Media contact: Bob Shepard
Ceren Yarar-Fisher, Ph.D.Ceren Yarar-Fisher, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, received the Junior Chamber International 2020 Ten Young Outstanding People of Turkey in Academic Leadership and Accomplishment Award.
The Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World program, sponsored by the Junior Chamber International, recognizes people who excel in their respective fields and are under 40. The JCI is a nonprofit international, nongovernmental organization of young people between 18 and 40.
“It truly is an honor that my mom, my daughter and I will talk about for years,” said Yarar-Fisher. “I could not have done any of this without my research team, my mentors or my family. I hope we can make substantial differences to the status quo on how to help patients with spinal cord injury recover more effectively.”
Yarar-Fisher specializes in spinal cord injury as the director of the Rehabilitation Medicine Research Lab at UAB, focusing on musculoskeletal, molecular and interventional strategies to improve long-term health outcomes and quality of life in individuals with spinal cord injury.
Amie McLain, M.D., professor and former department chair, was one of Yarar-Fisher’s mentors and recruited her to UAB.
“It does not surprise me that Dr. Yarar-Fisher is receiving this accolade,” McLain said. “Her dedication, talents and accomplishments have already contributed greatly to our field of physical medicine and rehabilitation.”
Yarar-Fisher hopes to travel to the Junior Chamber World Congress in South Africa in November to join awardees from 124 other countries for the presentation of the awards.