Shannon H. Houser, Ph.D., MPH, RHIA, FAHIMA, professor in the UAB Department of Health Services Administration, will receive the 2020 AAHIM Distinguished Member Award from the Alabama Association of Health Information Management. The award is given annually to an active member with at least 10 years’ experience “marked by distinction, excellence of service and contribution to the profession.”

In an AcademyHealth blog post in honor of Mother's Day, Christy Harris Lemak, Ph.D., chair of the UAB Department of Health Services Administration, reflects on the disproportionate effect working from home is having on colleagues with young children and offers ideas for how to help. "As one of my colleagues noted, rather than pitting ourselves against each other in a dystopian version of 'academic hunger games,' the goal should be to support one another, recognizing that we all face different barriers and we should put our collective brainpower on how to fix a flawed system."

Lynne Shelton, a student in the UAB School of Health Professions’ M.S. in Healthcare Simulation program, has been named Teacher Educator of the Year in the Health Science Division by the Alabama Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE).

School of Health Professions' Dean Andrew Butler joined Amanda Dorsey, faculty member in the Department of Health Services Administration, for their "Quarantine Conversations" recently. This is a series of candid conversations posted on the department's LinkedIn page that captures people in their "natural habitat" during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the Deep South sees a surge in cases of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, experts from the University of Alabama at Birmingham have created a symptom checker to identify hot spots where the virus is spreading. The new website, HelpBeatCOVID19.org, will provide public health officials insight into underserved areas based on the symptomatic data collected from the region and could help inform and enhance public health observation.  

"I want you to know that every day I think of you collectively and individually, as I know you are doing battle in the trenches every day and night without end. On the one hand, I feel proud because we know the stuff you are made of and we know your resilience, passion and dedication to your life’s work. On the other hand, I wish I could see and talk with you individually to assess your situation and provide whatever guidance and support I can.

Since I cannot, I want to express to you that we have faith in your dedication and we wish you well in the battle to conquer this equal opportunity destroyer! I want to assure you that we have confidence and faith in your ability to do so. Have faith, this too shall pass.

As always take care of your patients first, your staff second, your family and yourself, especially yourself. Let us hear from you and God Bless."

Howard W. Houser, PhD
Professor Emeritus
UAB Department of Health Services Administration

First-year students in the UAB School of Health Professions’ Master of Science in Health Informatics (MSHI) program, placed second in the Mendix Student App Contest.

Katherine Meese, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Health Services Administration, joined a surgical mission hosted by Hispaniola Medical Charity. She witnessed this dedicated team of American physicians working long hours with limited resources. But at the end of each day, rather than being exhausted, the team felt the exact opposite.

The UAB Departments of Health Services Administration and Nutrition Sciences united for a "Poster & Lightning Talks Session" at the Edge of Chaos. The two departments, each members of the School of Health Professions, used a poster session format to bring together faculty, staff, students and scientists to discuss research and teaching.

Students from three programs in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Health Professions Department of Health Services Administration won first place at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Student Case Competition.

Five members of the UAB School of Health Professions faculty earned certificates for completing the National Inclusive Excellence Leadership Academy (NIXLA). Members of the Class of 2019 are Dina Avery, DHSc, Brenda Bertrand, Ph.D., April Rollins-Kyle, MAEd, Sarah Tucker, Ph.D., and Neena Xavier, M.D.

The UAB School of Health Professions has five people on the 2019 Birmingham Business Journal Most Influential Executives list.

Eta Berner, EdD, professor in the School of Health Professions and director of the Department of Health Services Administration’s Center for Health Informatics for Patient Safety/Quality, is newly elected to the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics (IAHSI) 2018 and 2019 Class of Fellows.

Andrew Butler, Ph.D., dean of the UAB School of Health Professions, was recently elected to the Lakeshore Foundation and the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions Board of Directors. Butler, who became dean of SHP in July 2019, came to UAB from the Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions at Georgia State University where he was associate dean for Research and director of the Clinical Neuroplasticity Lab.

When students in the top-ranked health administration program in the United States look to apply their training in the real world, they don’t have to go far. One of the nation’s top academic medical centers is just across the street.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham launches the pilot class of the UAB Healthcare Educators Academy at an opening ceremony and reception on September 17, 2019. The HEA is a strategic partnership between the UAB Schools of Medicine, Health Professions, Dentistry, Public Health and Nursing designed to strengthen educators through mentorship that fosters a culture of excellence, develops innovative teaching resources and advances a collaborative environment.

Monica Aswani, DrPH, assistant professor in the UAB School of Health Professions’ Department of Health Services Administration, will receive a UAB National Alumni Society (NAS) Young Alumni Rising Star Award at a ceremony on September 19, 2019, at the UAB Alumni House.

Sue Feldman, RN, MEd, Ph.D., Director, UAB School of Health Professions’ Graduate Programs in Health Informatics, completed the 2019 HERS Institute at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. HERS (Higher Education Resource Services) is a leadership development and research organization dedicated to women in higher education.

Jessica H. Williams, Ph.D., a researcher and associate professor in the UAB School of Health Professions’ Department of Health Services Administration, has been named the department’s Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

On August 17, 2019, Sister Almeda Golson, the first and only nun to graduate from the UAB School of Health Professions’ Master of Science in Health Administration program, passed away in Evansville, Indiana.

“I really liked her as a student and we had many long conversations while she was on campus and in her early years as an administrator when she was known statewide as an outspoken health care leader,” said Howard W. Houser, Ph.D., who taught Sister Almeda in the ‘70s and is now a professor emeritus with the UAB Department of Health Services Administration.

Sister Almeda, a member of MSHA Class 11, earned what was then an M.S. in Hospital and Health Administration in 1977. In 1985, after working in Evansville and Montgomery, she was named administrator of St. Vincent Hospital in Birmingham where she served for two years. Following stints in Montgomery and Nashville, Sister Almeda returned to St. Vincent’s in 1995 and was full-time board chair until 2008.