2025 Annual Report

COMMUNITY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

EXPANDING ACCESS AND SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN

WITH DISABILITIES AND THEIR FAMILIES

“When families feel supported and informed, it changes how they experience care. Our goal is to partner with them, so they are not navigating complex systems alone.”

For families of children with disabilities, accessing health care often means navigating complex systems while managing significant caregiving demands. As more children with complex medical needs require coordinated, long-term care, reducing barriers and wait times has become increasingly important. At the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pediatrics, two pediatric faculty members are working to address these challenges by combining clinical care with advocacy, education, and system-level change. Cynthia Wozow, D.O., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, and Rachel Kassel, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, share a commitment to improving access to care for children with disabilities while ensuring the needs of caregivers are also recognized and addressed. Wozow’s approach to disability advocacy has been shaped by both her clinical work and lived experience. In caring for children with disabilities, she recognized how medical complexity affects entire families, not just individual patients. By intentionally including caregivers in clinical conversations and asking how they are doing as people, Wozow began to identify gaps in support that often go unaddressed. “When families feel supported and informed, it changes how they experience care,” said Wozow. “Our goal is to partner with them, so they are not navigating complex systems alone.” CENTERING THE FAMILY EXPERIENCE

CYNTHIA WOZOW, D.O.

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CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA | UAB MEDICINE