UAB School of Health Professions 2020-21 Dean's Report

2020-2021: Innovations to Outlast COVID

DEI

CONNECTIVITY

SERVICE

EDUCATION

RESEARCH

SHP VALUES EMPATHY

the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

INCLUSION

the action of being included within a group or structure

ACCOUNTABILITY

the fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility

TRANSPARENCY

the fact or condition of being easy to perceive or detect

INTEGRITY

the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles

EXCELLENCE

the quality of being outstanding or extremely good

JOY

a feeling of great pleasure and happiness

LET TE R FROM THE DE AN

CO N T E N T S

Hello, Welcome to an inside look at the UAB School of Health Professions. I consider this our baseline report, because in May, we begin a strategic process that will define our next five years and beyond.

I am excited about what that means for all of us, but I also know it does not mean a thing without a true commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. DEI will be at the core of every decision moving forward for our SHP family.

What does DEI mean to our SHP family? Well, I like to use the example of a family dinner, because it shows the importance of all three areas if we are to be a true family. ◗ Diversity means all are invited to the table. ◗ Equity means all contribute to the meal. ◗ Inclusion means all eat together.

As you read this report, you will see “family” is not hyperbole.

We are a tight-knit community connected from students to staff to faculty to alumni. We are a service-minded group that is dedicated to serving all from campus to community and beyond.

And we are a knowledge-driven mass that is committed to classrooms, laboratories, clinics and more.

Thank you for your continued support.

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CONNECTIVITY

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SERVICE

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EDUCATION

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Andrew J. Butler, PhD

RESEARCH

Dean, UAB School of Health Professions

uab.edu/shp

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SHP INTERACTIVE MURAL & WELLNESS PROJECT

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he week of March 15, 2021, saw more than 150 faculty, staff and student volunteers paint a 28-foot mural. The mural reminds us of our dedication to our principles, shared values and to each other. It is already a destination location that is creating memorable and unique opportunities that produce feelings of joy, unity and pride. ■ ➤ Visit go.uab.edu/shpmural to see timelapse and impact videos, photos and more!

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UAB SCHOOL OF H E ALTH PROFE SS IONS / 2020 -2021 DE AN ' S RE PORT

200+ volunteer painting hours

Mural designed by Kelan Mercer and managed by Mammoth Murals & Signs

UAB Provost Pam Benoit helps paint uab.edu/shp

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DEI (

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

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“The purpose and goals of The Academy reflect what John Lewis strived for and I can think of no better way for a Health System to honor his legacy.”

W I L L F E R N I A N Y, P h D, CEO, UAB Health System and the UAB/SVHS Alliance

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UAB SCHOOL OF H E ALTH PROFE SS IONS / 2020 -2021 DE AN ' S RE PORT

2020-2021: Innovations to Outlast COVID // DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)

Expanding Inclusivity Beyond our School

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acism knows no boundaries. Learning knows no limits. Our faculty, staff and students benefited so much from participating in UAB diversity education courses that we found a way to offer these opportunities to our alumni for free. And many took full advantage.

Thanks to a partnership between the SHP Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and the UAB Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we are offering our alumni virtual DEI sessions where they earn Continuing Education Units (CEU) certificates from SHP for each session completed.

Focus Areas: ◗ Unconscious Bias – learning promising practices to reduce the common types of personal, cultural and social bias. ◗ Bystander Intervention – exploring potential barriers to action and widely accepted steps to action. ◗ Safe Zone – familiarization with current LGBTQ concepts and accessing reliable resources to create safer environments. ◗ Cultural Awareness Building Blocks – understanding the key concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion and strategies to help. ■

New Fund to Reduce Health Disparities Honors John Lewis

UAB Academy for Addressing Health Disparities Through Health Care Leadership Scholars

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n December 2020, the UAB Health System donated $25,000 to establish the John Lewis Health Equity Program Support Fund. The gift, in honor of the Alabama native and civil rights hero, supports the UAB Academy for Addressing Health Disparities Through Health Care Leadership.

The Academy, housed in our Department of Health Services Administration, is a summer enrichment program for undergraduate students aimed at reducing health disparities through the development of diverse, inclusive health care

leaders. The students who attend identify as Black, Latinx, Native American or multi-cultural; are from rural, urban, and other underserved communities; or are the first in their families to attend college or graduate school.

The immediate goal of the program is to increase the diversity of students entering graduate degree programs and better positioning them to help fight health disparities in Alabama and the U.S. The selected students, who will be called UAB John Lewis Health Equity Scholars, will be provided assistance with preparation of graduate school application materials and knowledge about the wide array of career opportunities including health care leadership, health policy, health informatics, health care quality and safety, public health, and more.

The Academy, which was created in 2017, also delivers direct exposure and access to leaders, organizations, and communities for first-hand lessons about the intersection of social determinants and health outcomes. The ultimate goal is to inspire the students so that they may work to get in “good trouble” and improve disparities through policy, organizational practice and leadership. ■ uab.edu/shp

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2020: Innovations to Outlast COVID // DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)

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Diversity Honors Awarded to Students, Staff and Faculty

ach semester, our dean honors students who have made significant efforts in DEI within their program, department, school or field.

In 2020, Dr. Butler extended this award to the faculty and staff level. These were awarded for the first time in March 2021. ■

2020 Student Recipients ◗ Victoria Trotter, DPT, Physical Therapy ◗ Alaina Hall, MSPAS, Physician Assistant Studies ◗ Rachel Thompson, BS, Health Care Management 2021 Faculty and Staff Recipients ◗ Carmen Capo-Lugo, Physical Therapy (Faculty) ◗ Claire Auriemma, Nutrition Sciences (Staff)

MSHA Diversity Champions

MSHA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Student Council

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n March 2021, our MS in Health Administration (MSHA) program had 27 students who received the UAB President’s Diversity Champion Award for student organizations. The students took the initiative to create the MSHA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Student Council whose purpose is to prioritize DEI as fundamental pillars of the MSHA program and bring heightened social awareness to program faculty, staff, alumni, and students.

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Though newly formed, the council has already hosted a virtual panel of alumni guests to discuss the dynamics of working in a multi-generational workforce, navigating careers as people of color, and the importance of being advocates for underrepresented groups.

This new DEI series provides the students with experience and develops specific tools for their success as inclusive leaders. ■

UAB SCHOOL OF H E ALTH PROFE SS IONS / 2020 -2021 DE AN ' S RE PORT

“I am impressed by their enthusiasm.

Their commitment to diversity will have a lasting impact on the leadership of health care organizations into the future and their work will continue long after they have graduated.”

T I F FA N Y C H A N E Y (MSHA Class 36) Chief Diversity Officer Baptist Health

SHP Wellness / DEI Celebration Trails

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he UAB School of Health Professions' Wellness and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committees collaborated to create the SHP Wellness/DEI Celebration Trails.

Each of these trails will lead you on a walking tour of Birmingham's murals and landmarks celebrating our history in the Civil Rights Movement and today's efforts for justice and healing.

We invite you to get outside and follow the trails! If you want to share your journey on social media, please tag us using #SHPtrails. ■ ➤ Visit go.uab.edu/shptrails to experience the journey!

55 Murals Across Multiple Locations ◗ Civil Rights District ◗ Railroad Park Area ◗ 2nd Ave North Area ◗ 3rd Ave North Area ◗ Pizitz Building Area ◗ Avondale Area ◗ Worth the Drive

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CONNECTIVITY

We embraced the opportunities that came with the pandemic. The increased comfort with virtual connections allowed us to engage people anywhere at any time. Because of this, our alumni activity participation doubled this past year.

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UAB SCHOOL OF H E ALTH PROFE SS IONS / 2020 -2021 DE AN ' S RE PORT

2020-2021: Innovations to Outlast COVID // CONNECTIVITY

Webinars Offer New Ways to Engage and Connect “COVID Corner allowed us to share knowledge with PTs who previously did not use cardiopulmonary skills in practice because we are seeing complications such as shortness of breath and altered vital signs even months after having COVID.”

Virtual Health: Re-Shaping the Delivery of Care “I wanted to participate and share my experience given my unique position sitting at the intersection of clinical care, operations, and technology. The transition to virtual care necessitated input from all three of those areas and as the Chief Medical Information Officer, I was able to offer guidance and feedback on many fronts. I hoped that my experience and lessons learned would be valuable to others within the UAB alumni community.”

JA K E L A N C AS TE R , M D (MSHA Class E50), Chief Medical Officer, Baptist Memorial Health Care, Memphis, TN

Webinar Topics ◗ Virtual Health: Re-Shaping Care Delivery ◗ Disaster Planning for Sustained Uncertainty ◗ Leaders’ Role in Racial Inequity ◗ Running an Organization while Working from Home ➤ go.uab.edu/hsawebinars

A S H L E Y PA R I S H PT, DPT, CRT Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy

COVID Corner

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OVID is unique in that it impacts patients no matter the setting. With this in mind, when the pandemic hit, the Department of Physical Therapy launched COVID Corner – a valuable set of informational videos to help physical therapists during that initial time of uncertainty.

Faculty members John Lowman, PT, PhD, CCS, and Ashley Parish, PT, DPT, CCS, are both fully involved members of the Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Section of the APTA and combined have decades of experience in this area. In May 2020, they hosted 11 videos that were viewed nearly 1,000 times. ■ ➤ uab.edu/pt uab.edu/shp

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2020-2021: Innovations to Outlast COVID // CONNECTIVITY

Socially Non-Distanced Stats Despite restrictions, we reached a record number of people through webinars, town halls, one-on-one Zooms, emails and more.

95%

43,204

Growth (since 2013)

Video Views

COVID concerns did not slow us down as virtual recruitment and open houses helped our student population increase for the 8th consecutive year.

We created 106 videos for orientation, battling the Quarantine 15, and more – our YouTube page had nearly 500,000 impressions.

2020 Social Media Favorites

LinkedIn:

Facebook:

Instagram

Twitter

Wellstar Paulding Hospital wins Baldrige Award

Profiles of the 5 Blazer Forever Scholarship winners

Virtual Open House for NMT and HP programs

Staffer earns degree despite hurdles

UAB School of Health Professions

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UAB SCHOOL OF H E ALTH PROFE SS IONS / 2020 -2021 DE AN ' S RE PORT

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INSTAGRAM TAKEOVER

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Influencer Talent Instagram Takeover

CYMI (in case you missed it) we achieved a squad goal by hosting our first SHP Instagram/Twitter Takeover. BTW, it was lit! TBH (to be honest) it was a huge hit IRL (in real life) and we are SMH (shaking my head) at the stats. For a typical Instagram post – we have around 100 likes. Tera Webb (instructor, MS in Clinical Laboratory Sciences) shared stories with 250 and 400 likes every time! A typical Tweet – we have around 4 likes and 1 RT. Tera’s top three posts averaged 72 Likes and 35 RTs! We are ¯\__/¯ ourselves for TFW (that feeling when) we realized we should have done this a long ago. A huge H/T (hat tip) to Tera and to Samantha Giordano-Mooga for being on fleek (extremely good) and crushing it! ■ ➤ Visit instagram.com/uab_shp to see their work

“I enjoyed highlighting the great things BMD is doing over Instagram and look forward to doing it again!!”

SAMANTHA GIORDANO -MOOGA, PHD Assistant Professor, Biomedical Sciences

uab.edu/shp

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SERVICE

“Living in a food desert there are a lot of challenges, and when you are also mobility challenged, it makes it that much harder. One-third of Bush Hills residents walk or use public transportation so having the garden right here makes it a vital and valuable community commodity.”

A P R I L M Y E R S W I L L I A M S , President, Bush Hills Community Garden & Urban Farm

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UAB SCHOOL OF H E ALTH PROFE SS IONS / 2020 -2021 DE AN ' S RE PORT

2020-2021: Innovations to Outlast COVID // SERVICE

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NCHPAD awards $20k community grants

ur National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD), part of the UABLakeshore Research Collaborative, has awarded several Birmingham communities a $20,000 grant funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD). The purpose of the grants are to create a virtual communitybased program promoting community engagement efforts with individuals with disabilities. It is part of NCHPAD’s new Mindfulness Exercise Nutrition To Optimize Resilience (MENTOR) program.

Bush Hills

The Bush Hills Community Garden & Urban Farm will provide weekly online and in person sessions about gardening, food preservation and preparation.They will also provide six elevated container beds within their community garden and four at the homes of homebound residents so people in wheelchairs, as well as seniors who struggle with mobility, can grow their own food. In addition, they will build container beds at the houses of four homebound residents and include the supplies and tools they need. ■

West Goldwire About 15 years ago, Cheryl Scott moved back to West Goldwire. The neighborhood was mostly unchanged – the veterans who were first time home buyers in the late 1960s were still there. But the average age is now 70- to 75-years-old so Scott sees this grant as a way to improve the community’s mobility and health.

The grant includes the NCHPAD team developing a training video with the proper intensity and exercises for this age group.

It will also help her purchase 10 portable exercise units – with a “hot spot” for connectivity – that neighbors can “check out” for use at their home. And they are looking at mountain bike trikes so they can enjoy the trails of their Red Mountain Park neighbors. ■

“As a community leader it's important to understand your community’s true needs.

The West Goldwire families still have strong neighborhood pride and this project helps meet their needs and the standards they set over 50 years ago.”

C H E RY L S C O T T, President, West Goldwire Neighborhood Association

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2020-2021: Innovations to Outlast COVID // SERVICE

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I3 Academy

n 2020, the department of Nutrition Sciences started working with the Birmingham-based 3 I Academy, a tuition-free, public charter school serving K-5 students in the Woodlawn community.

Tori Faught, a MS in Nutrition Sciences, Dietitian Education student, did her internship in the fall – the first semester the school opened. She was charged with creating a wellness policy that would follow the school’s lead in emphasizing focus on the student as a whole – nutritionally and physically. In an effort to cut down on sugary foods and drinks and to change students’ mindset toward food, Faught created a rewards system that included added privileges, free supplies, sports equipment and more.

Kelly Nguyen, a student in our BS in Biomedical Sciences program and a member of the SHP Undergraduate Research and Honors program, has spent spring semester 2021 studying the nutrient composition of their menus. She and her team are looking to make recommendations based on nutrients not specified with the USDA Child Nutrition Program guidelines – things like sugar and dietary fiber.

“This wasn’t my plan, but I landed in nutrition and now it is a love that just keeps going – so much that today I am the vice president of the Nutrition Club at UAB.” ■

“I didn’t want to work in a school system, but this opportunity came along during the pandemic and the George Floyd protests and I felt like God pulled my heart to Woodlawn. Once I got on campus and saw the amazing faculty and their passion for their children, I realized this was something bigger than myself.”

T O R I FA U G H T, Student, MS in Nutrition Sciences, Dietitian Education Program

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UAB SCHOOL OF H E ALTH PROFE SS IONS / 2020 -2021 DE AN ' S RE PORT

2020-2021: Innovations to Outlast COVID // SERVICE

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SHP Sitters Offer Virtual Childcare

head of the 2020 fall semester, Erin Ussery, a junior in our BS in Biomedical Sciences (BMD) program, had the idea to provide virtual babysitting for the faculty and staff of our School. More than a dozen students from the BMD program and our BS in Health Care Management (HCM) program attended the initial interest session and signed the Honor Code. Shortly thereafter they began offering enriching and engaging virtual babysitting sessions. “We are super excited to offer this – we gauge the parents’ availability and assess their child’s needs because our goal is to do whatever is most helpful during these difficult times," said Summerlyn Dyas, BS in Health Care Management. ■

ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: ◗ Coloring / Drawing ◗ Scavenger Hunts ◗ Tea Parties ◗ Madlibs / Verbal games ◗ Read / Tell Stories ◗ Song / Dance ◗ Studying

“The guests here could be your mother, sister, cousin or neighbor.

The notion that homeless women come from the “streets” is bygone.

They look just like us. Whether serving a meal here or contributing items – volunteers and donors' generosity tell homeless women and their children that they matter and have not been forgotten.”

D E B O R A H E V E R S O N , Director, Volunteer Services, First Light Shelter

SHP Holiday Drive – First Light Focus

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he SHP Staff Council hosted a Holiday Drive in December 2020 and received more than 500 items, which were donated to the Firehouse Ministries Shelter and the First Light Shelter.

First Light creates a safe, nurturing community for homeless women and their children. They want you to know that they are grateful for the contributions, but more than that, support is about connection. Over the years they also work to connect women in business with women in need and so much more. “The guests here could be your mother, sister, cousin or neighbor. The notion that homeless women come from the “streets” is bygone. They look just like us. Whether serving a meal here or contributing items – volunteers and donors' generosity tell homeless women and their children that they matter and have not been forgotten.”

Deborah Everson, Director, Volunteer Services, First Light Shelter ■ uab.edu/shp

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Occupational Therapy Students Making a Difference Magic Camp

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agic Camp 2020 was a uniquely magical experience. When the pandemic hit a few months earlier, someone simply asked the question “Could we do Magic Camp via zoom?” Turns out they could do it and do it well as they had 49 campers from nine states across the U.S. So the Department of Occupational Therapy started down the pathway of a virtual camp. Students, staff and faculty packed up tricks, t-shirts and magic wands and shipped them to campers. The OT students set up the weekly sessions and pre-recorded the end-of-camp Magic Show and everyone shared an evening watching the final performance.

“Traditionally the camp is a typical, in-person experience and we truly thought we would need to take a break for COVID, but this camp was a great success so Virtual Magic Camp was born and will be here to stay. We now know we can engage young people across the country and our goal is to have campers from overseas!”

G AV I N J E N K I N S , P h D, Chair, Department of Occupational Therapy

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UAB SCHOOL OF H E ALTH PROFE SSIONS / 2020 -2021 DE AN ' S RE PORT

2020-2021: Innovations to Outlast COVID // SERVICE Lunch For Front Line OTs

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“OT students, understand the complexities of occupational injustices and how they can negatively impact the client.

We believe it's our role to assist in combating injustices so does the Free Store which is why we selected them.”

uring summer 2020, the world witnessed the determination and bravery that healthcare professionals demonstrated with each patient.

Darian Bester, second-year MSOT student, proposed the idea of providing lunch to the occupational therapists that work at UAB Acute Care. The SOTA team was able to provide lunch for 33 occupational therapists and 8 occupational therapy fieldwork students thanks to individuals who supported past SOTA fundraising events.

Supporting OT Advocates

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very year UAB SOTA hosts fundraisers to support members traveling to the AOTA Annual Conference & Expo where they network and build their future. When the 2020 conference was canceled, the SOTA board found another way to support their members’ future careers – with a donation to the AOTPAC. When the pandemic first hit, there were no telehealth reimbursements and nobody knew if the pandemic would last a month, let alone a year.

And as the MSOT seniors enter the workforce, they saw a scheduled nine percent cut in therapy reimbursements only reduced three percent – a move they credit to their advocates.

Offender Alumni Association

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he Groups and Committees course series matches students with community organizations for service-learning projects every year. The students spend the summer orienting to the organization and collaboratively they come up with a project that they execute during the fall and spring semesters. The students learn how occupational therapy can be applied on a systems or organization level. For the past three years, students have collaborated with the Offender Alumni Association, a non-profit network of former offenders dedicated to reducing recidivism and building healthy community relationships.

Students have helped improve the OAA’s Heroes in the Hood program through evaluation, data collection and creation of a facilitator manual. The partnership is supported by a grant from UAB’s One Great Community program.

DA R I A N B E S T E R , Community Engagement Chair, UAB SOTA

Red Barn and Birmingham Free Store Supply Drives

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n 2020-21 SOTA and the UAB Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD) developed supply drives to benefit the Red Barn, a non-profit organization that utilizes equestrian services as therapy for children of low-income and the Birmingham Free Store, where everything in the store is free, helping to meet the immediate needs of individuals within the community. Students and staff collected supplies such as bottled water, paper towels, toilet, paper, hand sanitizer and more. ■

COTAD & SOTA students at drop off uab.edu/shp

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2020-2021: Innovations to Outlast COVID // SERVICE

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BMD Students Participate in Service Learning

very fall semester, Kristin Chapleau, MaE, program manager and instructor, BS in Biomedical Sciences (BMD) program, teaches two classes of "HRP 101: Experiencing the University Transition for Health Professions" to SHP freshmen. The course, which includes service-learning and Team Based Learning components, assigns a community partner to the teams. Even during the pandemic, 14 class teams supported 11 community partners.

Oak Knoll Health and Rehabilitation

A Delivering Goodie Bags

s you can imagine, the residents of this long-term care and rehabilitation facility have been rather lonely during the pandemic. Their student team raised more than $250 through social media and received in-kind donations of 100+ beanie’s and socks.

The students made Thanksgiving bags for the 100 residents and candy bags for the 75 employees.

Blazer Kitchen

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ne team raised $540 to cover the cost of the watering system for the new Blazer Kitchen community garden. They even volunteered their time to work in the garden. Another team raised more than $400 to purchase personal hygiene products for Blazer Kitchen. Both teams implemented creative tactics to raise funds including social media challenges.

UAB Benevolent Fund

T Community Garden Work

his group of students created a PSA style video that is being used to highlight three of their member organizations: March of Dimes, United Ability, and Oasis. This team also created and donated murals for each of these organizations.

A Magical Moment for Everyone

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Magical Moment for All

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agic Moments is the only wish granting organization devoted exclusively to creating magic moments in the lives of children in Alabama with chronically life-threatening medical conditions.

One BMD team fundraised with a virtual “Water Balloon Your Favorite BMD Faculty” event that made a big splash in many different ways. The money they raised, helped offset the cost of a Magic Moment for a young man named Jaxson to go to Disney World.

The team also planned the reveal of Jaxson’s Magic Moment. They surprised Jaxson with a parade full of signs, decorations and family members, arranged to have UAB cheerleaders, Blaze, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Our students even arranged donations from the UAB Bookstore to give Jaxson a UAB goody basket filled with toys and a Bill Clark autographed UAB football and jersey. ■

UAB SCHOOL OF H E ALTH PROFE SS IONS / 2020 -2021 DE AN ' S RE PORT

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Health Services Administration - MLK Day of Service

tudents in our MS in Health Administration program (Class 56) had a “day on” rather than a “day off” on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Ibukun Afon, U.D. Igwe, Malik Oden, Rashidatu Olorunsola, JaMyiah Stovall, and Rana Webb, joined the Black Warrior Riverkeeper and Cahaba Riverkeeper teams at Shadow Lawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Established in 1889, Shadow Lawn is the largest African American cemetery in Birmingham. Among the more well-known interred at Shadow Lawn include Denise McNair, one of the four girls killed in the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, Dolphus Shields, a great-great-grandfather of Former First Lady Michelle Obama, and Wilbert Thirkield “Big Chief” Ellis, a blues pianist and vocalist. Care for the cemetery is maintained by Shadow Lawn Memorial Gardens Maintenance and Perpetual Care Association and relies heavily on volunteers for upkeep.

MSHA students were moved to help because of the historical significance of the cemetery and the need for revitalization of this key black cemetery. ■ Photo by Ibukun Afon

“One of my favorite MLK quotes is: ‘Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.’ Serving alongside people of all different walks of life resonates deeply as we continue to realize and embody the dream of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” I B U KO N A F O N , Student, MSHA Class 56

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EDUCATION

“Preceptors are essential members of our teaching-learning team. Their wisdom, advocacy and support help students through the critical transition from classroom theory to real-world practice.”

C H R I S T Y H A R R I S L E M A K , P h D, Chair, Department of Health Services Administration

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UAB SCHOOL OF H E ALTH PROFE SS IONS / 2020 -2021 DE AN ' S RE PORT

2020-2021: Innovations to Outlast COVID // EDUCATION

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Preceptors and Interns: Lifelong Impact

he clinical experience is a critical component to our students’ education, just like our highly-trained students can play a vital role in a clinic. This is a symbiotic relationship where each impacts the other positively for the long-term. In addition, many see being a preceptor as a responsibility to help those who come after them to rise up to their full potential. We hope you feel the same after you see these stories.

Nutrition Sciences (MS & PhD)

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hen the pandemic hit, Maggie Sappington (DI, 2020) was a student in our MS in Nutrition Sciences, Clinical Track/Dietetic Internship program and needed to finish up her internship requirements.

Opportunities were severely limited when Lee Stowers, a preceptor and a member of UAB Sports Nutrition (better known as Blazer Fuel) gave her a call about working with athletics. This was not “in” gastroenterology as Sappington hoped, but she quickly learned in many ways, it was all about GI. She also quickly fell in love with sports nutrition and is now a paid trainee with Blazer Fuel and a co-preceptor for Nutrition Sciences students. “I spend a lot of time talking to the players so I can know who they are – do they have food issues or food allergies or food insecurity?

Building those relationships helps me better support their nutritional needs," said Maggie. ■

“I get to see my patients every day, which does not happen in a clinic. I can work with them on long-term goals and see behavioral changes that make them stronger players and healthier people.”

L E E S T OW E R S , Student, PhD in Nutrition Sciences, preceptor, Blazer Fuel

Physician Assistant Studies “It has been one of the best decisions I've made regarding my practice of medicine. I really enjoy the interaction with the students. I am so impressed with their preparation before they start their clinical rotations. In addition, the politeness and enthusiasm the students display is not lost on my patients. Often when I enter a room without a student - a patient will ask ‘Where is your student?’ There is no greater compliment to your program than this.”

R AYMOND BROWN, MD, Mayfair Internal Medicine, 2019 Preceptor of the Year uab.edu/shp

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2020-2021: Innovations to Outlast COVID // EDUCATION

“It is tough to transition from being a student to actually being in charge of someone’s care. I want to provide a safe environment where they can handle this without feeling overwhelmed, which will lead to success for them and their clients.”

WILL SCOGIN (DPT, 2016), Clinical Instructor, Iron City Physical Therapy

Doctor of Physical Therapy

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ron City Physical Therapy has long supported clinical rotations for our Doctor of Physical Therapy students and employs several of our alumni. Alumni clinical instructors, like Will Scogin, understand where DPT students are coming from and they know their strengths and weaknesses. They also understand that practicing on classmates is much different than seeing a patient who is really in pain. The CI and student relationship is critical in development as the young practitioners move up from student to graduate to caregiver. ■

“With Will (Scogin) I feel like I have a personal teacher who knows me and will challenge me and push me to get out of my comfort zone so I become a better physical therapist in practice.”

AMBER WARE, 3rd-year Student, Doctor of Physical Therapy program

MS in Genetic Counseling

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rom day one, Taylor McClinchey felt like part of the Oregon Health and Science University team. Even virtually, she found her authentic counselor self with patients and absorbed the intricacies of her profession. “I feel I learned even more because Lauren (Turner) spent extra time with shared screens to make sure I saw and understood everything.” ■ TAY L O R M C C L I N C H E Y, second-year GC Student

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UAB SCHOOL OF H E ALTH PROFE SS IONS / 2020 -2021 DE AN ' S RE PORT

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Classroom Upgrades

uring the pandemic, we upgraded 14 classrooms in our Learning Resource Center, the SHP Building, and the Susan Mott Webb Nutrition Sciences Building. Phase I is complete and each room is now a “Smart Classroom” with new ADA compliant instructor stations that raise and lower, ADA compliant assisted listening systems, wireless systems for presentations, video/audio adapter kits and more. Phase II will upgrade seven more classrooms in the LRC and SHPB with new audio/visual systems and components. Phase III of the upgrades will install room microphones across all classrooms to allow for student participation in online discussions. We are proud to provide these state-of-the-art upgrades that will enhance the learning experience for all of those we reach. ■ ➤ Visit uab.edu/shp/news to learn more!

uab.edu/shp

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RESEARCH

“This is a game-changer. We have not seen this degree of weight loss with any previous medication.”

W. T I M O T H Y G A RV E Y, M D, Butterworth Professor of Medicine in the Department of Nutrition Sciences

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UAB SCHOOL OF H E ALTH PROFE SS IONS / 2020 -2021 DE AN ' S RE PORT

2020-2021: Innovations to Outlast COVID // RESEARCH

Our scientists made national headlines with their work on the GuideSafe™ Exposure Notification App – a powerful tool in the fight against COVID-19. But we made other discoveries and launched even more research during the pandemic.

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New ‘Game-Changing’ Weight-Loss Drug

etween 1960 and 2010, the prevalence of adult obesity in the U.S. nearly tripled, to 36 percent from 13 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But a new weight-loss drug that produced jawdropping clinical trial results in 2021, may be the ammunition needed to help reverse a decadeslong losing battle.

Semaglutide, an injectable drug already approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes, produced moderate weight loss at its dose of 1 milligram weekly. The new trials at UAB and other medical centers around the country, known as STEP, were studying the potential of a higher dose, 2.4 mg.

The results, released in February, were important enough to warrant prominent placement in the New England Journal of Medicine for the STEP 1 trial results and Journal of the American Medical Association for STEP 3 trial results, and a major feature in the New York Times.

Participants lost an average of 37 pounds through the combination of semaglutide and behavioral intervention in the STEP 3 trial.

“This is a game-changer,” said UAB’s Timothy Garvey, M.D., co-author of the JAMA article and Butterworth Professor of Medicine in our Department of Nutrition Sciences. “We have not seen this degree of weight loss with any previous medication. More than 50 percent of trial participants are losing 15 percent of their body weight, and anywhere between a third and 40 percent of participants are losing 20 percent of their body weight. That is beginning to close the gap with bariatric surgery. I think this truly gives us a very powerful tool to treat obesity as a disease.”

The effects extend beyond weight loss. Garvey says high-dose semaglutide (2.4 mg/weekly) could prevent and treat diabetes, cardiovascular disease and related complications, including osteoarthritis and sleep apnea. That is because patients receiving semaglutide “are not just losing X number of pounds, but really improving their health,” Garvey said.

This is consistent with the Obesity Treatment Guidelines published by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology, for which Garvey served as lead author. These guidelines advocate for a complications-centric approach.

“That means treating and preventing the consequences and complications of their obesity that are responsible for impairing health: preventing progression to diabetes, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis and things like that,” Garvey said. “If approved, semaglutide 2.4 mg has the potential to really change the way we think about treating this disease of obesity.”

Novo Nordisk, the company that manufactures the lower dose for diabetes known as Ozempic, plans to apply for FDA approval of the higher dose for treatment of obesity later this year, Garvey says. And STEP 3 was not the only semaglutide trial at UAB. “We are one of the sites in a longer-term international study to see if semaglutide prevents cardiovascular events and mortality,” Garvey said. “We are also looking at this drug over two years of treatment as opposed to the one-year time course of the current study. There are more trials planned with this medication, and we are involved in several of them, in addition to other classes of promising medications in development for obesity.” ■

Article written by Matt Windsor, UAB University Relations uab.edu/shp

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2020-2021: Innovations to Outlast COVID // RESEARCH

$1.5m Grant for AI-Assisted Telehealth Platform For People With Disabilities

M

ohanraj Thirumalai, PhD, assistant professor in Health Services Administration, has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research.

The three-year grant, titled “AI4CHRON = An Accessible and Inclusive Artificial Intelligence Assisted Chronic Diseases Self-Management Telehealth Platform,” is looking to create a scalable solution

that can be used by any person anywhere in the United States.

Thirumalai was inspired by the recent trend in customer service of convergent or omnichannel communications, when the customer can reach out through a variety of platforms — phone, email, text, chat, etc.

— and continuity is maintained.

This is difficult for people with disabilities because, even if they share a disability, their individual symptoms or scenario may be different.

“We will be working to allow for people with disabilities to be able to choose the method, the frequency and the length of how they communicate, and to make this possible, there will be a layer of artificial intelligence-supported natural language processing layers,” Thirumalai said.

The project includes

collaborators from three different UAB schools: Andrea Cherrington, M.D., associate professor and obesity researcher in the Division of Preventive Medicine; Cathy Roche, Ph.D., R.N., assistant professor in the School of Nursing; and Amanda Willig, Ph.D., R.D., associate professor in the Division of Infectious Medicine.

“We can do the most complex solution that takes the most amount of time and the most amount of money, but the problem is you cannot scale that solution. Yes, it works; but then it is only available to a small number of people,” Thirumalai said. “If you really want to scale a solution and impact a lot of people, you want to have the optimal level of usability, time and cost, and that is our ultimate goal in this research.” ■

“We can do the most complex solution that takes the most amount of time and the most amount of money, but the problem is you cannot scale that solution. Yes, it works; but then it is only available to a small number of people. If you really want to scale a solution and impact a lot of people, you want to have the optimal level of usability, time and cost, and that is our ultimate goal in this research.”

M O H A N R AJ TH I RU M A L A I , Ph D, Assistant Professor, Health Services Administration

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UAB SCHOOL OF H E ALTH PROFE SS IONS / 2020 -2021 DE AN ' S RE PORT

2020-2021: Innovations to Outlast COVID // RESEARCH

Inaugural SHP Faculty Grants Awarded

I

n 2021, we launched two new faculty grants – a Junior Faculty Research Grant to assist nontenure, non-CCI, below professor ranked faculty and an Outstanding Collaborative Unit Grant to encourage new, innovative and cutting-edge ideas and multidisciplinary connections.

The inaugural winner of the Junior award was Matt Ithurburn, PhD, assistant professor, Physical Therapy, for his proposal: “Temporal Associations Between Daily Physical Activity and Daily Pain in Individuals with Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome: A Pilot Study.”

The inaugural winner of the Collaborative award was Haiyan Qu, PhD, associate professor, Health Services Administration, for her proposal: “Develop a Home-based Multimodal Prehabilitation Program for Potential Liver Transplant (LT) Candidates.”

“Haiyan and Matt are passionate scientists who are committed to discovering new ways to strengthen health and health care in their areas of expertise – they are the prototypical researchers we are excited to support each year with these grants.”

A N D R E W J. B UTLE R , Ph D Dean, UAB School of Health Professions

In addition to awarding the grants each year, the School of Health Professions will host an annual school-wide Town Hall session where the previous years’ winners will provide details on new advancements of their funded research projects. ■

Grant to Study HIV Testing and Homelessness

S

arah Tucker, PhD, program director, Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy – PostProfessional, has been awarded a grant to study Birmingham homelessness and HIV testing.

Tucker has been a faculty member at UAB since 2013 and she has served as the OT faculty liaison for the SHP Firehouse Shelter Clinic, which serves Birmingham’s homeless community.

The grant comes from the Center for the Study of Community Health, which is housed in the UAB School of Public Health. ■ uab.edu/shp

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S H P BY T H E N U M B E R S Our school has witnessed unparalleled student growth – 95% increase since 2013 – and we credit this to the efforts of our fully committed faculty and staff.

2,629

TOTAL STUDENTS

234

FACULTY / STAFF

1,270 undergraduate 1,359 graduate

2,106 in-state students 523 out-of-state students

93%

RETENTION RATE (UAB 94.8%)

83%

SIX-YEAR GRAD RATE (UAB 63.2%)

120 FACULTY

114 STAFF

29 professors 32 associate professors 53 assistant professors 6 instructors

74 administration staff 40 research staff

Research Awards We have scientists dedicated to discovery in all departments. Their efforts are exemplified by the doubling of our funding since 2016.

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2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

$21,352,205

$20,649,583

$19,556,192

$13,239,333

$10,668,175

UAB SCHOOL OF H E ALTH PROFE SS IONS / 2020 -2021 DE AN ' S RE PORT

MAKE A LASTING DIFFERENCE! Scholarships are a top priority for our school.

There is no greater investment and no greater impact on students than a scholarship.

SCHOLARSHIP NUMBERS SINCE 2015

24

scholarships created 2015-19

29

scholarships created 2019-21

342

student scholarships awarded

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