New members elected to USA Chapter of GHHS

Medical students, residents and a faculty member
were named to the USA Chapter of the Arnold P.
Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society (GHHS).
They include (fifth row) Natalie Kidd, Nicholas
Viyuoh and Kasey Andrews; (fourth row) Mengjie
Hu, Sarah Fillingim and Donavon Dahmer; (third
row) Ashley Nguyen and Mary Vansant; (second
row) Rennan Zaharias, Hailey Selikoff and Baylee
Edwards; (front row) Justin Grimes, M.D.;
Elizabeth Minto, M.D.; and Sana Ozair, M.D. 

Eleven USA College of Medicine students, three residents and a faculty member recently were named to the USA Chapter of the Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society (GHHS), a national society that celebrates compassionate, patient-centered care.

Each year, a select group of students, residents and faculty members are named to the society through a peer-nominated process. GHHS membership recognizes individuals who exemplify compassionate patient care and serve as role models, mentors and leaders in medicine.

“These students, residents and faculty serve as role models of the human connection in healthcare,” said T.J. Hundley, M.D., associate dean for medical education and a chapter adviser. “They have been identified as individuals who represent the GHHS goal of placing compassion, dignity and human value at the heart of education and clinical practice.”

Current GHHS members surprised the new members with a visit last week. Sarah Fillingim was working in the OB-GYN resident clinic when she received the news. “I was overwhelmed and excited to become a part of a group I’ve looked up to since beginning medical school,” she said. “Being a part of this organization means so much to me, and it reinforced my commitment to provide empathic and patient-centered care throughout my career.”

Elizabeth Minto, M.D., assistant professor of neurology and director of clinical skills at the USA College of Medicine, was in her office when GHHS members Brittany Jackson and Zach Lazzari showed up at the door. “I was completely shocked and overwhelmed,” said Minto, the faculty member elected for membership this year. “It is humbling and incredibly meaningful to have been named to such a special organization that prioritizes not just academic excellence, but actually caring and compassion. Being chosen by the students to join them in GHHS is an honor that will continue to anchor my teaching and patient care.”

This year, the following third-year medical students, residents and faculty were selected:

• Kasey Andrews, student
• Donavon Dahmer, student
• Baylee Edwards, student
• Sarah Fillingim, student
• Mengjie Hu, student
• Natalie Kidd, student
• Ashley Nguyen, student
• Hailey Selikoff, student
• Mary Vansant, student
• Nicholas Viyuoh, student
• Rennan Zaharias, student
• Elizabeth Minto, M.D., assistant professor, department of neurology
• Justin Grimes, M.D., resident, department of surgery
• Sana Ozair, M.D., resident, department of internal medicine
• Macy Vickers, M.D., resident, department of obstetrics and gynecology

Fillingim was elected GHHS president. Other officers include Ashley Nguyen, social coordinator; and Rennan Zaharias, secretary/treasurer. New members will be inducted into the society and pinned at the USA College of Medicine’s annual White Coat Ceremony on Friday, June 17.

Fillingim said she is grateful for the example set by those around her. “I am surrounded by health system employees, classmates, residents and attendings who consistently live out the GHHS principles,” she said.

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation sustains the commitment of healthcare professionals to provide compassionate, collaborative and scientifically excellent patient care. The society has about 30,000 members in training and practice.

Phung to present on genomic profiling at pathology research seminar

Thuy Phung, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pathology and director of molecular genetic pathology and dermatopathology, is February's guest speaker for the Department of Pathology's Research Seminar Series.

She will present "Genomic Profiling: From Rare Diseases to Common Cancers" at noon on Thursday, Feb. 17, in the Strada Patient Care Center conference room. Lunch will be served.

For more information, contact Patrick Carlisle at 251-471-7753 or pcarlisle@health.southalabama.edu.

'Becoming a Resilient Scientist' series aims to help students effectively manage stress

Graduate students are six times more likely to experience depression and anxiety than the general population, research from Harvard University shows. Those studying basic medical science are no exception.

“I see our students needing tools to better cope with what they are encountering,” said Angie O’Neal, associate director in the Office of Research Education and Training at the USA College of Medicine. “Lab work and research aren't always easy and can create a high-stress environment.”

And that’s before you factor in a global health pandemic that paused many aspects of the educational experience and placed some research on hold.

With a goal of helping students thrive, O’Neal set out to find a way to offer support and some real-life tools graduate students could use to better handle challenges specific to being a scientist-in-training. That’s when she found a program offered by the National Institutes of Health called “Becoming a Resilient Scientist” and enlisted the help of three co-facilitators at USA to fully develop the initiative.

Feedback from the first session was so positive, the series will be ongoing and may be extended to other College of Medicine students in the future. O’Neal said comments from participants emphasized that all students should take part in the program. One student said they wished they would have had the training before joining their lab because it has been beneficial with changing how they communicate with their current mentor.

The series delves into topics including cognitive distortion and imposter fears, and calls for weekly group sessions led by a facilitator.

Cognitive distortion is described as a pattern of negative thinking that interferes with someone’s life and relationships. Imposter fears, also known as imposter syndrome, are feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt that often continue despite someone’s apparent success.

The group sessions are vital, O’Neal said, as a way to create a confidential community among the students: “I think it’s so powerful for them to be in the same room together and realize they are going through many of the same things. I hope our students will see they are not alone.”

Co-facilitators of the resilient scientist series, which is now a requirement for all first-year basic medical science students, are Dr. Becky Smith, Tiquera Hall and LoRen Modisa.

Pediatric urologist joins USA College of Medicine faculty

USA Health is expanding its team of urologists with the addition of Mariarita Salvitti Fermin, M.D. As a pediatric urologist, Salvitti treats urologic conditions in children. She also is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the USA College of Medicine.

Originally from Italy, she completed medical school at the Sapienza University School of Medicine in Rome in 2008. Salvitti chose to study urology because of the diversity of the field and the opportunity to establish relationships with patients with chronic conditions. She began a year-long internship at the Policlinico Umberto I’s Department of Urology, a decision that solidified her decision to pursue the specialty.

She remained at Sapienza University to complete her urology residency at Policlinico Umberto I in 2014. Later that year, she moved to Miami to embark on a clinical fellowship in pediatric urology at the University of Miami’s Jackson Health System and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. When the fellowship ended in 2017, she remained in the Miami area and worked as a pediatric urologist in various medical centers until she moved to the Mobile area in 2022.

“I wanted to embrace the challenge of establishing my pediatric urology service in a new place,” Salvitti said. She decided to work at USA Health after hearing of the academic medicine faculty positions available within the health system.

Salvitti is accepting new patients at the Strada Patient Care Center. To schedule an appointment with her, call 251-660-5930.

Couples recount how they found love at the USA College of Medicine

One couple met as lab partners. Another hit it off during an interview. For some, it was even love at first sight. "The rest was history," recalled several USA College of Medicine alumni who answered the call to tell how they discovered romance in the middle of medical school classes, study groups, clerkships and social activities.

These are their stories, just in time for Valentine’s Day:

Susan Jones Ashbee '77 and Stewart Ashbee '77 

"Stewart and I were married on May 7, 1977, after semi-secretly dating for 2 1/2 years. I think we were the first marriage for the COM. We had two beautiful children and our 26 years of marriage was truly a blessing. Even though our time together was cut short, he will always have my heart."

Michael Hennigan '82 and Pam Hennigan

"Pam and I met over lunch at the Baptist Student Union after another student invited me to join him for lunch there. It has now been 42-plus years and counting."

Nerrin Zaharias '90 and George Zaharias '90

"George and I met during our first year of medical school at USA COM. We sat next to each other from day one and became study buddies our first year of school. Our first official date was Skit Night of 1987, and we have been together ever since. We decided to go through the couples match our senior year (even though we weren't even engaged yet) and ended up in Birmingham. George matched at Carraway for OB-GYN, and I matched at UAB for anesthesiology. We were engaged on Christmas Eve of our internship year and got married at the end of our internship. We will be celebrating our 31st anniversary this year and have three wonderful children, one of whom is a third-year medical student at USA COM. She is also interested in OB-GYN like her dad. I preface each card and letter to my husband with, ‘To the love of my life and the father of my children,’ and we are blessed and grateful to have met each other and to have formed such tight bonds as medical students at USA COM."

Lynn Arnold Batten '93 and Dean Batten '93 

"Dean sat behind me during the first year of med school, and we were anatomy lab partners since that was alphabetical (Arnold and Batten). We started dating our second year, and the sweetest thing he ever did was bring me takeout dinner from PoFolks restaurant strapped to the back of his motorcycle when I was working the overnight shift in the morgue at the Med Center. Romantic! He and another male classmate wore their long hair in ponytails when we started going to the hospital, but during a tour of the ER, somebody yelled, 'Cut your hair!' at them, so that was the end of that. We were engaged just before signing up for the couples match (radiology and peds) and were married during our intern year. Allegedly, our class of '93 had the highest number of couples participating in the match up to that time for USA!"

Jason Junkins and Angela Junkins

"I was a resident in the internal medicine and pediatrics departments from 1997 to 2001. I met my wife, Angela, as a second-year resident in 1998. She was a nurse in the emergency department at the Medical Center. We were married in 1999 at Fairhope Park and have been going strong ever since. The interesting part of the story is that we met while we were both caring for a critically ill patient that came into the ER and, after that, the rest was history!" 

Romsel Ang '01 and Brandon Mark Peters '01

"Brandon and I met during medical school. We were friends most of our first and second year of medical school. We just found ourselves studying together more, and slowly a relationship developed. We now have four children: Dylan, 17; Madison, 16; Carter, 11; and Sairra Ang, 6. We have one rescue dog and nine chickens. We live in Saraland. Brandon is a diagnostic radiologist and nuclear medicine physician with Alabama Coastal Radiology. I currently work in internal medicine at USA Health Mobile Diagnostic Center. I also serve on the USA Medical Alumni Association Board."

Mary Towner '14 and James Towner '14

"My husband, James Towner, and I met at USA COM – both Class of 2014! We were in the same Gross Anatomy group and started studying together. He asked me to the Asclepian Ball, and the rest is history. We couples matched in OB-GYN (me) and neurosurgery (him) to the University of Rochester. We have since moved to Chicago, where I am completing a GYN oncology fellowship at Northwestern and he is working as a neurosurgery attending at Cook County Hospital. We have two children, Rose and Atticus. All thanks to USA COM."

Cole Bahakel '16 and Hannah Kinard Bahakel '17

"My wife and I met at her medical school orientation. She took my breath away, and I rendered her speechless. It turns out she had recently had her tonsils removed so it wasn’t all me, but I like to think I made a small contribution. After a few dates that didn’t go as planned, we kept seeing each other and knew it was meant to be. We were married in 2018 and have continued our medical training in pediatric infectious disease and interventional radiology."

Hala Ali (Al-Safarjalani) Ibrahim '19 and Awab Ibrahim

"While I was rotating through my third-year pediatric clerkship, I ran into Awab Ibrahim (who was a third-year pediatric resident at the time) in the hallway during rounds. It was love at first sight. He ultimately asked me out to lunch after my clerkship ended. Fast forward nine months, he proposed on the Fairhope pier, and we got married shortly after. We are forever thankful to South Alabama for bringing us together."

Ben McCormick '20 and Lane McLendon '21

Ben McCormick and Lane McLendon first met at Lane’s USA COM interview day in 2017. Ben was class president and talked with Lane throughout her interview lunch. Upon starting medical school that fall, Lane sent Ben an email asking if they could meet after class to talk about the responsibilities of class president. Ben’s response: "Why don’t we meet for dinner instead?" The rest is history. Ben proposed two days after Lane’s medical school graduation, and the two plan to marry in May 2023. Ben is an internal medicine resident at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and Lane is a pediatrics resident at the University of Florida in Gainesville. 

Now online: Read the new issue of USA Health magazine

The latest edition of USA Health magazine, which highlights news and stories from the health system and the USA College of Medicine, is available to view online. 

In the cover story, pediatric dentist and triathlete Stephen Greenleaf, D.M.D., received a severe spinal injury when he was involved in a cycling accident. He's back to riding his bike and seeing patients, thanks to a successful spine surgery by Anthony Martino, M.D., professor and chair of neurosurgery. 

Other features include the opening of the Fanny Meisler Trauma Center and a tribute to the facility's namesake. We also meet some of the history-makers at the USA College of Medicine as we celebrate Black faculty, students and alumni of the medical school. 

Check out the full magazine on Issuu.