Awards will be presented during the special 50th Anniversary Gala scheduled for Saturday, June 10, during the All-Class Medical Alumni Reunion Weekend at the Grand Hotel Resort & Spa in Point Clear, Alabama. The deadline for submissions is Jan. 31. Submit a nomination.
Visit our 50th Anniversary BrightCrowd Book to share memories of your favorite classmates, teachers and events from your time in medical school.
The student groups are collecting feminine hygiene products such as pads, tampons, period cups, adult diapers, underwear and feminine wipes. All donations will be given to Penelope House, McKemie Place and other shelters supporting women in need.
Drop-off locations will be at Children’s & Women’s Hospital, Strada Patient Care Center, Mastin Building, and the Medical Sciences Building. To participate via Venmo, send a donation to @jmariem24.
The OB-GYN Interest Group is a part of an international organization called PERIOD, which aims to end period poverty through service, leadership and education.
Age: 24
Class: 2025
Hometown: Dothan, Alabama
Undergraduate education: B.S. at the University of Alabama
What do you enjoy most about being a medical student at the Whiddon College of Medicine?
I enjoy how the faculty are student-oriented and make efforts to ensure that we have time to study and that the material is relevant for medical students' future as physicians.
Are you involved in any research, organizations or other initiatives at the College of Medicine?
I am involved with one research project at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute.
What are your interests and hobbies?
I enjoy playing guitar, video games and exercise. I also really like movies and TV shows.
What is something unique about you?
I really enjoy eating while standing up.
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| Postdoctoral researcher Srijan Acharya, Ph.D., is studying the mechanisms underlying the contradictory actions of androgens in prostate cancer. |
His research, titled, “Biphasic transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of MYB by androgen signaling mediates its growth control in prostate cancer,” unveils a novel mechanism to explain contradictory actions of androgens in prostate cancer. He conducted his research in the lab of Ajay Singh, Ph.D., professor of pathology at the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama. The work was supported by funding from the National Cancer Institute and the Mitchell Cancer Institute.
Androgens, which are a group of male hormones, play a significant role in the growth of prostate cancer. “Therefore, lowering their levels or inhibiting their function remain frontline treatment options for patients with advanced or metastatic prostate cancer,” Singh said.
Although androgen-suppression therapy – also known as hormone therapy – is effective in most patients, it inevitably fails in the long term. “Interestingly, it has been observed that androgens at high doses can also suppress prostate cancer growth, which has led oncologists to examine androgen supplementation as a therapeutic approach in clinical trials,” Singh said. “The resulting data is promising; however, the mechanisms underlying the dichotomous action of the androgens remain unclear, which could yield molecular signatures to help in prospective identification of likely responders.”
Their research successfully identified that androgens confer their growth-promoting action by inducing the expression of a protein, MYB, which the group identified earlier to be overexpressed in prostate cancer. “Interestingly, we found that at high doses androgens suppressed the expression of MYB through induction of negative regulatory microRNA, miR-150,” Acharya said.
“Thus, we have identified MYB and miR-150 as two important functional targets downstream of androgen signaling, whose levels can be used for therapeutic planning and to monitor the response of androgen-targeted therapies in prostate cancer,” Singh added. “In addition, newer therapeutic approaches that either inhibit MYB function or enhance miR-150 levels in prostate cancer cells can be evaluated to manage prostate cancer more effectively.”
Other members of the research team responsible for the findings include Shashi Anand, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in pathology; Mohammad Aslam Khan, Ph.D., a senior research associate at the Mitchell Cancer Institute; Haseeb Zubair, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in pathology; Sanjeev Srivastava, Ph.D., formerly a researcher at the MCI and currently an analytical scientist at Johnson & Johnson; and Seema Singh, Ph.D., professor of pathology at the Whiddon College of Medicine.
Age: 24
Class: 2026
Hometown: Spanish Fort, Alabama
Undergraduate education: B.S. in biology at the University of Alabama
What do you enjoy most about being a medical student at the Whiddon College of Medicine?
I am grateful that everyone at the Whiddon College of Medicine cares so deeply about our success. From administrators, to professors, to students in the grades above, and my classmates, I feel encouraged and supported by everyone involved in our medical education. I also really enjoy going out to clinic within the Mobile community and having hands-on practice in seeing patients and learning from local providers.
Are you involved in any research, organizations or other initiatives at the College of Medicine?
I am involved in the Christian Medical Ministry of South Alabama, Admissions Ambassador Team, several specialty interest groups, and I conduct research within the Fanny Meisler Trauma Center at University Hospital. I also enjoy being one of the social chairs of the Class of 2026.
What are your interests and hobbies?
I enjoy spending time with my family (especially my three nephews), cheering on the Crimson Tide, listening to Heather McMahan’s "Absolutely Not" podcast, and traveling.
What is something unique about you?
I had a year-long streak learning Dutch on Duolingo.