Each year, the UAB School of Public Health recognizes outstanding alumni and their contributions to the field of public health through the annual Alumni Awards. This year, five graduates are being recognized for executing the School’s mission daily in their professional careers: to educate future generations of outstanding public health professionals, conduct impactful research, and partner with the communities of Birmingham, the state of Alabama, the Deep South, and beyond to improve health and well-being.
Winners of the 2025 Alumni Awards include:
The Alumnus/Alumna of the Year Award
Stephanie Lynch
This year’s Alumna of the Year is Stephanie Lynch, PhD, MISE, MPH, regulatory and standards director at OHD and president of the International Society for Respiratory Protection (ISRP). Lynch graduated with her MPH in environmental health sciences from the School of Public Health in 2009.
The Alumnus/Alumna of the Year Award recognizes an established graduate who completed their degree 10 or more years ago and has made significant contributions in the field of public health at either a local, statewide, national or international level that are considered exemplary.
The G.O.L.D. (Graduates of the Last Decade) Alumni Award
Ryan Buckman
This year’s recipient is Ryan Buckman, MPH, environmental epidemiologist 2 for the Tennessee Department of Health. Buckman earned his MPH in epidemiology from the School of Public Health in 2021.
The G.O.L.D. Alumni Award recognizes an alumnus or alumna who has demonstrated an exceptional level of accomplishment, service or expertise in the field of public health since completing their degree from the School of Public Health less than 10 years ago.
The Alumni Award for Practice
David Buys
This year’s recipient is David Buys, PhD, MSPH, MS, associate vice provost for health science partnerships and professor at Mississippi State University. Buys received an MSPH in applied epidemiology from the UAB School of Public Health in 2013.
The Alumni Award for Practice recognizes an alumnus/alumna who has helped to make a difference in the community by working with local, state or national public health stakeholders.
The Alumni Award for Research
Olatokunbo Osibogun
This year’s recipient is Olatokunbo Osibogun, PhD, MPH, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Florida International University’s Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work. Osibogun received an MPH in epidemiology from the UAB School of Public Health in 2013.
The Alumni Award for Research recognizes an alumnus/alumna who has developed and engaged in funded, public health cutting-edge research and discovery as evidenced by national recognition of their accomplishments and scientific articles that illustrate the nominee’s significant contributions.
The Dean’s Distinguished Alumni Award
Wilma Robinson
This year’s award goes to Wilma Robinson, PhD, MPH, deputy executive secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Robinson earned her MPH in maternal and child health from the UAB School of Public Health in 1998.
The Dean’s Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes graduates who have shown a substantive commitment to the School’s mission while serving as a source of inspiration and pride to others. This unique award is bestowed each year by the dean of the UAB School of Public Health.
Congratulations to the 2025 recipients of the UAB School of Public Health Alumni Awards, and thank you to those who nominated a deserving individual. Nominations for the 2026 awards will open later this year.