Made with FlowPaper - Flipbook Maker
Focusing on Purpose-Driven Alumni Dedicated to SERVICE SNAPSHOTS The University of Alabama at Birmingham SCHOOL OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS UAB ® SHP Impressions of Alumni Excellence FALL 2024 SHP SNAPSHOTS ALUMNI MAGAZINE2 SHP student volunteers at the Miracle League in Gardendale. Hello, As you read this, our school is in the final stages of completing the SHP Strategic Alignment Plan; the purpose is to orient our efforts with the university and guide our success for the next two years. There are four pillars at the heart of who we are: Education, Research & Innovation, Clinical Enterprise and Community Engagement. Each pillar is important. However, in this edition of Snapshots, our focus is on Community Engagement and our alumni who are featured may argue that this pillar stands higher than the others. They may tell you the three other pillars are there in service to our communities. Education is vital to training the next generation of health care workers and leaders. Research & Innovation is discovering treatments that improve our clients’ lifestyles. And the Clinical Enterprise is where the remedies are applied within our communities. It is true that each of these pillars hold a power all their own and they can stand alone. However, when you put them all together, their combined strengths create something much greater than their individual contributions. And that is why this issue of Snapshots gives me such pleasure. Inside you will see stories of our alumni taking their skills and knowledge into their communities. They are the embodiment of what we all strive for – that person who translates their knowledge into practice in service of others. After reading this issue I hope you’ll learn more about the school, get involved in community engagement, and share the stories of our alumni. Enjoy. Sincerely, Andrew J. Butler, PhD Dean and Professor In 2023, SHP students served 534 volunteer hours. UAB students strive for excellence through innovation and service. Through community- engaged programming and volunteerism, UAB students become conscientious citizens and grow as leaders through service. LETTER FROM THE DEANFALL 20243 Genetic Counseling Reception (NSGC) Biomedical Health Sciences 10th Anniversary Nutrition Sciences Reception (FNCE) UAB Homecoming Week Begins HSA’s Legacy of Leaders HSA Alumni Dinner National Symposium for Healthcare Executives (NSHE) Biomedical Sciences 10th Anniversary SEPTEMBER 20 FALL 2024 EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28OCTOBER 7 OCTOBER 27OCTOBER 25OCTOBER 24 OCTOBER 23-25 NOVEMBER 2 ➤ Visit uab.edu/shp/alumni to learn about more ways you can connect and give back. ➤ Visit uab.edu/shpevents for more info and additional events. We firmly believe this school produces the best alumni in the country. Our network finds creative ways to capitalize on their unique talents to support the school and those who matter most – our students. GET INVOLVED HOST Breakfast with Blazers: share your story and advice with a small group of students. PLAN Class Reunion: team with classmates to catch up with faculty and friends. OFFER Internship/Preceptor: accept a high-quality intern or serve as a preceptor. GIVE Support: your time, treasure and talent will strengthen our students and programs. EVER FAITHFUL. EVER LOYAL. SHP SNAPSHOTS ALUMNI MAGAZINE4 UAB COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PILLAR To engage with the community in meaningful and mutually beneficial collaborations that contribute to the public good. Serving and Growing TOGETHER We asked each of our featured alumni why they serve. Their answers varied, but all shared a common thread: Service creates connections. Whether in their local communities or across the globe, these alumni found that by helping others, they too were transformed. Their stories reveal how service bridges differences, fostering growth for both those who give and those who receive. ALUMNI FEATURE Forrest A. Daniels: Less is Unacceptable Sharon Smalling: Nourishing Body and Soul Andrew Stanley: A Helping Hand Adrianne Smiley: Be the Change You Want to See Benjamin Burgess: Committed to Serve Tiffany Chaney: An Honor and a Responsibility Mark Anderson: Moment of Truth Kyle Golden & Jonathan Morrow: A Connected Purpose Wardine Alexander: Commitment to a Community Patricia Curry: Serving a Purpose in Life Lauren Miller: Enthusiasm for Educating Dillan Brewer: Paying it Forward SHP SNAPSHOTS ALUMNI MAGAZINE6 I n 1964, Mahalia Jackson sang: “If I can help somebody, as I travel along If I can help somebody, with a word or song If I can help somebody, from doing wrong No, my living shall not be in vain.” Forrest A. Daniels DSc, FACHE (DSc, 2012), has served at food centers and homeless coalitions. He has served on emergency response teams and as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). And he firmly believes that you, too, can serve. Back in 2020, when everyone was isolating from family and friends and scaling down from activities during the Covid-19 pandemic, Daniels, was literally cranking the knob up to 10. “I was leading a forensic psychiatric hospital, caring for my ailing mom, continued serving on several non-profit boards, began volunteering with a Skipjack oystering boat, AND was recruited as a volunteer radio DJ,” said Daniels. His side gig at WHCP-LP – today, the NPR station WHCP-FM – which bills itself as helping “Maryland’s Mid-Shore flourish by serving the economic, information, and inspiration needs of its citizens,” ran for nearly a year. Daniels, who has always loved music, told us, “Being a DJ was a great run – I did a show once a week and my mom would listen online when she returned to her home in Georgia before she passed – that was beautiful. And now that I think about it – I was pretty good (big laugh) – that was great.” He has served in C-suite leadership positions as well as on non-profit boards and volunteer roles and more in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Durham, North Carolina, and throughout Maryland. FORREST A. DANIELS Less is UnacceptableFALL 20247 Hopefully my work will inspire others to do the same and people will realize that as busy as one is, you still have time to serve others. Not for attention, accolades or job promotions; simply because it’s the right thing to do! Over a lifetime of volunteer service, there have been many moments and countless accomplishments that make Daniels proud. But none stand out more than his work with a national kidney disease association. Being conversant in Spanish, whenever a Spanish-speaking patient/caregiver would call the organization, his colleagues would have him speak with them to translate. Knowing that his proficiency in the language was insufficient to provide the best quality service to the callers, Daniels researched and identified an industry- wide service gap. As a result, he conceived, developed and launched the nation’s first Spanish language help-line in the renal community which benefited thousands of kidney patients and their caregivers. This helped launch a national trend in inclusivity and care. Another moment Daniels is most proud of occurred while serving on the board of an organization supporting the homeless in Durham, North Carolina. While there, a talented young PR professional created an interactive game/app (playspent.org) based on her lived experience that would challenge lay people to make daily life decisions earning a minimum wage. This app has been and continues to be used as an educational tool for adults and youth alike across the country. We asked him why people should serve others and his answer was simple: “Anything less is unacceptable.” “In this country we are more privileged than we realize. We toss out ice cubes and there are people on the other side of the world that would die for those ice cubes – yet we still complain. I can’t impose my beliefs on other people, I can only do what I feel the Lord has placed on my heart to do in service,” said Daniels. “Hopefully my work will inspire others to do the same and people will realize that as busy as one is, you still have time to serve others. Not for attention, accolades or job promotions; simply because it’s the right thing to do!” That is fitting for the son of a mother who served as a nurse for 55 years and was always known as “the nurses’ nurse” as well as a retired university administrator father who advocated on behalf of and encouraged the gifted academic underdogs. And it is no surprise that after “only” 30+ years as a health care practitioner himself he is thinking about what he will do next. Or as you’d expect – who he will serve next. “I’m asking myself at this season in life: How can I parlay my lived experiences into other spaces? Do I bring it into a classroom? Do I help corporations better serve their communities to yield improved health outcomes? At the end of the day, whatever I do, it must align with my core mission, so I can be at peace everyday knowing, as Mahalia Jackson sings, that my living is not in vain!” SHP Students Step Up to the Plate Every fall and spring semester our students volunteer for the Miracle League. They help children and young adults with disabilities play a baseball game regardless of their physical ability. DID YOU KNOW? SHP SNAPSHOTS ALUMNI MAGAZINE8 SHARON SMALLING Nourishing Body and Soul A 40-plus year career in one field is quite the accomplishment, and doing so with only a handful of job changes is rare in this day and age. That’s what Sharon Smalling (DI, 1980) has managed to do though, and she takes a lot of pride and joy in that. She is retired now, but for over four decades, Smalling dedicated her life to the noble cause of nutrition. She worked as a Clinical Dietitian Specialist at two hospitals and one university during that time, focusing on providing medical nutrition therapy in the outpatient setting to those referred to her and those attending their cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation programs. “I had such a great career because I had such a great foundation to start with,” says Smalling who credits her first job to UAB and its reputation. “UAB challenged me, which helped because all the positions I was hired for were newly created and I was able to make into my own.” She loved helping patients reach their goals, stating “it always filled my heart with happiness” when she saw them be successful in completing the plan they had laid out together. Smalling, who is originally from Texas, fondly reflects on her time in Birmingham – even a snowstorm in early 1980 that left her stranded in Auburn at the time and needing to get back to the Magic City for work. Most importantly though, she remembers the mentors she had and how they truly cared for her, and she keeps that with her today as she mentors students and interns finishing their degrees. “The students are another vital relationship to build and maintain,” said Smalling. “My goal was to always get them to the point of being independent – interviewing the patient and together developing a plan which empowered them to have the best outcomes and meet their goals.” Her original preceptors took her “by the hand, but didn’t hover over me,” and that was the same approach Smalling took. She mentored well over 200 students, helping to guide the next generation of nutritionists along their path. Her journey, which began with a passion for healthy living, soon evolved into something much greater — a mission to nourish not just bodies, but souls. She serves as a mentor to current dietitians and serves on committees in the profession. The mentees are from all over the country and range regarding their experience level, which Smalling appreciates as she can continue to learn and grow more herself, despite now being in retirement. Smalling is also known for her charitable work in the community in addition to her time as a nutritionist. She serves with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Literacy in Houston, reading to a second-grade class once a month. Each week she volunteers with Belong Kitchen in Somebody helped you, and you need to help somebody else. There is nothing better than that. I feel like I must give back and that is what you have to do, pay it forward.FALL 20249 NCHPAD Mentors Our National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability, which is dedicated to health promotion for people with disability, hosts a MENTOR (Mindfulness, Exercise, and Nutrition to Optimize Resilience) program. This eight-week virtual wellness program is designed for people who have recently acquired a disability diagnosis or have an existing disability with a new condition or secondary diagnosis. ➤ Learn more at nchpadconnect.org/mentor/ Houston. It is a nonprofit restaurant that employs those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), providing them with paid employment as adults, which can be a struggle without establishments like this one. There is a natural connection between a lifelong nutritionist and a restaurant providing jobs to those that otherwise may not have them. “They use food to empower these people,” says Smalling empathetically. “It gives them a sense of purpose, they love working, and I love working with them.” Everything though circles back to her time as a Blazer and developing that commitment to service. “UAB really showed me the importance of helping students,” she says. “Somebody helped you, and you need to help somebody else. There is nothing better than that. I feel like I must give back and that is what you have to do, pay it forward.” DID YOU KNOW?Next >