Drs. Cayla Graham and Eddie Higginbotham, who completed their third and fourth years of medical school at CCHS, were named recipients of the UAB Medical Alumni Association Leadership and Community Service Award at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine commencement ceremony May 16. The award is given to a student who has demonstrated leadership in addressing educational, societal, and health care needs.
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Dr. Bob McKinney, a licensed clinical social worker and clinical associate professor in the CCHS Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, earned multiple accolades (this will be the only sentence on the newsletter format and then people can click the link to see all his accolades):
McKinney received the Outstanding Commitment to Practicum Education Award from The University of Alabama School of Social Work during its Buford Peace and Faculty-Staff Awards Ceremony May 4. The award recognizes individuals who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to practicum education through professional support, mentorship and knowledge. As director of the Department of Case Management and Social Services at University Medical Center, which CCHS operates, McKinney teaches and supervises social work field students, as well as psychology and clinical behavioral medicine trainees. In the 10 years that he has been director, he and his team have provided practicum experiences for approximately 150 social work trainees, as well as trainees from psychology and clinical mental health counseling.
McKinney was recognized by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine for completing a three-year term as director of the Behavioral Science/Family Systems Educator Fellowship. As director, he and his leadership team updated the fellowship curriculum and increased the number of annual fellowship slots from 16 to 18. The fellowship is a training program for behavioral health faculty members new to family medicine residency education. McKinney completed the fellowship in 2018.
McKinney gave a presentation about ethical post-graduate clinical social work at the annual education conference of the Association of Social Work Boards in April in Newport, R.I. Afterward, he was asked to join a 10-member workgroup to develop best practices for post-graduate clinical social work supervision in the United States and Canada. The association supports social work regulatory agencies in every jurisdiction in the United States and Canada.
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Dr. Jane Weida, clinical professor with the CCHS Department of Family, Internal, and Rural Medicine, was re-elected vice-chair of the Board of Censors of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama. The Board of Censors is comprised of 12 members who manage the property and financial affairs of the association, which represents physicians throughout the state and works to promote the highest quality of health care for patients.
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The Tuscaloosa County Commission recognized May 17-23 as Emergency Medical Services Week, honoring paramedics, emergency medical technicians, dispatchers and other first responders who provide emergency care throughout the county.
The proclamation highlights the role EMS professionals play in protecting public health and safety through rapid emergency response, as well as 24-hour medical care and transportation services.
At the College of Community Health Sciences, the Emergency Medical Services program supports personnel across West Alabama through continuing education, CPR training, protocol instruction and other state-required certification programs. Established in 2007 in partnership with the Alabama Department of Public Health Office of EMS, the program services multiple counties in the region.
National EMS Week was established in 1974 by President Gerald Ford to recognize the contributions of EMS professionals nationwide.