TRAILBLAZERS ISSUE
SNAPSHOTS UAB School of Health Professions • Impressions of Alumni Excellence • Spring 2019 E-Magazine
GET INVOLVED
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
ALUMNI IN ACTION
SHP ALUMNI FEATURE
{ SNAPSHOTS }
Impressions of SHP Alumni Excellence • Spring 2019
SHP NEWS ➤ Andrew J. Butler, PhD, MPT, MBA, named SHP dean. He comes to UAB on July 1 from Georgia State University.
The Versatility of Practitioners
It is always interesting to see buzz word descriptions finally catch up with the great work of our alumni. Take Amanda Phillips for example – converting cars for children to use is today’s “life hack”; or Rusty English – who became a “value proposition” himself; or Jennifer Taylor Agricola – with “transformative” work for a Ugandan orphanage; or Gigi Carter – causing “disruption” with her plant-based workplace efforts or Chris and Megan Davis taking “functional fitness” beyond client expectations. But if you look beyond the catchy phrases and you drop the labels you see one word that defines each of these, as well as the majority of School of Health Professions’ alumni – versatility. In this issue of Snapshots we look at the ability of our alumni to successfully and simultaneously adapt, solve complex problems, and accomplish a variety of goals. We hope their stories inspire you, the way they’ve inspired us.
➤ MSHA is the new #1 in U.S. News & World Report rankings for Best Grad Schools in Health Care Management. ➤ Doctorre McDade, (first cohort in MS in Healthcare Simulation) wins the Student Division of the UAB Graduate School’s Say it In 6 competition. ➤ For the latest news visit: uab.edu/shp/news
Join our GLOBAL CONVERSATION on your favorite MEDIA OUTLET. /uabshp
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Go. Give. Serve. Your SHP education is the foundation that built your future. Today, the place that helped build your future offers many ways for you to help build others’ futures.
GET INVOLVED MAY 8: Graduate Programs in
Health Administration Alumni Reception – Knoxville, TN
GIVE BACK ONLINE: uab.edu/shp/give
HOST Breakfast with Blazers
PHONE: Answer the call
GIVE a guest lecture
MAY 11: National Alumni Society
Run – Birmingham, AL
from a student in the Annual Giving Office or call us at 205-996-5469
MAY 19: PA Reception, AAPA -
MAIL: Send a check
Denver, CO
JUNE 7: DSc 10th Anniversary -
Birmingham, AL
JUNE 20: UAB Excellence in
Business Top 25 - Birmingham, AL
See all upcoming events! Visit our event page: uab.edu/shpevents
SERVE OTHERS
ESTATE: Leave a legacy
with a planned gift
MATCH: Ask your employer
to match your gift
Make a difference! Contact Katie Adams: katiedav@uab.edu
BECOME a preceptor
or clinical instructor BE a mentor
WRITE welcome notes
to incoming students PARTICIPATE in one
of our many service opportunities
Get involved today! Contact Amanda Sherman: asherman@uab.edu
DON’T MISS OUT: update your contact info at uab.edu/shp/alumni to receive alumni news & more.
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2019 SHP ALUMNI AWARDS DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI • YOUNG ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT • ALUMNI SERVICE
Visit uab.edu/SHPAlumniAwards to nominate our best and brightest alumni — deadline is October 15.
SHP ALUMNI E-MAGAZINE • SPRING 2019
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ALUMNI RECOGNITION
Alumni Excellence Our alumni are consistently recognized for service to their professions and to others — here are some of our most recent honorees.
Jana Cason, OT 1988, received the AOTA Emerging and Innovative
ACHE Early Careerist Healthcare Executive Award
Practice Award Peter Yen, ExecMSHA Class E52, was awarded as Preceptor of the Year for the Physician Assistant Studies program Kidada Hawkins, MSHA Class 41, was named as an African American Leader in healthcare by Becker’s Hospital Review Candice Saunders, MSHA Class 24, was selected as a Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Women Leaders
Caroline Sarratt, MSHA Class 45, Florida ACHE Chapter
Lee Ann Benson, MSHA Class 39, Tennessee ACHE Chapter
Katie Carpenter Sturhr, MSHA Class 44, Alabama ACHE Chapter
PT Alumni who earned Specialist Certifications Ashley Parish (DPT, 2013)
Fred Gilbert (DPT, 2015)
Ryan Babl (DPT, 2010)
Toshio Sidney-Ando Leeper
Dana Daniel Blake
(DPT, 2012)
(PT, 1995)
Kimberly Monk (DPT, 2010)
Brent Congo (PT, 2001)
Elizabeth Moore (DPT, 2013)
Michael DuBois (DPT, 2014)
Josh Smith (DPT, 2015)
Dominique Forte (DPT, 2015)
Aaron Weeks (DPT, 2014)
Melissa Donaldson, MS, RD, LD, SNS received the 2019 Outstanding Preceptor Award from the Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors (NDEP) group and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation
SHARE YOUR SUCCESS: Tell us about your honors & achievements. shpalumni@uab.edu • 205-975-8415.
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ALUMNI RECOGNITION
Alumni in Action Oh the places our alumni go! No place is too far or too close for our alumni to get together.
CSM — Washington, DC
HSA GPHA Networking Reception — Washington, DC
Physical Therapy alumni and faculty at the American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sections Meeting
Health Services Administration alumni gathered to connect over dinner.
JAB Retreat — Birmingham, AL
HIMSS Networking Luncheon — Orlando, FL
SHP Junior Advisory Board Annual Retreat to connect and brainstorm new ideas for the coming year while having a little fun.
Health Services Administration alumni and friends at the annual HIMSS Conference.
AOTA Annual Conference — New Orleans, LA OT alumni “laissez le bon temps rouler” at our reception in the Big Easy.
ACHE Reception — Chicago, IL
Envision Conference — Birmingham, AL
Anjali Upadhyaya (MSHA Class 52), Corey Lovelace (HCM 2011; MSHA Class 47), Carolyn Hunter (MSHA Class 48)
LVR alumni share memories and laughs following the conference held at UAB.
SHP ALUMNI E-MAGAZINE • SPRING 2019
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ALUMNI FEATURE
BLAZING NEW TRAILS The path to success is never a straight road – career tracks can encounter potholes, detours, and crashes. We introduce you to SHP alumni who navigated obstacles and leaned into curves and ultimately traveled to a non-traditional health care victory lane.
RUSTY ENGLISH (MSHA Class 40, 2007) Navy Appropriations Legislative Liaison for the Defense Health Program
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usty English is presently the Navy Appropriations Legislative Liaison for the Defense Health Program (DHP) and Military Personnel, Navy (MPN) portfolios. “I’ve always believed that you shouldn’t go to work to make a living, but to make a difference.” English, alumnus of the M.S. in Health Administration program (Class 40), is not like most people. For most people, you mention the U.S. Navy and visions of aircraft carriers or Top Gun or seeing the world come to mind. For English – who vividly remembers the passenger plane hitting the World Trade Center second tower – something else came to mind. “While there were many factors that led me to Navy Medicine, one rises above the rest – The Desire to Serve,” said English. “All of us in health care made a choice to serve people; I wanted to serve our sailors, Marines, and their families who made the choice to serve our Country.” He is not surprised the MSHA program was recently ranked #1 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in the category of Best Grad Schools in Health Care Management. English says UAB’s education is top notch, but only one dimension of the benefit. He pointed out that the program goes beyond the classroom with rotations, a strategic management project, and a fellowship that prepared him “to immediately bring experience to the decision-making table, and add value to the organization from day one.” English graduated the MSHA program in the spring of 2007 and reported to duty at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) that summer. He calls the experience he gained as a business manager and administrative officer “phenomenal”, but says it was the mentorship he received that will always stand out. And because of that, it is his first – and best – advice to everyone.
“Have mentors - several of them, and never hesitate to bounce things off of them. Have the courage and humility to challenge your own views, and welcome criticism – it builds transparency and trust,” said English. “Then pay it forward – take care of those around you, and always – no matter how busy you are – develop your team, and make time for your people.” At each tour stop, English was giving more responsibility including being the Comptroller and Director for Resource Management (CFO) at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. His active duty service culminated as part of the Continuing Promise 2015 Mission, when the USNS COMFORT (one of the Navy’s hospital ships) deployed to Central and South America for 6 months on a global health engagement mission. “For the medical engagements, we would set-up and operate surgical and medical sites, at times seeing over 1,800 patients per day,” said English. “Many of those memories are still vivid today including one in Buenaventura, Columbia. Our Medical Team of about 100 people, turned the corner approaching the site and a crowd estimated in excess of 3,000 people broke out into cheering and waving thousands of hand-held American flags. It was an incredibly rewarding and emotional moment.” These are events English never would have experienced had he taken the traditional route as a hospital administrator. And that is his final piece of advice – create your own path and your own future.
“Don’t chase other people’s definition of success. Take the time to develop your personal vision – know what makes you happy, and “get after it”!
SHP ALUMNI E-MAGAZINE • SPRING 2019
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JENNY TAYLOR AGRICOLA (MSOT, 2006; LVR, 2007) Lead SCI Therapist, Spain Rehabilitation Center Founder, Our Hope International • ourhopeinternational.com
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enny Taylor Agricola is an occupational therapist and the lead SCI therapist at Spain Rehabilitation Center as well as the founder and director of Our Hope International. “Our Hope impacts people. The children’s lives are different because of Our Hope and those who visit the orphanage leave changed because of the joy of helping a child be healthy and well.” As an undergraduate student, Jenny Taylor Agricola was completing observation hours while exploring what she wanted to do. While observing occupational therapists, she watched them work with a patient who wanted to be able to type on a keyboard again so they could return to work. “I loved the functional aspect of this,” said Agricola. “As an OT, you work on specific tasks that an individual wants to accomplish.” In so many ways, Agricola’s statement is about more than just her career choice – it is about the essence of who she is as a person. In 2011, while on a mission trip in Uganda, she visited Home of Hope – a home for children and an orphanage for special needs children. “I met the director, Edith Lukabwe, and the 25 amazing children living there at that point and I knew I wanted to do more after the trip ended,” said Agricola. Shortly after she returned, Agricola founded Our Hope International with fellow UAB OT alumna Leslie Simms (MSOT 2006; LVR Certificate 2007) and husband Ryan. From humble beginnings in 2011, the organization has grown to include a 10-member board and a 16-member junior board. Even more impressive, the Our Hope International has more than doubled the number of children they serve, with 66 children at Home of Hope today.
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Though it sounds simple and easy, she says it was at times difficult and challenging, yet totally rewarding. “The biggest challenge was learning and understanding the culture. I had to figure out the best way to approach tasks and I had to resist the urge of just wanting to fix things,” said Agricola. “It was important for me to foster relationships more than push my thoughts and ideas. I had to understand what was feasible. I could share my knowledge, skills, activities, etc., but if they weren’t able to keep up the momentum then it wouldn’t be helpful.” Over the years she has witnessed countless memorable moments – so many that she says it is hard to choose one that is the best. However, one of her favorites is when her husband (then fiancé) Corey visited Uganda for the first time. “Everyone welcomed him with open arms,” says Agricola. “And at our wedding, the group of women who have traveled with me to Uganda and Edith danced in traditional gomesi dresses and this solidified my view that Our Hope is a family.” Her best advice to someone seeking a nontraditional path:
“Find a mentor, someone who has been there and who has done similar work. Most of all, follow what you feel you are led to do and take it one step at a time.”
UAB OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY “Our Hope impacts people. The children’s lives are different because of Our Hope and those who visit the orphanage leave changed because of the joy of helping a child be healthy and well.”
Agricola’s organization has grown to include a 10-member board and a 16-member junior board. Plus, the number of children served has grown from 25 to 66.
AMANDA PHILLIPS (DPT, 2005) Pediatric Physical Therapist, Children’s of Alabama
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manda Phillips is a pediatric physical therapist at Children’s of Alabama and a member of the Go Baby Go Birmingham Chapter. “I get to see kids accomplish things their parents never thought possible and see kids’ reactions to new movements and milestones that thrill them.” As a pediatric physical therapist for more than a decade, Amanda Phillips knows that studies show a developing child gets around 500 hours of play per year while a child with disabilities only gets around 100 hours of play per year. So when she heard fellow UAB PT alumna Mary Beth Moses (MSPT, 1989) was hosting a Go Baby Go training session at the Bell Center for Early Intervention Programs in Birmingham she knew she had to attend. Go Baby Go is a nationwide program whose members modify electric toy cars into personalized vehicles for young children with various conditions, such as Down syndrome or cerebral palsy. At this initial meeting there was interest in starting a Go Baby Go Birmingham chapter. Adair Fuller (DPT, 2018), who at the time was a UAB Doctor of Physical Therapy student, took the initiative to launch the local chapter. Since the initial build at the Bell Center, this group of volunteers has brought mobility to around 20 children. “The best part is watching the kids move the car for the first time – many of them have NEVER felt movement,” said Phillips. “They are initially scared because they don’t know what it is – they often cry then laugh and are so excited – the moment is beautiful.” The Go Baby Go Birmingham chapter completes a build about once every three months. Phillips plays a primary role in gathering patients – late toddlers in the two- to five-year-old range – and they work with the children and families focusing on the link to cognition and mobility.
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Phillips says her UAB PT education prepared her for every aspect of this effort. The group work (“as much as I didn’t like it” she says) was so valuable because more than just her colleagues, it helps her work with parents of patients. UAB also taught her to think about how to realistically help a family accomplish what their child needs within their resources. She knows each family has a unique amount of time, finances, knowledge, etc., so she is focused on bettering the child by providing an individualized, realistic family plan. Understanding resource limitations has also been a big help in her work with the Go Baby Go Birmingham chapter. They are funded through community donations – which is always a challenge – but it is not a challenge Phillips shies away from. “I love that what we do is cheap and effective,” said Phillips. “At this time, we don’t turn away therapist referrals and we don’t want to. We’re fulfilling a true need in a way that works.” Phillips also loves the generosity she sees from her fellow Go Baby Go members – they are all volunteers – and the generosity of those she serves. Recently, grandparents of one of her patients made a generous contribution to the Children’s of Alabama PT department – she says the gift, like her work, is humbling.
“It’s humbling daily because people trust me with their kids,” said Phillips. “There is always speaking and awards, which are nice, but ultimately – it’s the day-to-day interaction that is most memorable.”
The Go Baby Go Birmingham chapter completes a build every three months — Since the initial build, this group has brought mobility to around 20 children.
“I love that what we do is cheap and effective, at this time, we don’t turn away therapist referrals and we don’t want to. We’re fulfilling a true need in a way that works.”
UAB PHYSICAL THERAPY
GIGI CARTER (NS, 2017) Business Consultant and Individual Coach • mytrueself.com
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igi Carter is a business consultant and individual coach for plant-based nutrition as well as author of the book The PlantBased Workplace: Add Profits, Engage Employees and Save the Planet. “By helping clients, I am not just helping them but I am making an impact on their family and friends as well.” Gigi Carter loves this quote from Aristotle: “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” So in 2012, she took a good long look at herself. At the end of her self-evaluation she decided to adopt a whole-food, plant-based diet. “It changed me physically to where my health improved; It gave me significantly more energy and I took up cycling and started racing; and it changed me emotionally and spiritually to where I came to realize that I was finally living my values,” said Carter. And then, after 22 years of building a career, working hard and sacrificing, and climbing the corporate ladder – she walked (actually it was more like she ran) away from it all. “During my time as an operations manager, I witnessed the impact chronic disease has on employees because much of the workforce had diseases such as diabetes,” said Carter. “In particular, there was a gentleman who was worried about his father who had another amputation due to diabetes, and I knew that he was concerned about his future as well. I realized there were many pieces to that environment that were backwards – like giving sausage biscuits as rewards for productivity – and I decided something needed to be done and that I would be the one to do it.” Shortly after this, Carter enrolled at UAB in the M.S. in Nutrition Sciences – Lifestyle Management and Disease Prevention (LMDP) Track. She chose UAB over all other programs because of the
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reputation and credibility of the program. She chose the LMDP Track because it trains graduates to work within a multi-professional team to assist in the design, development, and dissemination of comprehensive nutrition and health programs that promote wellness to reduce the burden of chronic diseases on communities. In 2016, Carter established her company My True Self where she offers corporate consulting services to help businesses transition to a plantbased workplace and individual coaching that is customized for each person to help achieve personal health and wellness goals and objectives. In 2017, Carter graduated from UAB. She says the strength of the program gave her confidence, validation, and an immense comprehension of nutrition. So much so – in 2018, she published her first book The Plant-Based Workplace: Add Profits, Engage Employees and Save the Planet. Carter says none of today’s success would have happened if she hadn’t made one change in her past. “I changed what was on the end of my fork and it changed my life,” said Carter. “Not only did it make me healthier, but I opened up as a person and that helped me break through my perceived barriers to success.” And although it was one change that catalyzed the many changes, Carter tells those seeking something unique:
“Don’t expect everything to happen quickly. Get in the right frame of mind and be in it for the long haul – it will take time, but it can happen.”
UAB NUTRITION SCIENCES “I changed what was on the end of my fork and it changed my life, not only did it make me healthier, but I opened up as a person and that helped me break through my perceived barriers to success.�
In 2018, Gigi published her first book The Plant-Based Workplace: Add Profits, Engage Employees and Save the Planet.
MEGAN AND CHRIS DAVIS Megan Davis (NS, 2011), Chris Davis (DPT, 2014) Co-Founders/Owners, TriForce CrossFit
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hris and Megan Davis own TriForce CrossFit in St. Augustine, Florida. A non-traditional move for a couple who admit they “hated” CrossFit, or at least their perception of CrossFit – the random workouts, the constant Facebook posts, and the injury reputation. But that was before they looked closely at the program. And before they realized, that with their educational backgrounds, they could change CrossFit misperceptions by opening their own gym. Megan is an alumna of our M.S. in Nutrition Sciences – Clinical Track and Chris is an alumnus of our Doctor of Physical Therapy program. Together, their blended knowledge – the muscle power of physical therapy and the healing power of a proper diet – led them to create TriForce, a workout space that stands out from other CrossFit gyms because of all the Davis’ offer. “We’re the most expensive CrossFit gym in the area because we have the credentials from UAB behind us,” said Megan. “We tell everyone in our fields – ‘don’t undervalue your service to people; value your specialized degree and value your training – your education and your experience prepares you better than others to succeed.’” After graduation, Chris and Megan took a traditional route with their degrees. Chris worked as a Physical Therapist and a Clinic Director for several PT organizations. Megan worked as a Registered Dietitian at UAB EatRight where she was part of a multidisciplinary team providing customized strategies empowering people to change their lifestyle to achieve their personal health goals. They each enjoyed what they were doing. They thought often of their past clients – how successful they had been with the personalized guidance – and the fulfillment they received from seeing them thrive and live their best life. But ultimately, they wanted to
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have a greater impact on people’s lives and they knew they could do that with their UAB degrees. “We didn’t want to limit ourselves, or our ability to help others, just by what was considered the traditional options for our industries,” said Chris. “We asked ourselves, ‘Why are we waiting to do our dream job?’ We knew we liked working together, working with people in our community, and working in a gym environment so we spent a couple years conducting research, meeting with people, and dreaming big.” In November 2017, they formed TriForce CrossFit to serve the Northern St. Augustine, Nocatee and World Golf Village area. Unlike the majority of clubs, all memberships begin with a body scan, a nutrition consultation with Megan, a two-week foundation course, and assignment of an accountability coach. The extra effort and the add-on value are all benefits they received and learned at UAB.
“UAB is a great learning environment – the quality of your instructors, the leadership that you work with and the access to really amazing people as a student make you excited about learning and applying all of your skills in the real world.” We believe in what we are doing so much, that we put all of our eggs in this basket. We’ve used all our savings and been to zero dollars multiple times but it is worth the effort because we truly believe we can change lives.”
UAB NUTRITION SCIENCES Together, their blended knowledge – the muscle power of physical therapy and the healing power of a proper diet – led them to create TriForce, a workout space that stands out from other CrossFit gyms because of all the Davis’ offer.
UAB PHYSICAL THERAPY “We didn’t want to limit ourselves, or our ability to help others, just by what was considered the traditional options for our industries... We asked ourselves, ‘Why are we waiting to do our dream job?” SHP ALUMNI E-MAGAZINE • SPRING 2019
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ALUMNI ABROAD
Global Conversations As a part of the School of Health Professions' alumni family, you belong to a network of 19,000 professionals in all 50 states and 25 countries. Global Conversations introduces you to SHP alumni around the world.
Toronto, Ontario
CANADA
Chris Shubert (EMSHA, 2015) Chris Shubert is the Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgical Oncology Fellow at the University of Toronto specializing in cancer surgery of the liver, bile ducts and pancreas. He earned his Executive MSHA in 2015 and he plans to be a surgeon-scientist, hospital administrator, and healthcare leader. 16
TORONTO AND BIRMINGHAM What is your favorite thing about Toronto? Toronto is a beautiful, truly cosmopolitan, city and the fourth largest city in North America. There is literally everything you could ever want to do within one city. However, Toronto feels small, it doesn’t have the same feel as many big cities. It is very livable and enjoyable. Just on my street alone I could eat at a different restaurant every day of the year. People say hello and are genuinely nice here.
What do you miss most about Birmingham? I miss the southern food and culture. I miss the college football Saturdays and the church on Sundays. I miss striking up a conversation with random people while out around town, because that’s just what they do. I miss the heat, the brutal heat of summer. I miss southern manners. I miss the smell of BBQ in Southside.
WORK LIFE What is one difference in how you practice surgery compared to the U.S.? Really in the OR there is little difference, surgery is surgery. Whether in Canada or the U.S., the operations are done the same way. Postoperative care and surveillance is also similar.
How does health care compare between the two countries? Outside of the OR and hospital setting healthcare is different between the systems which primarily is due to difference in policy and financing models.
What is the difference between Canadian and U.S. clients? In the U.S. I treated patients that were primarily from a fixed geographical region around the hospital, but here in Toronto I treat patients from all over the world. Otherwise, surgical diseases know no geographical bounds. However, personally I didn’t perform transplant operations in the U.S. and I am performing transplant surgeries here as The University of Toronto is one of the largest transplant centers in North America.
WHY UAB MSHA Before entering the UAB School of Business as an undergraduate, I had decided that I wanted to go to medical school. During undergrad one of my mentors, Dr. Joe Van Matre, introduced me to the MSHA program. However, I started medical school and didn’t immediately have the opportunity to pursue a MSHA. After medical school, while in surgery residency at Mayo Clinic, I was offered a research and academic opportunity to study and improve patient outcomes and value while pursuing an advanced degree. I knew exactly what I wanted to do: I picked a project in hepatobiliary and pancreas surgery and I picked UAB MSHA. Together with the clinical and research skills afforded by Mayo Clinic and the knowledge of UAB MSHA we were able to greatly improve patient outcomes all while decreasing the cost of care by over $1 million in the first year alone. UAB MSHA was an amazing experience and has prepared me for whatever is ahead. Ultimately, I want to become a physician leader and bridge the divide between patient care and administration, to improve what we do as physicians from within.
SHARE YOUR STORY: Tell us about your international home shpalumni@uab.edu • 205-975-8415.
SHP ALUMNI E-MAGAZINE • SPRING 2019
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UAB SCHOOL OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS LEGACY Influencing the past 50+ years. Igniting the next 50+ years.
uab.edu/50