Growing up, Andrew Stanley PT, DPT, MTC, CMPT, ACSM CEP (DPT, 2009) always loved working with his dad. He still does.

“As a kid, I noticed that whenever he went to someone’s house, whether building a deck or doing a bathroom remodel, I could see that every time he put his hands on something, he made it better,” said Stanley. “I think that is what I do with physical therapy as well, that is the service I love to provide for people.”

When you ask someone in a health profession why they decided to pursue a career in health care, they will usually speak of their desire to help people. When you ask a Physical Therapist why they decided to pursue a career in physical therapy (PT), they may have had a background in sports and/or suffered a sports related injury that sparked their interest in the rehabilitation process. For Stanley, all the above would ring true, but his commitment to service and dedication to the betterment of others is what sets him apart.

While first working as a physical trainer, Stanley originally had plans to become a medical doctor. After some more research, he became disenchanted with their clinic time with patients.

“I found PT and found out I could still be in the medical field, but I could spend a lot more one-on-one time with my patients, and I really enjoy that,” said Stanley. “PT was a great blend of what I was already doing so it was a natural progression and became something I really love to do.”

Today, Stanley is a man who wears many hats. He is a doctor of physical therapy with UAB Outpatient Rehabilitation Services, a therapy provider with UAB Sports & Exercise Medicine team, and a clinical exercise physiologist certified through the American College of Sports Medicine.

A true man of his community, Stanley happily offers his services wherever they are needed. Any given day, you can find him and his collaboratives on the sidelines treating players. From the Birmingham City Schools, and UAB athletics teams, to the USFL football players, the Birmingham Legion FC soccer club, and the Birmingham Bulls hockey team, his healing hands are constantly at work.

Perhaps one of Stanley’s proudest achievements came to fruition in 2015, when he and his wife, Elizabeth, founded Forward in Faith Ranch, a Christian therapeutic equestrian ranch located in Bessemer, Alabama, that facilitates healing, rebuilding, and growth.

While Elizabeth handles the horseback riding instruction, he focuses on the service and building projects. The ranch has parented with many different groups, including the UAB Pre- PT Society, UAB Department of Art and Art History, and the Samford University Moffet & Sanders School of Nursing. Local churches and corporations in the community also work with the ranch, sending volunteers to participate in the community service field. The Ranch will then put together a four-hour team building experience for them from painting to putting up fence railing and of course, therapeutic horseback riding.

“It started off as an idea and then God really laid it out every step of the way,” said Stanley. “It’s honestly refreshing for me because it is a common thread with different approaches that keep it fresh for me. We have the ranch, the horses, the animals and I’m outdoors building or woodworking so there’s a common ground in the fact that it’s all service driven.”

A 2009 alum, Stanley referred to his time as a student as being pivotal into who he is today – someone committed to serving others.

“UAB equipped me with what I needed in every way,” said Stanley. “I could always tell my professors cared for me. They challenged us, but they also guided us and gave us the tools we needed to be prepared. The commitment and the passion that my instructors showed really helped develop me as a person and I am so grateful for each of them.