The Department of Occupational Therapy’s first education abroad group spent two transformative weeks in South Africa last spring that included a low vision screening for students at the Athlone School for the Blind. All students who attend this public school on the outskirts of Cape Town have visual deficits, and some have multiple disabilities, including cognitive impairments.

The Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation has awarded the UAB School of Health Professions a grant of $272,500 – an increase of $22,500 from the previous year – for scholarships to women in need of financial assistance during the 2023-24 academic year.

Physical therapists' role is everchanging and adapting with society. The rise in healthcare disparities has revealed the crucial role physical therapists play in preventative care, chronic disease management, and promoting overall health and well-being. The new UAB Graduate Certificate in Primary Care PT for Underserved Populations is a new comprehensive program designed to equip physical therapists with specialized knowledge and skills to address the unique healthcare needs of underserved communities.

The School of Health Professions Office of Research and Innovation (SHP-R&I) held its first Specific Aims Page Writing Workshop Friday, March 24, 2023.

The UAB School of Health Professions has three programs ranked in the Top 11 in the nation according the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings.

After a nationwide search, Jane Banaszak-Holl, Ph.D., has been named chair of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Health Services Administration. Before coming to UAB, she was a professor of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University, Australia.

A grassroots effort for a scholarship in honor of Richard Thompson, one of the co-founders of the School of Health Professions’ PhD in Administration Health Services program, has quadrupled expectations.

What can future CEOs learn from building a bridge with paper, tape, and paper cups? Quite a lot according to Nancy Borkowski, DBA, distinguished professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Health Professions.

In October, the UAB School of Health Professions brought the Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) Campus Happiness meditation program to the university for two three-day sessions. These sessions taught more than 90 participants meditation and breathing techniques that can be used to de-stress anytime, anywhere—an increasingly important skill in a stressful, sometimes frightening world.

Melanie Hart, Ph.D., has been named associate dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs of the UAB School of Health Professions. She comes to UAB after 19 years at Texas Tech University where she served in many leadership roles including associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences, vice provost for eLearning and Academic Partnerships, and most recently, vice provost for Administrative Affairs.

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers is shedding light on racial disparities in breast cancer mortality in women who live in economically deprived neighborhoods.

Researchers in the UAB School of Health Professions received a five-year, $4.625 million federal grant for a new Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Recreational, Sport, and Exercise Technologies for People with Disabilities. This grant is housed in the Department of Health Services Administration.

Kathy Nugent, Ph.D., chair of our Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, was announced as one of the Top Birmingham Women of 2022 by the Birmingham Business Journal.

The UAB Office of Standardized Patient Education has been selected to receive the Physical Therapy Advocate Award by the Alabama Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association. The honor recognizes individuals outside of the profession whose activities promote and elevate the practice of physical therapy.

The UAB Department of Health Services Administration faculty has grown to 48 with the addition of three new research-engaged members.

The UAB Department of Health Services Administration Graduate Program in Healthcare Quality and Safety has received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management in Education (CAHME), making it one of the first two programs of its kind to achieve this milestone. 

The UAB School of Health Professions has 12 people, including Dean Andrew J. Butler, Ph.D., named to the Birmingham Business Journal’s 2021 Who’s Who in Health Care.

On April 1, 2022, Ritu Aneja, Ph.D., was named associate dean for Research and Innovation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Health Professions. We were fortunate to have an extended conversation with Dr. Aneja about a wide range of topics.

Lenetra King, founder of Watch Me EXCEL™ and health care industry C-Suite veteran, has been named an Executive-in-Residence for the UAB Department of Health Services Administration. She is the first female and the first African-American named to this role.

Recipients of the fall 2021 pilot grant funding opportunity, "Addressing Health Disparities in Adults or Children with Disabilities," have been announced by the Center for Engagement in Disability Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (CEDHARS).