Posted on February 21, 2002 at 3:30 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) assistant professor L. Kristi Sayers, Ph.D., has received the Taylor Dodson Young Professional Leadership Award from the Southern District American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (SDAAHPERD).

Sayers was presented with the award during the SDAAHPERD annual conference in Baltimore on February 15. The award is given to a professional under the age of 40 who works in the areas of health, physical education, recreation and dance.

Sayers teaches in the UAB School of Education’s Department of Human Studies. Her research interests include adapted physical education for infants, toddlers and children with physical disabilities. She is the co-author of the 1998 book Pediatric Adapted Motor Development and Exercise: An Innovative, Multi-System Approach for Families and Professionals published by Charles C. Thomas.

Sayers is a member of several professional organizations and has held offices at the national, regional and state levels. She is a former editor of the Alabama State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Journal and former chair of the Adapted Council for SDAAHPERD. She is secretary of the National Consortium for Physical Education and Recreation for Individuals with Disabilities.

Sayers has received several other awards, including the Young Investigator Award from the National Down Syndrome Society in 1997, the Emerging Leader Award from the Louisiana Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance in 1990 and the Outstanding Service Award from the New Orleans Public Schools in 1996.