As another year comes to a close, we look to the role of UAB’s clinicians, researchers, residents, and team members and how they shape the future of rehabilitation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. UAB Rehabilitation is among the largest, integrated rehabilitation systems in the nation that serves the full spectrum of disability, musculoskeletal, and sports care.
The Department of PM&R is excited to share some highlights from a very successful year. We kicked off 2022 with new leadership. In January, Vu Nguyen, M.D., MBA was named the sixth chairperson of the department. Dr. Nguyen’s vision for the department has been instrumental in the PM&R team’s many accomplishments.
Clinical:
• UAB Medicine Rehabilitation was ranked number 20 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
• Recruited 6 physiatrists, 2 neuropsychologists, 2 certified orthotists/prosthetists, and 1 occupational medicine provider.
• Broke ground on the new state-of-the-art UAB Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital. It will be an 11 floors freestanding rehabilitation hospital connected to UAB Hospital via skywalks. The facility will feature a rooftop courtyard, rehabilitation gyms on each floor, outdoor terrain park, office meeting space, parking for more than 200 vehicles, and will be our tertiary-referral flagship rehabilitation hospital.
• Developed a new leadership team - Danielle Powell, M.D. named Vice Chair of Clinical Operations; Robert Brunner, M.D., named Vice Chair of PM&R Development; Yuying Chen, M.D., Ph.D. promoted to PM&R Director of Research; and Dale Colorado, D.O., M.P.H. named Vice Chair of PM&R Education, Medical Director, Sports and Musculoskeletal Medicine, and Program Director for the PM&R Residency Program.
• Orthotist Antwaun Burroughs appointed to the Alabama State Board of Prosthetists & Orthotists.
• Vu Nguyen, M.D. named as the North American representative to the executive committee of the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine and member of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Review Committee.
• Megan Hays, Ph.D., associate professor, awarded the 2022 Dean’s Excellence Award for Service as a junior faculty member.
• Dale Colorado, D.O., MPH selected for AAPM&R Future Leaders Program.
Research:
• Renewal of our $3.4 million National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center 5-year grant. UAB Rehabilitation has held the distinction of being the only NSCISC in the nation continuously since 1983.
• Renewals of our $2 million Spinal Cord Injury Model System grant and a $2.2 million Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems grant.
• Dr. Jereme Wilroy, Ph.D. named Director of Research for Lakeshore Foundation.
• Rachel Cowan, Ph.D. joined Veteran Affairs Rehabilitation Engineering & Prosthetics/Orthotics Scientific Merit Review Board.
• Xiaohua Zhou, M.D. and Cassandra Buchanan Renfro, D.O. authored the book “Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America: Wound and Skin Care”.
• Fedora Biney, Ph.D. received a NIH supplement in diversity grant to support the research project “Transferring Speed of Processing Gains to Everyday Cognitive Tasks after Stroke”.
• Dr. Jereme Wilroy, Ph.D. named co-director and Rachel Cowan, Ph.D. name director of the UAB Spinal Cord Injury Model System.
• PM&R medical student Hunter Soleymani received first place in the research category for his poster, "Accuracy and precision of actigraphy and SMARTwheels for measuring push counts across a series of wheelchair propulsion trials in able-bodied young adults."
• Yumi Kim, Ph.D. received 3rd place in ACRM's poster competition for “Qualitative exploration of tele-exercise program to inform adaptive intervention design for adults with multiple sclerosis”.
• Wendy Wen, Ph.D. received an Outstanding Achievement Award for her poster presentation “Experiences with COVID-19 pandemic in the spinal cord injury community in Alabama” at the UAB Interdisciplinary Research Symposium.
Academic:
• Dale Colorado, D.O., M.P.H. named Program Director for the PM&R Residency Program.
• Successfully achieved ACGME approval for transitioning the PM&R residency program to a Categorical 4-year PM&R residency training program. We are recruiting for 4 new PGY-1 positions this year.
• Re-established our Orthotics and Prosthetics residency program and are recruiting for this training program.