Nursing Academic Affairs

Academic Department

People

Faculty Administrative Position

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    Aimee Holland DNP, CRNP, WHNP-BC, NP-C, FAANP, Associate Dean for Graduate Clinical Education

    Dr. Aimee Chism Holland is the Assistant Dean for Graduate Clinical Education. Her practice initiatives focus on providing women's health and primary care services to the students at the UAB Student Health & Wellness Clinic. Dr. Holland's expertise in women's health is utilized performing gynecology procedures, reproductive life planning counseling, and preventive services in the college health setting. Her faculty practice is the primary platform for her scholarly work.

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    April Love MSN, RN, RNC-OB, CNE, Retention Coordinator

    Ms. Love earned her MSN through UAB’s Accelerated Master’s in Nursing Pathway in 2013. Prior to her nursing career, she received a BA in journalism from Auburn University. She has since focused on obstetric nursing, primarily working in the Labor & Delivery and Mother Baby (postpartum) units. Her passion for education was realized while serving as an adjunct instructor for the UAB and Auburn University Schools of Nursing. She joined the UAB faculty fulltime in 2017 and teaches in the pre-lic...

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    Brenda Mayfield, Co-Coordinator/ Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Specialty Track

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    Candace Knight PhD, RN, Program Director

    Dr. Candace Knight teaches obstetric nursing in the undergraduate and accelerated master's programs. Her qualitative doctoral research focused on adolescent prenatal stress and she continues research activities as part of a team exploring adolescent sexual decision making.

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    Connie Hogewood MSN, RN, Program Director

    Connie Hogewood has spent the majority of her nursing career caring for high risk obstetric patients. As a prenatal educator she has assisted patients in understanding their role in lifestyle modifications to maintain a healthy pregnancy and birth. A major area of research interest is the rising rate of cesarean deliveries and what can be done to reverse this growing trend.

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    Cori Johnson DNP, CRNP, NP-C, Adult/Primary Specialty Track Coordinator

    Cori Johnson is a board-certified Adult/Geriatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and also has a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner degree. She started her career as an RN in UAB’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit. She then worked as a Nurse Practitioner with the Vascular Division at UAB. Currently she is a full-time Instructor at the SON and teaches in the Adult/Geriatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program. She has a faculty practice as a nurse practitioner at the PATH Clinic, which provides c...

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    Curry Bordelon DNP, MBA, CRNP, CNE, NNP-BC, CPNP-AC, Coordinator

    Dr. Bordelon is a dual certified Neonatal and Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner teaching Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and Leadership courses. He has extensive leadership experience as a nurse practitioner manager for three Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Dr Bordelon is an active member of the Education Committee for the Academy of Neonatal Nursing and is an item writer for national board certification exams.

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    Curry Bordelon DNP, MBA, CRNP, CNE, NNP-BC, CPNP-AC, Co-Director of the Nurse Practitioner Pathway

    Dr. Bordelon is a dual certified Neonatal and Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner teaching Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and Leadership courses. He has extensive leadership experience as a nurse practitioner manager for three Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Dr Bordelon is an active member of the Education Committee for the Academy of Neonatal Nursing and is an item writer for national board certification exams.

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    Curry Bordelon DNP, MBA, CRNP, CNE, NNP-BC, CPNP-AC, Interim Assistant Dean for Graduate Clinical Education

    Dr. Bordelon is a dual certified Neonatal and Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner teaching Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and Leadership courses. He has extensive leadership experience as a nurse practitioner manager for three Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Dr Bordelon is an active member of the Education Committee for the Academy of Neonatal Nursing and is an item writer for national board certification exams.

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    Dana Mitchell DNP, CRNP, ACNP-BC, CHFN, Program Director

    Dr. Dana Mitchell joined the UABSON as faculty in 2015. Her clinical expertise includes critical care nursing and cardiology, with subspecialty experience in heart failure and heart and lung transplantation. She holds a specialty certification in heart failure nursing and is an active member of the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses. Dr. Mitchell teaches in both the graduate and prelicensure programs.

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    Edwin Aroke PhD, CRNA, Academic Integrity Officer-Doctoral Programs

    Dr. Aroke is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and a Nurse Scientist whose program of research focuses on racial pain disparities. Dr. Aroke has an interdisciplinary project that aims to identify the role of epigenomic and transcriptomic modifications in racial disparities in chronic low back pain.

    Dr. Aroke is an active member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), the International Society of Nurses in Genetics (ISONG), and the U.S. Association for th...

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    Edwin Aroke PhD, CRNA, PhD Program Director

    Dr. Aroke is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and a Nurse Scientist whose program of research focuses on racial pain disparities. Dr. Aroke has an interdisciplinary project that aims to identify the role of epigenomic and transcriptomic modifications in racial disparities in chronic low back pain.

    Dr. Aroke is an active member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), the International Society of Nurses in Genetics (ISONG), and the U.S. Association for th...

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    Jennie Alspach MSN, RN, FNP-BC, Retention Coordinator

    Mrs. Jennie Alspach has a background as a Family Nurse Practitioner and broad work experience at the Senior Health Center, Emergency Department, Medical-Surgical, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury unit. She became interested in education and worked as an Adjunct Clinical Instructor teaching in the undergraduate program before joining the UAB SON as full-time faculty. She is enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program.

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    Jennifer Carpenter MSN, CRNP, RN-BC, PMHNP-BC, MSN, CRNP, PMHNP-BC, RN-BC, Co-Coordinator Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Specialty Track

    Jennifer Carpenter is an Instructor with an emphasis on psychiatric/mental health nursing. She is a board-certified Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She began her career as an RN in UAB’s Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit. After obtaining her master’s degree, she completed a PMHNP residency at the Birmingham VA Medical Center. Currently, she teaches in the undergraduate and graduate programs.

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    Joy Deupree PhD, MSN, CRNP, WHNP-BC, Program Director

    Joy P. Deupree, PhD, MSN, RN, WHNP-BC is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow (2014-2017) and serves as an appointed member to the Alabama Governor's Health Care Improvement Task Force and Chairs the Health Literacy Partnership of AL . Dr. Deupree has served in many leadership roles for professional organizations and is currently the senior adviser for policy for the Nurse Practitioner Alliance of Alabama the professional association she co-founded in 2006 which represents th...

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    Kaitrin Parris DNP, RN, CNE, Assistant Dean

    Dr. Parris is known throughtout the medical community for her experience in nursing administration, nursing educaton and home care. Dr. Parris has spent 11 years at a large teaching institute providing care and leadership to critical care nurses. Most recently she has joined the UAB School of Nursing to educate and mentor BSN and AMNP students.

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    Kathryn Langley MSN, CRNP, AGACNP-BC, Coordinator

    Ms. Langley is an instructor and co-coordinator in the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner specialty track. Ms. Langley joined the School of Nursing as a full-time instructor in August 2017 after being an adjunct instructor for 2 years in the graduate program.

    She graduated from UAB SON with a BSN in 1998, then again in 2014 with a MSN. She is certified through the ANCC as an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP. As a RN, primary interest was in invasive cardiology and electrop...

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    Katie Buys DNP, MPH, CRNP, NP-C, Coordinator

    Dr. Buys is an Instructor in the Family Nurse Practitioner Track. She is dually trained in Nursing and Public Health (Health Behavior). Her teaching and clinical interests lie at the intersection of clinical practice and public health/ disease prevention. She understands that an important part of nursing education is training students to empower patients to take control of their health and to educate the public on how they can prevent disease through healthy lifestyles. Dr. Buys’ primary clinica...

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    Laura Steadman EdD, MSN, CRNP, FNP-BC, Coordinator

    Dr. Laura Steadman has been in Nursing Education for 23 years and at UAB SON for 9 years. Her background is as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She currently has a faculty practice at Wylam Adult Health Care Center.

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    Marie Bakitas DNSc, CRNP, NP-C, AOCN, ACHPN, FAAN, FPCN, Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship

    Dr. Marie Bakitas is internationally recognized in pain and palliative care science. Focused on reducing suffering and enhancing quality of life for persons with advanced illness and family caregivers--especially in rural areas--her early tele-health palliative care model ENABLE (Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends), has led to practice and policy changes. She is disseminating ENABLE for cancer and heart failure patients in the Deep South and Veteran populations. Her research, mentorship ...

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    Marisa Wilson DNSc, MHSc, RN, CPHIMS, RN-BC, FAMIA, FAAN, Coordinator

    Dr. Marisa L. Wilson is a board certified informatician with an interest in health information technology policy, implementation, and positive patient outcome and clinical efficiency supported by technology. She spent over 15 years as a nurse clinician working in acute physical rehabilitation, medical-surgical, and telemetry units. In addition, Dr. Wilson spent over 25 years as an analyst, project leader and manager implementing information systems in public health and acute care with settings.

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    Marisa Wilson DNSc, MHSc, RN, CPHIMS, RN-BC, FAMIA, FAAN, Director

    Dr. Marisa L. Wilson is a board certified informatician with an interest in health information technology policy, implementation, and positive patient outcome and clinical efficiency supported by technology. She spent over 15 years as a nurse clinician working in acute physical rehabilitation, medical-surgical, and telemetry units. In addition, Dr. Wilson spent over 25 years as an analyst, project leader and manager implementing information systems in public health and acute care with settings.

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    Michael Hyde MSN, RN, Assistant Director - RN BSN Pathway

    Michael Hyde was director of education at Shelby Baptist Medical Center and an adjunct clinical instructor at UAB before assuming a full-time faculty role. In addition to his work as a hospital education director, Mr. Hyde has held a variety of management and staff positions, including critical care, cardiovascular acute care, surgical intensive care, cardiac rehabilitation, and occupational and employee health. As adjunct faculty, he has managed senior practicums, leadership experiences, and ad...

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    Michael Mosley MSN, CRNP, ANP-BC, Program Director

    My nursing career has taken me from acute care to intensive care, into primary care, home care, and into administration. I have spent my career, thus far, caring for the adult and geriatric population. For the past 7 years, I have worked in home care from the field nursing level through administration. Over the course of completing my graduate degree at UAB while working in home care, I developed both a desire to work with chronically ill and limited access individuals as well as a need to educa...

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    Michele Talley PhD, CRNP, ACNP-BC, FAANP, PATH Clinic Director

    Dr. Talley leads a team of talented faculty for the MSN Program at UAB. Her experience in diabetes and cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery yield many opportunities to share with students. Her current endeavors will include teaching, maintaining a practice for diabetes care, and focusing her research on diabetes care, interprofessional teams, and care of the uninsured.

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    Nancy Claus DNP, CRNP, NP-C, Acad//In

    Dr. Claus is a nursing instructor who prides herself on the success of her students. She is currently teaching in the Undergraduate and RN Mobility program. She recently graduated from the DNP Program where her project was "Evaluating self-perceived knowledge of med-surg nurses on Veteran Care competencies at a non-VHA facility."

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    Nancy Claus DNP, CRNP, NP-C, Director/ RN-BSN Pathway

    Dr. Claus is a nursing instructor who prides herself on the success of her students. She is currently teaching in the Undergraduate and RN Mobility program. She recently graduated from the DNP Program where her project was "Evaluating self-perceived knowledge of med-surg nurses on Veteran Care competencies at a non-VHA facility."

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    Nancy Wingo PhD, MA, Director

    Nancy Wingo, MA, PhD (c) is a non-clinical instructor in the UAB School of Nursing, where she teaches in the Nurse Educator track and works with faculty to implement innovative teaching strategies and increase student engagement in online and on-ground courses. She also has special interests in educational technology and simulation debriefing. She taught high school AP English for many years and was previously the Projects Analyst to the Provost at UAB.

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    Penni Watts PhD, RN, CHSE-A, Director

    Dr. Penni Watts is currently the Director of Clinical Simulation and has been instrumental in the integration of clinical simulation experiences as well as interprofessional simulation experiences across multiple nursing programs. Her background includes over 25 years in critical care nursing. Her training in simulation includes the Center for Medical Simulation Comprehensive Instructor Course and the Advanced Instructor Course. Currently she is active on committees in INACSL and Society for S...

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    Rachael Bruce MSN, CRNP, FNP-C, Director of the BSN Communities of Learning

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    Ryan Richey MNA, CRNA, Nurse Anesthesia Clinical and Simulation Coordinator

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    Sabria Baker DNP, RN, CNE, Co-Director for the AMNP Pathway

    Ms. Baker began her career in the Surgical Intensive Care at UAB Hospital. She became interested in education and moved to the school to teach clinicals for undergraduate nursing.

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    Shannon Layton DNP, MSW, RN, LICSW, PIP, NEA-BC, CNL, CWCN, CFCN, Coordinator

    Dr. Layton has over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur and business executive. During her career as a nurse and social worker, she has founded three corporations to deliver treatment services to clients in at risk or under-served areas of the Southeast. She received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice and Masters of Nursing Science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and her Masters of Social Work from the University of Alabama and also holds a BA in Political Science from t...

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    Shea Polancich PhD, RN, Program Director

    Shea Polancich, PhD, RN has been practicing in quality and patient safety for more than a decade. The primary focus of her work is understanding errors in the clinical environment Her work focuses on using the best evidence to redesign the workflow and improve processes in order to prevent patient harm and improve the quality of care.

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    Shea Polancich PhD, RN, Assistant Dean

    Shea Polancich, PhD, RN has been practicing in quality and patient safety for more than a decade. The primary focus of her work is understanding errors in the clinical environment Her work focuses on using the best evidence to redesign the workflow and improve processes in order to prevent patient harm and improve the quality of care.

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    Sigrid Ladores PhD, RN, PNP, CNE, Director of PhD Program

    Dr. Sigrid Ladores is a pediatric nurse practitioner who is investigating reproductive health concerns in adolescents and young adults with chronic illnesses. She has presented her research in local, regional, national, and international conferences. She is also a respected scholar and leader in the Philippine Nurses Association of America.

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    Somali Nguyen DNP, CRNP, AGACNP-BC, Academic Integrity Officer-MSN Program

    Somali Nguyen is an instructor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing. He is a board-certified Adult and Gerontology Acute Care nurse practitioner with over 10 years of clinical experience. His background is in Emergency Medicine and has extensive leadership experience overseeing the implementation and management of the comprehensive vascular access team and medical emergency team at UAB. Dr. Nguyen currently has a faculty practice at UAB in the emergency department....

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    Somali Nguyen DNP, CRNP, AGACNP-BC, Coordinator for Adult Gerontology Acute Nurse Practitioner Specialty Track

    Somali Nguyen is an instructor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing. He is a board-certified Adult and Gerontology Acute Care nurse practitioner with over 10 years of clinical experience. His background is in Emergency Medicine and has extensive leadership experience overseeing the implementation and management of the comprehensive vascular access team and medical emergency team at UAB. Dr. Nguyen currently has a faculty practice at UAB in the emergency department....

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    Susan McMullan PhD, CRNA, CNE, CHSE, Coordinator

    Dr. McMullan has been a CRNA for over 30 years. She has clinical experience in all forms of anesthesia with a focus on pediatric and cardiovascular anesthesia. Her teaching experience includes basic and advanced principles of nurse anesthesia, pediatric anesthesia, and high-fidelity simulation. Her research focuses on patient safety in nurse anesthesia.
    She has received the AANA Foundation Doctoral, Post-Doctoral Fellowship and General Grants for her work on nurse anesthesia and patient saf...

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    Susanne Fogger DNP, CRNP, CARN-AP, PMHNP-BC, FAANP, Administrator

    Dr. Fogger is an educator and clinician with more than 40 years’ experience as a psychiatric/mental health nurse. She is a veteran of the US Air Force with over 12 years as a psychiatric staff nurse and nurse manager of an alcohol treatment unit. She also provided psychiatric home health in a rural area of Louisiana; and was a nurse manager of a psychiatric adolescent unit. She has taught Graduate and Undergraduate Psychiatric Nursing since 2003 while maintaining a clinical practice. Current p...

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    Tara Wood DNP, CRNP-FO, NNP-BC, Coordinator

    Tara Wood, DNP, CRNP, NNP-BC is the Coordinator for the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Specialty Track at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing.

    Dr. Wood is a two-time alumna of the UAB School of Nursing, earning both her MSN and DNP degrees from UAB. Dr. Wood has provided care to infants and families in the Neonatal ICU for over 18 years. She maintains her neonatal nurse practitioner board certification through the National Certification Corporation.

    Dr. Wood...

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    Tedra Smith DNP, CRNP, CPNP-PC, CNE, Director

    Dr. Tedra S. Smith is a pediatric nurse practitioner with a specialization in primary care. She has more than 13 years of experience as a pediatric nurse including primary, emergency and preanesthesia care. Her interest includes utilizing simulation as a pediatric clinical rotation to enhance communication with children and their caregivers. This also includes using simulation to decrease student anxiety related to caring for pediatric patients.

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    Tedra Smith DNP, CRNP, CPNP-PC, CNE, Co-Director for the Nurse Practitioner Pathway

    Dr. Tedra S. Smith is a pediatric nurse practitioner with a specialization in primary care. She has more than 13 years of experience as a pediatric nurse including primary, emergency and preanesthesia care. Her interest includes utilizing simulation as a pediatric clinical rotation to enhance communication with children and their caregivers. This also includes using simulation to decrease student anxiety related to caring for pediatric patients.

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    Tedra Smith DNP, CRNP, CPNP-PC, CNE, Primary Pediatrics Specialty Track Coordinator

    Dr. Tedra S. Smith is a pediatric nurse practitioner with a specialization in primary care. She has more than 13 years of experience as a pediatric nurse including primary, emergency and preanesthesia care. Her interest includes utilizing simulation as a pediatric clinical rotation to enhance communication with children and their caregivers. This also includes using simulation to decrease student anxiety related to caring for pediatric patients.

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    Todd Hicks DNP, MNA, CRNA, Coordinator

    Todd Hicks earned a BS in education from Auburn University in 1999 and successfully taught in public secondary schools for three years. In 2004, Mr. Hicks earned his BSN from Auburn University, magna cum laude, and practiced as a critical care RN for two years. In 2006, he entered the UAB Nurse Anesthesia Program, from which he graduated in 2008. Since completing his MNA, Mr. Hicks has practiced clinically as a CRNA in Montgomery, AL, where he presently maintains his practice.

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    Tracie White DNP, CRNP, ACNP-BC, CNOR, CRNFA, Coordinator

    Dr. Tracie White is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Certified RN First Assistant. She has spent her career caring for the surgical patient and has an interest in improving surgical processes and patient outcomes. She teaches in the Nationally ranked Adult-Gero Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program and is the Coordinator for the RN First Assistant Subspecialty.

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    Tracie White DNP, CRNP, ACNP-BC, CNOR, CRNFA, Coordinator

    Dr. Tracie White is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Certified RN First Assistant. She has spent her career caring for the surgical patient and has an interest in improving surgical processes and patient outcomes. She teaches in the Nationally ranked Adult-Gero Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program and is the Coordinator for the RN First Assistant Subspecialty.

  • Faculty Position

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    Anna Brown, Instructor - Adjunct (P)

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    Jacqueline Moss PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor - Adjunct (P)

    Dr. Jacqueline Moss has a wide range of experience in adult critical care practice, nursing education, and research. She has a particular interest in health care informatics and earned a doctorate in nursing informatics. Dr. Moss has been involved in multiple projects designed to implement new information and communication technologies for use in health care practice and education.

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    Jessica Richardson DNP, CRNP, PMHNP-BC, Instructor - Adjunct (P)

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    Lauren Aguilar MSN, RN, PMHNP-BC, Instructor - Adjunct (P)

  • Faculty Secondary Appointments

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    James Cimino MD, Professor (S)

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    James Willig, Associate Professor (S)

    James H. Willig, MD, MSPH, is the Associate Dean of Clinical Education in the School of Medicine. He attended Medical School at the Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) and completed his residency at the University of Virginia Roanoke-Salem. At UAB, Willig has earned an M.S. in Public Health and completed an Infectious Diseases Fellowship. His research interests in quality improvement and medical informatics have found expression in both research into quality issues in HIV primary care...

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    Maria Pisu Ph.D., Professor (S)

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    Shilpa Register OD, MS, PhD, Assistant Professor (S)

    Dr. Register’s clinical practice focuses on ocular disease, surgical co-management, primary eye care and contact lenses. Dr. Register joined the UAB Department of Ophthalmology in Fall 2016 and received the 2016 AOSA Teaching Award from her students. Dr. Register is a Distinguished Scholar and Fellow of the National Academies of Practice and a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. She serves on the Board of Directors for the UAB National Alumni Society and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cent...

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    Wendy Demark-Wahnefried Ph.D., Professor (S)

    Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, PhD, RD is Professor and Webb Endowed Chair of Nutrition Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Dr. Demark-Wahnefried received her baccalaureate degree in Nutritional Science and Biochemistry from the University of Michigan and then completed a coordinated master’s degree – dietetic internship through the VA Texas Medical Center, Texas Women’s University and Baylor College of Medicine. She completed her doctoral degree in Nutritional Science from Syr...

  • Non-academic Position

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    Bethany Lawyer, Registered Nurse (RN) - Skills Lab Educator 2021 -

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    Bryson Henry, Program Manager I 2022 -

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    Carrea Dye, Program Director II 2023 -

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    Colton Segars, Clinical Simulation Specialist 2017 -

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    Diego Carlos Chavez, Data Analyst 2023 -

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    JoeAnn Kennedy, Program Administrator II 2001 -

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    Johnny Huffstutler, Project Manager II 2020 -

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    Judith Quick, Registered Nurse (RN) - Skills Lab Educator 2022 -

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    Kaie White, Program Manager II 2019 -

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    Kari Jackson, Program Manager II 2022 -

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    Katrina Staffney, Program Manager II 2021 -

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    Mantana Damrongsak PhD, Project Manager II 2014 -

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    Michael Wood, Data Analyst 2022 -

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    Mina Momeni, Program Manager I 2022 -

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    Reginald Kinsey, Program Manager I 2011 -

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    Robyn York, Registered Nurse (RN) - Skills Lab Educator 2018 -

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    Samantha Baldwin, Registered Nurse (RN) - Skills Lab Educator 2021 -

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    Tammy Fields, Program Manager I 2017 -

  • Organization Within