Physician Features
Welcome, Dr. Kirksey!
The ABPMR is pleased to announce the addition of Keneshia McMullen Kirksey, MD, to the board of directors.
Dr. Kirksey received her medical degree from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, then completed her residency and served as Chief Resident at Carolinas Rehabilitation. She is currently earning her Executive MBA from Auburn University.
Dr. Kirksey holds board certification in PM&R and is the residency program director and medical director of the spinal cord injury inpatient program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She is a professor at UAB in the Department of PM&R, and will soon transition into private practice with a voluntary appointment at UAB.
Among her many honors, Dr. Kirksey has twice received the Laura B. Kezar, MD, Award for Dedication and Commitment to Residency Program, was selected as one of eight women nationally for the “Women in Medicine” article by the Association of Academic Physiatrists, received the UAB Health Systems Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Award, and was nominated for the UAB School of Medicine Dean’s Excellence Award in Service, Senior Faculty.
She is an active member of several professional societies, including the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the Association of Academic Physiatrists where she serves on the Residency Curriculum Subcommittee, the American Spinal Injury Association, the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals, the Mineral District Medical Society, the UAB African American Faculty Association, and the Dean’s Council for Graduate Medical Education where she serves on the Subcommittee for Diversity, Multicultural Affairs, and Inclusion.
Dr. Kirksey is engaged in research related to spinal cord injury and disorders, as well as acute and chronic spinal cord injury management. Since 2009, she has been a co-investigator for the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation: Model Regional Spinal Injury Care System at UAB.
She is passionate about volunteering and giving back to the field of PM&R; she has served as an examiner for the oral examination with the ABPMR. On national committees, she currently serves on the Association of Academic Physiatrists’ Medical Student Educators Council and the Residency and Fellowship Program Directors Council, the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Membership Committee (second term), and as co-chair for the Academy’s Education Development for Physiatrists and Advanced Practice Providers Workgroup. Dr. Kirksey has also mentored several medical students, residents, and faculty members to aid in professional, educational, and personal development.
“Something I am most proud of is the mentorship that I have provided, not only across the UAB with our residents and junior faculty, but also within the community,” Dr. Kirksey said. “I'm a huge advocate for reaching out and giving back—I come from rural Alabama and so giving back and mentoring high schoolers and undergraduates is so valuable to me.”
In the communities of Charlotte, NC, and Aliceville, AL, Dr. Kirksey has spoken on topics relating to living a healthy lifestyle and preventing brain and spinal cord injury; she served as a speaker at events including the New Wright Missionary Baptist Church Women’s Health Symposium, Alabama A&M Alumni Association-Aliceville Founders Day, and Susie Mae Lavender Art Club Debutante Ball. She started the McMullen Service Scholarship for graduating high school seniors who excel in leadership and community service in her hometown of Aliceville, AL.
Physician board directors of the ABPMR serve up to two 5-year terms, and Dr. Kirksey begins her first term in August 2021.
Welcome, Dr. Kirksey!
