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| Drew Wing and Stacey Wing, M.D., ’96; and Romsel Ang, M.D., ’01, Brandon Peters, M.D., ’01, and their children attend the alumni and leadership awards dinner. |
The weekend kicked off with the USA Medical Alumni and Leadership Awards Dinner on Friday. The event featured a State of the College presentation by John V. Marymont, M.D., MBA, dean of the Whiddon College of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs.
Saturday and Sunday offered continuing medical education sessions. Richard Menger, M.D., MPA, associate professor of neurosurgery and chief of complex spine surgery, presented “Neurosurgery and Complex Spinal Deformity: It Takes a Health System.” Anthony Galanos, M.D., ’86 gave a talk on “Grief 101: Emphasis on the Clinician,” and Steve Furr, M.D., ’81 presented a session on “Opioids.”
Attendees also enjoyed the amenities at The Lodge and time with classmates and colleagues, and several classes gathered for meals.
The USA Medical Alumni Association supports events like the alumni reunion. To become a member, visit connect.southalabama.edu/page/maamemberships.
View more photos from the reunion on Flickr.
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| Award recipients, from left, are Robert W. Israel, M.D.; Jack A. Di Palma, M.D.; Bassam A. Bassam, M.D.; Mark S. Williams, M.D., MBA, J.D.; and Lynn E. Yonge, M.D. |
2025 Award Recipients
Mark S. Williams, M.D., MBA, J.D., ’80
Distinguished Medical Alumni Award
Williams is an associate professor at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. He has held the distinction of serving as the senior physician leader at various large healthcare systems across Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, and most recently, Montana. Williams has been a steadfast advocate for patient safety, physician leadership development, rural healthcare, and primary care. He has collaborated with large employers to enhance the well-being of their employees and their families and has been a long-standing supporter of the College of Community Health Sciences in Tuscaloosa.
Williams was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of South Alabama in 2016 and one of “50 People of Influence” on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Whiddon College of Medicine in 2023. Williams and his wife, Sandi, have four children and five grandchildren who reside in Alabama, Montana and Washington. He and his family are avid “river-runners,” having spent nearly 40 years exploring the wilderness rivers in Idaho.
Lynn E. Yonge, M.D., ’86
Medical Alumni Humanitarian Award
Yonge is a lifelong outdoorsman and an Eagle Scout. He was a member of the first class of Fellows of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine and was a two-term member of the board of directors of the Wilderness Medical Society. He currently represents the Wilderness Medical Society in the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health. He teaches wilderness medicine as a senior elective at the Whiddon College of Medicine and the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
Yonge is the owner of a 340-acre Certified Alabama Treasure Forest and a Certified Prescribed Burn Manager. He practices adolescent medicine and lives with his wife, Cori, in Fairhope, Alabama.
Bassam A. Bassam, M.D.
Distinguished Service Award
Bassam is a professor of neurology at the Whiddon College of Medicine and a neurologist with USA Health. He completed his neurology residency at Wayne State University (WSU) in Detroit, Michigan, and neuromuscular fellowship at WSU and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He joined the University of South Alabama in 1985 as an attending neurologist and the director of the Neuromuscular Clinic & EMG Autonomic Testing Laboratory. He provided tertiary neuromuscular care and served on multiple institutions and national professional committees for nearly four decades. Bassam has earned extensive local and national academic and scholarly recognition, serves as an invited speaker at top national annual scientific meetings and seminars, and is well published in peer-reviewed journals, abstracts and book chapters.
He is the recipient of four Whiddon College of Medicine Red Sash Awards, the Neurology Department Outstanding Teacher Award, and two top national awards, including the 2023 Distinguished Physician Award by the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Association and the 2024 A. B. Baker Teacher Recognition Award by the American Academy of Neurology. He lives in Mobile with his wife, Rana.
Jack A. Di Palma, M.D.
Distinguished Service Award
Di Palma served the Whiddon College of Medicine from 1987 to 2025 in the Department of Internal Medicine and Division of Gastroenterology as division director, fellowship director and director of endoscopy. He trained in medicine at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York, and completed a residency in internal medicine at the United States Air Force Medical Center (USAF), Keesler, in Biloxi, Mississippi. After completing a fellowship in gastroenterology at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, he served on their teaching faculty. His scholarly interests are in various areas of digestive disorders and physiology. He has contributed to more than 350 published articles, reviews, book chapters and abstracts.
Di Palma was recognized as Best Clinical Teacher by the Whiddon College of Medicine Class of 1996 and listed among Best Doctors in Mobile and Baldwin Counties, Alabama and America. The Gastroenterology Division was voted as the best clinical elective in 1998 by medical students. Di Palma is active in gastroenterology associations and organized medicine. He served on the Board of Censors of the Medical Society of Mobile County and was the chairman of the Mobile County Board of Health. Di Palma is the past-president of the American College of Gastroenterology. He and his wife, Ann (B.S., USA ’97), reside in Mobile and have two daughters, Elizabeth Di Palma and Sr. Mary Michael Di Palma, SsEW.
Robert W. Israel, M.D.
The de Juan, Chambers, Oppenheimer Healthcare Award
Israel is a board-certified internal medicine physician and Fellow of the American College of Physicians, with over four decades of experience in patient care. He serves as the director of the Integrative Health and Wellness Program at USA Health, where he leads initiatives that blend traditional medicine with lifestyle-based approaches to health. A pioneer in culinary medicine, Israel champions the concept that nutritious food can and should be delicious. Under his leadership, USA Health has established teaching kitchens that offer hands-on cooking classes for patients, medical students, and the community, emphasizing plant-forward diets and the role of nutrition in preventing and managing chronic diseases.
Israel earned his medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed his residency at Maine Medical Center. His dedication to integrative care has garnered attention from national media outlets, including NPR and Alabama Public Radio, highlighting his efforts to transform healthcare through education and lifestyle medicine. Beyond his professional endeavors, Israel enjoys fishing, hiking, cooking, and spending time with his wife, Cammie, three children, and four grandchildren.
Learn more about the awards and this year's recipients.
Nominations for the 2026 awards are now open. The deadline is Sept. 10, 2025.
