Andrea Boohaker, MSN, ACNP-BC, RNFA - APP team lead

Andrea Boohaker joins the department as APP team lead for the Departments of Neurosurgery and Orthopaedic surgery. Andrea earned her MS degree in nursing from Vanderbilt University in 2007 and is currently enrolled in the UAB Doctor of Nursing Practice program, she will graduate in Dec. 2021. She has worked as an orthopaedic trauma nurse practitioner for over 14 years and began her career at the University of Texas (UT) at Houston. During her time at UT Houston, she developed a passion for increasing autonomy for advanced practice providers and improving the overall quality of training. Andrea serves on the Ambulatory Access Executive Committee and the Provider Practice Optimization Steering Committee at UAB, representing the advanced practice cohort. She also serves as a clinical instructor in the graduate program at UAB School of Nursing. Andrea is a Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society member and was recently awarded the UAB Medicine Excellence Award for 2021.

Casey Lee, RN 

Casey Lee joins the department as a registered nurse. Originally from Meridian, MS, Casey graduated from the University of Alabama in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in business but decided to change careers shortly thereafter. She received her associate degree in nursing from Jefferson State Community College in 2012. Since, she has worked at Children’s of Alabama, beginning as a clinical assistant and continuing as a nurse in Med-Surg and Surgical Services. She looks forward to joining the pediatric neurosurgery team, where she will function as the nurse clinician for Dr. Brandon Rocque. 

Dana Belmont - Administrative office specialist

Dana joins the department as an administrative office specialist. Originally from Buffalo, NY, Dana moved to Birmingham in 2014 after traveling the world with the military and family. She began working for the UAB Department of Medicine in 2014 and joined the Department of Neurosurgery in 2016, where she was the clinic coordinator at Greystone. In October 2020, she moved to Raleigh, NC for a short time before returning to Birmingham. Dana is excited about her new journey in neurosurgery.

Kirsten Yelvington, MS - Operations Administrator

Kirsten joins the department as operations administrator. Originally born in Colorado, Kirsten grew up in several areas in Europe and across the U.S.  Her healthcare career began over 20 years ago at UF Health in Gainesville, FL as a neurodiagnostic technologist. After,  she moved to Pensacola, FL, and worked at HCA West Florida Hospital as coordinator of the EMU and Duke University Hospital as a technical advisor. Since she has been at Mayo Clinic for the past 10 years working in the Department of Neurology. During that time, she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees, was appointed to instructor of neurology and participated in research involving epilepsy and awake craniotomies. In addition, she managed the procedures EEG lab and Level IV Epilepsy Monitoring Unit and facilitated improvement projects that resulted in national accreditation, improved access, and increased volumes. 

Thomas Dillard - MSHA Student

Thomas Dillard joins the department as an MSHA student. Born and raised in Birmingham, AL, Thomas graduated from the University of Montevallo in 2021 with a bachelor's of business administration in management degree. He is currently pursuing his master's of science in health administration at UAB. Thomas worked closely with higher education administrators in his undergraduate career as an administrative assistant within the University President's Office. He was also elected as the Student Government Association President in 2020 and served on the University of Montevallo COVID-19 Task Force as a representative of the student body. Thomas looks forward to joining the Department of Neurosurgery, where he will primarily work with Donna Bailer.