Gavin Jenkins, Ph.D., chair, UAB Department of Occupational Therapy, has been named to the 2020-21 UAB Faculty Fellows in Education Abroad program. His course will take students to Entebbe, Uganda, to work with adults and children with disabilities.

Benjamin Abney, a Physician Assistant Studies student expected to graduate December 2021, has been awarded a UAB School of Health Professions Blazer Forever Scholarship. The award is given to five SHP students during Homecoming Week based on their answer to an essay question. This year, there were nearly 100 submissions to the question: What makes you most proud to be a UAB Blazer?

Logan Paul Myrick, a Physical Therapy student expected to graduate December 2022, has been awarded a UAB School of Health Professions Blazer Forever Scholarship. The award is given to five SHP students during Homecoming Week based on their answer to an essay question. This year, there were nearly 100 submissions to the question: What makes you most proud to be a UAB Blazer?

Roxgena Jones, an M.S. in Occupational Therapy student expected to graduate December 2022, has been awarded a UAB School of Health Professions Blazer Forever Scholarship. The award is given to five SHP students during Homecoming Week based on their answer to an essay question. This year, there were nearly 100 submissions to the question: What makes you most proud to be a UAB Blazer?

Khayla Boykin, a Health Care Management student expected to graduate August 2021, has been awarded a UAB School of Health Professions Blazer Forever Scholarship. The award is given to five SHP students during Homecoming Week based on their answer to an essay question. This year, there were nearly 100 submissions to the question: What makes you most proud to be a UAB Blazer?

Carla Rigo Lima, a PhD in Rehabilitation Science student expected to graduate May 2023, has been awarded a UAB School of Health Professions Blazer Forever Scholarship. The award is given to five SHP students during Homecoming Week based on their answer to an essay question. This year, there were nearly 100 submissions to the question: What makes you most proud to be a UAB Blazer?

Mark Lainoff is not afraid. Doesn’t fear success – elected UAB MSHA Class 55 President. Willing to take risks – started a business that went under. No horror over pain – followed his college baseball dream through injury. No terror of the unknown – volunteered to serve at UAB’s COVID-19 testing site.

Miranda Zaragoza, a member of MSHA Class 56, was featured as part of the ONE MSHA Campaign. In only six months, the campaign raised more than $1 million to support scholarships and more.

Jamond Glass, a member of MSHA Class 55, was featured as part of the ONE MSHA Campaign. In only six months, the campaign raised more than $1 million to support scholarships and more.

Allyson Hall, Ph.D., director of the UAB Graduate Programs in Healthcare Quality and Safety in the School of Health Professions, was named to the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) Board of Directors on July 1, 2020.

Nine people recently made history as the first graduates of the UAB Graduate Certificate in Applications of Mixed Methods Research. Highlighting the diverse nature of this research certificate, the graduates range from Schools of Education, Health Professions, Nursing and Public Health and include doctoral students, researchers, and faculty.

Michelle Brown, Ph.D., program director, M.S. in Healthcare Simulation, is one of ten UAB faculty honored with the UAB Graduate Dean’s Excellence in Mentorship Award. She participated in a virtual reception September 9, 2020, where she received the award for exceptional work with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Sue Feldman, Ph.D., professor and director of Graduate Programs in Health Informatics, is leading UAB's GuideSafe™ platform along with Mohanraj Thirumalai, Ph.D., assistant professor of health informatics in the Department of Health Services Administration.

Christopher Eidson, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, is one of twelve UAB faculty selected to receive the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. The honor is given to those who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in teaching.

Kathy Nugent, Ph.D., has been named chair of the Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences (CDS) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Health Professions. Nugent is a leader in technology and research commercialization who has been associate vice president and executive director of the UAB Harbert Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HIIE) since 2014.

Today, Joseph Baugh is Co-Managing Partner of Capital Growth Medvest, a Birmingham-based health care real estate development and funding group that has completed well over $1 billion in health care developments and acquisitions. But in his early 20’s, he had no idea what his future would be.

Tamara Traber is the first graduate of our Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy program, a degree designed to prepare experienced occupational therapists for important leadership roles in health care, academia and advocacy for professional and community organizations.

The School of Health Professions (SHP) Student Awards, for the summer semester of 2020, were managed by the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) with endorsement from the Program Directors. Due to COVID-19, we were not able to recognize our exceptional students with an award ceremony. Nonetheless, it does not diminish their excellence or their accomplishments.

Derrick L. Miles, MSHA Class 34, was a wunderkind in the acute care world. By age 31, he was CEO in the Pavilion at Northwest Texas Healthcare System. However, his passion for his family, his drive for new opportunities and the unexpected loss of his cousin to sickle cell propelled Miles to pursue his dreams.

Eddie Groom and Bayan Karassi, first-year students in the M.S. in Health Informatics program, were awarded merit scholarships by the Alabama Chapter of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (Alabama HIMSS).