ALUMNI IN ACTION JOHANNA GILSTRAP (RT)
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s far as respiratory therapists go, Johanna Gilstrap has a pretty impressive resume. She is a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) stationed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. In fact, she’s the first respiratory therapist to be commissioned. She serves as the respiratory therapy program manager within the Office of Safety, Health, and Environment. “Anyone who is required to wear a respirator to protect against airborne contaminants on the job must come through the program for training and fit testing of the respirator(s) prior to initial use and annually thereafter,” says Gilstrap.
The program serves laboratorians, epidemiologists, veterinarians, and many other disciplines. Last year, the program had more than 800 employees enrolled. Gilstrap arrived at UAB in the late 1990s not knowing what profession she would pursue. “SHP was unique because it offered a wide range of programs,” she says. “I knew I would find my calling there.” After graduating from the respiratory therapy program in 1998, Gilstrap worked in a clinical setting at a teaching hospital for more than eight years, but she needed a new challenge. “I obtained a contracting position at the CDC, and I became more interested in the basic public health ethos of disease
Johanna Gilstrap
prevention and health promotion,” she says. Gilstrap earned her master’s degree in public health and applied to the USPHS Commissioned Corps. She was called to active duty on January 6, 2012.
Rodger Brown (Executive MSHA) Mike Eskridge and Ethan White (PT)
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or Mike Eskridge and Ethan White, providing outstanding patient care is a top priority. Eskridge & White Physiotherapy in Birmingham—which offers injury prevention, rehabilitation, and fitness and wellness programs—serves clients ranging from Olympic athletes and competitive runners to stroke victims and joint replacement recipients. “I enjoy the challenges of evaluating human movement, both healthy and dysfunctional, and applying training and/or treatment techniques to improve performance and function,” says White, who received his master’s in physical therapy from the SHP in 1993. “I decided to make manual therapy the focus of my practice while I was a student at UAB. A number of faculty were instrumental in exposing us to basic manual therapy techniques and theory.”
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Eskridge, a co-owner who graduated from UAB with a Bachelor of Science degree in Comprehensive Science, earned a master’s in physical therapy from the university in 1992. He specializes in manual therapy and treatment of mechanical dysfunctions in runners and triathletes, and has completed more than two dozen marathons himself. Both partners take pride in the company they founded 13 years ago, although they admit it hasn’t always been easy. “Starting a business is very scary,” says White. “I would advise anyone interested in doing so to make sure they have a unique skill set as a therapist. Make sure, if you are a new graduate, that you are in a clinical setting where you can learn and develop the skills necessary to differentiate yourself from others in your field. “We’ve hired a number of UAB graduates over the years,” adds White. “Mike and I know that with UAB physical therapy graduates, we’re getting motivated and well-trained individuals who are a great fit to our business.”
When the president of North Mississippi Health Services wanted to expand the knowledge and leadership skills of his team back in 1999, he asked Rodger Brown to research top programs nationwide. For Brown, the program needed to broaden the horizon of executives already familiar with health care and accommodate the hectic schedules of business leaders and physicians. “The program had to be of great value based on the dollars paid,” explains Brown, who graduated from UAB’s Executive Master of Science Health Administration program in 2002. “UAB was the clear choice for us. Interestingly, I had not planned on attending. Once I made my presentation to the president and we agreed on UAB, he looked me in the eye and said, ‘You are going, aren’t you?’ That decision has definitely given me a greater understanding of