Sandra Mathews Ford, MD, an affiliated physician of Princeton Baptist Medical Center, was recently honored as the 2020 Hettie Butler Terry Community Service Award recipient by the Medical Alumni Association of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The award is presented for outstanding commitment to community service and recognizes those who have contributed to the advancement of their community through volunteer efforts and philanthropic endeavors.

Ford received the award for her work with the Spirit of Luke Charitable Foundation, which sponsors "A Promise to Help," a Black Belt faith and wholeness initiative. Ford serves as Medical Director of the volunteer organization, which assists in eliminating health care disparities throughout the Black Belt region by offering access to free medical, eye and dental exams, as well as bloodwork and medications.

Ford is a 1978 graduate of the UAB School of Medicine (SOM) and one of the first five African-American women to graduate from the SOM. Founder and Medical Director of Internal Medicine Affiliates, she is the first African-American woman to practice internal medicine in Birmingham.