Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) is excited to announce the creation of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Medicine Fellowship, which will begin accepting applications in April 2026. Cassandra Buchanan Renfro, D.O. will serve as the program director and Radhika Sharma, M.D. will serve as assistant program director.
Darryl Walker is the first peer navigator for UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center’s new Post-Rehab Transitions Program. A former patient himself, Walker helps extend outpatient rehab care to those who’ve been discharged following a traumatic spinal cord injury.
Gracie McGuire, MPH, PA-C, advanced practice provider in the UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, was honored with the 2025 APP Champion Award for her dedication to patients and students.
UAB Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Administrative Director Stephanie Walters has been a steady, trusted presence in the department for over twenty years. Her dedication has lead to UAB Medicine Dean’s Excellence Award recognition.
UAB Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs Danielle Powell, M.D. was selected to receive the 2025 Distinguished Public Service, Health Equity, and Advocacy Award by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Ten Heersink School of Medicine staff have been honored with the 2025 Dean’s Excellence Awards. Now in its third year, the Dean’s Excellence Awards for Staff recognize individuals who have made significant and meaningful contributions to the school’s mission through their work in education, service, and research.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation is pleased to name Elizabeth Twist, M.D. the new assistant program director for the PM&R residency program, effective September 1. She will work closely with Dale Colorado, D.O., program director, and Michelle Turnley, M.D., associate program director, on all aspects of the PM&R residency program.
The UAB Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) welcomes two rehabilitation psychology postdoctoral fellows. Heather Clark, Ph.D. and Cassandra Mondesir, Psy.D. joins the department’s rehabilitation psychology division to enhance their skills through training, research opportunities, and mentorship.
A state-of-the-art simulation training room focused on neuromuscular and musculoskeletal interventions will be a highlight of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s new Rehabilitation Pavilion, which opened in August.
Tracy Brewer-Woods, administrative director in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), was selected as a recipient of the 2025 UAB Medicine Excellence Awards. This is the highest honor available for staff.
Dale Colorado, D.O., MPH, associate professor and chief of sports and musculoskeletal medicine in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R), was named head team physician for Boccia United States.
The UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) spinal cord injury (SCI) clinical and research team had strong representation at the 53rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) held in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency Training Program welcomed four new PGY1 residents July 1, 2025.
Karen Weeks, psychometrist in the UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, has been selected by UAB's Office of Patient Experience and Engagement as one of the 2025 Patient Experience Heroes.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) welcomes Assistant Professor and Clinical Neuropsychologist Candace Marten, PsyD, MBA as a new faculty member effective July 11, 2025.
As a part of their educational experience, UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation PGY4 residents present findings from their scholarly activity projects as an introduction to research methodologies and practices.
UAB Hospital has been reverified as a Level I adult trauma center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma (COT) and remains the only ACS-Level I adult trauma center in the state of Alabama. Learn what it takes to meet the rigorous standards set by the ACS.
The UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) welcomes Micah Sells as a prosthetic resident in our Orthotics & Prosthetics (O&P) Lab. This year-long prosthetic residency, will allow Sells to build off the information learned in her master's program and allow her to perfect patient encounters.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) welcomes new faculty member Jenn Coker, Ph.D., MPH, FASIA effective May 30, 2025.
Congratulations to our newest class of graduating residents on their completion of the UAB Heersink School of MedicineDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency program. Our 2025 graduates are Cynthia Francis, M.D., Vinayak Memula, M.D., Darien McNeill, M.D., and Jason Schroeder, M.D.
For many patients, it takes time to regain full consciousness after a brain injury, and some develop a disorder of consciousness (DOC). Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Assistant Professor Rachel Teranishi, M.D., a brain injury specialist, explains in this UAB MedCast why up to 40% of DOC cases are misdiagnosed and outlines what providers need to know about assessment, treatment, and long-term recovery.
Twelve UAB employees recently graduated from the Emerging Leaders Series (ELS) spring 2025 leadership development program. The program, presented by the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office (LDO), recognized its third cohort of graduates at a ceremony on June 5.
UAB Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation hosted the Kessler Foundation for on-site training as part of collaborative research project within the Spinal Cord Injury Model System. UAB is one of four research institutions participating in the study.
UAB Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Associate Professor Berdale S. Colorado, D.O., MPH was selected to receive the 2025 Innovators & Influencers Award by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) is proud to announce the first Fellow selected for their North American Spine Society (NASS) recognized Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine (ISMM) Fellowship.
Johan Latorre, M.D., MS, assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), is the junior faculty winner of the Dean’s Excellence Award for Faculty in Access & Engagement by UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
Fourteen UAB chief residents recently completed the Chief Residents Leadership Development Workshop. The program, presented by the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office, was held on May 9, 2025.
The UAB Heersink School of Medicine is proud to announce the 19 winners of the 2025 Dean's Excellence Awards for Faculty.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) recognizes Michael Neville and Vicky Ott. The two have been participating in the UAB Spinal Cord Injury Model System (SCIMS) research project for 50 years.
UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Assistant Professor Radhika Sharma, M.D. is featured on UAB MedCast to discuss spinal cord injury rehabilitation.
The UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office recently recognized eight individuals in its sixth cohort of Sharing Authentically to Inspire and Lead (SAIL). The spring 2025 graduates were honored at a ceremony on April 8.
The Association of Academic Physiatrists honored the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of PM&R Associate Professor Berdale S. Colorado, D.O., MPH with the 2025 AAP Early Career Academician Award.
As international events like the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games and 2025 Invictus Games put adaptive sports into the spotlight and, locally, the University of Alabama Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team recently earned a fifth consecutive national championship, a team spearheaded by UAB hopes to have a big impact on the health of these athletes.
The AHSAA Super 7 football state championship games showcased more than just athletic talent this past year. Patients from the UAB Sports & Exercise Medicine clinic and Children’s of Alabama took center stage as honorary captains, representing resilience, determination, and hope on the state’s largest high school sports stage.
Twenty-two UAB leaders graduated among the ninth cohort of the UAB Medicine Institute for Leadership on Dec. 11, 2024. Institute for Leadership is a flagship program of the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office, an organization dedicated to providing tools and training to empower UAB Medicine’s leaders and the individuals and groups they manage.
Twenty-two UAB employees recently graduated from the Emerging Leaders Series (ELS) fall 2024 leadership development program. The program, presented by UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO), recognized its second cohort of graduates at a ceremony on Nov. 7.
UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office welcomed 22 individuals in its ninth cohort of Institute for Leadership in August 2024.
Dale Colorado, DO, MPH, has been named assistant dean for Student Experience, a new position established in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine to support medical students in the learning environment.
UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office recently recognized 12 individuals in its fourth cohort of Sharing Authentically to Inspire and Lead (SAIL). The spring 2024 graduates received their certificates on April 9.
The Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion hosted the annual Women in Medicine and Science Promotion Reception April 11, which recognized women faculty promoted at the end of 2023. The honorees and their guests were greeted by Heersink leadership to celebrate their remarkable achievements.
In the last several years, UAB Medicine and Heersink School of Medicine have worked to bring leadership development to faculty and staff through the UAB Medicine Institute for Leadership and Momentum in Medicine programs.
Sixteen remarkable faculty members have been named winners of the 2023 Dean’s Excellence Awards for Faculty.
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.
UAB holds its administrative professionals in the highest regard. April 26, 2023, is Administrative Professionals Day – allowing us to recognize and celebrate our administrative professionals while also highlighting the administrative resources offered by UAB. Most recently, the Developing Emerging Administrative Leaders (DEAL) program was established to offer development opportunities for current administrative professionals through training experiences and networking, to assist administration with their career paths and plans of advancing within UAB and UAB Medicine.
Anupam Agarwal, M.D., interim dean of the Heersink School of Medicine, welcomed faculty members and their families to the Endowed Chairs and Professorships Reception on Sept. 29.
Medical Student Research Day celebrates the research accomplishments of medical students and provides them with the opportunity to present their projects to fellow students and faculty.
The second year of UAB’s Momentum in Medicine program launched this month and includes 16 women across UAB Medicine and UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
Megan Hays, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, has been awarded the 2022 Dean’s Excellence Award for Service.
Eighteen faculty members across Heersink School of Medicine’s departments have received 2022 Dean’s Excellence Awards in recognition of excellence in the areas of teaching, research, service, mentorship, and diversity.
During Mental Health Awareness Month in May, learn about ways to take care of mental well-being and available UAB resources.