March 30, 2017
Madeleine Hill, a longtime supporter of the College of Community Health Sciences and an alumna of UA’s School of Social Work, was honored at the 2017 Central Alabama Women of Distinction Awards Luncheon earlier this month. Hill received the Karen LaMaoreaux Bryan Lifetime Achievement Award during the luncheon, held at the Harbert Center in Birmingham. The Women of Distinction Awards are presented to honor women who have made special contributions to their communities through civic, academic or professional efforts and who are exemplary role models for girls and young women. Hill and her husband, Dr. William Winternitz, an internist and longtime CCHS faculty member, provided a significant gift to the College for a Geriatrics initiative that provided the initiative for establishing a Geriatric Fellowship at CCHS. “There is an acute need for any viable medical school to address the surge in (the aging) population that we are experiencing,” Hill said at the time. She and her husband said they hoped their contribution would help the College create awareness about the need for the study of Geriatrics to deal with the distinct issues of older adults, and to promote care of their health. They also expressed hope that their efforts would help the College, which also functions as a regional campus of the University of Alabama School of Medicine, attract future medical students and resident physicians interested in practicing Geriatrics. Hill has a degree from Huntingdon College and a Master’s in Policy and Planning from The University of Alabama School of Social Work. She has served as a consultant to United Way of West Alabama and Tuscaloosa City Schools. She helped establish Hospice of West Alabama, one of the first hospices in the state. She also served as the executive director of West Alabama AIDS outreach. Hill was the founding president of the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity and was a founding member of Tuscaloosa’s One Place board of directors. She was named a Pillar of West Alabama by the Community Foundation of West Alabama, and she received the Howard Gundy Award for Exceptional Service to the School of Social Work by The University of Alabama.
