Carol and Myron Fottler at the
2016-17 SHP Scholarship LuncheonMyron Fottler, Ph.D., who served as program director for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Administration-Health Services program from 1983 until 1999, along with his wife Carol, has established the first endowed scholarship fund for the Ph.D. program located in the UAB School of Health Professions’ Department of Health Services Administration.

The Myron D. and Carol A. Fottler Endowed Support Fund for the Ph.D. Program in Administration-Health Services will support students with tuition, travel fees associated with professional development, or for costs associated with publishing as a sole author or first author.

“UAB gave me my first opportunity as a Ph.D. program director and played such a large role in my career that I wanted to give back to the program that gave me so much,” said Fottler, who is professor emeritus, Health Management and Informatics at the University of Central Florida. “There are many costs associated with an education beyond tuition and we wanted to make sure those costs would not inhibit a student from gaining the foundation that goes with professional development or the confidence that goes with authoring a paper and that is why we established this scholarship.”

Justin Lord, a third-year Ph.D. candidate whose research focuses on the financial performance of U.S. nursing homes, is the first Myron D. and Carol A. Fottler Scholar. He credits Fottler with establishing a culture of mentoring and caring for students that still exists today. Lord says the Ph.D. program has provided him opportunities he couldn’t imagine and helped change his life.

“Even though he left UAB in 1999, Dr. Fottler still has a vested interest in the success of doctoral students in this program,” said Lord. “Following his lead, the faculty in and around the Ph.D. program today take a vested interest in their students and invest much of their time and energy in our success.”

In addition to his academic legacy, Fottler’s dedication to service is legendary. The Health Care Management (HCM) Division of the Academy of Management (AOM) named their top service honor after him. The Myron D. Fottler Exceptional Service Award is considered by most to be the top distinguished award given by the HCM.

Robert Weech-Maldonado, Ph.D., professor and L.R. Jordan Chair of Health Administration in the UAB School of Health Professions’ Department of Health Services Administration, won the Fottler Exceptional Service Award in 2016 and Stephen J. O’Connor, Ph.D., a professor in the SHP HSA, won the Fottler Exceptional Service Award in 2013.

It is fitting that Fottler, with his dedication to serving others, would establish an endowed scholarship which will serve UAB students in perpetuity.

“I cannot express enough gratitude to Dr. Fottler and his wife for this generous endowment that will help me and many others,” said Lord. “My hope is that one day, I will have the opportunity to pay this forward and help other students achieve their academic goals, just as this scholarship has helped me.”