UAB Campus

Live HealthSmart Alabama has taken its signature keys—healthy eating, prevention and wellness, physical activity, and education—and implemented initiatives at all levels of the institution.

Live HealthSmart Alabama works to achieve some of the same goals as the Okanagan Charter. UAB, the first U.S. university to sign the charter, is committed to being a health-promoting university focusing on people, places, and the planet. To do this, UAB President Ray L. Watts has established a well-being task force to mindfully partner and fully align programs and goals.

  • Dr. Fouad and Blaze
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The initiatives working alongside the Okanagan Charter covers a broad definition of health that include mental health, physical health, spiritual health, sexual health, racial justice issues, and more.

These Okanagan programs include:

  • Live HealthSmart Alabama
  • Exercise is Medicine
  • Blazer Core Curriculum
  • Birmingham Health District and Tobacco-Free Campus
  • Diversity Education and other diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programming
  • Sustainability
  • UAB Cares Suicide Prevention and Intervention Initiative

UAB Demonstration zone co-chair, James Hill, Ph.D., chair of the UAB Department of Nutrition Sciences explained, “Having a UAB demonstration zone is critical because we want to go out and change the world, but we need to show that we can do it ourselves first.”

In 2022, Live HealthSmart Alabama received an extension grant awarded by UAB to continue its work in Birmingham and add education as a key pillar.

“The proven initiatives that are created here could go on to change the state, region, and the country. We are excited to have UAB as the newest demonstration zone, and we are grateful for all the support we have been shown. This partnership has truly been a full alignment of goals within the entire university” said Mona Fouad, M.D., MPH, Chief Executive Officer of Live HealthSmart Alabama.