by Nathan Anderson
Janene Sims, OD, PhD, and Andrew Rothstein, OD, will be inducted into the Center for the Study of Community Health as Center Scholars. Induction into this organization is based on the effort potential members make to reduce health risks in underserved communities.
Founded in 1993, the Center for the Study of Community Health is one of 26 Prevention Research Centers funded nationally by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and one of 25 University Wide Interdisciplinary Research Centers designated by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The Center has as its geographic focus a defined rural region (the Alabama Black Belt) and an urban setting (Birmingham-Hoover MSA).
“Finding ways to help underserved people has always been a passion of mine,” Rothstein said. “I am involved with a number of clinics that seek to meet the needs of underserved populations in the area.”
He, an assistant professor at the UAB School of Optometry (UABSO) works with clinics such as the UAB’s PATH Clinic, 1917 Clinic at Dewberry and Equal Access Birmingham to meet the healthcare needs of specific at-risk populations. Rothstein’s work with these populations has helped him understand the barriers these groups face when seeking healthcare.
Like Rothstein, caring for underserved communities is part of Sims’ career as an educator and optometrist. In so many ways, she uses her skills to give back.
“My first experience witnessing someone give back to the community was through my father,” Sims said. “He would sell produce but knew some people couldn’t afford it; to those he gave it away at no cost.”
Sims grew up in Milan, GA, a small and rural town and has worked in underserved communities in the Birmingham metro for 20 years. She is now an associate professor of optometry and supervisor of the primary care residency at UABSO.
She also serves as the director of Community Eye Care (CEC) and faculty advisor for the National Optometric Student Association (NOSA), which are both dedicated to providing effective and sufficient eye care to underserved populations. With the help of optometry students, CEC provides comprehensive eye care in the Black Belt multiple times annually.
Because of her service to the community, in 2021, Sims was awarded UAB’s Odessa Woolfolk Community Service Award, which recognizes one of its faculty who has rendered outstanding service in the Birmingham community.
“I truly love helping people,” she said. “Because of my personal and professional experiences, I am keenly aware of the health risks underserved communities face. Now I will be able to enhance my network of likeminded individuals to have greater effect in the communities I serve.”
As Center Scholars, both will take part in the Center’s research project “CHEER” which aims to meet with Birmingham residents in order to determine their key healthcare needs.
“I am excited to learn more about the project and how I can make an impact,” Rothstein said. “I also look forward to interacting with community partners to find new research projects that will ultimately create change for the better.”
The experience both optometrists gain through collaboration will allow them to provide more individualized care to patients, while presenting the opportunity to pass knowledge along to their students.