Pediatrics faculty expands with addition of Abdelmoneim

Mona Abdelmoneim, M.D.

By Milena Mata  

To serve the growing healthcare needs of children in the community, Mona Abdelmoneim, M.D., has joined USA Health Pediatrics.  

Growing up with both parents as pediatricians shaped Abdelmoneim’s interest in the field as she saw firsthand the positive impact it can have on a community. She is especially passionate about caring for children with special medical complexities.  

“Pediatrics is unique in the sense that you really get to watch kids and their families grow like you do your own, and the relationships you form are lifelong,” said Abdelmoneim. “I believe prevention is the best medicine, and the opportunity to practice that in pediatrics is truly unparalleled.” 

Abdelmoneim will also serve as an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine. She says the academic setting of USA Health provides great opportunities for both teaching and learning about the latest achievements in medicine. 

Abdelmoneim also stresses the importance of family bonds. “I strive in my role as a pediatrician to be part of that village for the families I see,” she said. “As the treating physician, I always make sure parents are involved and are part of the decision making for the child’s best plan of care.” 

Originally from Egypt, Abdelmoneim spent most of her life in Qatar. She received her medical degree from Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar. She later moved to Richmond, Virginia, where she completed her residency in 2022 at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System. During her residency, she volunteered for a research study on refeeding syndrome in children and led a quality improvement project for the hospital. Prior to joining USA Health, Abdelmoneim worked at Preferred Medical Group in Phenix City, Alabama, for two years. 

Abdelmoneim uses her fluency in two languages, Arabic and English, to help her treat more patients. “I am able to comfortably serve a greater population as well as be personally aware of all the cultural differences that exist between the two different parts of the world,” she said.  

She will treat patients at USA Health Pediatrics Complex Care Clinic in the Strada Patient Care Center and at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital. 

Residents and fellows compete at annual academic expo

Chelsea Miller, M.D., with Christina

Talerico, M.D. 

USA Health residents and fellows competed at the 2025 Resident and Fellow Academic Exposition on April 30 in the Atlantis Room. Hosted by the Office of Graduate Medical Education, the annual event is an opportunity for residents and fellows to display and share their scholarly activities with the USA Health and Whiddon College of Medicine community.

This year, 39 highly rated abstract submissions were selected to be presented in the poster competition. The three top-rated abstract submissions were selected as oral presentations. Participants presented clinical vignettes; research projects; quality improvement projects; case reports; and patient safety, education and advocacy projects. 

Cash prizes of $300 were awarded to the winners in the oral presentation category and three poster categories:

Oral Presentation
Chelsea Miller, M.D., a fellow in child and adolescent psychiatry, won for her oral presentation, “The School to Prison Pipeline: The impact of in-school and out-of-school suspension on future criminal legal system involvement and the urgent need of mental healthcare in prevention.”

Mackenzie Cummings, M.D., with

Judy Blair-Elortegui, M.D. 

Clinical and Translational Research
Mackenzie Cummings, M.D., a first-year fellow in gynecologic oncology, won for her poster presentation, “Combination of carboplatin and CHK1 inhibition to overcome platinum resistance in high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC).”

Quality Improvement/ Performance Improvement
Angela Mosley-Johnson, M.D., a fourth-year obstetrics and gynecology resident, won for her poster presentation, “Perspectives on abstinence-only sexual health education.”

Clinical Vignette
Jakarinya Mangalamoorthy, M.D., a first-year pediatrics resident, won for her poster presentation, “A 15-year-old male diagnosed with 46 XX karyotype.”

Miller, who won first place for her oral presentation, said presenting her research gave her the opportunity to connect with other physicians at USA Health, foster potential collaborations, and raise awareness about a topic that is deeply important to her. Her project centered on the school-to-prison pipeline — a troubling phenomenon in which exclusionary school practices and policies contribute to funneling students into the juvenile and criminal legal systems. 

Jakarinya Mangalamoorthy, M.D., with

Judy Blair-Elortegui, M.D. 

“Traditionally, it's been thought that out-of-school suspension increases risk for future criminal legal involvement due to reduced supervision. However, our findings challenge that notion,” Miller said. “In our study, we examined the comparative impact of in-school suspension (ISS) versus out-of-school suspension (OSS) on future criminal legal contact. Surprisingly, we found that ISS was associated with higher odds of adverse outcomes — including arrest, time spent in jail, criminal charges, guilty pleas, and court trials — compared to OSS alone.”

Miller, who was a high school biology teacher before entering medical school, said this is particularly concerning in light of recent policy shifts in Texas, which now allow for unlimited use of ISS and extend exclusionary discipline practices to children as young as kindergarten.

“As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, I see firsthand how school behaviors shape the mental health trajectories of young people,” she said. “About 80% of my outpatient cases stem from school-related behavioral issues. I consider myself deeply invested in keeping kids in school, because school exclusion is linked to lower academic achievement — and academic achievement, in turn, is associated with lifelong health outcomes.”

Angela Mosley-Johson, M.D., with

Judy Blair-Elortegui, M.D. 

Mosley-Johnson said the topic of her poster presentation — abstinence-only sexual health education — is important, as Alabama has one of the highest teen birth rates in the country. 

“Teen pregnancies have lasting consequences on individuals, families, and communities,” she said. “It is my hope that we will continue to have conversations and do the necessary work to educate and advocate to reduce our teen pregnancy rate.” 

The judges were as follows: Becky Pomrenke; Kristen Noles; Nathan Polite, D.O.; Maryann Mbaka, M.D.; Omar Alkharabsheh, M.D.; Jose Sanchez, M.D.; Jatinder Kumar, M.D.; Sakteesh Gurunathan, M.D.; and Binata Mukherjee, M.D., MBA. 

View more photos from the expo on Flickr.

Roveda to retire from Whiddon College of Medicine

Kelly Roveda, M.D.

By Lindsay Hughes

When Kelly Roveda, M.D., reflects on her tenure at the Whiddon College of Medicine, the word “grateful” comes to mind. 

With a heart full of gratitude, she will officially retire from the University of South Alabama on June 1. A reception in her honor is planned for Tuesday, May 20, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the USA Faculty Club. 

“From my years as a student, resident, clinician, faculty member, and educator to my years as an administrator, I wholeheartedly know that most of all, I will miss the people who are the backbone of the Whiddon COM and USA Health,” she said. 

Roveda started as a medical student at the College of Medicine in 1986. After earning her medical degree in 1990, she completed a residency in pathology at USA Medical Center and served as chief resident in her final year of training. 

“The educators and clinicians who taught and trained me in the ’80s and ’90s were true renaissance physicians and scientists, well read and knowledgeable about all facets of medicine, history, music, art and disease processes,” she said. “They were lifelong learners before we even knew that was a catchphrase. Grateful they instilled their spirit in me.” 

From 1995 to 1999, Roveda served on the faculty of the College of Medicine as an assistant professor of pathology. For the next 13 years, she continued to teach in an adjunct capacity while working as a practicing pathologist in anatomic and clinical pathology. She returned to the College of Medicine as a full-time faculty member in 2012.

“The residents and students I trained and taught over the years now provide excellent care for me and my family as our providers,” she said. “Grateful they worked so diligently in their profession to provide excellent care to their communities.” 

In addition to her teaching duties, Roveda took on an administrative role as assistant dean of student affairs at the College of Medicine. In 2019, she was appointed associate dean of student affairs. 

“I am grateful to end my career exactly where I started it in 1986, in a now well-worn building that has served as a home to many of us throughout our vocational careers,” she reflected. “Grateful to witness the passionate students each year grow as they pursue their careers. Grateful for the lives I have been fortunate to touch. Grateful now to watch from the sidelines.”

John Marymont, M.D., MBA, dean of the Whiddon College of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs, said, “Dr. Roveda has been an exceptional educator, mentor and advocate for students. Under her leadership, the Office of Student Affairs has grown and adapted to meet the needs of our students, and her contributions to their success are immeasurable. We will miss her insight, her warmth, and her love for the college, but we celebrate a retirement richly deserved.”

During her tenure at the college, Roveda has made an impact not only on students and physicians-in-training but also on her colleagues. 

Karen Braswell, supervisor for clinical education at the Whiddon College of Medicine, said, “Dr. Roveda has been an inspiration to me over the years as a mentor and a dear friend. Her legacy extends far beyond our student affairs office. She has inspired and guided a multitude of new physicians that are now practicing all over the nation. We hope she enjoys her beautiful growing family as she steps into retirement but knows she will be missed.”

Laventrice Ridgeway, Ed.D., assistant dean of student affairs, joined the Whiddon College of Medicine in July 2023. 

“Dr. Roveda is one of those people you love from the moment you meet her, thanks to her genuine nature,” Ridgeway said. “Having the opportunity to work with Dr. Roveda has become a part of my life's compass, guiding me both professionally and personally for years to come, ensuring that I, and the decisions I make, stay on the right track. She is the embodiment of what a great person and a great student affairs professional is supposed to be: a leader who is caring, thoughtful, balanced, fair, and visionary, and one who doesn't mind doing the work herself. Having the opportunity to work with her gave me an example of what it means to be student-centered and lead from the heart.”

Ridgeway added that Roveda's retirement is bittersweet, as “the Whiddon COM Office of Student Affairs and I are sad to see her go, but we know that this next chapter in her life will be filled with new joys.”