Class of 2024 donned with academic hoods at annual ceremony

Medical students in the Class of 2024 took the Hippocratic Oath during the ceremony.

Cheered on by their families, faculty and staff, the Class of 2024 received their academic hoods at the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine’s Academic Hooding Ceremony, held Friday, May 3, in the Mitchell Center. 

Seventy-four medical students took the Hippocratic Oath and were hooded by people of their choosing. Those with military affiliation took the military oath of office and received their new rank. Two graduating doctoral students in the Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program were awarded doctoral hoods by their major professor. 

When they were conferred their degrees at the University of South Alabama’s Spring Commencement on Saturday, May 4, the Class of 2024 became the 49th class to receive medical degrees from the Whiddon College of Medicine.

As the college closed out its 50th anniversary, USA President Jo Bonner asked the class to reflect on the history of the Medical Sciences Building, where the students received their pre-clerkship education. “Think of all the lives that have been touched, that have been changed, that have been healed, that have been saved, because of the young men and women who have entered the doors of your tired, old building,” he said. 

Bonner said he wished the Class of 2024 would have the opportunity to learn and study in the new College of Medicine building that is under construction. While the new facility isn’t scheduled to open until early 2027, he encouraged the soon-to-be physicians to come back as alumni “to be a part of what you have helped build.” 

Antwan Hogue, M.D., speaks to the Class of 2024.

The students selected Antwan Hogue, M.D., a 2012 alumnus of the Whiddon College of Medicine, to address the class. The charismatic faculty member holds several positions in the Whiddon College of Medicine and USA Health. He is an assistant professor of internal medicine, a senior hospitalist, and medical director of the Johnson Haynes Jr., M.D. Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center. He and his wife, Ashley Williams Hogue, M.D., co-founded Project Inspire, a USA Health hospital-based injury prevention program designed to curb youth gun violence.

Among his involvement with students, Hogue is a faculty advisor for Black Men in White Coats and the Student National Medical Association. At last week’s honors ceremony, the senior class bestowed upon Hogue the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award for demonstrating outstanding compassion to patients and their families. 

In February, Hogue accompanied several members of the class on a medical mission trip to Rwanda. He shared with the audience a term he learned in Africa: Nimeza. In the Kinyarwanda language, the phrase simply means, “I’m OK” or “I’m good.” 

“Nimeza seemed to be a way of life for the people of Rwanda, many of whom have endured a great deal of suffering,” Hogue said. As the volunteers made their rounds and asked patients how they were doing, their response was always the same. No matter how well or how critically ill the patients may have been, they would boldly say, “Nimeza.” 

Hogue was encouraged by their determination to seek good in every situation. “Always remember that your response and reaction is a choice,” he said, “and that it will shape your way of life and the way that you practice medicine.

“As you don your hood today, do it proudly,” he added. “Let it not only reflect your hard work, dedication and academic achievement, but it should also be a reminder of the trust that has been placed in your hands and the profound responsibility that comes with being a physician.” 

Carey Johnson addresses his classmates.

Carey Johnson, president of the Class of 2024, began his final address to the class in an unconventional way. He asked everyone in the audience to take out their cell phones. “First off, I want you to take a selfie, because man, y’all look good,” Johnson said. He demonstrated by flashing a smile while taking his own photo at the podium. 

Then he instructed the crowd to turn their phones to video mode. “I want you to press record and repeat after me: ‘You got this. I’ve made it though before. Nobody can do it like I can.’” He advised his peers, “Remember this day when things inevitably get difficult, and refer to this video when you need just a little more motivation for your day.” 

Johnson was a scholar in the Primary Care Pathway and was elected to the Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society. He was involved in numerous organizations including the Pediatrics Interest Group, Black Men in White Coats, and the Student National Medical Association. 

Soon, Johnson will begin his residency training in pediatrics at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital. “As we transition into our prospective residencies, continue to lean on each other and your support system,” he said.

Johnson said they may encounter doubters along the way. In those moments, he reminded them of a saying from one of his mentors. “When the haters ask, ‘How did you do it?’ I hope you respond like the late, great Dr. Johnson Haynes: ‘Just like you. I just did it better.’” 

Several faculty awards also were announced at the Academic Hooding Ceremony. They were:

• Best Pre-Clerkship Module: Respiratory
• Best Pre-Clerkship Educator: Abu-Bakr Al-Mehdi, M.D., Ph.D.
• Best M3 Clerkship: Obstetrics & Gynecology
• Best Clerkship Educator: Nicolette Holliday, M.D.

View more photos from the ceremony on Flickr. 

Watch video of the recorded livestream on YouTube.

Alabama Power Foundation donates $500,000 to Whiddon College of Medicine

Patrick Murphy, vice president of Alabama Power's Mobile division, second from right, presents a check to USA representatives to support the Whiddon College of Medicine.  

A donation from the Alabama Power Foundation to the University of South Alabama will support the new Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine education and research building, currently under construction and scheduled for completion in early 2027.

Patrick Murphy, vice president of Alabama Power’s Mobile division, recently presented a check for $500,000 to USA President Jo Bonner and John Marymont, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the Whiddon College of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs.

“Alabama Power and its foundation have been strong and steadfast supporters of our Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine and the University of South Alabama,” Bonner said. “Countless students – and through their education, generations of Alabamians – will benefit from the foundation’s gifts. We extend our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for the generous support for this new building and our programs.” 

The Alabama Power Foundation’s latest donation – which will name the dean’s suite in the medical school’s new building – brings the foundation’s total contributions to USA to more than $2.6 million.

“We are deeply grateful to the Alabama Power Foundation for their generous support of the Whiddon College of Medicine,” Marymont said. “This donation demonstrates that the foundation understands the value the medical school brings to the Mobile community and the state of Alabama. It is not only an investment in a new facility for our students, faculty and researchers; it’s also an investment in the future of healthcare to meet the needs of Alabamians.”

USA broke ground last December on a new 250,000-square-foot building that will allow the University to graduate more physicians and accelerate research and innovation. The facility will provide state-of-the-art laboratory spaces that will create flexibility and efficiency for research today and in the future. It will also allow for expanding the class size of first-year medical students from 80 to 100, with the capability of increasing to 120 students in the future, as the nation faces a projected shortage of healthcare providers.

The $200 million facility will round out a medical education hub on campus that includes the College of Nursing, the Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions, the Health Simulation Building, and the Charles M. Baugh Biomedical Library. When the new building opens, more than 500,000 square feet of campus facilities will be dedicated to healthcare education and research.

The Whiddon College of Medicine is one of 158 accredited M.D.-granting institutions in the United States, and one of only two in the state. More than 1,139 of its graduates are practicing medicine in Alabama. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Whiddon College of Medicine consistently ranks in the top tier nationally for graduates practicing in underserved areas.

GME coordinators establish wellness committee to address stress and burnout

GME coordinators gathered at Taco Mama before

Match Day and onboarding season.

While stress and burnout are common among medical students, residents and fellows, internal medicine graduate medical education (GME) program coordinators at USA Health say that extends to their roles as well.  

Various research backs it up. Multiple studies cited in publications such as the Journal of Graduate Medical Education indicate that, nationally, most GME coordinators are overwhelmed and overworked. 

Since 2017, wellness has been part of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Common Program Requirements, a basic set of standards in training and preparing resident and fellow physicians, but the emphasis on psychological, emotional, and physical well-being seems to be neglected when it comes to the program coordinators.  

In response, Brant Weindorf and Kim Eardley, GME coordinators in the Department of Internal Medicine, have started the Program Coordinators Advocating for Wellness (PCAW), a committee dedicated to improving well-being and providing support for their peers. Both will serve as co-chairs of the committee. 

“Our role as program coordinators has evolved so much in the last few years that it can easily become overwhelming and stressful. PCAW has the ability to bridge the gap between specialties and connect coordinators together outside of work,” Weindorf said. “No one understands the effort that goes into this job quite like other coordinators!” 

The committee’s first event, Margaritas Before Match, welcomed all coordinators to socialize at Taco Mama in Midtown to celebrate each other and prepare for onboarding season.   

“Our debut event was a promising sign of how much a committee like this is needed on campus,” he said. “I'm very excited to have created and co-chair this committee with Kim, and together use our talents to shape the well-being of program coordinators at USA Health.” 

Eardley said they sensed the need to improve, educate, and advocate for the well-being of program coordinators through wellness-focused activities and events throughout the year. 

Proposed activities include social events, physical wellness challenges and education, professional development sessions, and volunteer opportunities in the health system.  

“Through PCAW, we have the potential to benefit both program coordinators and graduate medical education by promoting healthier lifestyles, increasing productivity, enhancing coordinator engagement, and fostering a positive work environment,” Eardley said. “It is truly about the atmosphere, teamwork, and the desire to succeed together. It is time to finally give stress the day off!" 

Ramani selected as CMO for Children’s & Women’s Hospital

Maran Ramani, M.D.

Manimaran (Maran) Ramani, M.D., has been appointed to a new role as chief medical officer (CMO) of USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital. He currently serves as the division chief of neonatology and medical director for the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and he will continue in these roles. In this new position, he joins the CMO team for USA Health led by system CMO Michael Chang, M.D., FACS.

This appointment marks an important milestone, as up to now, Children’s & Women’s Hospital has not had a physician executive serving in the CMO role exclusively for the facility. In the position, Ramani will work to better optimize quality, safety, efficiency, and patient-centeredness across the scope of care for children and women.

“In the time he’s been here, Dr. Ramani has demonstrated that he clearly possesses the skillset to be highly effective working with physicians in both the pediatric and women’s health spaces,” said Chang. “The members of the CMO team across USA Health are in a position to serve as physician partners to our hospital CEOs to help manage the explosive growth within USA Health, and he’s remarkably equipped to do that.”

“I am looking forward to working with the incredible team of providers and healthcare staff at Children's & Women's Hospital, who are striving every day to provide the highest quality of care,” said Ramani, who is also a professor of pediatrics at the Whiddon College of Medicine. “I will work hard to identify and remove barriers and challenges our team faces in delivering high-quality healthcare to women and children in our community.”

Ramani is board certified in general pediatrics and neonatal-perinatal medicine by the American Board of Pediatrics. He completed a fellowship in neonatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and a pediatric residency at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas.

In addition to medical training, Ramani earned master’s degrees in healthcare administration (M.S.H.A.) and hospital quality and safety (M.S.H.Q.S.) from UAB. His experience includes expertise in strategic planning, operational management, people management, healthcare policy, finance, patient quality, and safety. His research interests include global health and neurodevelopmental outcomes of prematurity and birth asphyxia. Previously, he was the associate fellowship program director for the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship and director of the neonatal neuro intensive care unit at UAB.

In July 2022, Ramani was awarded a three-year grant from The Thrasher Research Foundation to conduct a multinational clinical study, known as the Azithromycin Brain neuroprotection for Children (ABC) study, to determine whether a single oral dose of the antibiotic azithromycin can be repurposed to have neuroprotective benefits for infants who suffer a lack of oxygen to the brain before or during birth. The study is ongoing in five countries: India, Pakistan, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Guatemala. Through the grant, Ramani is working with a team of physicians and scientists from those countries to improve the health outcomes for infants born in low-resources settings.

Six students earn travel scholarships for state pediatrics meeting

Medical students, from left, Hope Lund, Emily Cleveland, Sarah Jackson, Justine Magadia, Kahlea Haladwala and Kara Nix attend the Alabama Chapter of the AAP meeting. 

With a goal of learning more about careers in pediatrics, six medical students recently received travel scholarships to attend the spring meeting of the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics held in April in Gulf Shores.

The Whiddon College of Medicine students, in their third year of training, included Hope Lund, Emily Cleveland, Sarah Jackson, Justine Magadia, Kahlea Haladwala and Kara Nix.

Benjamin Estrada, M.D., a pediatric infectious diseases physician who is professor and vice chair of pediatrics for the Whiddon College of Medicine, said the students were selected to receive scholarships based on their academic performance, interest in pediatrics, and future career choices.

During the two-day meeting, students enhanced their knowledge in clinical aspects of pediatrics and health issues affecting children in Alabama. In addition, they were able to network with other medical students and pediatricians within the state.

The Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics is the only statewide member organization of pediatricians, with 850 members, representing both academic and community pediatrics. The organization is operated by a volunteer board of directors and executive staff in Montgomery.