USA Health launches urology residency program

The department of urology at the Whiddon

College of Medicine comprises urologists from

USA Health University Urology.

USA Health, in collaboration with the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, has established a urology residency program to train physicians who diagnose and treat urologic disorders in men and women.

The Office of Graduate Medical Education recently received approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for the five-year residency program to begin in July. Two residents – a first-year resident and a second-year resident – have been accepted to the program.

Urology residents will undergo an intern year of residency, including general surgery training, followed by four years of urologic specialty training in general urology/surgery, robotics, pediatric urology, female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, trauma and urologic oncology at USA Health facilities. Going forward, the program will accept one resident per year.

Christopher Keel, D.O., interim chair of the department of urology at the Whiddon College of Medicine, is director of the new residency program. Urology was formally established as an academic department at the College of Medicine in August 2022.

“Training the next generation of physicians is one of our responsibilities as the region’s only academic health system,” said John Marymont, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the Whiddon College of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at the University of South Alabama. “This new residency program will enhance our ability to provide state-of-the-art comprehensive care to the people of Alabama and the upper Gulf Coast.”

Owen Bailey, M.S.H.A., chief executive officer for USA Health, said the new program will help meet the growing healthcare needs of people in the region. “We now will be able to further expand our advanced urological services while carrying out our missions of research and education,” he said.

Nationally, the Urology Residency Match involves more than 500 highly competitive applicants who apply for about 350 positions. Urology residency programs, along with ophthalmology programs, participate in early matches, choosing their applicants prior to the national Match Day.

Save the dates: Class of 2023 hooding and commencement ceremonies

Students completing medical and doctoral degrees at the Whiddon College of Medicine are looking forward to spring ceremonies. 

An academic hooding ceremony will be held for all Whiddon College of Medicine graduates at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 4, at the Mitchell Center on the USA campus.

At the hooding ceremony, 74 graduating medical students will take the Hippocratic Oath and be hooded by a person or persons of their choosing. Those with a military affiliation will take the military oath of office and receive their new rank. Four graduating doctoral students in the Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program will be awarded doctoral hoods by their major professors.

Graduates will receive their degrees at USA’s Spring Commencement set for 2 p.m. on Friday, May 5, at the Mitchell Center. This year’s medical school class will become the 48th class to receive medical degrees from the USA College of Medicine, bringing the total number of physicians to graduate since the medical school’s opening to 3,055.

USA hosts 12th Annual Gulf Coast Trauma Symposium

David Efron, M.D., professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, presents the William A. L. Mitchell Endowed Lectureship.

USA Health’s division of trauma, acute care surgery and burn, in conjunction with the Alabama Department of Public Health and Alabama Gulf Emergency Medical Services, recently hosted the Gulf Coast Trauma Symposium at the Battle House Renaissance Hotel & Spa in downtown Mobile. 

Jon Simmons, M.D., trauma medical director and chief of trauma and acute care surgery at USA Health University Hospital, said he was very pleased with the participation and outcome of the symposium this year. 

About 165 people attended this year’s symposium from various states, including California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Attendees included nurses, emergency medical service providers, advanced practice practitioners, physicians, students and community leaders. 

“Our ultimate goal is to use this symposium as a forum to integrate all aspects of preventing and treating injured patients. The focus on mass casualty preparation and trauma system integration will certainly improve trauma care in our region, and the specific EMS tracks are vital for optimal care in rural environments,” said Simmons, professor of surgery and pharmacology at the Whiddon College of Medicine. “We are excited to build on the learned concepts and newly developed relationships to provide the best possible care for our patients.”

The symposium was a three-day event aiming to encourage collaboration and educate healthcare providers, community leaders and others regarding the treatment of critically injured patients. 

This year’s guest speaker for the William A. L. Mitchell Endowed Lectureship was David Efron, M.D. Efron is a professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and serves as the medical director and chief of trauma at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. His presentation, titled “An Arresting Story: John Hopkins, Baltimore & the Management of Sudden Cardiac Arrest,” told the story of his wife’s cardiac arrest 10 years ago and how the event was handled outside and inside of the hospital. 

The John Campbell Tribute Lecture was given by Stephen Barnes, M.D., professor and chair of surgery at the University of Missouri. His lecture, titled “Transformational Leadership in Trauma,” addressed the steady flow of changes in not only the medical environment but also in the life of a medical professional, and the importance of transformational leaders in healthcare.   

Multiple others gave lectures, including members of the FBI and the U.S. Coast Guard. There were also outreach lectures for various projects in the Mobile community that focus on violence prevention and assistance for those affected by violent crimes:

• Operation Echo Stop: Kevin Levy, Mobile Police Department
• Project Inspire: Ashley Williams Hogue, M.D., USA Health University Hospital
• Project Thrive: Joshua Jones, Mobile Police Department
• Light of the Village: John Eads, M.B.A., Light of the Village Ministries

View more photos from the symposium.

First-ever Brain Awareness Week a success

During a field trip to the Exploreum Science Center, students learned about the brain as part of Brain Awareness Week.

The department of physiology and cell biology at the Whiddon College of Medicine and the Gulf Coast Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the University of South Alabama recently sponsored and hosted the first-ever Brain Awareness Week in Mobile at the Exploreum Science Center March 14-18. 

Brain Awareness Week is a global initiative to foster public enthusiasm and support for brain science initially created by the Dana Foundation. The event was co-sponsored by HFC and Fisher Scientific. The Mobile event was organized by Amy Nelson, Ph.D., assistant professor of physiology and cell biology, and lab members including Evan Butlig, Samantha Chaney and Allison Bauman. 

Throughout the week, more than 20 volunteers from the Whiddon College of Medicine and the Department of Health, Kinesiology and Sport presented hands-on activities related to brain cell types, the importance of wearing a helmet, exercise and the brain, and brain and eye dissections. A total of 991 field trip students, their teachers, chaperones and families, and many visitors from the public took part in Brain Awareness Week activities. 

"We were grateful to share information about the brain with so many people of various ages," Nelson said. "This was an amazing educational opportunity for our community!"