March 3, 2010
Max Michael. Download image.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health Dean Max Michael, M.D., a leader in forging community partnerships to improve equal access to health care, is the recipient of the 2010 Odessa Woolfolk Community Service Award.
The award is presented annually to a UAB faculty member in recognition of significant contributions to the Birmingham community. Michael will be honored at 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 9 during the UAB Faculty Awards Convocation at the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. South.
In addition to his duties as dean, Michael is a practicing physician in internal medicine and director of the UAB Center for the Study of Community Health. He is a senior fellow in UAB's Lister Hill Center for Health Policy and a senior scientist in UAB's Center for Aging and UAB's Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center.
Michael has spearheaded efforts to improve health-care delivery in under-served areas of Alabama for more than 30 years. He was a staff physician at the former Freedom House, a free clinic in Birmingham designed for medical needs and mental-crisis concerns. Michael also was a director for the Central Alabama Coalition for the Medically Uninsured and a medical advisor to the Alabama Association of Community Health Councils.
He is on the board of directors of the American Red Cross' Central Alabama chapter and Planned Parenthood of Alabama and serves as the medical director of Birmingham Health Care, a coalition of community health clinics in Jefferson and Shelby counties. Before becoming dean of UAB's School of Public Health in 2001, Michael served in various leadership roles at Cooper Green Mercy Hospital, including as director of ambulatory services, chief of staff, CEO and medical director.
In 2002, Michael worked with area pastors to co-found Congregations for Public Health Inc., a Birmingham-based nonprofit that represents multiple faith communities working to address the health, social and educational needs of its members. Michael has served on the boards of the United Way of Central Alabama, Gateway Inc. and Glenwood Inc., the autism and behavioral health center of Alabama.
He is a fellow in the American College of Physicians and an active member of the American Public Health Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, Physicians for Social Responsibility and other professional groups. He earned his medical degree from Harvard University.
Odessa Woolfolk, founder and past president of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, directed the UAB Center for Urban Affairs from 1981-1993. She also served as special assistant for community relations to the UAB president.
About the UAB School of Public Health
The UAB School of Public Health is a community of scholars and professionals working and teaching in varied arenas of public health with the goal of fostering research and best practices crucial to the health of the United States and its peoples. The school offers more than 20 areas of study and manages dozens of research and community-service centers.