15th Annual Gulf Coast Trauma Symposium set for March 24-25

The 15th Annual Gulf Coast Trauma Symposium is scheduled for March 24-25 at the Golden Nugget Biloxi Hotel & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.

The two-day event brings together healthcare professionals, students, EMS personnel, and community leaders for a dynamic experience focused on trauma-informed care across the continuum.

Participants will hear from nationally recognized speakers, participate in interactive sessions covering all aspects of trauma care, attend the William A.L. Mitchell Endowed Lectureship, and network with peers and stakeholders from across the region. It is hosted by the USA Health Division of Trauma, Acute Care Surgery and Burns, the Alabama Gulf EMS System, and the Alabama Department of Public Health and the ADPH Office of EMS.

To attend:

• Register for the Gulf Coast Trauma Symposium on Eventbrite.
• Reserve a room on the Golden Nugget website or call 800-777-7568 and use Group Code S260314. The deadline for reservations is March 2 or until rooms sell out.

For more information, contact Rebecca Scarbrough at rscarbrough@health.southalabama.edu. 

Beyond the Bench series offers professional headshots

Colton Cuevas takes a headshot of Phoibe

Renema, Ph.D.

The Office of Research Education and Training (ORET) recently hosted a professional headshot event for faculty, staff and students as part of the Whiddon College of Medicine's Beyond the Bench: Mapping Your Career DNA professional development series. Participants had the opportunity to receive updated headshots to support professional profiles and career-related materials.

Headshots were taken by Colton Cuevas with Career Development at the University of South Alabama. The session drew a strong turnout, with 61 students, faculty and staff taking advantage of the opportunity.

“Whether you are a student seeking residency, a researcher pursuing grants, or faculty building a global network, a professional headshot grants you access and exposure,” Cuevas said. “It ensures you are recognized as a trusted authority, opening doors and establishing a cohesive professional brand before you even enter the room.”

Haley Kominek, a Ph.D. candidate in the Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program, brought the idea to Alani Rodgers, Ed.D., assistant director of ORET, after hearing fellow students express interest in updating their headshots for the University’s website and for LinkedIn. Kominek also had a personal motivation, as her own headshot was over three years old. 

“In today’s job market, a strong LinkedIn presence is essential, as networking plays a major role in career development. Having an updated professional headshot helps ensure you present yourself confidently and consistently to future employers and professional connections,” Kominek said. “It was wonderful to see not only students, but also faculty and staff take advantage of the opportunity to refresh their professional images.” 

Those who were unable to attend the session may schedule individual appointments by visiting usajaguars.campus.eab.com/pal/86fpAis3Sl or calling 251-460-6188.

The Beyond the Bench series will continue with additional career-focused resources and guest speakers designed to help trainees identify and prepare for future career paths.

A new home for Med School Watercooler

In the coming weeks, Med School Watercooler will transition from a standalone blog to a news feed hosted on the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine pages of the University of South Alabama website. 

This move will make the content fully searchable within the USA site and align the college’s news platform with the standard used by other colleges across the University. The feed will highlight news and achievements from across the Whiddon College of Medicine community, including research discoveries, events, awards, presentations and other notable happenings. 

The Med School Watercooler email newsletter will continue to be distributed on Thursdays. The existing blog will remain available as an archived resource.

Employees invited to music and movement wellness break

The Whiddon College of Medicine is hosting Move & Groove, a relaxing music and movement wellness break for employees. The break is set for Thursday, Jan. 29, from 2 to 3 p.m. in the MSB/CSAB connector hallway. 

Faculty and staff are invited to stop by, and come and go as their schedules allow. 

This is not a workout, and no special clothing is needed — just light background music, optional desk-friendly movement, and a chance to reset and connect for a few minutes.

Medical student publishes research in radiology journal

Brandon Schonour

Brandon Schonour, a fourth-year medical student at the Whiddon College of Medicine, has published findings from his research project in Radiology Advances, a peer-reviewed journal published by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). 

Working under the mentorship of Jae Ho Sohn, M.D., a cardiothoracic radiologist and assistant professor of radiology at the University of California, San Francisco, Schonour examined factors that influence image quality in free-breathing, respiratory-triggered lung MRI performed at 0.55 tesla. The project aimed to better understand why image quality can vary significantly between patients and imaging sessions.

Using a large clinical dataset, the study analyzed respiratory parameters, patient body habitus, and scan-related factors to identify contributors to image degradation under real-world imaging conditions. Because lung MRI is especially sensitive to motion and low signal, the work focused on practical clinical challenges rather than idealized imaging scenarios. 

“Being the first author taught me how much effort goes into transforming raw imaging data into a clear scientific story,” Schonour said. “Every figure, table and sentence had to directly support the question we were asking.”

The findings showed that respiratory irregularity and patient-specific factors play a significant role in pulmonary MRI image quality, underscoring the importance of optimized acquisition strategies as low-field MRI becomes more widely used in thoracic imaging.

Schonour said the experience also offered valuable perspective beyond the technical aspects of imaging. “Going through peer review showed me how constructive feedback can ultimately strengthen both the science and its clinical relevance,” he said.

RSNA is one of the world’s leading professional organizations in medical imaging. Reflecting the wide breadth of imaging sciences and innovations in technology and clinical practice, Radiology Advances primarily publishes original multidisciplinary research articles with a focus on emerging topics, cross-cutting and innovative research.

View the full manuscript in Radiology Advances.