By Charlotte Huff Feb. 25, 2021Reprints Staff chaplain Rev. Moneka Thompson outside the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital.
Caleb Chancey for STAT
Infection fears have never slowed down Rev. Moneka Thompson. For more than 10 years, she’s visited patients hospitalized at the University of Alabama at Birmingham with tuberculosis, chickenpox, and any myriad of other contagious diseases.
Last March she began to pull on a mask and other personal protective equipment before meeting her first patient diagnosed with a then novel virus. But a nurse barred her from going inside.
“I had never been in a situation where I could not go into a room. Never,” recalled Thompson, a staff chaplain at UAB Hospital, laughing at her own astonishment. “I was like, ‘What? I’m the chaplain. I go everywhere. That’s my superpower.’”
Alabama Seniors Can Apply to College For FREE
Alabama Seniors Can Apply To College For FREE
Applying to college is a daunting task. Not just because of the applications, but the application fees. Alabama seniors can now apply to colleges for free!
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I remember earlier this month, a young lady announced on Twitter that she had been accepted into 50 different schools! Wow!
First off let me point out how she was accepted into my Alama mater Bethune-Cookman University. Lol! She was also accepted into plenty of schools in the state of Alabama. The first thing I thought about was how much she potentially spent on application fees. those things add up! As I posted that on social media, I realized that there are a lot of ways to have college application fees waived.
For the Birmingham Times
When it comes to helping underrepresented groups pursue medical and health science professions, James Kirklin, M.D.’s, heart has always been in the right place.
The retired cardiologist is the driving force behind the success of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Scholars program in Birmingham, which has educated dozens of students in a field many might not have considered.
“My personal interest is just doing everything we can to erase and eliminate barriers to people being able to fulfill their talents, their expectations, their dreams,” said Kirklin, principal advisor for the HBCU Scholars program. “Nothing should limit them from seeking opportunities and fulfilling their dreams.”
By Mary Ashley Canevaro
UAB News
Each year in February, the United States honors Black History Month to celebrate the achievements of Black/African American individuals, recognizing the central role of the Black/African American community in America’s history and highlighting the importance of racial justice, diversity and inclusion, and equity.
“One of the principles of Black History Month is that it is a key part of America’s identity,” said Selwyn M. Vickers, M.D., FACS, dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Medicine. “One of our struggles in this country is painting America as monochromatic or monolithic; that’s not who we were at our best, and it’s clearly not who we’re going to be in our future. Black History Month is a uniquely different time of reflection because of how African Americans got here. That struggle has continually defined our story and identity, and is a part of who we are as we move forward.”
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