UAB UT Annual Report : 2010-2011

Fine, Philip Russ · 2011 · ROSA P / University Transportation Center for Alabama

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Summary

This document is the 2010–2011 Annual Report for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) University Transportation Center (UTC), marking the final year of its operation under Founding Director Dr. Philip R. Fine. The report summarizes the center’s activities, achievements, and legacy during its lifespan of less than 60 months. The UAB UTC was unique as the first and only UTC established within a School of Medicine, allowing it to focus on the theme of "Traffic Safety and Injury Control." This theme aligned with federal transportation goals and addressed medically related issues across private motor vehicles, commercial carriers, and transit. The center aimed to reduce morbidity and mortality from motor vehicle crashes, particularly in medically underserved rural areas, by examining factors such as congestion impacts on emergency response, operator health status, and distracted driving. The UAB UTC executed an ambitious agenda comprising three research domains: Emergency Medical Services and Congestion; Development of a Dynamic Assignment and Simulation Model for Incident and Emergency Management; and Distracted Driving and Small Projects. The center partnered with diverse disciplines, including the UAB School of Nursing and the Injury Control Research Center, to conduct 11 individual projects. Beyond research, the UTC emphasized education and workforce development. It established certificate programs in Transportation Safety and Injury Control Engineering and Transportation Engineering, bridging engineering with public health. The center also assumed responsibility for the graduate course "Epidemiology 603: Injury – Epidemiologic Principles and Prevention Strategies," enhancing its transportation focus. Additionally, the UTC launched a Minority Enrichment Transportation Internship in partnership with the Jefferson County Youth Transportation Program, providing students with hands-on experience and professional networking opportunities. Key accomplishments included the establishment of the Translational Research for Injury Prevention (TRIP) Laboratory by Post-Doctoral Fellow Dr. Despina Stavrinos. The TRIP Lab focused on the behavioral aspects of distracted driving among teens and young adults, resulting in 26 abstract submissions, eight competitive poster wins, and multiple peer-reviewed publications. The UTC also organized the Alabama Distracted Driving Summit in December 2009, the nation’s first statewide meeting on the issue, which gathered over 300 stakeholders and was praised by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. This summit helped re-energize statewide anti-distracted-driving efforts and contributed to local ordinances banning texting while driving, including in Birmingham. The center also facilitated technology transfer through international collaborations, such as consulting with Japanese officials on accident crash notification systems. The report concludes that the UAB UTC achieved significant impact despite receiving among the lowest levels of federal support in the national UTC network. Director Fine attributes this success to a strict standard of providing high returns on taxpayer investment and efficient management through the integrated structure of the UAB Injury Control Research Center. The UTC trained numerous students, several of whom received national recognition, including Annie Artiga Garner, the 2011 Student of the Year. The center’s legacy includes a robust foundation for future transportation research at UAB, with a focus on injury prevention, behavioral studies, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The report acknowledges the contributions of staff, advisory board members, and partners, emphasizing the center’s role in advancing highway and traffic safety through rigorous research, education, and outreach.

Key finding

The UAB UTC successfully established a unique operating platform within a School of Medicine that facilitated interdisciplinary research, extensive student training, and policy-influencing outreach activities despite receiving minimal federal funding.

Methodology

other

Provenance

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Topics

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• incidence prevalence

Information type

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• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation
• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes
• Methodological Resource: dataset resource