Karmie M. Johnson, DNP, RN, PMHNP, CNE, Assistant Professor in the UAB School of Nursing, and Christina McClellan, MA, MS, Associate Professor and Curator of the Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences, have received the 2026 Provost’s Award for Faculty Excellence in Education Abroad.
The award recognizes UAB faculty members who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to engaging undergraduate students in meaningful education abroad experiences.
In Spring 2026, Johnson and McClellan led an honors education abroad program in London, England, where students explored the question, “How can museum exhibits impact a nation’s understanding of healthcare?” Through visits to medical and health-related museums, cultural experiences and conversations with people in England, students examined healthcare from historical, cultural and interdisciplinary perspectives.
The program encouraged students to think critically about how their own understanding of health and healthcare evolved throughout the experience. Johnson and McClellan began the course by asking students to define health and healthcare, then revisited those definitions as students encountered new perspectives abroad.
“Throughout the trip the students were so excited to share their experiences with us and each other, engaging in some really thoughtful conversations and questions throughout,” McClellan said. “We were blown away by their responses. Their enthusiasm for the assignment and to share their own perspectives with everyone was clear.”
For Johnson, the experience also highlighted the value of the unexpected moments that can happen during education abroad. During an impromptu visit to the Royal College of Nursing, one student discovered healthcare’s role as both a professional organization and trade union; an unexpected connection to the student’s interest in employment and labor law.
“Those serendipitous moments are one of the goals of faculty-led education abroad,” Johnson said. “Students get to see faculty not only as content experts, but as lifelong learners whose perspectives can be challenged, expanded, and enriched by their own contributions.”
Both faculty members said receiving the award is especially meaningful because it reflects the impact the program had on their students. McClellan, who participated in two education abroad programs as an undergraduate, said being able to create a similar experience for her own students has been particularly rewarding.
One participant and nominator said of the experience: “Studying abroad in London will be something I look back on as one of my favorite memories as an undergraduate, and I have my professors to thank for this.”
The program brought together students from disciplines including nursing, economics, neuroscience and anthropology, giving them opportunities to learn from one another while engaging with a new culture and environment.
Explore the Program in 2027
Students interested in taking Jonson and McClellan’s program will have another opportunity to participate in the London experience during Spring Break 2027. The program will take students to renowned institutions such as the Science Museum, Wellcome Collection and Library, Bethlem Museum of the Mind and Florence Nightingale Museum, along with guided walking tours and cultural experiences throughout London.
Applications for the 2027 program are due November 1, 2026. Students interested in learning more can contact Drs.