Wardine Alexander serves as the District 7 representative and President Pro Tempore of the Birmingham City Council. She is proud to be our alum and proud of how UAB instills service learning: “We each have a role to play in our communities and if that can be fostered while you are a college student, then that will stay with you throughout the rest of your lifetime.”

Two Doctor of Physical Therapy students - Jonathan Morrow and Kyle Golden - share a bond over a connected purpose amd that bond led each of them to get involved with RANSOM – Radical Athlete aNd Student Oasis Ministry – in efforts serve as peer mentors.

It would be so easy to just start tossing out cliché after cliché like “people are people wherever you go” or “we are different, yet the same.” However, Mark Anderson is not a cliché.

You could say Tiffany Chaney was born to serve, and you would not be wrong. Even as a teenager – the infamous eye-rolling years for so many of us – she was engaged in serving others. “I don’t really remember a time when service was not included in my way of being.”

Benjamin Burgess enlisted with the Marine Corps out of high school, then earned his B.S. in Biomedical Sciences at UAB. He then transitioned to the Navy and earned an MBA and his Doctor of Medicine from UAB Heersink. Learn why commitment and service have always been pillars in his life. 

Adrianne Smiley, EdD, OTD, OTR/L (MSOT, 2015) is the kind of person who believes if you want to see change, the best way of going about it is by being the change you seek. For her, the inequalities in health care she can identify through her experience and dedication to her profession fuels her desire to continue to find new ways to advocate for equal healthcare opportunities for all.

Ask a health professional why health care and they usually want to help people. Ask a Physical Therapist why they chose PT, it's likely a sports related injury that sparked their interest. For Andrew Stanley PT, DPT, MTC, CMPT, ACSM CEP (DPT, 2009), all the above led to his commitment to service and dedication to others.

Forrest A. Daniels DSc, FACHE (DSc, 2012), has served at food centers and homeless coalitions. He has served on emergency response teams and as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). And he firmly believes that you, too, can serve.

A 40-plus year career in one field is quite the accomplishment, and doing so with only a handful of job changes is rare in this day and age. That’s what Sharon Smalling (DI, 1980) has managed to do though, and she takes a lot of pride and joy in that.

Vermont state representative, occupational therapist, and UAB OT alumna Mary-Katherine Stone sees her calling as uplifting and highlighting vulnerable voices.

Lia Puzzo, a graduating student of UAB’ School of Health Professions (SHP) Dietitian Education Program (DEP), is the winner of the 2024 Outstanding Graduate Award for the Dietitian Education Program.

As UAB PT celebrates its 60th anniversary, we want to spotlight a few of our many successful alumni and hear how the department has impacted their journeys. With that said, we are pleased to introduce you to Lisa Altamirano, PT, BBU, alumna of our PT Class of 1998. Currently, Lisa is owner of Agile Physical Therapy in Birmingham.

As UAB PT celebrates its 60th anniversary, we want to spotlight a few of our many successful alumni and hear how the department has impacted their journeys. With that said, we are pleased to introduce you to Jessica Rosner, DPT, alumna of our DPT Class of 2006. Currently, Jessica is Clinical Director at Outpatient Sports Medicine Clinic in Shelby County Physical Therapy.

As UAB PT celebrates its 60th anniversary, we want to spotlight a few of our many successful alumni and hear how the department has impacted their journeys. With that said, we are pleased to introduce you to Dhara Shah, PT, DPT, OCS, alumna of our DPT Class of 2015. Currently, Dhara is president of APTA Georgia and a physical therapist at Motion Stability Physical Therapy Group in Atlanta.

As UAB PT celebrates its 60th anniversary, we want to spotlight a few of our many successful alumni and hear how the department has impacted their journeys. With that said, we are pleased to introduce you to Antonio V. Pruitt, PT, DPT, MPA - a member of our first class of DPT graduates. Currently, Antonio is director or rehab services for Cobb Hospital in the WellStar Health System.

As the Department of Physical Therapy at UAB commemorates six decades of excellence and evolution, it's an opportune moment to reflect on the profound impact of its alumni. Here we honor two of our earliest graduates who have made meaningful contributions for decades.

UAB alumni Larry and Jane Crane moved to Pine Mountain, Georgia in 2021 and quickly discovered the dire need for physical therapy services. This inspired them to combine their skills in physical therapy and health administration to create Spine Mountain, a hybrid physical therapy clinic and wellness studio.

UAB Genetic Counseling Program alumni, Brighton Goodhue, MS, LCGC, and Dana (Hollenbeck) Goodloe, MPH, MS, LCGC, were two of only 15 genetic counselors in the U.S. to be nominated for the Heart of Genetic Counseling Award this year. The award is sponsored by Invitae and honorees are selected from nominees submitted by patients and families that have received genetic counseling services.

In this edition of our alumni feature, we highlight and celebrate Dr. Pi-Ling Chang. All of you may remember Dr. Chang - she was the very first student in the PhD program and she remained with the department throughout her career.

The Marylin R. Gossman Endowed Lectureship celebrated its 10th anniversary with an inspiring presentation delivered by Elizabeth Dean, PT, Ph.D., titled "This is What it Takes to Address Societal Health and Equity. Are Physical Therapists Ready?"