JOHNSON CITY (April 28, 2021) – East Tennessee State University’s College of Clinical
and Rehabilitative Health Sciences (CCRHS) recently announced its 2020 Distinguished
Alumni and Hall of Fame Inductees.
Typically, honorees are announced in the fall. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic last fall, the 2020 honorees will be recognized along with the 2021 honorees to be announced later this fall.
The two recipients of the 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award from the CCRHS are:
- Kim Garland – Garland received her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and criminology from
ETSU in 1998, and then returned to ETSU, where she earned a Master of Social Work
degree in 2013. She currently serves as Child Protective Services director with the
Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. Among her many accomplishments throughout
her career, Garland has piloted the Drug Exposed Infant Team; developed the Commercial
Sexual Exploitation of Minors policy and workgroups in East Tennessee; served as a
member of a Ballad Health workgroup addressing women’s addiction, treatment and recovery;
and developed and provided training for various agencies.
- Paul Bashea Williams – Williams received his bachelor’s degree in social work from ETSU and was the first Black student to enter and graduate from ETSU’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program. He operates a private practice, Hearts In Mind Counseling in Maryland, working with vulnerable youth and specializing in marriage and family, couples, and individual counseling. His writing, acting and public speaking have been featured on many national television networks and in national publications. He is the author of “Dear Future Wife: A Man’s Guide and a Women’s Reference to Healthy Relationships.”
The four individuals inducted to the CCRHS 2020 Hall of Fame include:
- Bob Barnhart– As a member of the inaugural Physical Therapy faculty at ETSU, Barnhart developed excellent relationships and laid important groundwork for ETSU Physical Therapy in the clinical community. He was the first director of Clinical Education at ETSU and a pediatric instructor and practitioner. He currently serves as chair of Physical Therapy at Concordia College.
- Janice Dowdy– Dowdy earned her Master of Science in speech-language pathology at ETSU and currently serves as a speech-language pathologist at NeuroRestorative Kentucky. She is a certified brain injury specialist and has spoken at multiple traumatic brain injury conferences nationwide. She serves on the board of several charities and is executive planning director for “Our Night to Shine,” which is a free prom for young people with special needs.
- Alan Meade – Meade is the director of rehabilitation services for Holston Medical Group. A statewide and national leader in the physical therapy profession, Meade has been a great ambassador for ETSU and its Physical Therapy Program. He currently serves as the president of the Tennessee chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association and has served as a proponent of the profession locally and nationally, as well as an outstanding clinical instructor for many years.
- Peter Panus – Panus is a member of the inaugural Physical Therapy faculty at ETSU. He later served as adjunct faculty in Physical Therapy after he began teaching in ETSU’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. The author of a pharmacology textbook for physical therapy students, Panus has taught nationally and internationally and is well known for his academic work in physical therapy.