BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Health Professions (SHP) was founded 40 years ago, during a time when the U.S. Congress began promoting allied health education and provided funding support to create such schools. UAB, which was just getting off the ground as an independent university, responded, and the School of Allied Health and Community Resources opened in 1969.

Previously, many of the programs associated with allied health had been hospital-based training programs. The new school absorbed the then-existing School of Health Administration and the Division of Allied Health Sciences.

Forty years of phenomenal growth and several name changes later, the UAB School of Health Professions now is one of the nation's largest schools of health professions, with more than 1,500 students enrolled in 21 academic programs. Several graduate programs are nationally ranked, and the school is rated No. 1 among all allied health schools for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.

"As a national leader, the school is dedicated to providing the best in professional education at undergraduate and graduate levels," said Harold Jones, Ph.D., dean of the school. "Graduates are well prepared to become outstanding practitioners who provide leadership to their communities and disciplines and high-quality care to their clients."

The school offers degree programs in clinical and diagnostic sciences, health services administration, nutrition sciences, occupational therapy and physical therapy, and it has an honors program. SHP is recognized for its efforts in preparing top-level health-care executives, and its research programs are nationally renowned, particularly nutrition and obesity.

As part of a year-long 40th anniversary celebration, the school is honoring 40 alumni who personify the school's mission, vision and values. This distinction highlights the diverse talents, notable accomplishments and outstanding service of SHP alumni. The alumni selections were based on significant accomplishments in their field of study, contributions to their respective department through program involvement and service and significant financial support for their programs or departments. A dinner in honor of the outstanding alumni will be held on Friday, Nov. 6.

The 40 outstanding alumni are:

Patricia Barr
Retired, co-owner - The Laboratory, Inc.
Medical Technology (1959, 1962)

Neeysa Biddle
President & Chief Operating Officer, St. Vincent's Birmingham
Health Information Management (1989)
Health Administration (1992)

Cynthia Brumfield, M.D.
Chief of Staff, University Hospital (UAB)
Health Administration (2002)

James Burkhart
President & Administrator, Shands Jacksonville Medical Center
Health Administration (1980)

Randall A. Carpenter
Senior VP & CIO, HealthSouth Corporation
Health Informatics (1997)

John Casey
Retired, Chairman & CEO of MedCath, Inc.
Health Administration (1972)

Robert C. Chapman, LFACHE
Retired, President & CEO of Eastern Health System
Health Administration (1972)

Richard Clendaniel, Ph.D.
Asst. Professor, Duke University Medical School
Physical Therapy (1982)

Charles A. Faulkner, FACHE
Retired, Baptist Health System
Health Administration (1975)

George Farr, FACHE
Retired, President & CEO, Children's Medical Center of Dallas
Health Administration (1968)

I. William Ferniany, Ph.D.
CEO, UAB Health System
Health Administration (1975)

Michael E. Garrigan
Retired, Navigant Consulting
Health Administration (1975)

Gary Glasscock, FACHE
President & CEO, Noland Health Services
Health Administration (1974)

Donald Hensrud, M.D.
Chair, Division of Preventive, Occupational and Aerospace Medicine, Mayo Clinic
Nutrition Sciences (1972)

S. Robert Hernandez, DrPH
Professor & Director, UAB Administration-Health Services Doctoral Programs
Health Administration (1972)

Joan Hicks
Chief Information Officer, UAB Health System
Health Information Management (1986)
Health Informatics (1994)

Larry G. Hornsby, CRNA
Senior Executive VP, Amsol
Nurse Anesthesia (1985)

Narendra Kini, M.D.
President & CEO, Miami Children's Hospital
Health Administration (1988)

Rica Lewis-Payton
Medical Center Director/CEO, Birmingham VA Medical Center
Health Administration (1983)

Richard Lind
Retired, CEO, Memorial Health Systems (Florida)
Health Administration (1971)

Rick Moore
Chief Information Officer, National Committee for Quality Assurance
Health Informatics (2003)

Sarah Morgan, M.D.
Professor, UAB Department of Nutrition Sciences and Associate Dean, UAB School of Medicine
Nutrition Sciences (1986)

Larry Sanders, FACHE
Chairman & CEO, Columbus Regional Healthcare System (Georgia)
Health Administration (1975)

James E. Shmerling, DHA, FACHE
President & CEO, Children's Hospital (Denver)
Health Administration (1980)

Donna Slovensky, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, UAB School of Health Professions
Health Information Management (1975)
Administration-Health Services, (1996)

S. Douglas Smith, Ph.D., LFACHE
Principal, Evergreen Investments and Management
Administration-Health Services (1999)

Bonnie Alston Spear, Ph.D.
Professor, UAB Department of Pediatrics
Nutrition Sciences (1977, 1978)

Michael E. Stephens
Principal, S. Enterprises, Inc.
Health Administration (1975)

Janet Perry Stewart
Retired, VP of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama
Health Administration (1981)

Charles Stokes, FACHE
COO, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System (Houston, TX)
Health Administration (1983)

Michael C. Tarwater, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer, Carolinas HealthCare System
Health Administration (1978)

Jessie Tucker, Ph.D., FACHE
Senior VP & Administrator, Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital
Administration-Health Services (1998)

Sherri Van Pelt
Senior Director of Development, UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center
Occupational Therapy (1977)

Jon Vice
Retired, President and CEO, Children's Hospital and Health System (Milwaukee)
Health Administration (1974)

Nancy White
Associate Director of Practice, American Physical Therapy Association
Physical Therapy (1979)

Elizabeth Whitehead
Principal, Health Actions
Physical Therapy (1972)

Ronnie Whorton
Director of Anesthesia Services, UAB Hospital & UAB Highlands
Nurse Anesthesia (1985, 2008)

Nancy Wooldridge
Assistant Professor, UAB Department of Pediatrics
Nutrition Sciences (1981)

Sheree Chapman York
Director, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Department, Children's Hospital (Birmingham)
Physical Therapy (1977)

Robert J. Zasa, FACMPE
Founder/Principal, ASD Management
Health Administration (1975)

About UAB

Known for its innovative and interdisciplinary approach to education at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is an internationally renowned research university and academic medical center and the state of Alabama's largest employer. For more information, please visit www.uab.edu.