TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Dr. John Higginbotham, associate dean for research and health policy at The University of Alabama’s College of Community Health Sciences, has received the 2008 Dr. Ira L. Myers Award for Excellence in Public Health.

The Alabama Public Health Association gave Higginbotham the award at its 52nd annual meeting recently in Birmingham. The award was established in 1987 to honor Myers for his accomplishments by recognizing an individual, group or organization that, through excellence in work, has had a significant impact on public heath in Alabama.

Higginbotham is also the director of the Rural Health Institute for Clinical and Translational Science and the chair and tenured professor in the department of community and rural medicine. He is a member of several national organizations and has more than 25 publications to his credit.

The College of Community Health Sciences operates a comprehensive, state-of-the-art medical clinic, University Medical Center, where College faculty members conduct their medical practices and where students and residents receive clinical experience and training. The College’s research component supports faculty and student research efforts, including clinical trials.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA’s vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.