EDGE for Success expands with new ambassadors and USA Health launch

Ambassadors and co-leads of EDGE for Success: Christina Murphree; Amanda Arnold, M.S., RDN, LD; Melisa Pierce, Ed.D., MPA; Marcina Lang, MPA; and Domenico Spadafora, Ph.D.

The Whiddon College of Medicine’s EDGE for Success program is entering its next cycle with exciting momentum, a new cohort of mentors, and a new home at USA Health. Building on the success of the inaugural series, which showed measurable growth in leadership and self-efficacy across every area assessed, EDGE continues to grow as both a program and a community.

Three new EDGE Ambassadors — Brittany Brown, MSN, RN, NE-BC; Christina Murphree; and Domenico Spadafora, Ph.D. — will join returning co-leads Marcina Lang, MPA; Amanda Arnold, M.S., RDN, LD; and program designer Melisa Pierce, Ed.D., MPA, as mentors in this second cycle. Notably, the new ambassadors were participants in the first EDGE cohort, and their transition to mentoring is a powerful reflection of the program’s core vision: Leadership is not about titles; it’s about growth, impact, and lifting others as you climb.

What EDGE Covers

EDGE for Success is a six-session interactive program designed to help staff build leadership skills, enhance communication, and strengthen collaboration — regardless of formal role or title. Through guided discussion, hands-on practice, and mentorship, participants will:

• Explore personal leadership values and emotional intelligence.
• Build practical skills in communication, feedback, and collaboration.
• Learn strategies for productivity, including the integration of AI tools.
• Cultivate resilience and reflective practices for continuous growth.
• Develop a personal brand and professional presence.
• Conclude with a reflection and recognition session to celebrate growth.

The program blends evidence-based readings, small group interaction, and structured mentorship, providing participants not only with knowledge but also with space to apply, practice, and reflect.

“EDGE was created with a simple belief: leadership is not about position; it’s about practice,” Pierce said. “Seeing participants grow in confidence, skills, and voice — and now watching mentees step into the role of mentors — has been incredibly rewarding. This next cycle will continue to build on that foundation as we expand to USA Health.”

Details and Registration

The next cycle begins with orientation on Sept. 24, followed by six sessions held from 11 a.m. to noon in the USA Health Clinical Trials Training Room. Interested staff can register at this link.

Senior medical students named to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society

Fifteen medical students from the Whiddon College of Medicine Class of 2026 have been elected to the Beta Chapter of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. 

Alpha Omega Alpha, founded in 1902, is the national medical honor society. Election to the society is an honor signifying a lasting commitment to professionalism, leadership, scholarship, research and community service. A lifelong honor, membership in the society confers recognition for a physician's dedication to the profession and art of healing.

The new members are as follows:

• Qays Aljabi
• Noah Baker
• Olivia Brookins
• Madelyn Campbell
• Caroline Clutton
• Corinne Gautreaux
• Madison Hogans
• Caroline Howell
• Benjamin Loftis
• Samuel Motz
• Allen Perkins
• Richard Preus
• Grace Sullivan
• Brooke Tarrant
• Macy Wright

Learn more about Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

Staff development series to explore ethical challenges

The Whiddon College of Medicine's Spark & Start Staff Development Series continues this fall. This is a quarterly staff development session designed to spark participants' attention and enable them to get started using new or underused skills and technology.

Peyton McElroy, Ph.D., assistant professor of medical education, and Leesha Coleman, MLIS, assistant librarian at the Baugh Biomedical Library, will facilitate an interactive session exploring everyday ethical challenges in work and life through the lens of medical humanities, art, literature, and creative activities. This professional development opportunity offers a chance to step away from the daily routine, engage in thought-provoking exercises, and reflect on life’s big — and small — questions in a meaningful and enjoyable way.

The session will be held Oct. 15 from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Medical Sciences Building third-floor multipurpose room. The Zoom link will be shared with participants closer to the event. 

RSVP by Oct. 3: https://forms.gle/W4EuMSTHggLCocSM7

Medical student's art piece featured on Physiatry in Motion cover

Isabella Dinelli holds a copy of Physiatry in Motion featuring her artwork on the cover.

A medical student's artwork is featured on the cover of the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) Physiatry in Motion's summer 2025 issue. Inspired by a hike in a botanical garden in the rain, fourth-year medical student Isabella Dinelli created the art piece titled “Across” in Procreate. 

Physical medicine and rehabilitation, or physiatry, is a medical specialty focused on restoring function and improving quality of life for patients with injuries or illnesses affecting the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints or muscles. 

The first page of the magazine includes Dinelli's description of the piece: “It reflects the idea that sometimes a single step in the rehabilitation journey can feel as impossible as walking on water. With resilience, we conquer what we once thought was beyond our reach and accomplish things we once thought were impossible. The work symbolizes perseverance, forward motion, and accomplishing the seemingly impossible, merging the serenity of nature with the determination at the heart of rehabilitation medicine.”

Dinelli, who is president of the Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Interest Group, is applying to physical medicine and rehabilitation residency programs. 

The AAP's mission is to empower academic physiatrists to advance the science of physical medicine and rehabilitation, educate leaders of the future, and champion physiatry to transform healthcare. Physiatry in Motion is a quarterly publication created by the AAP’s Resident/Fellow Council.

USA celebrates Whiddon College of Medicine construction milestone

Medical students from the Class of 2028 sign the beam, which will leave a lasting imprint hidden in the framework of the new Whiddon College of Medicine building.

Representatives from USA and Mobile gather for the

beam signing ceremony. 

The University of South Alabama is one step closer to making the new medical education and research building a reality. 

On Sept. 4, the Whiddon College of Medicine marked an exciting milestone with a beam signing ceremony, a longstanding construction tradition that celebrates the placement of the final structural steel beam at the highest point of the building. 

The beam was signed by many who represent the heart of this project, including second-year medical students who will be the first graduating class to learn and grow in the new building.

“We will provide the next generation of high-quality physicians and cutting-edge research to improve the lives of Alabamians,” said John V. Marymont, M.D., MBA, dean of the Whiddon College of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs. “There is no better investment to meet these growing needs of our state than to invest in our own people and our own University.”

Learn more about the latest progress and the construction goals ahead.

View more photos from the event on Flickr.