Honoring Exceptional Care and Supporting the Next Generation of PAs: Donna Slovensky creates the Donna J. Slovensky Endowed Fund in Honor of Amalee C. Smith, PA-C

Programs News Emma Lang February 25, 2025

Two decades ago, Donna Slovensky, a nearly 50-year faculty member in the UAB School of Health Professions, was diagnosed with a condition that narrowed her airway to less than half the width of a healthy trachea.

“It felt like breathing through a straw,” Slovensky said.

While the condition is treatable, it requires consistent management, including numerous surgeries and regular maintenance. For the past decade, Physician Assistant (PA) Amalee Smith, PA-C., has been facilitating Slovensky’s care, which involves a procedure called a tracheobronchoscopy and steroid injection.

Amalee Smith and Donna Slovensky

The tracheobronchoscopy involves a scope with camera and light that is passed through the nose and allows Smith and her collaborative physician to visualize scarring. Steroids are then injected to reduce inflammation and improve Slovensky’s breathing.

Inspired by the compassionate care she has received from her PA Smith, Slovensky gave $30,000 to the UAB School of Health Professions to establish the Donna J. Slovensky Endowed Fund in Honor of Amalee C. Smith, PA-C. Her goal with this fund is twofold: to celebrate Smith’s outstanding care and to alleviate the financial challenges PA students face, particularly housing and travel costs during clinical rotations in rural Alabama.

Slovensky jokes that she’s not an easy patient—claiming that she’s spent too many years in the medical field to not ask a lot of questions. Before choosing her providers, she asks where they went to school and if they studied at the UAB School of Health Professions. “If the answer is yes, I’m confident,” she said. For Slovensky’s PA, the answer is yes.

Smith grew up in Birmingham and graduated from the UAB School of Health Professions in 2007. She returned to UAB for her career in 2009—and apart from a few positions outside of the UAB health system, Smith has worked here for a decade in total.

“Her skills are tremendous, but she also has this amazing ability to put her patients at ease. I feel safe when I’m with her,” Slovensky said. “It’s no one’s picnic to have a camera down your throat and into your chest, but she’s very skilled at it.”

Smith also takes special care to remember Slovensky’s preferences for her subsequent visits. When asked how she is able to remember each patient’s specific requests, Smith said, “If I were in their shoes, I’d want my provider to remember too.”

But it’s not just Smith’s excellent care that inspired Slovensky. After working 47 years in the School of Health Professions, Slovensky knows exactly what financial hurdles PA students face during their time in the program.

PA school, which lasts two and a half years, involves a rigorous course load that doesn’t allow students to work outside of their studies.

“When I was a student, I remember just trying to make it through my next test,” Smith recalls. “My advice is to work as diligently as possible, never knowing which field you might end up in. Being faithful in the smallest task can have the biggest reward—personally and for your patients.”

PA Program Director Tosi Gilford, Smith, Slovensky

The program also involves one year of rotations, where students experience clinical life in 10 different specialties. Sometimes, depending on where help is needed, the rotations are not located in Birmingham. This means the student needs to find short-term housing for each rotation scheduled. One of the goals of this endowed fund is to assist students with the housing and travel expenses associated with rotations, specifically in rural Alabama.

“There’s a tremendous need for physician extenders and other health care professionals in rural Alabama,” Slovensky said. “Often students don’t want to go into those areas for rotations because the housing expense has to come out of their pockets. Students need the money, and rural Alabama needs the health care. Hopefully this is a way to address two needs with one approach.”

By supporting rotations in underserved areas, Slovensky aims to expose students to the unique challenges and rewards of rural health care and foster a commitment to serving these communities.

Slovensky is a longtime donor and a three-time graduate of the School of Health Professions. Before retiring, Slovensky was the senior associate dean and now serves as the Board Chair for the Dean’s Advisory Board. Although her field was in Health Services Administration, she chose to give intentionally to honor Smith and show future students what they could aim to be.

“I want our students to come away with the idea that if they approach their career the way Amalee did, they can make a difference in somebody’s life,” Slovensky said. “I want to show people that they can use that donation to highlight our graduates who are doing amazing things, and to recognize their contributions, but also motivate and set an example for our graduates.”

To make a gift like Slovensky’s and honor an area of medicine that has greatly impacted you, click here to see our giving opportunities.

UAB PA Program Faculty with Dr. Slovensky

OPELIKA, Ala.— Alabama has one of the highest incidences of Long COVID in the United States. Alabamians facing the condition often deal with persistent symptoms long after recovering from the initial infections. Clinical researchers practicing at East Alabama Medical Center (EAMC) are working with the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Duke Clinical Research Institute to better understand and treat the effects of long COVID.

As part of the NIH’s RECOVER initiative, Drs. Nathan Douthit and Haley Clay are conducting clinical trials to test the safety and effectiveness of two potential treatments for patients with Long COVID.

“We are involved in the RECOVER-Autonomic arm, which means we are looking at the autonomic symptoms of Long COVID such as fast heart rate, dizziness, and fatigue,” said Dr. Douthit, principal investigator and director of EAMC’s Internal Medicine Residency Program. “I am excited to see what therapies develop as a result of this study and expand our knowledge of treatment for this condition.”

Long COVID refers to a range of symptoms that persist for weeks, or months, after a patient has first contracted COVID-19.

With roughly 380 participants taking part in the Autonomic part of the study, researchers at EAMC are playing a crucial role in better understanding a condition disproportionately affecting Alabamians. As the principal investigator of the EAMC site, Dr. Douthit meets with all patients involved with the study and monitors their progress throughout the trial.

In addition to the Long COVID clinical trials being conducted at EAMC, the hospital’s research initiatives span a wide range of disciplines, advancing medical knowledge and improving patient outcomes on a national scale. East Alabama Health’s Office of Clinical Research facilitates collaboration between researchers and leading institutions on studies with the goal of transforming health care for patients.

“Research is rapidly expanding at East Alabama Medical Center,” Dr. Douthit said. “This is a great development for our community as it enables us to help patients and participate in the development of science in the future.”

Through initiatives like the Long COVID clinical trial, East Alabama Health continues to drive innovation and improve patient outcomes. For more information about the Long COVID trial or other research opportunities currently available, visit eastalabamahealth.org/research or contact the Office of Clinical Research by calling 334-528-4280 or emailing research@eamc.org.

-###-

About East Alabama Health

East Alabama Health encompasses East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital in Valley, the Spencer Cancer Center in Opelika, the Auburn Medical Pavilion and a host of other key medical clinics and practices that help provide a continuum of care to patients throughout an 11-county area. EAMC is a 314-bed regional referral hospital that is currently under construction to add 30 critical care beds. EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital provides emergency and outpatient services while its campus also features a nursing home and an ambulatory surgery center. East Alabama Health employs about 3,800 people and is the second largest employer in the region, trailing only Auburn University. For more information, visit www.eastalabamahealth.org.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Thirty-five high school students from rural Alabama, including Katherine Walker of Walker County, participated in summer programs at the College of Community Health Sciences at the University of Alabama to learn about the need rural communities have for more doctors, dentists and other health care professionals.

Through the Rural Health Scholars Program, Rural Dental Health Scholars Program and Medical Opportunities and Outreach in Rural Education Scholars Program, all part of CCHS’s Rural Health Leaders Pipeline, the students spent five weeks on the UA campus taking college courses for credit, shadowing physicians and learning how to prepare to enter health professions education and training.

The Rural Health Leaders Pipeline was created to address the shortage of primary care physicians in rural Alabama. The nationally recognized pipeline includes a sequence of programs from high school through medical school that recruits students from rural Alabama who are interested in health care careers and working as health care professionals in rural communities.

The Rural Health Scholars Program provides opportunities for rising high school seniors to pursue careers in medicine. Students take college courses, participate in seminars with practicing health care professionals and visit health-care facilities.

Walker was listed as a Rural Health Scholar, as was Avery Hice of Cullman County and William Streetman of Marion County

Jackquelyn Zepeda of Blount County was listed as a 2025 Rural Dental Scholar. The Rural Dental Health Scholars Program is for students between their junior and senior years of high school who have an interest in practicing rural dentistry. Students take college courses, visit health care facilities and participate in community engagement projects and seminars about health care topics.

AI-assisted summary Tuscaloosa resident Scott Huffman appointed as president and CEO of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation.

The foundation will support the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, opening in Demopolis in 2026 with a focus on rural health care.

Huffman, an experienced fundraiser, aims to expand the foundation’s board and secure funding for the school’s construction and operation.

The school will offer work-based training for in-demand healthcare careers and pathways to advanced medical education.

A Tuscaloosa resident will lead fundraising efforts for a health care-focused high school scheduled to open in Demopolis.

Scott Huffman, who graduated from the University of Alabama, began his duties May 15 as the inaugural president and CEO of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation.

“I am looking forward to helping address some of Alabama’s greatest challenges as we educate our future health care providers,” Huffman said in a news release. “Considerable progress has been made on forging partnerships across the state and nation, and we’ll work tirelessly to expand those. We have to be successful because our state’s future depends on it.”

The foundation will serve as the finanical support system for the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, set to open in 2026 with a 100-student freshman class.

The goal of the school is to offer work-based training to help alleviate Alabama’s crisis in rural health care, the news release states. Students can use their diplomas immediately to begin in-demand careers, or they can go on to advanced medical training in community college and four-year college and university programs.

Foundation trustees are now working to fund the school’s construction and operational costs.

Kirk Stephens, the foundation board’s chairman, said Huffman’s fundraising career in Alabama “may be unparalleled.”

The news release states Huffman has raised more than $100 million for health care and education in Alabama in his career.

Huffman has served for the past 21 years as executive director of development and strategic planning for the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and as executive director of the School of Dentistry’s Alumni Association.

He is also credited with setting the financial foundation for Alabama’s embryonic residential STEM high school.

He earned a master’s degree in public policy and administration from Mississippi State University, and for 27 years has held the Certified Fundraising Executive designation.

Huffman’s immediate plans for the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation include:

Tackling “robust” board development and training

Expanding the number of foundation trustees from six to 25 “highly committed” members

Creating an active fundraising development committee with expertise and connections to explore private and public sources of support for the school.

“The foundation is poised to help address Alabama’s health care needs by training the next generation of healthcare professionals and transforming healthcare access in Alabama’s rural communities,” Huffman said.

“I am eager to collaborate with the foundation board, the school board, Dr. Jimmy Martin (the school’s president) and our funding partners,” he said.

In addition to being part of the Alabama network of four specialty schools and 10-school Bloomberg national healthcare high school project, the campus will be affiliated with Whitfield Regional Hospital in Demopolis and the UAB Health System.

Reach Ken Roberts atken.roberts@tuscaloosanews.com.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Thirty-five high school students from rural Alabama participated in summer programs at the College of Community Health Sciences to learn about the need rural communities have for more doctors, dentists and other health care professionals.

Through the Rural Health Scholars Program, Rural Dental Health Scholars Program and Medical Opportunities and Outreach in Rural Education Scholars Program, all part of CCHS’s Rural Health Leaders Pipeline, the students spent five weeks on the UA campus taking college courses for credit, shadowing physicians and learning how to prepare to enter health professions education and training.

The Rural Health Leaders Pipeline was created to address the shortage of primary care physicians in rural Alabama. The nationally recognized pipeline includes a sequence of programs from high school through medical school that recruits students from rural Alabama who are interested in health care careers and working as health care professionals in rural communities.

The Rural Health Scholars Program provides opportunities for rising high school seniors to pursue careers in medicine. Students take college courses, participate in seminars with practicing health care professionals and visit health-care facilities.

Rural Health Scholars:

Lauren Barnett, Morgan County

Emily Blakely, Elmore County

Kendal Davis, Morgan County

LaTara Dumas, Butler County

Sophia Hall, Baldwin County

Delanie Heath, Dale County

Avery Hice, Cullman County

Andrew Hopper, Etowah County

Lindsey Johnson, Autauga County

Amari Long, Colbert County

Emily Lynn, Jackson County

Kayla Moore-Jones, Marengo County

Kimora Moore-Jones, Marengo County

Jon Murray, Monroe County

Alden O’Connor, Pike County

Kendall Phillips, Jackson County

Constance Sloan, Tallapoosa County

Brennon Stevison, Choctaw County

Marcy Strange, Etowah County

William Streetman, Marion County

JaTaviah Tarver, Bullock County

Joshua Terry, Dale County

Katherine Walker, Walker County

The Rural Dental Health Scholars Program is for students between their junior and senior years of high school who have an interest in practicing rural dentistry. Students take college courses, visit health care facilities and participate in community engagement projects and seminars about health care topics.

Rural Dental Health Scholars:

Hudson Hutcheson, Franklin County

Landon Listoe, Houston County

Jackquelyn Zepeda, Blount County

The Medical Opportunities and Outreach in Rural Education Scholars Program, or MOORE, is for high school seniors who plan to enter college in the next academic year. Students take college courses, participate in seminars, visit health care facilities and shadow physicians and other health-care professionals.

MOORE Scholars:

Blanca Alarcon, Marengo County

Omar Baltazar, DeKalb County

Chloe Denson, Covington County

Esperanza Galvan, Marengo County

Kourtni Jackson, Hale County

Trinity Johnson, Clarke County

Arreonna Lopez, Conecuh County

Kennedi Rollins, Hale County

Allison Steinburg, Clarke County

The University of Alabama, part of The University of Alabama System, is the state’s flagship university. UA shapes a better world through its teaching, research and service. With a global reputation for excellence, UA provides a forward-thinking environment and over 200 degree programs on a beautiful, student-centered campus. A leader in cutting-edge research, UA advances discovery, creative inquiry and knowledge through more than 30 research centers. As the state’s largest higher education institution, UA drives economic growth in Alabama and beyond.