UAB DPT Alumni Newsletter January 2013

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Physical Therapy Alumni News Volume II Issue I Inside this issue:

Doctor of Science Program Awards Final Degrees

SHP Receives $2.4 M for Student Support

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Alumni News

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SHP Building Construction Update

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Contributions for Gossman Lectureship

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2012 Doctor of Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded

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PT Chapter of the UAB NAS

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Gift giving

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New Students in PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences Program

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Clinical Education News

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Jeff Soltes, MS, PT Awarded the Loretta Boger Award for Excellence in Clinical Education

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Faculty Updates

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Faculty Updates cont.

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Alumni in Action

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Alumni Advisory Committee Jenny Wilson (08’) (President, PT Chapter of the UAB National Alumni Society) David Bryson (‘89) Chantel Jones (‘07) Donna Kay King (‘86) Cheryl Knowles (‘82) Donald Lein (‘88) Tana Lieb (‘09) Sonya Pearson (‘06) Reid Warren (‘10) Jonathan Delk (’99) David Morris (‘90) (Faculty representative)

January 2013

On December 15, 2012, three Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy (DScPT) graduates participated in the UAB Doctoral Degree Commencement Ceremonies at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. Drs. Anna de Joya, Michelle Gutierrez, and Lois Hedman were the final DScPT graduates as the program has now been officially phased out. The Postprofessional DScPT program opened in 2003 with the goal of preparing physical therapists to innovate and advance the profession through clinical practice and research. The program was discontinued when the department decided to shift priorities to the PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences Program; a program established in 2011 with the UAB Department of Occupational Therapy. The DScPT program graduated 15 individuals (listed on this page) who have fulfilled the program’s goals through leadership roles in clinical practice and/or education. Dr. Cecilia Graham, the program’s director since 2003, describes the program as “a great success in preparing advanced practitioners who have a unique blend of skills in clinical practice, scholarly activities, and education.” No doubt our most recent graduates will continue to represent the UAB Department of Physical Therapy as distinguished alumni.

UAB DScPT Graduates Jason Hardage (Hayward, CA) Jill Hansen Kehl (Atlanta, GA) Lydia Futch Thurston (Birmingham, AL) Diane Clark (Birmingham, AL) Sharon Young (Mobile, AL) Jaca Stephens (Gadsden, AL) Fran Wedge (Joliet, IL) Carolyn Kelley (Houston, TX) Laura White (Daphne, AL) Patty Perez (Birmingham, AL) Heather Mount (Andalusia, AL) Leslie VanHiel (Atlanta, GA) Anna de Joya (Houston, TX) Michelle Gutierrez (Las Cruces, NM) Lois Hedman (Evanston, IL)

Drs. De Joya, Gutierrez, and Hedman with faculty members Drs. Morris, Christy and Graham

Certificate Program in Health Focused Care in Physical and Occupational Therapy to begin in January 2013 The UAB Department of PT is happy to announce a new educational offering for clinicians; an online Graduate Certificate in Health Focused Patient/Client Management for Physical and Occupational Therapists. The goal of the program is to prepare PTs and OTs for expanding roles in the areas of prevention, health promotion, and wellness. The certificate program is offered completely online and includes 5 required courses (15 credit hours). Students will take one course per semester. The first cohort of students will begin the program in January 2013. Admissions requirements are a degree in PT or OT and proof of current licensure. For more information, please visit www.uab.edu/ptotcert or contact Cecilia Graham at cgraham@uab.edu or 205-934-5949.


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Physical Therapy Alumni News

SHP Receives $2.4 M for Student Support Four programs in the UAB School of Health Professions, including the Department of PT, received grants totaling $2.4 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to fund scholarships for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are enrolled in a health professions program. The four programs – Clinical Laboratory Science, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Physical Therapy and Physician Assistant – will award nearly 15 scholarships per program per year for four years in the amount of $10,000 to $15,000 each that will be applied toward a student’s tuition and fees. According to the Bureau of Health Professions of HRSA, the majority of the counties in the state of Alabama are designated as economically disadvantaged and 35 of the 67 counties in Alabama are classified as low-education counties. “Minorities tend to be underrepresented in higher skilled, higher paid health-care professions such as nuclear medicine technology,” says Norman E. Bolus, M.S.P.H., director of the NMT program. “Living expenses coupled with the high cost of tuition can be an insurmountable burden when disadvantaged students are unable to work due to the full-time nature of health professions programs.” Just receiving a bachelor’s degree is not enough, as some health professions require a graduate degree. “The availability of these scholarship funds will be critical for some students in making choices in career plans,” says Sharon Shaw, P.T., Dr.P.H., chair of the Department of Physical Therapy. “Financial assistance for doctoral training is a necessity for many students to pursue advanced degrees.” Getting students to campus and completing their education is just one hurdle. The other is increasing diversity in the health professions workforce. “The lack of diversity is a key barrier to ensuring a culturally competent health-care system at the provider, organizational and system levels,” says Patricia R. Jennings, Dr.P.H., director of the Surgical Physician Assistant program. “It diminishes our nation’s capacity to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities and compromises our national capacity to advance the health sciences. Increasing the number of program graduates from diverse communities is one important step in addressing the health-care needs of our diverse populations.”

Alumni News Needed We are looking for news items about UAB PT Alumni. If you know of news items (e.g., promotions, awards, births, marriages, etc..) please forward them to David Morris, PT, PhD at morrisd@uab.edu. Please submit appropriate identifiers (e.g., maiden names, year of graduation) so that alumni will recognize their classmates.


Volume II Issue I

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Alumni News Karlie Lewis Brantley (DPT ’07) married Adam Brantley in Birmingham on October, 2012 Lydia Futch Thurston (MSPT ’98 and DScPT ’05) and her husband Michael Thurston welcomed their 2nd child, Ann Elizabeth in December 2012. Ellen Strunk (MSPT ’91) was elected to president of the Alabama Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association at the 2012 Chapter Fall Conference.

SHP Building Construction Update As we finish out 2012, progress on the building addition to the School of Health Professions is beginning to show. The construction is now 65 percent complete. All of the windows are expected to be finished by the end of the year. As you can see, most of the windows are up on the east side of the building.

You can watch the progress of the building construction 24/7 with our SHP webcam. And to see more construction photos, go to our Facebook page.

Contributions for Gossman Lectureship The PT Department has identified the Marilyn Gossman Lectureship Program as a priority for alumni fundraising for 2013. Established in honor of the late Marilyn Gossman, PT, PhD, FAPTA, chair of the Department of PT from 1968 to 1998, the program will be an annual event. The recipient of the Lectureship Award will be a PT of prominence who, like Marilyn, has had a significantly positive influence on the profession at a national

and/or international level. The lecturer will come to Birmingham to engage in a variety of activities (including the Annual Lecture) to benefit the Alabama PT community. Donations for the lectureship can be made to the Marilyn R. Gossman Memorial Fund (see gift giving pg.5).

Marilyn Gossman, PT, PhD, Chair of the Department of

RaRa Schlitt, PT (center, Class of ‘78) with her painting honoring Dr. Gossman. Also pictured are Don Lein, PT, PhD and Sharon Shaw, PT, DrPH.


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Physical Therapy Alumni News

2012 Doctor of Physical Therapy Degrees Awarded Letter to PT Alumni

On December 4, 2012, individuals were awarded Doctor of Physical Therapy degrees in a ceremony held jointly with the UAB School of Nursing. The graduates and their hometowns are listed on this page. At a luncheon for the graduates on December 3rd, student awards were presented. The following individuals were recognized: Alison Barnard - Alpha Eta Society; Student Service Award and Dean’s Leadership Award Ashley Boykin - Alpha Eta Society Lindsey Deweese - Alpha Eta Society Amy Hayes - Alpha Eta Society Mallory Tyler - Alpha Eta Society; Cecile Clardy Satterfield Award for Humanism in Health Care

Ruth Amagliani, DPT - Memphis , TN Amy Anzovino, DPT - Acworth, GA Marjorie Pomeroy Baker, DPT - Eufaula, AL Alison Barnard, DPT - Vestavia Hills, AL Danielle Lynn Bogart, DPT - Mountain Brook, AL Elisabeth Ashley Boykin, DPT - Haleyville, AL Whitney Marie Braswell, DPT - Huntsville, AL Kaitlin Ansley Carlson, DPT - Birmingham, AL Eric Matthew Chandler, DPT - Madison, AL Brittain Dawson, DPT - Starkville, MS Lindsey Pearce Deweese, DPT - Springville, AL Stephanie Misa Elliott, DPT - Birmingham, AL Meredith Anne Erdman, DPT - Menominee, MI

Kimberly Ann Freind, DPT - Birmingham, AL Amanda Leigh Goodman, DPT - Pensacola, FL Stephen Leonard Greer, DPT - Birmingham, AL Amy Hayes, DPT - Lanett, AL Samantha Marie Helton, DPT - Franklin, TN Stephanie Rea Hickman, DPT - Southside, AL Megan Elizabeth Hixson, DPT - Newnan, GA Jessica Lynn Jackson, DPT - Leeds, AL Andrea Christine Johnson, DPT - Opp, AL Anna Mugg Jones, DPT - Pelham, AL Sarah Margaret Keaten, DPT - Birmingham, AL Jacob Joseph McKay, DPT - Salt Lake City, UT Stephanie Taylor Malone, DPT - Tazewell, TN

Carly Nye, DPT - Killen, AL Anna Christine Parker, DPT - Huntsville, AL Toshio Sidney-Ando Leeper, DPT - San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico Meagan Michelle Smith, DPT - Homewood, AL Amanda Pope Spalding, DPT - New Market, AL Erin Enseleit Surrett, DPT - Dothan, AL Kathryn Denise Terry, DPT - Tallahassee, FL Mallory Elizabeth Tyler, DPT - Alexander City, AL Derek John Van Gerwen, DPT - Huntsville, AL Lisa Anne Vogel, DPT - Fairhope, AL Emily Payne Wilson, DPT - Spanish Fort, AL

PT Chapter of the UAB NAS Terrance Wallace Frances Wedge Emily Speer Jennifer Wilson David Morris Sharon Shaw Jason Sumsion Renee Clayton Camille Bryson David Bryson Sheree Chapman York Deborah LeCroy

Karlie Lewis Sarah Armstrong Kendell Jno-Finn Lydia Thurston Stephen Foster Tina Isabella Olive Whitehead Brenda Yancey Steven Forbush Kathryn Whitfield Pamela Jefferies William Temple

PASS IT ALONG While we try to maintain alumni contact information, our records are not always up to date. Please share this newsletter with any colleagues and/or friends who are alumni of our program. Also, please encourage them to send their name, current home/work address, and email address to http://www.uab.edu/shp/alumni-giving/update-info. If you would like to join or pay dues that have lapsed, please contact SHPalumni@uab.edu


Volume II Issue I

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Gift Giving Below are the gifts opportunities for the Department of PT. Bergman-Pinkston Professorship in Physical Therapy Marilyn R. Gossman Memorial Fund SHP Physical Therapy Gifts Shirley A. Shaddeau Memorial Scholarship Endowment To donate to the School of Health Professions, click here.

New Students in PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences Program In Fall 2012, 5 new students began course work in the PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences program; a program offered jointly between the UAB Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy Programs. The new PhD students are

Christina Myers - Wetumpka, AL; Marion Haase - Houston, TX; Sung-Yu Lin - Taichung, Taiwan; Deanna Rumble - Huntsville, AL; Laura Tudor - Chicago, IL; Susan Silverman - Rolling Meadows, IL More information about the PhD program can be found at www.uab.edu/pt/rsphd

PhD Application Now being Accepted Hurry! Only one month left to send in your application for the PhD in Rehabilitation Science Program at UAB. The Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science program is an interdisciplinary program sponsored by The Department of Occupational Therapy and The Department of Physical Therapy in the School of Health Professions. This exciting program is designed to prepare graduates to become Academicians, scholars, scientists and researchers in education, health care, industry, and government institutions and consultants to individuals, communities, and governments. The deadline for completed applications to be considered for admission Fall Semester 2013 is Feb 1, 2013.


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Physical Therapy Alumni News

Clinical Education News Clinical Education Tips For many years, clinical educators have discouraged the use of electronic devices such as cell phones, I-pads, and personal computers during patient care. The main reasons for this electronic ban during patient care were that the use of these devices would detract from the quality of care offered by a physical therapist practitioner and encourage the use of these devices for personal use during clinical hours. Given the increase in electronic documentation and PTrelated apps now available on-line, this

strict ban on these devices needs to be reconsidered in clinical education. We need to allow the appropriate use of these devices by PT students since it may enhance patient care and their clinical education experience. The best way to allow students to use these electronic devices professionally is to set your expectations on the use of these devices the first day of your student’s affiliation. The clinical instructor should at least verbally, if not in writing, outline when and how electronic devices should be

used in the clinic during the first student meeting. During this meeting, students could also show clinical instructors new apps that may be useful for patient care. Finally, if the CI still does not want to use electronic devices during patient care, then he /she needs to be clear on this expectation. Remember, in another clinical affiliation your student may have been allowed to use their smart phones during patient care, so make your expectations clear.

Jeff Soltes, MS, PT Awarded the Loretta Boger Award for Excellence in Clinical Education this October The Department of Physical Therapy faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham awarded Jeff Soltes, MS, PT, the annual Loretta Boger Award for Excellence in Clinical Education this fall. Mr. Soltes works in the Acute Care Department at University of North Carolina Hospital. Our students have consistently given Jeff high marks when they evaluated him and the clinic. A recent student stated the following about Jeff: “Jeff always encouraged me to think critically, be confident in my decisions, and to form strong relationships with patients.” This student went on to say that Jeff made her the primary contact person to communicate with other health professionals concerning their patient load which provided her “…more confidence in [her] critical thinking skills and [her] ability to make important decisions for patients.” Many of our students that Jeff served as their clinical instructor echoed

these statements. These statements reflects the ideals of clinical education set forth by Loretta Boger. Some of these ideals included holding the patients and students in high regard, developing staff clinical teaching skills, individualized student objectives, planning clinical learning experiences, and providing constructive feedback. In 1980, the faculty of what was then called the Division of Physical Therapy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham established the Loretta R. Boger Award for Excellence in Clinical Education. Boger, through her work at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio, influenced the lives of several of our emeritus faculty - Marilyn Gossman, Jo Clelland, Dot Pinkston, Cara Adams, Sharon Shaw, and Betty Canan. For most of these individuals, she served as their clinical instructor. She was also a colleague of Dot Pinkston’s at Case Western Reserve Graduate Physical Therapy curriculum,

Loretta Boger Award recipient, Jeff Soltes, MS, PT and his supervisor, Dierdra Bennett.

where she held the appointment of assistant clinical professor. Boger retired in 1978, after serving as chief physical therapist at Cleveland Metropolitan General for almost 25 years. During that time, she served on the clinical faculty of at least eight educational programs in physical therapy, each of them recognizing the quality of clinical education she and her staff provided. For her, clinical education could not be happen-stance; for she knew the importance of physical therapy education and the role of clinical education on the future of the profession. She was proud of her colleagues and friends here at UAB for what they were trying to accomplish in physical therapy education. Through her profound influence on their lives, especially in the areas of patient care and clinical education, Boger continues to indirectly touch the lives of our student.

Dr. Patty Perez presents the 2012 Boger Award to Soltes.

Clinical Education Announcement The Department of Physical Therapy faculty will host the American Physical Therapy Association’s Credentialed Clinical Instructor Program (15 contact hours or 1.5 CEUs) March 2 - 3, 2013. If you are interested in attending this course, please contact Amanda Sherman (205-934-3517 or asherman@uab.edu).


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Volume II Issue I

Faculty Updates UAB DEPARTMENT OF PT FACULTY (2013)

C. Scott Bickel, PT, PhD 2006, Associate Professor

William K. Ogard, PT, PhD 1996, Assistant Professor

David Brown, PT, PhD 2012, Professor and Program Director for PhD in Rehabilitation Science

Claire Peel, PT, PhD, FAPTA 1996, Professor

Jennifer Braswell Christy, PT, PhD 2002, Associate Professor John D. Lowman, PT, PhD 2005, Assistant Professor

Patty Perez, PT, DScPT 2000, Assistant Professor Sharon E. Shaw, PT, DrPH 1985, Associate Professor and Chair

John McCarthy, PT, PhD 2001, Associate Professor David M. Morris, PT, PhD 1991, Associate Professor, Vice-Chair Patrice Murphy, MS, PCS 1977, Assistant Professor

Scott Bickel, PT, PhD, FASCM was recently named as Associate Director of Rehabilitation Research in the UAB Center for Exercise Medicine. The Center for Exercise Medicine is cultivating an environment that establishes UAB as the nation’s leader in exercise medicine research and education. The work of the Center will affect the health and well-being of children and adults by facilitating interdisciplinary research, training and educating the next wave of scientists and healthcare professionals, and promoting community outreach and education based on findings through clinical exercise trials. Diane E. Clark, PT, DScPT, MBA is lead author on an article that will appear in the February issue of Physical Therapy titled “Effectiveness of an early mobilization protocol in a trauma and burns intensive care unit: a retrospective cohort study.” The study reports tremendous cost savings from an early mobilization program implemented at UAB Hospital. Dr. Clark was interviewed about the study at the 2012 APTA Annual Conference in Tampa, FL and the interview is the topic of a podcast available at www.apta.org. John Lowman, PT, PhD, CCS is a co-author on this publication. Matt Ford, PT, PhD is co-author on two studies recently published concerning ongoing collaborations with research to improve function with persons with Parkinson’s Disease. The citations for the recent publications are: Duncan RP, Leddy AL, Cavanaugh JT, Dibble LE, Ellis TD, Ford MP, Foreman KB, Earhart GM. Comparative utility of the BESTest, Mini-BESTest, and Brief-BESTest for predictiong falls in individuals with Parkinson Disease: A cohort study. J Neurol Phys Ther 2012; 36:51-57. Cavanaugh JT, Ellis TD, Earhart GM, Ford MP, Foreman KB, Dibble LE. Capturing ambulatory decline in Parkinson’s disease. Phys Ther 2012 Nov 21. [Epub ahead of print].


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Physical Therapy Alumni News

Faculty Updates cont. John Lowman, PT, PhD, CCS was elected July 1, 2012 as the chair of the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS). ABPTS is an 11 member board that oversees the eight different board-certified clinical specialties in physical therapy. As a member of the board, Lowman will help develop the minimum requirements for certification and recertification to be used across all the specialty and approval of specialty-specific requirements developed by specialty councils. The board also approves certification and recertification of qualified candidates for specialist certification. David Morris, PT, PhD was recognized with two professional awards this past fall. The first was the Marilyn Gossman Professionalism in Physical Therapy Award from the Alabama Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association at the Chapter’s Fall Conference in Birmingham in August. This is considered the chapter’s most prestigious honor to recognize a member demonstrating outstanding professionalism in any of the areas of physical therapy service, practice, education and/or research. Marilyn Gossman, PT, Ph.D. FAPTA, whom the award was named after, is the former UAB Division of Physical Therapy director. The second award was the APTA Legislative Commitment Award presented at the APTA Payment and Advocacy Forum in Alexandria, VA in November 2012. Morris has a long history of service to the APTA including serving as president of the APTA Aquatic Section from 1998-2002 and president of the Alabama Chapter from 2005-2010. Morris was also co-chair of the Patient Interest and Access Act (PIAA) Task Force; a group convened to develop and pass legislation to allow Alabama citizens better access to physical therapy services. Such a bill was passed in the 2012 Alabama legislative session. John McCarthy, PT, PhD, CS,*D, FACSM, FNSCA, received the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s 2012 Sports Medicine/Rehabilitation Professional of the Year Award. McCarthy, an associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, was presented the award at the NSCA’s National Conference in Providence, RI in July. The award is given to a NSCA member whose work and contributions have significantly impacted the field of sports medicine or rehabilitation for athletes. The general NSCA membership submits nominations and the winner is selected by the Sports Medicine/Rehabilitation Special Interest Group Awards Ad Hoc Committee using written evaluation criteria. McCarthy is a Fellow of both the NSCA and the American College of Sports Medicine. He has served on several national committees for the NSCA and ACSM including recently serving as the secretary/treasurer and board of directors’ member for the NSCA. Currently, McCarthy serves on editorial boards for the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and the Strength and Conditioning Journal. Jennifer Christy, PT, PhD, Scott Bickel, PT, PhD, and Cecilia Graham, PT, PhD have all achieved tenure in the UAB School of Health Professions. Drs. Christy and Bickel were also promoted to Associate Professor. Cecilia Graham, PT, PhD has been slated for a position on the Nominating Committee for the American Physical Therapy Association. This national position will be elected at the 2013 APTA Annual Conference in Salt Lake City, UT. In late September 2012, David A. Brown, PT, PhD and his research project entitled “Robotic activity mobility center in a fitness center for people with neurologic disability” will be funded for five years as part of the continuation of a Rehabilitation and Research Engineering Center Grant (RERC) - Machines Assisting Recovery from Stroke and Spinal Cord Injury for Reintegration into Society(MARS3)by the Department of Education/National Institute of Disability Research and Rehabilitation. This project will be a collaboration between UAB Department of Physical Therapy and Lakeshore Foundation with James Rimmer, PhD as the subcontract principal investigator at Lakeshore. The approximately $600,000 project will utilize the KineAssist MAX system to test the concurrent validity of a suite of assessments designed to measure force generating capability; speed generating capability, dynamic balance, and response to locomotor challenge in stroke survivors and then utilize the KineAssist MAX system to test the effectiveness of a targeted, client-specific training program designed to improve walking speed and increase mobility participation. The end product of these proposed aims will be a comprehensive and standardized system for assessing and prescribing specific training modalities that can be used by clinicians to help stroke survivors who are limited by slow walking speed and high fall risk, and can improve participation in mobility activities.


Alumni in Action

Department of Physical Therapy SHPB 360 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294 Phone: 205-934-3566 Fax: 205-975-7787

We’re on the Web www.uab.edu/pt

An UAB PT Chapter Alumni Reception was held on August 19, 2012 at Jim N’ Nicks in Birmingham. The reception was held in conjunction with the 2012 Fall Conference of the Alabama Chapter of the APTA.

Birmingham: Beth Ronilo, Billy Ronilo and Rhett Walker

Birmingham: Jenny Wilson, Kristie Schavey Gentry and Adam Gentry

Birmingham: Jennifer Christy, Heather Ray and David Morris

Birmingham: David Cypher, Elizabeth Cypher and Diane Clark


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