Two UA Professors Selected for Research Leadership Roles

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Two University of Alabama professors will soon add research leadership responsibilities to their campus roles.

Drs. John C. Higginbotham and Allen S. Parrish have been named associate vice presidents for research, effective Feb. 1, said Dr. Carl A Pinkert, vice president for research and economic development.

“I am delighted that John and Allen have accepted these positions to join our senior leadership team,” said Pinkert. “John and Allen will work with faculty, staff and students from across the University as well as our external stakeholders to develop and implement a strategic research plan that provides a vision for accelerating the growth and development of research, scholarship and creativity at the University.”

In their expanded roles, Higginbotham and Parrish will provide leadership in promoting strategic research development at UA and lead the development of activities that bridge the needs of researchers and the institution.

They will work with other divisions under the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development and across the University to facilitate interdisciplinary and targeted programmatic efforts, to profile The University of Alabama’s research performance more effectively, and to enlarge the University’s collaborative role across the UA System and with its many academic partners and external stakeholders.

The researchers will also maintain many of their current roles that also serve the University and the research enterprise.

Higginbotham is professor and chair of the department of community and rural medicine and associate dean for research and health policy in the College of Community Health Sciences, as well as the director of the Institute for Rural Health Research.

His most recent presentations and publications focus on racial and ethnic disparities related to cancer and other health issues that have particular impact in rural areas.

Higginbotham is also a principal investigator, along with Felecia Jones, executive director of the Black Belt Community Foundation, based in Selma, and Dr. Kim Bissell, director for the Institute for Communication and Information in the College of Communication and Information Sciences, on a grant funded by the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, titled “Developing Effective, Sustainable CBPR to Reduce Obesity in Rural Alabama.”

Higginbotham holds a bachelor’s from The University of Alabama, a Master of Public Health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a doctorate from the University of Texas Medical Branch.

“The University of Alabama is home to outstanding faculty, staff and students who are engaged in amazing scholarly and creative endeavors,” Higginbotham said. “I hope to use this opportunity to serve these activities in every way I can. I also hope to help foster the development of additional collaborative, interdisciplinary research at the University and help support and promote the already inclusive scholarly environment where faculty, staff, students and the broader community come together to address the issues vital to our community, our state and beyond.”

Parrish is a professor of computer science and director of the Center for Advanced Public Safety in the College of Engineering.  His research is in the impact of technology on public safety. The Center for Advanced Public Safety focuses on developing transformative technology to increase the efficiency of public safety professionals.

With more than 125 research personnel and approximately $10 million per year in external funding, UA’s Center for Advanced Public Safety has had a major impact on the public safety enterprise in a number of states and venues. It has developed national models for other states to follow in launching new technology efforts in a variety of public safety-related areas.

Parrish holds doctorate and master’s degrees in computer science from Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin.

“I am excited about this opportunity to work with faculty, staff and students at The University of Alabama in the furtherance of their research and scholarly activity goals,” said Parrish. “There are enormous opportunities ahead for this University, particularly in the area of interdisciplinary research and in collaborations involving liberal arts, social sciences and technology. I look forward to working with faculty from all over the University to build collaborative research that truly makes a difference for society.”

“We began a number of major initiatives in the past year – from internal and shared funding programs to stimulate collaborative research to the recent cluster hire initiative targeting sustainable energy,” Pinkert said. “These efforts not only impact faculty research but the quality of our academic programs. The addition of Drs. Higginbotham and Parrish provides an important dimension to our existing leadership team that will help mold and augment UA’s research goals moving forward.”