Cathy Carver, a Mississippi native, graduated with a B.S. in PT from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1996. She later completed a M.S. in PT from the University of Tennessee at Memphis in 2000 with emphasis in Adult Neurology. Her career began at UAB regarding inpatient neuro rehab from 1996 until 2003. From 2003 to 2005, she worked in Jackson, MS in inpatient rehabilitation within the Spinal Cord Injury unit. RESNA credentialed her as an Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) in 2004 and as a Seating and Mobility Specialist (SMS) in 2011. Since 2010, Cathy has been a member of the Clinician Task Force (CTF), a national group of physical and occupational therapists. Cathy was named the Executive Director of CTF from 2018-2020. Since 2007, Carver has taught courses and delivered lectures on wheelchairs and seating throughout the southeast. She has presented nationally at AOTA, the National ALS Conference, and the International Seating Symposium. She has reviewed custom pediatric and adult wheelchair and seating claims for Alabama Medicaid since 2011. Carver has been an advocate for people who need complex rehab technology (i.e. custom wheelchairs) at state and national level.
In 2016, she founded the “Come Roll With Me” program to increase school-age children’s awareness about people who use wheelchairs. Since then, over 250 Birmingham-area students have participated in experiences with “Come Roll With Me.” Through partnerships with colleagues, “Come Roll With Me” has expanded to Mississippi and Florida in various capacities. Directions Magazine featured her in their “Clinically Speaking” article in 2018. She received the “Innovations in Physical Therapy” award from The Alabama Physical Therapy Association in 2009 and the Marilyn Gossman Award for “Professionalism in Physical Therapy” in 2018. She also received the UAB Medicine Clinical Excellence Award in 2019.
Cathy is currently employed by UAB since her return to Alabama in 2005. resides in Hoover, AL with her husband Jeff and their two children, Claire and Joel. In her free time, she enjoys coaching her kid’s sports teams and being outside.
