UAB SHP Snapshots: Perseverance in a Pandemic

UAB // SHP Impressions of Alumni Excellence

NEW-NORMAL ISSUE

ALUMNI FEATURE

PERSEVERANCE IN A

PANDEMIC PER·​S E·​V ER·​A NCE: steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, e specially in spite of difficulties or obstacles

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SHP Alums share their experiences navigating the new normal of COVID-19 (PG. 6)

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Virtual Ways to Connect (PG. 3)

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Award Winners and Honorees (PG. 5)

LETTER FROM THE DEAN Hello, Puzzles come in many forms like jigsaw, crossword and Sudoku. And they can puzzle you in many ways like mechanically, mathematically and logically. But those who love the challenge will agree that the best puzzles are the most difficult.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a puzzle in every sense: challenging, confusing, and overwhelming. It is also an onerous puzzle with fragmented sections, disconnected pieces and – at the time of this writing – no known solution.

However, if you look at the work of SHP alumni across the U.S. you will begin to see the puzzle picture developing. You will see patterns of people adapting to meet needs of their constituents, adjusting to fill the gaps left by displaced organizations, and taking action whenever and wherever necessary.

I hope you enjoy reading this edition of Snapshots and are inspired by our alumni who are the missing pieces to the puzzles of life for so many in need.

Sincerely,

IN THIS ISSUE

3 Get Engaged

New normal means new ways to impact others

4 SHP Excellence Check out recent alumni awards and accolades

5 Alumni Advice Alumni offer words of encouragement

FEATURE STORY

6 Andrew J. Butler, PhD Dean, UAB School of Health Professions

COVID-19 Feature

Profiles of alumni successfully navigating a new normal Cover and feature photography / #UABUnited graphics courtesy of UAB Photographer/University Relations

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STAY CONNECTED

Though social distancing has limited our traditional events and on-campus activities, it hasn’t stopped us from staying connected. In fact, going virtual has expanded our alumni programming opportunities.

◗ Alumni

Town Halls: Interactive sessions connect

alumni to SHP, where they can ask questions, learn about our COVID-19 response, and our future plans.

◗ HSA

Webinar Series: Monthly educational sessions

provide pertinent programming on topics that impact health care.

◗ Group

Discussions: Genetic Counseling students

faculty and alumni gather virtually to share insights.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Stay up-to-date on all SHP news, webinars & virtual events. /uabshp

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/uab_shp

uabshp

UAB School of Health Professions

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT GET INVOLVED ◗ WEBINARS

◗ ENDOWED LECTURES

◗ NETWORKING EVENTS ◗ CLASS REUNIONS

◗ PANEL DISCUSSIONS ◗ TOWN HALLS

See all upcoming events!

Visit our event page: uab.edu/shpevents

GIVE BACK

SERVE OTHERS

ONLINE: uab.edu/shp/give PHONE: Answer a student call or dial 205-996-5469 MAIL: Send a check ESTATE: Make a planned gift MATCH: Ask your employer to match your gift

HOST Breakfast with Blazers or Ask an Alum GIVE a guest lecture BECOME a preceptor, clinical instructor or mentor PARTICIPATE in service opportunities

Make a difference!

Contact Katie Adams: katiedav@uab.edu

Get involved today!

Contact Amanda Sherman: asherman@uab.edu

DON’T MISS OUT: update your contact info at uab.edu/shp/alumni to receive SHP news & more.

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SHP EXCELLENCE

Alumni Accolades Our alumni are consistently recognized for service to their professions and to others — here are some of our most recent honorees.

Lakesha Kinnerson (HIM, 2001) Selected to serve on the 2021 AHIMA Nominating Committee.

Chris Eidson (OT, 1999) Received the UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Dominique Forte (PT, 2015) Received the Emerging Leader Award from the APTA Alabama Chapter.

Norman Bolus (NMT, 1989) Awarded Outstanding Committee Member by UAB Faculty Senate.

Cathleen Erwin (PhD, Admin-Health Services, 2010) Received the 2020 Excellence in Teaching Award from the Academy of Management Division of Health Care Management.

Donna Tope (MSHA Class 48) Named to the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 class of 2020.

Lisa Altamirano (PT, 1998) Received Marilyn Gossman Award for Outstanding Professionalism by the APTA Alabama Chapter.

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Jeannine Cain (HIM, 2011, MSHI, 2015) elected 2021 AHIMA Speaker-Elect, House of Delegates.

Jim Shmerling (MSHA Class 14) was named one of Greater Hartford’s Top 25 Health Care Power Players by The Hartford Business Journal.

ALUMNI ADVICE

Words of Encouragement Fall semester looked different — orientations were online, classrooms were social distanced and everyone wore masks. SHP alumni, steadfast as always, share encouraging words of support for our students.

SHANEQUA ROSCOE (CLS, 2017) I am so excited that you have decided to join the UAB SHP family! I know that you are excited also and maybe a bit anxious or nervous, but it is one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made. You were accepted into your program, because you are more than capable of completing it and doing well. Always remember that.

ERIN KILLEN (OT, 2016) Welcome to the UAB family and to the School of Health Professions. As a recent alumni, I am so excited for you and for your future! During your time at UAB, you will find that you will make memories, friendships, form professional relationships and connections, and obtain the knowledge and information to make you successful in your future career.

ANNE HUBBELL (NS, 1987) May your time at UAB lead to the unfolding of your future in unimaginable ways, as it did for me! I was seeking to advance my knowledge and gain practical experience in preventive medicine and I was led to UAB, specifically to the MS program in clinical nutrition.

Know that you are welcome!

LAMARIO WILLIAMS (BMD, 2017) You’re beginning the next step of your academic career at UAB, an institution with a tremendous amount of opportunities. There will be difficulty in the road ahead, but you’ve already accomplished so much (particularly since you’ve made it to this step in this tumultuous year). If you stay persistent, ease will surely come. Keep ya head up!

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COVID-19:

Navigating A New Normal All collage photos courtesy of UAB Photographer/University Relations

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SHP Alumni adeptly adjust to meet the needs of this pandemic — advancing technology, rehab/therapy, patient care, community outreach, nutrition, and leadership.

LAUREN BERETICH ● FRED GILBERT ● CHRIS HEDLICH ● CAMERON INGRUM ● WENDY JENKINS BRITTANY JONES ● WENDY KIEPEK ● KAREN KOCH ● CAROLINE MARTIN SHELBY MAY ● JONATHAN PILGRIM ● KATIE REES ● DANIELLE REVOYR ● DHARA SHAH ELLEN STRUNK ● UMA SRIVASTAVA ● SHAWN ULREICH ● DISHON WILLIAMS

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TECHNOLOGY

SHELBY MAY

(MSHS, 2019) Program Manager, UAB Office of Interprofessional Simulation Birmingham, AL

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here are so many sayings about adapting to disruption like, rain and growth, lemons and lemonade, inconvenience and opportunity.

But if there is anyone who truly understands change, it is Shelby May (MSHS, 2019) who was born in Delaware and attended 17 different schools prior to graduating high school in Mobile, Alabama.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, May and her team at the UAB Office of Interprofessional Simulation had to change everything. They needed to continue to expose health care professionals to delicate situations without exposing them to a potentially deadly virus.

“We adapted much of what we do to digital in order to continue providing simulations that allowed our health care providers to train safely for patient care,” said May. “We established virtual simulations via Zoom for The Poverty Simulation and The Opioid Simulation. We converted all simulation evaluations to online, which meant extra training for the entire staff.”

The requests received have changed dramatically as well. May says there are more requests for procedural simulation and more requests for personal protective equipment (PPE) safety testing where they have helped with the new hire swab testing training for UAB’s many COVID-19 testing centers. Also, there was an immediate spike for virtual immersive simulations for students who were not able to go on campus due to coronavirus restrictions all across the U.S.

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May says her biggest reward has been the ability to directly impact those affected by the coronavirus.

Coming up with safe ways to conduct the program shows the tremendous benefit of simulation for health care providers and learners. She recognizes deeper parallels in simulation and reality as simulation allows professionals a safe learning environment, which focuses on patient safety and work safety.

The pandemic has caused everyone to pivot in how they work. For May, it has caused her to pivot the lessons she learned while earning her MS in Healthcare Simulation.

“I thought I would use the debriefing skills obtained in a learner-facilitator capacity — which I have — but I have also used them in meetings while discussing new implementations. Change can be hard and brings up the need for difficult conversations. I was able to use the simulation debriefing language skills to navigate these conversations, making me a much more effective leader than I would have been without the UAB SIM program.”

And that is her advice to the next generation of health care leaders – embrace and look for ways to change and adapt. She sees simulation as an opportunity to look at the big picture of how health care can and should be. “Go into simulation with an open mind and try to learn as much about every aspect of the field as you can. You may be surprised by what you fall into and what you really enjoy. There is a lot of room for intellect and creativity in simulation.” ■

I was able to use the simulation debriefing language skills, making me a much more effective leader than I would have been.

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TECHNOLOGY

WENDY KIEPEK

(MSHI, 2000) IT Executive Director, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN

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he pandemic underscored the importance of health informatics in care and outcomes.

Wendy Kiepek (MSHI, 2000), IT Executive Director at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and her team quickly adapted their work —leading the COVID assessment center, creating a COVID service-line, and in clinical expansions.

“We prepared for large increases in hospital admissions, rapidly expanded telehealth capabilities, and facilitated remote work by nonclinical employees,” said Kiepek. “Our teams collaborated with business leaders across the enterprise to identify the most critical needs and we responded in an agile way to provide technology solutions to address multiple scenarios. Our system enhancements, software distribution, and training to support COVID-19 care have been extensive.” ■

ACTIONS: ◗ Leveraged communication tools to notify

patients in real time of their test results. ◗ Used technology to enable clinicians to safely communicate with COVID-19 patients. ◗ Deployed dashboards to accurately monitor COVID-19 response resources.

OUTCOMES: ◗ Increased bed capacity, preventing

overwhelmed surge in COVID-19 patients. ◗ Reduced probabilities for infection spread through facilities and employee population. ◗ Sustained focus on positive patient experience during uncertain time.

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TECHNOLOGY

CAMERON INGRUM

(MSHI, 2018) Digital Health Product Manager, ResMed San Diego, CA

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e works for a company known for helping people with sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other chronic respiratory disorders. These patients are among those at the most increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. But that isn’t where Cameron Ingrum (MSHI, 2018) saw himself when he first signed up for classes at UAB. Looking back on earning his Master’s degree in Health Informatics, he remembers being overwhelmed and then being grateful.

First – The Curriculum: “The first couple of semesters they inundate you with the amount of reading, papers, and projects. You think you will just be learning database design, but it is the nitty gritty of how the health care system in the U.S. is structured, how payments flow, how information flows.”

Second – The Professors: “For Dr. O (Ben Ozaydin), I don’t miss the countless hours I spent on Zoom trying to understand the database design diagrams, but I do appreciate how it enabled me to speak a new technical language so that I can communicate more effectively with my engineering and UX colleagues.”

Third – The Lessons: “All of the late nights after work and countless hours on the weekends have paid dividends. The breadth and depth of knowledge attained in the program has been invaluable and made me a better product manager and leader,” said Ingrum, who works for ResMed, a global digital health and connected medical device company serving more than 140 countries. “My education made me very

versatile because I understand the marketing side, the development side and the user experience side, which has made me a more valuable product manager.”

While most people connect ResMed, a San Diego, California based company with 7,500 employees, to their medical devices, they have built a broad reputation for digital health solutions.

“We were the first medical device company to put a cellular chip into our devices so that physicians and clinicians can remotely monitor and manage patient therapy while they are at home,” said Ingrum.

Most recently, in a span of five months during the COVID-19 pandemic, ResMed scaled production of ventilation devices and released three major software enhancements across the Americas and Europe to help clinicians provide ongoing quality care for high-risk respiratory populations from a safe distance. Ingrum, who worked for a healthcare software startup company before joining ResMed, said it was amazing to watch a large company pivot and react to immediate market needs like a newcomer.

“Our digital health technology division actually accelerated its plans for rolling out these solutions so we could help the most people right away.” For their efforts, Raconteur featured ResMed as a world leader in digital health in the article titled “Ten innovations in the fight against COVID-19.” The article pointed to ResMed’s remote monitoring platform AirView as “Ventilating through the cloud.” They quoted Antoine Valterio, the UK and Ireland country manager, as saying ResMed’s patient data management software “enables

I picked the UAB health informatics program to get the skills and background of how HI systems are designed today, how the health care industry works and how I can best prepare myself to solve some of these problems in the future.

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TECHNOLOGY

[clinicians] to ensure the right patient gets the right care” remotely.

Ingrum says these new releases have sparked immediate growth in the adoption of remote patient monitoring solutions and is a big step toward an ambitious goal: “Our strategy for 2025 is to change the lives of 250 million patients.”

While studying in the MSHI program, Ingrum learned much about William Kissick’s “Iron Triangle” of health care – the concept where an organization strives to improve access, reduce cost and improve quality all at the same time.

“This is a real conundrum and I believe technology is one of the ways to break that down. That is why I picked the UAB health informatics program – to get the skills and background of how HI systems are designed today, and to have an intimate understanding of the health care industry so I can best prepare myself to solve some of these problems in the future,” said Ingrum.

It is also why he chose to work for ResMed. As a student, he didn’t quite know exactly what he would end up doing, but he did know he wanted to align work with his passion for helping people.

Being part of bringing ventilator remote monitoring solutions to market during the pandemic intensified Ingrum’s mission.

For ResMed, people are what comes to mind first in many ways. When you talk about helping people with sleep apnea, COPD, or other chronic breathing disease, you likely think about hardware, the devices themselves. ResMed combines 30-plus years of device engineering with digital health tools intended to enhance clinical care and boost patient adherence, which ultimately can improve health outcomes and lower healthcare costs.

That brings us back to the Iron Triangle of access, cost and quality. ResMed’s answer to this conundrum has long been technology and digital health tools they could produce themselves. In other words – they didn’t just wake up in February 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, and decide digital solutions would be a great idea for health care.

“We made big bets in investing in digital health research and development and the acquisition of other strong digital health companies in our ecosystem back in the 2010’s,” said Ingrum. “That is when we made our global transformation from strictly a medical device to a medical device and

digital health technology leader, and all of that has positioned us for the contributions that we’ve been able to make globally throughout this pandemic.”

When you work for a global company, you can witness worldwide trends. To meet the rising patient care demand that has been amplified during the pandemic, Ingrum has seen a positive trend in the adoption of telehealth and remote patient monitoring technology amongst clinicians and patients.

In the midst of the pandemic, clinicians are expected to manage higher patient volumes with limited resources and limited face-to-face interactions. As we are all aware, not many clinicians are able to bring high risk patients—especially those with chronic respiratory disorders—into the office for an exam. This has led to the need for physicians and clinicians to use digital solutions and digital interventions to monitor and manage patient care at a distance.

“Each clinician may have several hundred patients under their direct care and they don’t have enough time to proactively monitor and intervene with each patient every day,” said Ingrum. “Enabling scale is where technology excels. We are building remote patient monitoring solutions to help clinicians proactively identify, prioritize, and troubleshoot patient therapy issues so they can focus their limited time and energy on the highest risk patients in their population.”

And to that point, Ingrum sees a distinct correlation with his UAB MSHI education and the Iron Triangle. He sees the scalability in accessibility for this program that is offered 100 percent online (with only two residential visits each year) because he graduated with more people from more places than Alabama. He also sees the growth in quality with offering courses both asynchronously and synchronously. And he sees a value of the cost with tracks in data analytics and user experience that translate exactly to his work today.

“I want to provide the students with assurance: you are in a very unique position because technology was a constraint before, but now it is a must in health care and you are getting the best education in health care technology at UAB,” said Ingrum. “Health care is a necessity of life and you will be well positioned to make a lasting impact throughout your career; and you should be thrilled because you picked one of the best graduate programs out there. I’m excited to see what you accomplish.” ■

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REHAB/THERAPY

ELLEN STRUNK

(PT, 1992) Owner, Rehab Resources & Consulting, Inc. Pelham, AL

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n April 4, 2020, Alabama came under a Stay at Home Order that only allowed people out of the house for “essential activities”. The order was an 11-page document with many sections, subsections and sub-subsections.

Ellen Strunk (PT, 1992), a practicing physical therapist for more than 20 years, said the order caused confusion and fear among patients. Some people were not sure if their PT was considered “essential” and others were afraid of exposure to COVID-19. Immediately there was a need to figure out how therapists could still treat their patients, how patients could access their therapy, and how therapists would get paid.

“Usually commercial and private payers follow Medicare’s lead at the national level, but in this case the commercial and private payers got out front saying – ‘yes, we are going to allow therapists to do telehealth and get paid as if it were one on one service in your clinic’ but the [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] did not act upon this at first,” said Strunk, who is an expert in Medicare/Medicaid payment and certification.

In addition to her PT work, Strunk is a member of the physical therapy advisory committee (PTAC) to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama. She knew she needed the support of the largest payer in the state to pay for telehealth in order to keep Alabama physical therapists in business.

“I assembled the PTAC and we got on the phone with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama and we started making the case for telehealth to be seen for what it is – one on one treatment,” said Strunk. “We went back and forth several times and had to provide written justification for how the services could be delivered as effectively as in person. We were successful in getting them to agree to pay for several of the codes that physical therapists typically bill. Medicare and Medicaid came later, but they finally agreed as well.”

At the time of this writing, Blue Cross Blue Shield

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of Alabama has approved to pay for telehealth PT services through Dec 31, 2020. Alabama Medicaid has approved to cover through the end of November 2020 and Medicare has not given a specific deadline but has said they will allow telehealth through the end of the public health emergency.

Strunk is optimistic that her efforts will lead to permanent change and believes that some form of telehealth will be made permanent. However, she is also concerned that whenever the pandemic and social distancing ends, that the payers will forget how successful telehealth is for patients and clinics.

“We don’t want them to forget that this pandemic has not only increased value to the patient, but it has also increased cost to all the providers,” said Strunk.

“In order to do telehealth the proper way, you must have audio/visual and you are required to use HIPAA compliant software. Many clinics did not have both of those when the pandemic hit in March/April, but they have since spent the funds to acquire these things. That is another reason for telehealth coverage to remain.”

Strunk says therapists are such a resilient group that is quick to become accustomed to change. They adapt and they adopt to find any number of ways to make things work. They put their heads together and problem solve to find a variety of solutions.

She will tell you no one has all the answers and is a firm believer that a person can always be learning. Her best advice for today’s classroom student (and today’s clinical professional) is to not let the unknown stop you from doing what needs to be done: be an advocate – for yourself and your patients.

“Although there is uncertainty in what the delivery method is, and where, and how it is paid for and the different types of things we are able to utilize to help patients, know that we can influence what delivery might look like, we can influence how it may get paid for, we can influence how physical therapy is part of the health care team needed to gain functional independence.” ■

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REHAB/THERAPY

DHARA SHAH

(DPT, 2015) Physical Therapist, Motion Stability Physical Therapy Group Atlanta, GA

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ou could say Motion Stability Physical Therapy Group in Atlanta benefited from being “hit” by COVID-19 early. But in reality, the true benefit was from the leadership shown by the owner and the employees.

In mid-March, an employee didn’t feel well so the owner decided to match the protocol and immediately shutdown the clinic for two weeks. The test came back negative, but the two weeks off was a positive for the company as it gave them time to brainstorm and plan.

“We thought about the worst-case scenario – never coming back to the office – and decided we needed to jump on telehealth and find ways to make that beneficial to our patients,” said Dhara Shah (DPT, 2015). “It wasn’t easy because as physical therapists we are hands-on and patients are accustomed to that, so we began slowly with online classes and then transitioned to one-on-one telerehab care.”

The transition went smoothly. There were a few issues with insurance coverage at first. And, of course, there were some patients that just did not like change.

However, Shah knew they were doing the right thing after completing rehabilitation with an 18-year-old postsurgery patient. He conducted the first two weeks of his rehab in person and the next two weeks remotely.

Upon his return – Shah says he had no decline in function during the transition and was right on track.

“If you have a good relationship with your client you can make things work no matter where you are. My

patients trust me and want me to help them on their journey to recovery. Already I have a lot of telehealth regulars and I believe if more people were willing to try telerehab, the more people would enjoy it.”

Shah credits their success to the atmosphere surrounding the Motion Stability Physical Therapy Group. The mindset is “We have to persevere and adapt, and we are not willing to fail... especially for our patients.”

The physical therapists are encouraged to be innovative and to try new ideas. They are supported in their efforts to advocate for the profession and their patients. And they are welcome to conduct research related to their work.

Shah is currently working on a case about managing low back pain solely through telehealth. Her hypothesis is that telehealth is equally beneficial as coming into the office. She credits her dedication to finding answers and solving problems via research, to her UAB experience.

“The Department of Physical Therapy and the School have placed that in me – that mindset of research. Any time I am in a situation and we are doing things that are new, I want to get it into a format where we can document, research and present to others so that they can take that data and utilize that. I would have never thought that if it weren’t for UAB. I still keep in touch with Dr. Christy and they are still there for me as I am navigating and changing and trying to do new things in trying to help the future of physical therapy.”

UAB PT has placed in me a mindset of research.

When I am in a situation and we are doing new things, I want to get it into a format where we can document, research and present to others so that they can utilize that data.

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REHAB/THERAPY

FRED GILBERT (DPT, 2015) CPO, MovementX Arlington, VA

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he pandemic has hit everyone hard, but the hardest hit are older adults. Hospitalization and mortality rates increase with age. There is little argument that older adults are the most vulnerable to adverse health outcomes.

Long before COVID-19 exposed this harsh reality, Fred Gilbert (DPT, 2015) knew there was an aging problem – or more specifically, a “mental” problem as he saw an “ageist mindset” permeating our culture.

“There is a big scarcity of quality information about what it means to age and it frustrates me the limits we put on people when they age,” said Gilbert who is the Chief People Officer (CPO) at MovementX, a physical therapy service specializing in telehealth and social distancing work with older adults. “We all think we are going to become stooped and sit in a recliner our whole lives and it doesn’t have to be true.”

When MovementX launched in 2018, they decided to be myth busters. In addition to their take on ageing, they took a definitive stance in how physical therapy is delivered and how flexible physical therapists can be.

This helped exponentially as they worked exclusively telehealth for the first 45 days of the pandemic and then seamlessly transitioned to a mix including social distancing sessions. They are able to provide service however is most appropriate for their clients.

Another service MovementX has provided is the AgeProof Your Body (APYB) exercise program, an eight-week virtual class for anyone 60 and up.

“Before the pandemic, we held these in-person twice a week. It was one-part education, like research breaking myths, one-part individual exercise, and onepart exercise class.” It was a great uniter of an aging community of adults in the Arlington, Virginia area.

And then the pandemic spread.

“We immediately realized that older adults are getting left out because they won’t risk getting out and that meant that many of our friends were not working out,” said Gilbert. But they weren’t the only ones in need. The MovementX team also saw first hand the need to support the first responders. And that is when they had an idea to benefit both groups.

In May 2020, they hosted an AgeProof Your Body fundraiser. More than 100 people from around the country participated and raised $5,000 for COVID-19 first responders. The success encouraged MovementX to offer APYB virtually and the popularity has sustained the program ever since.

Gilbert sees his education as a key to helping make this adaption happen.

“I have always believed that being curious is okay and UAB is the first place where curiosity was encouraged. The DPT program was supportive of my curiosity and growth and that was helpful for me being comfortable in taking risks in my career. Plus, being curious is a major benefit during this new state of COVID and it has made me ready for whatever comes my way.” ■

I have always believed that being curious is okay and UAB is the first place where curiosity was encouraged. The DPT program was supportive of my curiosity and growth and that helped me take risks in my career.

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PATIENT CARE

CAROLINE OBERT MARTIN (MLS, 2010) Medical Laboratory Scientist, UAB Chemistry Core Lab Battalion Logistics Officer, Alabama Army National Guard Birmingham, AL

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he long hours and the unknown that came with the COVID-19 pandemic were nothing new for her. Caroline Obert Martin (CLS, 2010) is a medical laboratory scientist.

“Some hospital labs never close, so I tell students if you get a job at one, be prepared to work major holidays and weekends,” said Martin. And she is an S-4 in the Alabama Army National Guard where she is prepared to be mobilized at any moment to aid regular armed forces or to support a state of emergency. “I tend to work well in areas that are chaotic,” she said. The combination of personality, lab experience and military logistics made Martin a valuable commodity in the UAB Chemistry Core Lab. She spent a few days each week working with Sixto Leal, M.D., Ph.D., in his fungal lab.

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“I worked in processing to make sure the samples were acceptable to test – making sure they had not leaked in transit, they were labeled properly, and so on,” said Martin. “It was constant, steady work all day and that is quite tiring, so the end of my days and my weekends were normally spent resting.”

The pandemic is a constant reminder that there is a big difference between what you see on paper and what you see in person — Martin makes a point to tell that to the UAB students following in her footsteps.

“Just because you tested well in one particular subject, doesn’t mean you will fare well in ‘real life’ in that department,” said Martin. “Research ALL fields and ALL areas of the lab you think you want to work in – you spend so much time and so much energy working so you better love what you are doing.” ■

PATIENT CARE

BRITTANY JONES (RT, 2013) Respiratory Therapist UAB Hospital, Birmingham, AL

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heir slogan should be “Have Crisis? Will Travel.” Brittany Jones (RT, 2013) and Dishon Williams (RT, 2014) are respiratory care practitioners who work for a nationwide staffing firm. They are most involved in emergency management and they travel from crisis to crisis.

Unfortunately, they are seeing an exponential increase in their demand as COVID-19 is especially dangerous for those with respiratory diseases.

In late April, Jones and Williams were assigned to New York City and were among 45 respiratory therapists across 19 health care establishments.

Their assignment: a field hospital for Roosevelt Island Medical Center located on the small island in New York City’s East River.

The CEO met them when they arrived and explained the facility would be used as an overflow hospital for facilities in the surrounding Manhattan area. They were expecting to get a lot of ventilator patients and wanted to be prepared.

“The biggest challenge was not having all the usual equipment that we needed as respiratory therapists,” said Williams. “We had to explain to the facility about the equipment that we needed ordered, just for us to do our jobs properly.”

After sorting things out, the CEO introduced them to the staff. They were blown away by the reception.

“We were just so surprised at how happy nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and doctors were to have us there,” said Jones.

DISHON WILLIAMS (RT, 2014) Respiratory Care Practitioner Grandview Hospital, Birmingham, AL

Early on, they found out exactly why everyone was happy to see them — some of the volunteers had only been out of school a year or less.. Some had never worked in a crisis or intubated a patient. Others had never seen a code until they were in New York.

“When it happened, me and another therapist put on our PPE and I bagged the patient (adding air into lungs during inspiration phase) while she prepared the intubation equipment,” said Jones. “The doctor, who looked relieved to have RTs on hand, went to work and we assisted to make it happen while others had to watch and learn.”

Jones and Williams say that after that, the doctors created code teams and assigned a therapist specific to each team. They wanted to know which therapists were comfortable intubating and made sure each was on a team.

The reason they did this is because some of the doctors volunteered from family practice so they did not have any first-hand intubating experience.

They were in New York for eight weeks, which is a long time to be away from family. Even so, they would go right back given the chance – for themselves, their patients, their colleagues and their profession. “I have always been proud to be a respiratory therapist, but after this experience I’m even more proud to be one now,” said Jones. “Our profession is so important and this pandemic has only highlighted that. I’m hoping that we, as well as our professional organizations, can continue to elevate our profession from here.” ■

I have always been proud to be a respiratory therapist, and I’m even more proud after this experience — our profession is so important, this pandemic has highlighted that.

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COMMUNITY OUTREACH

UMA SRIVASTAVA (Biotechnology, 2013) COO, Kulture City Nashville, TN

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hen COVID-19 first hit, Uma Srivastava (Biotech, 2013) thought she’d be home for a few weeks and then get back to normal. “My family is full of people directly impacted – my sister, husband and father-in-law are in health care, and my dad is an essential worker with Georgia Pacific facing a paper towel crisis.

I wanted to do something to help my family and the community — science shows that masks help prevent the disease and that was my way to help.”

She was looking for awareness and found Bham Face Masks on Facebook, a closed group that shared sewing templates. Srivastava grew up watching her mom and grandmother sew and do alterations, so she was a natural. Once she posted her own creations on Facebook, the requests poured in from outside her family and way beyond Birmingham.

Srivastava has made 600 masks that she has sent to more than 40 organizations in 15 states for free. In addition, she has done two Facebook Live tutorials on sewing masks. “You don’t need a fancy sewing machine – just a good pair of scissors and measuring tape.

Don’t be afraid of trying new things or messing up. My first three were disasters! But every mask makes a difference – even just one.” ■

Every mask makes a difference – even just one.

CHRIS HEDLICH

(LVR, 2014) Occupational Therapist, Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired Grand Rapids, MI

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hen the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ABVI) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, received a United Way grant to support those in need during the pandemic, Chris Hedlich (LVR, 2014) was out in front packing boxes with toiletries and food for their clients. “A lot of them are seniors or people with vision impairments who can’t drive, so public transportation is their main mode of transportation,” Hedlich told WOODTV.com. This is definitely not the typical days’ work for Hedlich as an occupational therapist and low vision specialist. However, it is the typical reaction from someone who has long helped people maintain the meaningful activities that are so vital to their lives. “This allows the client to be able to not have to worry about going to the grocery stores. We don’t want anybody left behind.” ■ SH P ALUM N I E - MAGA ZIN E • FALL 2020

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NUTRITION

DANIELLE REVOYR

(MS, DI, 2018) Outpatient Oncology Dietitian, Infirmary Cancer Care Mobile & Fairhope, AL

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ietitians are often thought of simply as the people who provide food. They are not.

Especially in a medical center or health system, dietitians play an integral role in patient care providing medical nutrition therapy derived from evidenced-based research. Danielle Revoyr (MS, DI, 2018) works with patients who are suffering from side effects of chemotherapy, radiation treatment, or post-tumor surgery to assist their eating. Her goal is to help them preserve their weight and muscle so they can get through their treatment successfully. “The pandemic has made this an incredibly scary time for my patients as they have to sit alone through a five-hour treatment and they can’t afford to catch COVID-19,” said Revoyr.

“This is a big responsibility that I take seriously – I don’t take any unnecessary risks.” She does whatever is necessary to accommodate: visiting caretakers car side, video conferencing, and many phone calls. In addition, Revoyr is working with the research department to look at convalescent plasma as a treatment for the coronavirus. Her work is part of a Mayo Clinic trial using blood from people who have recovered from COVID-19 to try and help others recover. She recruits people to donate and coordinates the donors and recipients. “It was a great experience and I know had I not had that research-based Master’s degree from UAB I would not have been given this opportunity to make an impact during the pandemic.” ■

KATIE REES

(DI, 2005) Clinical Nutrition Manager, Mobile Infirmary Mobile, AL

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he biggest challenge has been the everchanging information. It seemed that every week they had to come up with a new plan based on new information about COVID-19.

Katie Rees (DI, 2005) was frustrated, but she understood that nobody had ever been through a pandemic like this before. In a typical day, her department was concerned about feeding around 400 patients. Now, the concern was working out a variety of processes to figure out how to work through everything differently – and we mean everything.

“We had to work out logistics about isolation and how many people go into rooms; we had to rethink our approaches to patient care education; we had to figure out how to keep our employees in the kitchen safe,” said Rees. “Everything was up in the air since

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SNAPSHOTS

this was all new and we knew we could not make any mistakes at any point in the process.”

Rees says the entire process has had some unforeseen benefits. For one, it has brought everyone together. Organizations talk about collaboration all the time, but she sees true togetherness hospital-wide because they all must rely on each other – every role is important in making sure the patient gets better. For another, it has taught her to take a step back. And that has directly resulted in the advice she will forever give all dietetic internship students. “Be resilient and realize that as dietitians we tend to be on the Type A side, but sometimes we have to throw that out the window and go with the flow with whatever challenges come.” ■

STUDENT TO ALUM

LAUREN BERETICH

(GC, 2014) Medical Science Liaison, Genetic Counselor, Natera Dallas, TX

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hen the pandemic cancelled in-person learning, the M.S. in Genetic Counseling program had to quickly switch to online clinical training. The program immediately sent out an S.O.S. email to alumni asking for volunteers to be standardized patients.

This involved the alumni completing a training and being a “patient” for two different genetic counseling students. “We tend to make time for what is important and UAB is important to me; it energizes me to give back,” said Lauren Beretich (GC, 2014). “I am grateful for the support I have received from UAB’s genetic counseling training program, as a student and alumna. In precedented

and unprecedented times, I feel a responsibility to support the program and genetic counseling students in any way I can.” Many alumni volunteered to be either a standardized patient or a supervisor for students in late Spring and over summer (see below). We cannot thank them all enough! ■ CLASS OF: ◗ 2013: Dana Goodloe, Allie Norse ◗ 2014: Lauren Beretich ◗ 2015: Whitley Kelley, Crescenda Williams Uhles ◗ 2018: Katie Gunther, Amanda Luedecke ◗ 2019: Brighton Goodhue, Dora Moore Seibold, Catherine Skefos, Jacynda Woodman-Ross

JONATHAN PILGRIM

(MSHA Class 53) Decision Support Analyst, North Mississippi Medical Center Tupelo, MS

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e had just finished earning his MSHA from UAB. It was late February of this year and he was excited to be promoted from administrative fellow to a decision support analyst position. But less than a month later, he was asked to join a team and produce a shortterm budget forecast as the hospital was seeing significant losses every month.

“We performed an analysis and quickly realized this was going to be difficult – it was painful for everyone,” said Pilgrim.

In addition, Pilgrim was asked to handle what they all called “the new normal.” A portion of that involved logistics and operation for ventilator capacity. Another aspect was helping set up North

Mississippi Medical Center’s COVID Command Center. This was his full-time job for the first monthand-a-half of the pandemic.

Despite being fresh out of school, he was prepared for this because of all he learned in school.

“We had an Ebola simulation training that truly prepared me for this type of crisis – I thought of it immediately when I was asked to be part of the command center,” said Pilgrim. “Because of that, I would like to give back to the MSHA program by coordinating a panel of alumni that have worked in COVID crisis mode from across the U.S. so students can hear about this first-hand and it can be a strong learning opportunity because this further proves a crisis can happen to anybody at any time.” ■

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LEADERSHIP

SHAWN ULREICH

(DSc Healthcare Leadership, 2015) Chief Nurse Executive, Senior Vice President Clinical Operations, Spectrum Health Grand Rapids, MI

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he will never view the COVID-19 pandemic as just the pandemic. Shawn Ulreich (DSc, 2015) will always view this as a powerful period where pandemic and the effort against systemic racism changed the world.

“For me, the pandemic was like this acute event affecting the world and now we are in the chronic phase of dealing with it. Systemic racism was the opposite where it has been a chronic, simmering issue for years and years and suddenly we are in an acute phase,” said Ulreich.

2020 has made her question and think much about leadership. What makes a leader a leader?

For her, a few things stand out: “People with specific talents or subject matter experts don’t have to be in leadership positions with a specific title. It is the strength of that individual and how they can help bring the organization through this type of crisis that matters. A leader has to trust that the frontline staff will make the right decisions.”

“It is so hard for me to have worked days, weeks and hours and witness what friends, colleagues and our frontline staff are going through and then hear that so many feel that they have been misled and are minimizing the pandemic. I now know that both

professionally and personally I need to use my voice in a way that will help to make a difference and I am making every effort to do this.”

“In times of crisis, people need to be able to trust their leaders. Give the information that you have at the time and then be willing and able to speak to when plans change. Also, be clear when you don’t know what the answers are.”

Back when Ulreich was taking classes in the Executive DSc in Healthcare Leadership program, there was a big focus on research and science and data. She has never forgotten those lessons. As Spectrum Health continued to receive more and more COVID-19 data, she actually found herself going back through her notes from those UAB classes. She also found herself thinking back to the stories told by UAB faculty.

“Stories are important because they provide meaning to the numbers,” said Ulreich. “Hospitals have been bombarded with data from all directions but there are stories behind the data. It is these stories – our stories – that help create a sense of connectedness with those we serve because they are more than just patients, they are our friends, our neighbors, our community.” ■

Hospitals have been bombarded with data from all directions but there are stories behind the data. It is these stories – our stories – that help create a sense of connectedness with those we serve because they are more than just patients, they are our friends, our neighbors, our community.

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SNAPSHOTS

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LEADERSHIP

KAREN KOCH

(EMSHA Class 40) Retired, Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety MultiCare Health System Tacoma, WA

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t all sounded so familiar at first. And why wouldn’t it? After all, Karen Koch (EMSHA, 2006) had witnessed much during her decades in health care – especially over the last seven years as vice president of Quality and Patient Safety for MultiCare Health System, headquartered in Tacoma, Washington.

“The knee jerk reaction was to dust off and modify our old Ebola plans but we quickly realized that would not work for COVID-19,” said Koch. “In the first six weeks we worked closely with everyone from the infection prevention team to epidemiologists to supply chain folks. And that was just to get things established.”

Koch and her team were viewed as the early experts. They were called on to help set up the initial command center. She was even considered an honorary infection preventionist at the time.

During this time, Koch relied on leadership lessons learned in the Executive MSHA program. She had a Doctor of Pharmacy degree so the science of health care was never an issue. It was the softer skills – like how to understand Myers Briggs and how to develop strong teams – that made the difference in times of crises like the pandemic.

“A leader needs to show integrity, so the team knows you equally balance the organization’s patients and employees best interests,” said Koch.

“And they need to have vision. A manager can take

care of operations, but a leader must have a vision to see what is next before it happens and to guide the inevitable next step.”

Koch says the most critical piece throughout the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic was communication. She says everyone was scared and the unknown made things exponentially worse. Prior to COVID, Koch sent out updates a couple times a week with a monthly “all hands on deck” meeting.

That quickly evolved to daily written communication sent out every morning with an afternoon briefing that was open to any questions.

This transparency was important for the organization from top to bottom. This allowed everyone to feel heard and legitimately listened to.

She says it was an obvious stress reliever for many to hear honest and clear information daily.

Adapting the communication methods to meet the needs showed true command of the situation and that was not only a turning point, but also an important lesson for everyone.

“When you are a leader, what is even more important than the technical expertise is understanding the true capabilities and skills of those you are leading. Your job is no longer as the clinical expert, you are there to motivate and to pull the best out of your team. Be a mentor so they can be the best they can be as they execute your objectives.” ■

When you are a leader, what is even more important than the expertise is understanding the true capabilities and skills of those you are leading. Your job is no longer as the expert, you are there to motivate and to pull the best out of your team.

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SNAPSHOTS

LEADERSHIP

WENDY JENKINS

(MSHA Class 47) Vice President of Operations, Specialty Practices Phoebe Physicians, Phoebe Putney Health System Albany, Georgia

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he county coroner said COVID-19 “hit like a bomb.” A funeral in Albany, Georgia, in early March became a coronavirus “super spreader event” – within two weeks a county of only 90,000 people had more COVID deaths than any county in the state.

Simultaneously, Wendy Jenkins (MSHA Class 47) was in a groove. She had recently been promoted to Vice President Operations at Phoebe Putney Health System – the only hospital in the Albany area. She and her husband were first-time parents to a fourmonth old boy. She found the high-stress job and a new baby challenging, but she was balancing it all real well.

And then on March 12, 2020, her phone rang at 10 p.m. Jenkins, who oversees the critical care intensivists and the pulmonologists, had been following the international news about COVID-19 and knew this call would not be good. She says from then on it was: “Insanity. It was crazy.”

Immediately there were 12- and 16-hour days.

They had to set up a command center and a drive thru testing site and a community hotline. And they had to fully staff each in addition to providing actual care for the victims. And then her husband got the coronavirus.

“I had seen so many cases play out firsthand that I recognized his symptoms immediately and I quarantined him upstairs,” said Jenkins.

Her mom came to help with her son. She continued to work 15-hour days. She became “good at compartmentalizing” everything. And then her husband had to be hospitalized. He couldn’t catch his breath, he stopped eating, his heart rate was 200 and his oxygen was below 90.

“I couldn’t provide care for him, I could only pray and he just progressively got worse,” said Jenkins. “He had double pneumonia and COVID so he was put on oxygen and stayed in our hospital for three nights and four days. Thankfully, his was not a really bad case.”

Jenkins knows she and her family are not alone.

The coronavirus has taken a toll on everyone in their community mentally and physically. The Phoebe Putney Health System utilizes an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with counselors always available for employees.

She credits her team for their initial success and says they will be more than ready if a second wave hits during flu season. Since the first outbreak, the COVID volumes have dropped drastically and things are steadier but they are developing a booklet and a plan with step-by-step guides to prevent another major disaster in the future.

Jenkins also takes comfort in the support of her UAB family. She says the MSHA Class 47 cohort was there for her. “Those relationships we built – those connections are there forever,” said Jenkins. “In times like this it is so important to have people you can lean on for advice and for help.”

She also pointed to the lessons learned in the classroom. Not only from the faculty, but also from the UAB alumni who came in as guest lecturers.

She said the real-life experiences they shared was invaluable because she realized people manage through crises all the time. It was probably the biggest thing to remember that they made it through and so would she.

And when her turn comes to speak to the next generation of health care leaders in the UAB MSHA program she knows exactly what she will tell them.

“You’ve got to keep your calm because it is times like these when your team needs you the most and they are looking to you to be that calming factor, to have the answers, to provide some comfort. And above all else, you’ve got to hang in there and always communicate. When people don’t hear anything, they get scared and nervous.

Overcommunicating to your team is so important, especially during these trying times.” ■

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