SERVICE ISSUE
SNAPSHOTS UAB School of Health Professions • Impressions of Alumni Excellence • Fall 2016 Newsletter
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AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
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ALUMNI IN ACTION
8 YOUNG ALUMNI
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{ SNAPSHOTS }
Impressions of SHP Alumni Excellence
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Fall 2016
SERVICE ISSUE The tradition of students serving others, begun by our alumni, continues. Our students serve more people than ever before and their direct impact on people’s wellbeing is priceless.
Welcome Alumni Our School – like you, the alumni that built our reputation for excellence – is multi-dimensional and more than just figures on paper. We brag that we have 16,000+ alumni and are home to UAB’s top-ranked program – but what does that really look like? We created Snapshots: Impressions of SHP Alumni Excellence to capture the heart of who you are and who we are. Together, we are an active community of alumni located around the world who find creative ways that capitalize on our unique talents to give back to the School and in turn those that matter the most – our more than 2,000 students. We hope you enjoy reading Snapshots: Impressions of SHP Alumni Excellence as much as we enjoyed sharing our alumni stories.
3,461
HOURS OF STUDENT SERVICE equivalent to…
1.7 457WORK DAYS IN $74k VALUE HOURS PER STUDENT
Join our global conversation on your favorite media outlet. /uabshp
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/uab_shp
UAB School of Health Professions
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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 FEB. 17: PT alumni
reception at CSM
MAR 28: HSA reception
at ACHE conference MAR. 30: OT alumni
GIVE BACK
SERVE OTHERS
ONLINE: uab.edu/shp/give
HOST Breakfast with Blazers
PHONE: Answer the call
GIVE a guest lecture
from a student in the Annual Giving Office or call us at 205-996-5469
BECOME a preceptor or
clinical instructor
reception at AOTA conference
MAIL: Send a check
BE a mentor
ESTATE: Leave a legacy
WRITE welcome notes to
APR. 8: PA 50th
with a planned gift
incoming students
MATCH: Ask your employer
PARTICIPATE in one of our
Ready to make a difference? Contact Katie Adams at:
Get involved today! Contact Amanda Sherman at:
Anniversary Celebration
to match your gift
See all upcoming events. Visit our event page at:
uab.edu/shpevents
katiedav@uab.edu
many service opportunities and make an impact
asherman@uab.edu
SHP ALUMNI SERVING BIRMINGHAM AND BEYOND
UAB SHP
Our alumni are vital members of communities in all 50 states and 25 countries around the world.
DON’T MISS OUT: update your contact info at uab.edu/shp/alumni to receive alumni news & more
SHP ALUMNI NEWSLETTER • FALL 2016
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ALUMNI RECOGNITIONS
Alumni Excellence The difficulty in highlighting our alumni is not in finding their accomplishments, it is in fitting them all here.
DEEK CUNNINGHAM,
BYRON MOFFETT, (PT, 2008) wins the UAB Loretta R. Boger Award for Excellence in Clinical Education for his outstanding, identifiable contribution to clinical education for the Department of Physical Therapy.
EMMA ISBELL, (DI, 2012) named Dietetic Internship program’s Outstanding Preceptor.
CONGRATS
(OT, 1998) received the Graduate School Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentorship.
UAB NATIONAL ALUMNI SOCIETY
TOP 25 WINNERS 2016 EXCELLENCE IN BUSINESS
Kerri Bailey (OT, 1985) Kayce Dover (HI, 2002 & HIM, 1997) Courtney Duff-Harrison (OT, 2004) Dale Yake (PT, 1992)
S. ROBERT HERNANDEZ, (MSHA, Class 5) has been appointed Distinguished Service Professor by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees. The position recognizes his academic service and international accomplishments that include partnerships in Ukraine, China and Saudi Arabia.
JOHN KUEVEN, (MSHA, Class 41) and NEERAV JADEJA (MSHA, Class 36), have been named to Becker’s Hospital Review annual “Rising Stars: 50 Healthcare Leaders Under 40.” Jadeja also made Becker’s 2014 “Rising Stars: 25 Healthcare Leaders Under 40.”
On September 29, 2016, WILLIAM FERNIANY received the UAB National Alumni Society’s top honor – the Distinguished Alumni Award and School of Health Professions DEAN HAROLD P. JONES, was named winner of the Honorary Alumni Award. Ferniany is a double alumnus of our Master of Science in Health Administration program (MSHA, Class 9) and PhD, AdministrationHealth Services (1984).
NANCY WHITE (PT, 1979) has been named to the PCORI advisory panel on Assessment of Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment Options.
SHARE YOUR STORIES: email your awards and accomplishments to shpalumni@uab.edu 4
ALUMNI RECOGNITIONS
Back to School UAB SHP gave you roots to grow and wings to fly. Whether it is a reunion with classmates or a lecture for students we celebrate seeing alumni return.
PT Reception, Anaheim, CA
HI Reception, Birmingham, AL
DPT (2010) graduates Chaun Wang and Andrea Johnson
Shevella Hill (2012), Amanda Dorsey (1999), Robert Robinson (student), Fameka Leonard (HQS, 2016) and Keldrick Leonard (2016)
PA Reception, San Antonio, TX
Biotechnology Speaker Series
PT Speaker Series
Billie & Marvin Racowsky (1973) and Jim Aderhold (1983)
Uma Srivastava (2013) spoke to current Biotech class about career options after graduation
Kate Stribling (2011) pictured right, with Patty Perez (MS, 1993 and DScPT, 2011) met with current students and discussed the benefits of residencies
NMT Reception, Birmingham, AL
EMSHA Speaker Series
CLS Breakfast with Blazers
Regan Grimm (2010), Helena Wycoff (2014), Kaval Mann (2015) and Elizabeth Kritzberger (2016)
Ron Wyatt (2007) tells current EMSHA class this is the best program in the world
Marquita (2005) and Adrian Robinson (2004) gave careeer advice to current students
SHP ALUMNI NEWSLETTER • FALL 2016
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ALUMNI IN ACTION
Luis Pineda (EMSHA 37): Master of Many Domains What do you think of when you think of food? Delicious tastes? Wonderful smells? Parties with friends? Holidays with loved ones? What if you couldn’t eat? What if the smells made you nauseous? What if the taste made you ill?
RECIPES FOCUS ON THREE THINGS: ◗ Inexpensive and
accessible ingredients ◗ Taste ◗ Ability to be tolerated by the stomach while on chemotherapy
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hose were the questions in the head of Luis Pineda, M.D., as he watched his cancer patients lose interest in food. He had been an oncologist and hematologist for two decades and was tired of seeing his patients suffer in a realm that should be filled with joy. So in 2003, the same year he graduated our Executive Master of Science in Health
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Administration (EMSHA) program, Pineda entered culinary school. Shortly thereafter, he launched Cooking with Cancer, a combination of Pineda’s understanding of medicine mixed with his knowledge of cooking. Since he launched the program, he has published more than 50 recipes that appeal to the cancer patient’s palette and provide the
nutritional value they need to endure their treatments. Today, Cooking with Cancer expands beyond recipes – it is a cookbook, website, blog, DVD and even a red wine. Each aspect is designed to assist cancer patients in fulfilling their special nutritional needs in a way that is enjoyable for them. Pineda is grateful he pursued his EMSHA because of the growth of Cooking with Cancer. The EMSHA program helped teach him how to implement changes in a way that would make his business more effective. It ultimately provided him with the tools necessary for his business to thrive and gave him many personal and professional contacts that he still utilizes today. Pineda’s work has been featured in numerous local and national publications including Cooking Light magazine.
ALUMNI IN ACTION
Donna Martin (DI, 1977): Every Child Deserves Good Nutrition Martin, a 1977 graduate of our Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition/Dietetics program, leads the nutrition programs for a school district in one of the poorest counties in the nation.
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very student in her district qualifies for free breakfast and lunch. But that doesn’t matter to Martin. She believes that every child should have access to the nutrition that they need and she works tirelessly to make sure that the kids in her community have just that. Her goal is to expose her elementary students to more than 65 fresh fruits and vegetables. Can you even name 65 fruits and vegetables? We can’t without Google.
Martin on a Mission The Burke County Board of Education is located in Waynesboro, Georgia. The school district has 4,600 students and more than 4,000 rely on the school’s free breakfast and lunch for their nutrition. Martin has been dedicated to providing them the nutrition they need to excel in academics and extracurricular activities for more than 15 years.
Her leadership has been instrumental in establishing a summer feeding program for the underprivileged youth in the school system. This program supports local farmers and exposes the students and their parents to healthy foods by establishing farm to school initiatives such as a local farmers market. In April 2016, the Farm to School initiative led by Martin was recognized by the Let’s Move! program and Michelle Obama visited Burke County to celebrate their success.
Nationally Recognized Work This was not the first Burke County program led by Martin that garnered national attention. In 2011, CBS News highlighted the dinner program that Donna created in collaboration with the high school’s football coach, Eric Parker, which addressed the malnutrition of the school’s athletes.
Many of the athletes at Burke County Middle School and High School were not consuming enough calories a day to exert the energy necessary to play football. Together, Martin and Parker, applied for the Healthy HungerFree Kids Act federal grant and were able to begin offering dinner to 500 students for $3 a meal. Students who participated in the program no longer had to go hungry and were able to excel in academics and athletics. In 2011, Burke County High School won the National Football Championship – one year after this program was started.
Her ultimate goal is to give students equal access to healthy foods. Martin’s team applies for every grant available. They make sure that the funds are used to better the children and families in her community. Martin says that her Master’s degree from the Department of Nutrition Sciences differentiated her and gave her opportunities to lead that she may have not received otherwise. She encourages current students to take advantage of the opportunities that their education provides them and never be afraid to lead. SHP ALUMNI NEWSLETTER • FALL 2016
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YOUNG ALUMNI
Junior Advisory Board: Representing what makes us unique and what it means to give back The School of Health Professions Junior Advisory Board (SHP JAB) joins young alumni, from all programs, as they are starting out their careers and gives them an opportunity to give back in a way that is manageable, meaningful and fun.
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stablished in 2011, the JAB has three focus areas – connecting with SHP students and alumni, community service and philanthropy. Quickly after the Board was created they recognized a need that was not being met. They established an endowed professional award that helps graduating seniors with expenses associated with starting their careers such as interview expenses, professional certifications and
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professional memberships. “Graduating and starting your career can be overwhelming, all JAB members have been there recently, so this resonated with us and we wanted to find a way to help those following in our footsteps.” – Chris Fisher, JAB President 2016. The Junior Advisory Board awarded their scholarship for the first time in 2015 to Whitney Walker (OT, 2015) and Lauren Spivak (CLS, 2015).
YOUNG ALUMNI
2016 JUNIOR ADVISORY BOARD EXECUTIVE TEAM: PRESIDENT CHRIS FISHER
MS, Health Informatics, 2012
PRESIDENT-ELECT UMA SRIVASTAVA
MS, Biotechnology, 2013
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR CHELSEA BARES
MS, Physician Assistant Studies, 2009
FUND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR MICHAEL LUKE STANLEY
Doctor of Physical Therapy, 2009
MEMBERS: ASHLEIGH ALLGOOD
BS, Health Care Management, 2012 LOGAN BALANDRIN
MS, Health Administration, 2015 WHITNEY COVINGTON
BS, Medical Technology, 2013 TANA LIEB
ABOVE: JAB with 2016 Professional Scholarship Award Recipients – Whitney Walker & Lauren Spivak
2016 JAB Highlights: ◗ ◗ ◗ ◗ ◗
Doctor of Physical Therapy, 2009 LASHONDA PEOPLES
MS, Occupational Therapy, 2005 GREG RANKINS
BS, Health Care Management, 2012
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Participated in UAB Habitat for Humanity Build with the School of Health Professions Welcomed new students at program orientations Shared knowledge and advice through lectures and Breakfast with Blazers Helped connect students to internship and shadowing opportunities Raised more than $8,000 for professional scholarship award through Dodging for Degrees dodgeball tournament Awarded SHP JAB Professional Scholarship for first time
NATASHIA REESE
MS, Clinical Laboratory Sciences, 2013 DHARA SHAH
Doctor of Physical Therapy, 2015 GIGI WEINACKER
Doctor of Physical Therapy, 2013 CHRIS WESTBROOK
BS, Health Care Management, 2008 & MS, Health Administration, 2011 MATT WILSON
BS, Health Care Management, 2011 & MS, Health Informatics, 2013
Interested in joining this dynamic group of young professionals and staying connected with SHP? Know of young alumni in your organization that would be an asset to the team? Contact Amanda Burton Martin at aebmartin@uab.edu or 205-9965930 to learn more about joining. Applications for next year’s Board are due December 16th. LEARN MORE: visit uab.edu/shpjrboard
SHP ALUMNI NEWSLETTER • FALL 2016
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SERVICE FEATURE
FAMILY LEGACY Derrick Miles (MSHA, Class 34) is building a legacy in Zambia
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SERVICE FEATURE
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he textbook definition of legacy is “an amount of money or property left to someone in a will.” Let it be known there is nothing textbook about Derrick Miles. While many of his classmates are leading hospitals, clinics and health systems across the U.S., Miles serves as vice president of strategic partnerships for Family Legacy, a not-for-profit group that provides education and medical care in Lusaka, Zambia. Zambia has the highest per capita orphan rate in the world and 7th highest AIDS infection rate. Nearly half of the population are ages 14 or younger. “I used to spend so much time focusing on achievement – always striving for what I didn’t have or trying to attain what I thought I needed – but when I reached my goals, it never made me feel complete,” said Miles, who spent 15+ years as a healthcare executive in Alabama, Florida, Texas, Illinois and North Carolina. “Then I visit Family Legacy for the first time and I am blown away by how happy the Zambians are
despite how little they have. It is humbling to see their joy when you know that success for most of them is defined by just making it to the next day.” Family Legacy is the largest private educator in Lusaka, where they own and operate 22 private Christian schools, grades K–10, that educate almost 12,000 orphans. It is also home to a medical clinic, whose chief medical director is Brad Guffey, M.D., UAB School of Medicine alumnus, that serves 700 orphans. On a daily basis Guffey treats children with HIV, sickle cell anemia and malaria. The Department of Health Services Administration recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and it has everyone thinking about the future and the many ways its family – faculty, staff, students, and alumni – can impact the world. “As healthcare leaders, we need to start thinking beyond important, but limited mission trips and look at more permanent solutions that will provide sustainable healthcare solutions for the next 50 years and beyond,”
said Christy Harris Lemak, Ph.D., chair, Department of Health Services Administration and a recent visitor to the Family Legacy mission in Africa. “I would love to see a system where every semester we send students to conduct internships or implement projects and potentially develop a model where UAB educates Zambians to become hospital administrators, much like our ongoing Executive MSHA program in Saudi Arabia.” It is this idea that excites Miles the most because a partnership with the University of Zambia can do so much long term for everyone in the African country. But in the meantime, Miles is still excited about what he sees – a new generation of healthcare leaders that already understand important life lessons. “In the end, the size of your salary, the size of your house, the size of your SUV will not be fulfilling to you,” said Miles. “What really matters is the size of your heart. It takes a big heart and a special soul to serve others, to focus on the well-being of others and to truly impact lives.”
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