Berdale S. Colorado, D.O., MPH, associate professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R), was selected to receive the 2025 Innovators & Influencers Award by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R).

AAPM&R is the national medical specialty organization representing more than 10,000 physicians who are specialists in physical medicine and rehabilitation. The Innovators & Influencers Award highlights the work of their early- and mid-career members and the major impact they are making in the field of PM&R.

As Dept. of PM&R vice chair of Education, director of the Residency Program, and program director for the Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine Fellowship, Colorado’s influence spans a wide range of areas in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation: adaptive sports, EMG, performing arts medicine, and medical education.

Colorado is currently a member of the USA Wheelchair Football League Classification Committee and chair of the Medical Subcommittee. In this role, he was involved in creating a new classification system for the league to ensure fair competition between people with different functional abilities. Through the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM), Colorado helped create a curriculum in electrodiagnostics (EDX) and neuromuscular ultrasound (NMUS) to help recognize fellowship programs that meet a standard of academic rigor to provide high quality training in EDX and NMUS.

At UAB, he founded the performing arts medicine program which provides performing artists with specialized medical care to meet their unique needs and goals. Most recently, he founded a new interventional spine and musculoskeletal medicine fellowship program at UAB recognized by the North American Spine Society (NASS), which will welcome its first fellow this year.

Colorado serves as the assistant dean for Student Experience in UAB Heersink School of Medicine, chief of Sports and Musculoskeletal Medicine, and medical director for Performing Arts Medicine. He is also a team physician for UAB Athletics.