Fall Door Decorating Contest winners announced

First-, second- and third-place winners, from left: Kathy Harden, Skye Andrade, and Lori Simmons.

Creativity and Jag pride were on full display at the Whiddon College of Medicine as staff transformed their office doors into festive and spooky scenes for the Fall Door Decorating Contest.

Winners received a door trophy and treat basket:

• 1st place: “Falling for Our Jags” – Kathy Harden and Amanda Arnold, Faculty Development
• 2nd place: “I Love USA”– Skye Andrade, Research Office
• 3rd place: “Welcome Foolish Mortals”– Lori Simmons, Radiation Safety

Honorable Mentions were awarded for spookiest, funniest, best team effort, homecoming theme, and best fall theme:

• “Hocus Pocus” – Katelin Morris, Radiation Safety 
• “Enter if you Dare”– Wesley Myrick, Radiation Safety
• “Pumpkin Ghost Yard”– Joanne Brookfield, Education Technology Services
• “Bats!” – Kristin Melton, Center for Strategic Health Innovation
• “Swimming in Deadlines” – Victoria Nadeau, Research Administration and Development

Two pharmacology students take top honors in Three Minute Thesis Competition

Haley Kominek and Sayema Naaz, with mentor Glen Borchert, Ph.D., earned top awards at the competition.

By Michelle Ryan-Day

Two graduate students from the Department of Pharmacology took top honors in this year’s campuswide Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition hosted by the Graduate School at the University of South Alabama. 

Sayema Naaz earned first place for her presentation, “The Persister Problem: How Salmonella Survives Stress,” while Haley Kominek earned second place for her talk, “Silent Conversations: How RNA Connects Our Cells.” Both students are mentored by Glen Borchert, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and National Science Foundation CAREER Investigator. 

The 3MT competition challenges graduate students to present their research and its significance in just three minutes using one static slide — a test of clarity, creativity, and communication. Originating at the University of Queensland in Australia, the competition is designed to help students effectively convey complex research to a general audience. 

This year, eight finalists were selected to compete, with the top three winners receiving monetary awards: $2,000 for first place, $1,500 for second, and $1,000 for third. Naaz will also represent USA at the Council of Southern Graduate Schools (CSGS) regional competition in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in February 2026. 

Naaz’s research focuses on understanding how Salmonella bacteria survive stress and cause chronic infections by investigating the role of non-coding RNAs and proteins in bacterial persistence.  

“It was a truly rewarding experience to share my research with an audience that had little to no background in the work we do,” she said. “Explaining complex ideas in a way that connects everyone reminds me why I love what I do. The experience made me much more confident and capable of explaining my research to a diverse audience, a skill I know will serve me well in the future.” 

Kominek’s presentation explored how RNA molecules facilitate communication between cells, shedding light on how certain RNA modifications determine which RNAs are secreted, and how they are recognized by other cells.  

“I found it to be a fun challenge having to simplify my research into something that non-science members of the community could understand,” Kominek said. “As scientists, it is really important to learn how to communicate your research to the public. 

“There is often a gap between medical research and public understanding, and bridging that gap can make science feel less intimidating. The 3MT was a great opportunity to start learning how to do that.” 

Both students expressed appreciation for the support from their adviser Borchert and Harold Pardue, Ph.D., dean of the graduate school, associate vice president for academic affairs and professor in the School of Computing.  

Borchert praised both students for their accomplishments.  

“Sayema and Haley are extremely talented, passionate and hardworking,” he said. “Although they were competing against several other remarkable students, I knew Sayema had won the instant they announced Haley as runner-up — because in my mind, Sayema was the only student who could beat Haley, and Haley was the only one who could beat Sayema.” 

Grelet receives 2025 Mayer Mitchell Award for Excellence in Cancer Research

Joy Mitchell Grodnick and Arlene Mitchell present the award to Simon Grelet, Ph.D.

By Jessica Jones

USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute has named Simon Grelet, Ph.D., as the recipient of the 2025 Mayer Mitchell Award for Excellence in Cancer Research, the institute’s highest internal distinction recognizing scientific achievement and potential for transformative impact in oncology. 

The award, established in memory of longtime University of South Alabama trustee and MCI founding champion Mayer Mitchell, is presented annually to an emerging research leader at MCI following faculty committee review. The honor includes $10,000 in research support made possible through the generosity of the Mitchell family. 

“Dr. Grelet’s work exemplifies the mission and momentum of the Mitchell Cancer Institute — accelerating knowledge that changes how cancer is detected, understood and treated,” said Natalie Fox, DNP, CEO for USA Health. “His discoveries in cancer neuroscience are generating new pathways for therapies and elevating the visibility of MCI on the world stage.” 

Grelet serves as an assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Whiddon College of Medicine and is widely recognized for pioneering contributions in the emerging domain of cancer neuroscience. His research program at MCI is dedicated to understanding how the tumor microenvironment shapes cancer progression, with a particular emphasis on the interplay between cancer cells, the nervous system, and cellular metabolism. 

Additionally, Grelet’s laboratory demonstrated that mitochondria are transferred from nerves to cancer cells to fuel metastasis, a discovery published earlier this year in the scientific journal Nature that reframes how tumor spread is understood and introduces an entirely new class of therapeutic targets. His group has further advanced the field through development of CRISPR-based lineage tracing tools to study cancer-induced innervation and through identification of long non-coding RNA regulators of tumor plasticity and neurogenesis. 

His research program has attracted global attention and sustained external investment. Grelet is a recipient of the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute MERIT Award, one of the most selective accolades in oncology, and serves as principal investigator on multiple federally and foundation-funded studies. He is also the lead inventor on a U.S. patent application describing methods to track mitochondrial transfer between cells, representing a significant opportunity and strong innovation for the Whiddon College of Medicine. 

Grelet’s work has been covered by major scientific and general media outlets, including Science, Nature, Nature Neuroscience, Cancer Discovery, New Scientist and Scientific American, reflecting international interest in the implications of his findings. He has been invited to present at leading conferences in the United States and abroad, underscoring his standing as an emerging leader in the field. 

“This recognition reflects not only Dr. Grelet’s scientific excellence, but also his leadership in building a collaborative, team-focused research environment,” said Theresa McLaughlin, administrator at MCI. “His contributions advance both our science and our culture at MCI.” 

Beyond his laboratory impact, Grelet has strengthened the research culture at MCI and across the academic enterprise by revitalizing the Data in Progress seminar program, directing the MCI Summer Research Program, mentoring students and trainees at multiple levels, and engaging community partners to broaden understanding of cancer research and its relevance to patients. 

With this award, Grelet joins a distinguished group of recipients who have advanced MCI’s reputation as a national leader in translational cancer research. 

Urology resident presents research at international conference

Kevin Parham, M.D., presents at the Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons (GURS) Academic Congress.

By Carol McPhail

Kevin Parham, M.D., a third-year urology resident at USA Health, presented research in September at the Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons (GURS) Academic Congress in Minneapolis. 

Parham presented two posters at the meeting, which drew urologists, fellows, residents, medical students, and allied health professionals from around the world. 

“Expanding the Reconstructive Footprint: Lessons from the First 18 Months of a Rural Urethroplasty Program,” retrospectively reviewed 44 urethroplasty cases performed over 18 months in a region previously lacking consistent access to urethral reconstruction. Urethroplasty is a surgical procedure to repair or rebuild the urethra and is typically performed by a urologist with advanced training in reconstructive urology. 

“We showed that even in a rural region with limited prior access to urethral reconstruction, targeted program development can meaningfully expand care,” Parham said. “Our early experience reinforces that geography shouldn’t limit a patient’s ability to receive complex urologic surgery.” 

Another presentation, “Can Chatbots Guide Gender-Affirming Surgical Decisions? An analysis of Five Artificial Intelligence Models,” evaluated the quality of AI chatbot-generated responses to common patient questions about gender-affirming surgery. 

“Our findings show the promise of AI tools, but also the gap that remains before they can reliably support patients considering gender-affirming surgery,” Parham said. “This reinforces the importance of physicians guiding patients through complex, deeply personal surgical decisions.” 

Parham credited USA Health urologist Jatinder Kumar, M.D., for his mentorship and presentation co-authors Christian Manganti, M.D., a second-year urology resident; Hanna Moreland, M.D., a fourth-year resident at USA Health; and Dylan Peterson, a first-year medical student at the Whiddon College of Medicine. 

Medical students, residents present research at APPA Fall Conference

Evan Chavers, M.D., and Stephen Richardson, D.O., presented on AI tools in clinical psychiatry.

By Carol McPhail

Medical students, psychiatry residents and a psychiatry fellow recently presented research at the Alabama Psychiatric Physicians Association (APPA) Fall Conference in Prattville, Alabama. 

The APPA is a district branch of the American Psychiatric Association. 

Evan Chavers, M.D., a fourth-year psychiatry resident at USA Health, won first place for his presentation, “Evaluating Artificial Intelligence Tools in Psychiatry: Promises and Pitfalls.” 

Chavers worked with third-year psychiatry resident Stephen Richardson, D.O., and William Tilllman III, M.D., on the project, which evaluated the current state of AI tools in clinical psychiatry including OpenEvidence, administrative tools for scheduling and letter writing, ambient scribe programs and LLM-based therapy chatbots. 

They reviewed literature and their experiences with the tools to develop a “stoplight” model of safety/readiness for clinical use. “We gave a green light to workflow and administrative tools, yellow light for clinical decision support and ambient scribes, and a red light to therapy chatbots,” Chavers said. “We cautioned against the risks of ‘de-skilling’ or the atrophy of clinical skill, due to reliance on AI and pointed out that therapy chatbots have a long way to go in ensuring patient safety.” 

Chavers said that while AI tools hold potential, physicians should always prioritize patient safety and privacy. “If you cannot critically evaluate the tool’s output based on your own clinical knowledge base, it should not be used,” he said. 

Anthony Fant and Sebrina Burnett, D.O.

Anthony Fant, a third-year medical student at the Whiddon College of Medicine, won third place for his presentation, “Simplified Lithium Loading Strategies for Rapid Initiation and Early Maintenance.” 

The poster presented two simplified inpatient lithium loading strategies that can be used for rapid initiation and early maintenance in a hospital setting – a weight-based, extended-release loading protocol with a transition to once-nightly maintenance dosing, and a single-dose “test dose” loading protocol with a 24-hour level to predict the maintenance dose using the Cooper’s nomogram. 

Fant said that both loading regimens presented an individualized approach to treatment, illustrating how medicine is becoming more personalized to each patient. “It goes to show that patients are frequently not ideal textbook cases, and having advancements in medicine that can be tailored to those individual nuances is what makes personalized medicine, in any specialty, very exciting for me,” he said. 

Sebrina Burnett, D.O., a second-year psychiatry resident, worked with Fant on the presentation. “What was surprising to me regarding this topic was how well both of these methods worked when used at our inpatient psychiatric facility, and also how underutilized inpatient lithium loading is, in general, despite there being two relatively straightforward and safe methods available,” she said. 

Other posters at the conference included: 

• “The Impact of In-School and Out-of-School Suspension on Future Criminal Legal System Involvement and the Need for Mental Healthcare Collaboration in Prevention,” presented by Chelsea R. Miller, M.D., a child and adolescent psychiatry fellow at USA Health/AltaPointe. 
• “Lithium as a Potential Disease-Modifying Agent in Dementia: A Review of Emerging Evidence,” presented by Burnett. 
• “Ketamine Administration Following an Acute Traumatic Event,” presented by Maria Verde, a third-year medical student at the Whiddon College of Medicine. 
• “Ketamine-Assisted Buprenorphine Induction for Kratom-Induced Opioid Withdrawal,” presented by Billy Nguyen, M.D., a second-year resident. 
• “Differentiating Between Catatonia and Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome,” presented by Alina Teslenko, D.O., a third-year resident. 
• “Lithium Limbo: The Balance of Lithium Dosing and Toxicity,” presented by Leah Kunneth, a third-year medical student at the Whiddon College of Medicine. 
• “From Thoughts to Thyroid: A Case Report on Subclinical Hypothyroidism and Depression,” presented by Caleb Thomas, a fourth-year medical student.