Grounds Award
The University of Alabama grounds department received a 2024 Honor Award from the Professional Grounds Management Society for its exceptional grounds maintenance. The recognition is part of the Green Star Awards competition, which honors grounds maintained with a high degree of excellence.
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Writing Group
The UA Teaching Academy has accepted eight faculty members to its inaugural Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Writing Group. The writing group provides participants with structure, resources and guidance to generate publications on teaching and learning in higher education.
2024-2025 Cohort Members
- Dr. Rana Al-Khatib Eloubeidi, College of Education, Educational Studies
- Dr. Paton Beck, College of Education, ELPTS
- Dr. Bill Bergeron, College of Education, Educational Leadership
- Dr. Kim Colburn, Arts and Sciences, New College
- Dr. Cori Crane, Arts and Sciences, Modern Languages & Classics
- Dr. Anthony Derriso, College of Education, ESPRMC
- Dr. Justin Goins, Human Environmental Sciences, HES
- Dr. Jennifer Humber, Human Environmental Sciences, Consumer Sciences
- Dr. Sara Kaylor, Capstone College of Nursing, Nursing
- Dr. Deborah Keene, Arts and Sciences, Blount Scholars Program
- Dr. Murray Silverstone, Arts and Sciences, Physics and Astronomy
Alabama Life Research Institute Faculty Research Fellowship Recipients
The Alabama Life Research Institute has named four UA faculty members as the inaugural fellows in the ALRI Faculty Research Fellowship Program. Fellows are supported in developing their own programs of research and grant proposals that leverage ALRI’s core themes and resources, including community development, rural health and health disparities; housing conditions; and cognitive neuroscience. This year’s fellows are:
- Dr. Hongsheng He, associate professor of computer science, College of Engineering
- Dr. Lindamarie Olson, assistant professor of social work, School of Social Work
- Dr. Jessica Wallace, assistant professor of health science, College of Human Environmental Sciences
- Dr. Hyunjoo Yoo, assistant professor of communicative disorders, College of Arts and Sciences
College of Arts & Sciences
Dr. Sergei Gleyzer, associate professor, department of physics and astronomy, was elected a 2024 Fellow of the American Physical Society. The fellowship recognizes members “who may have made advances in physics through original research and publication, or made significant innovative contributions in the application of physics to science and technology,” according to the society’s website.
College of Community Health Sciences
Drs. M.N.V. Ravi Kumar, Distinguished University Research Professor, Meenakshi Arora, associate professor of biomedical sciences, and Raghu Ganugula, assistant professor of biomedical sciences, co-authored “Engineered urolithin A-laden functional polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles prevent cisplatin-induced proximal tubular injury in vitro” published in the European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics.
Dr. Shawn Cecil, assistant professor, received the Early Career Pediatrician Award from the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, of which he is an executive board member. The Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics is a nonprofit organization made up of pediatricians across the state of Alabama, representing both academic and community pediatrics in both urban and rural areas.
Dr. Nathan Culmer, director of academic technologies and faculty development, co-authored “Mental Health Screenings in Dental Settings: Feasibility and Outcomes from a National Dental Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) Study” published in the Journal of the American Dental Association.
Dr. Alan Blum, founder and director of The University of Alabama Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society, was interviewed by MedHum about his work to stop smoking and to bring attention to the companies that produce and advertise tobacco products. MedHum is an online news publication that includes reviews, interviews and opinion pieces about global health and health disparities. CSTS is housed within CCHS, where Blum holds the Gerald Leon Wallace, MD, Endowed Chair in Family Medicine.
Dr. Mercedes Morales-Aleman, associate professor of community medicine and population health, co-presented “Health and Healthcare Access among Latinos in Alabama” to Viva Health, a health insurance organization.
Dr. Drake Lavender, director of CCHS Rural Programs, was recognized in The University of Alabama at Birmingham Medicine Magazine for his work to recruit future medical students from rural Alabama in hopes they will return to these communities to practice medicine.
Dr. Maryam Bidgoli, assistant professor of community medicine and population health, presented “Pathways from Financial Satisfaction to Life Satisfaction: The Role of Social Interactions and Hopelessness” at the 13th Annual Conference of the American Society of Health Economists. ASHEcon is a scientific society that works to enhance individual and societal health by providing evidence and expertise for the development of policies and practices. Bidgoli also provided a talk, “The Role of Perceived Financial Well-Being, Social Interactions and Hopelessness,” at the 2024 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, which features topics on health-services research.
Dr. Joy Bradley, assistant professor of community medicine and population health, presented “Doulas in the Deep South and their Perceived Roles in Clinical Settings” at the 2024 Mom and Baby Action Network Summit. The summit, titled “Igniting Impact Together: Nurturing Collaborative Solutions,” is part of the March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization that works to improve maternal and infant health in the United States.
College of Engineering
Dr. Hamid Moradkhani, Alton N. Scott Professor of Engineering and director for the Center for Complex Hydrosystems Research, has been recognized as an American Geophysical Union Fellow.
School of Social Work
Two UA School of Social Work faculty were recently recognized at the Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting in Kansas City. Dr. Karen Johnson, associate professor of social work, was recognized for the Early Career Faculty Service and Leadership in Social Work Education Award. Dr. M. Sebrena Jackson, associate dean of educational programs and student services and associate professor, received the Distinguished Recent Contributions to Social Work Education Award.