Whiddon COM continues its regional impact at AAMC’s Southern Group on Student Affairs Conference

From left, Frank Lucas, Ed.D.; Grace Chaffin; Becky Smith, Ph.D.; Kayla Pavlick, Ph.D.; and Laventrice Ridgeway, Ed.D., attend the regional conference.

Frank Lucas, Ed.D.; Kayla Pavlick, Ph.D.; Laventrice Ridgeway, Ed.D.; Becky Smith, Ph.D.; and student Grace Chaffin attended the Association of American Medical Colleges’ 2025 joint Southern region conference in Miami, hosted by the Southern Group on Student Affairs, the Southern Group on Educational Affairs, and the Organization of Student Representatives. 

As the foremost regional meeting for academic medicine, the convention gathers those who drive innovation, lead thought-provoking discussions, and foster strategic collaboration in healthcare education, curriculum, holistic student support, and more. This year, the Whiddon College of Medicine’s contributions to the regional conference underscored the importance of holistic student support and showcased the development process of the Whiddon COM’s support services.

Becky Smith Ph.D., and Laventrice Ridgeway, Ed.D.

Ridgeway, assistant dean for student affairs, and Smith, health and wellness counselor, facilitated a workshop titled “The facets of a medical student: A wrap-around approach to medical student support.” The workshop was developed in collaboration with David S. Williams, Ph.D., MPA, assistant dean for institutional and academic success, and Angie O’Neal, M.Ed., director of learning support. 

For attendees, this session outlined data from a two-part study exploring the current offerings and organizational structure of student support services within U.S. medical schools. This session also highlighted the Whiddon COM’s three-pronged approach to holistic student support through intra- and inter-office collaborations. Additionally, the workshop provided attendees the opportunity to work through case vignettes and plan how they would use existing services or develop the necessary relationships to provide students with holistic collaboration and support.

“It was exciting to share our unique approach to holistic student support and learn from colleagues through their approaches to student support,” Smith said. “We have developed a robust program in a short period of time centered around wellness, resilience, and academic success for our students, thanks to our collaboration, and it was rewarding to inspire other medical schools in their efforts to support their students.” 

Additionally, Ridgeway participated as a panelist in the “Leave of absence policies and processes: Opportunities for cross-department collaboration” session, alongside colleagues from Vanderbilt University, the University of Miami, and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. This panel session offered attendees insights and considerations for crafting or enhancing their existing leave of absence policies. 

Ridgeway noted, “A key takeaway from the session was to encourage medical schools to think about how leaves of absence are communicated and who needs to be involved in this process to continue supporting students.” 

Ridgeway also moderated a series of oral presentation sessions that focused on professionalism and covered topics such as the long-term effects of early professionalism interventions, preparing students for patient death, and social media policies among U.S. medical schools.