Janice Ward is IN! This former National Alumni Society president first turned her tassel at UAB in 1989. She’s been a fixture on campus ever since, currently serving as director of faculty affairs in the office of the Senior Vice Provost. Her son, Torrey, joined her as an alumnus in 2001. No matter when you earned your degree, you’re a part of our story. Write your next chapter with your new free, automatic membership in the NAS.
Emily Nelms Chastain earned her bachelor’s degree in history in 2007. She’s giving back to UAB by serving as a member of the College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Board.
Sarah Simma is IN! She earned her Bachelor of Science in 2007 from the UAB School of Education in early childhood and elementary education and special education.
The PUTMANS are ALL IN – with 8 different degrees, certificates and important positions at and from UAB among all four of them! The Putmans are Ever Faithful and Ever Loyal to the Green and Gold from 1972 – 2020 and beyond.
Dennis Putman was Co-Head of the UAB Campus Ministry Program at UAB from 1969 t0 1972. He was Ombudsman for University College, representing Vice-President George W. Campbell at University College (1972 – 1979). He earned his M.A. in Guidance and Counseling from UAB in 1975. He was Founder and President of Human Resources Developers, Inc. from 1980 to 1984 and is a retired State of Alabama Disability Determination examiner.
His wife Jane Mobley Putman earned her B.S. in Elementary Education in 1977, a master’s in Special Education in 1979. She is now a retired teacher with the Birmingham City School System.
Their son Michael Putman earned a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering in 2004 at UAB and completed medical school at the UAB School of Medicine in 2010. He is now a family physician at Seale Harris Clinic in downtown Birmingham, Alabama.
Michael’s wife Olivia Dansby Putman earned a B.S. in Biology in 2007 at UAB (while serving on numerous advocacy committees, UAB Ambassador, Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, and Miss UAB Homecoming Finalist). She recently earned her Executive Master of Science in Healthcare Administration Degree at UAB in 2020 and currently works at the UAB Hospital as a Clinical Pharmacist in Bone Marrow Transplant, Hematology, Oncology and Trauma Burn.
Tekeda Ferguson is IN! Tekeda Ferguson, PhD, MSPH, MPH, is currently Chair and Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) School of Public Health in New Orleans. She has a secondary faculty appointment in the School of Medicine, Department of Physiology where she is an Associate Director of the LSUHSC Comprehensive Alcohol Research Center (CARC) Admin Core. Dr. Ferguson has expertise in chronic disease epidemiology and her work focuses on taking a biopsychosocial approach to understanding the social environment as well as traditional pathophysiologic measures on the influence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cancer.
