accrue retirement benefits while completing their postdoc,” said Jami Armbrester, associate director of career services in the Office of Postdoctoral Education. “Lisa is truly ahead of the curve of higher education."

“Because of her efforts, the EEAP is no longer just a financial crutch, but a potential portal to a better quality of life for the women, and men, who seek this assistance,” said Melissa Justice, a business officer in the Office of Financial Affairs and Administration.

Higginbotham also was instrumental in raising $50,000 for the first UAB Habitat for Humanity house. The house was completed in November by UAB employees, who donated money and time. Latasha Willis and her two daughters now have a home of their home.

“Not only did Lisa help a family of women purchase their first home, but she also engaged dozens of female volunteers to come together to help construct the home, empowering them along the way,” said Sabrina Balch, development manager at the Greater Birmingham Habitat for Humanity.