May 16, 2023

Wilroy named 2023 Dean’s Excellence Award winner in Research

Written by
Jereme Wilroy web

Jereme D. Wilroy, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, has been awarded the junior faculty 2023 Dean’s Excellence Award winner in Research.

Wilroy has an impressive record of research accomplishments focused on the areas of strategic health promotion for people with spinal cord injury and disability. His passion is built upon a personal life experience with spinal cord injury.

He founded the Alabama CONTINUUM Lab to serve Alabamians who experience disability or a chronic health condition by curating content enabling them to become best fit to manage their life. The goal is for all individuals facing physical trauma and mobility limitations to live their life to their fullest potential.
Wilroy’s research career began at the University of Alabama, where he was recognized with the “Outstanding Doctoral Student in Health Education/Health Promotion” Award in 2016. As a post-doc at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, he obtained a fellowship from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation and developed an online program for increasing physical activity behavior among people with spinal cord injury and became project lead for an R01-funded home-based exercise trial.

He was named assistant professor in the Heersink School of Medicine Dept. of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation in 2019. He has since been named the Director of Research at the Lakeshore Foundation and Co-Director of the NIDILRR-sponsored UAB Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems grant. He also serves the university as an associate scientist for COERE, CEDHARS, and CCTS. He is currently participating as a Co-I on eight extramural grants totaling $41 million from NIH, NIDILRR, DOD, CDC, and PVA.

Wilroy has published 26 peer-reviewed manuscripts, six peer-reviewed abstracts, 12 posters, three oral presentations, and two national scientific paper presentations. He has served as a guest editor for Frontiers in Sport and Active Living and reviews numerous scientific journals. He has developed two courses in disability health to train public health professionals. The courses, offered through the School of Public Health have enrolled and trained 154 graduate students to date.

“I am so very proud of Dr. Wilroy. He has earned this recognition because he is a fantastic investigator who listens to his colleagues and patients for ideas,” said Vu Nguyen, M.D., Robert B. Kyle Endowed Professor and Chair of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. “He converts daily frustrations into a question that could be answered in a methodical manner. His research has real life implications for those living with disability and will be key to improving the quality of their lives.”