Class of 2023 hooded at Academic Hooding Ceremony

Donavon Dahmer addresses his classmates at the Academic Hooding Ceremony.

On a beautiful spring morning, 74 senior medical students and four doctoral candidates gathered at the Mitchell Center on Thursday, May 4, for the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine’s Academic Hooding Ceremony. 

Supported by their families, faculty and staff, the students received their academic hoods from people of their choosing. Graduating medical students took the Hippocratic Oath, and those with a military affiliation took the military oath of office and received their new rank.

When they receive their degrees at the University of South Alabama’s Spring Commencement on Friday, May 5, the Class of 2023 will become the 48th class to receive medical degrees from the Whiddon College of Medicine, bringing the total number of physicians to graduate since the medical school’s opening to 3,055.

Caleb Butts, M.D., speaks to the Class of 2023.

Caleb Butts, M.D., an assistant professor of surgery and 2012 alumnus of the Whiddon College of Medicine, was selected to address the class. He reminded the students that in order to do something well, first they must do it poorly. 

“No matter the skills you struggle with, do not attempt to hide them but work on them,” he said. “Whether that’s examining patients, presenting to faculty, performing procedures, or discussing a patient with a consultant, don’t try to hide from the hard stuff. Practice, practice, practice.”

Butts cautioned against what he called the accomplishment treadmill: “We think that the next accomplishment will be the one that makes us happy. … This robs us of the joy of life.” Instead, he encouraged the class to “get off the treadmill. Build your life now.”

The Class of 2023 selected Donavon Dahmer to give the class response. During his third year of medical school, Dahmer founded The Lamp Project, a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to educating and raising awareness of eye diseases in communities that are disproportionately affected by vision loss and impairment. 

Dahmer, who matched in the ophthalmology residency program at University of Iowa Health Care, left his classmates with three phrases of wisdom from the Book of Micah in the Bible: “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly.” Regardless of their faith as individuals, Dahmer said, “I think we can all agree that as physicians we are called to do this.”

Jazmyne Tabb is hooded by her mother.

Fourth-year medical student Jazmyne Tabb said she was eager to celebrate with her family and friends as well as future black and brown physicians. “The biggest thing on my mind about this next chapter is initiating and executing my goals of increasing diversity in medicine, providing patient education and improving access to quality care while concurrently being a resident, learning how to be a radiation oncologist,” she said. “I don’t want to wait until I finish my training to begin impacting the field.” 

Tabb will begin her residency in radiation oncology at the University of California San Diego. She said her youngest brother’s 10-year fight against leukemia ignited her interest in cancer care. “While my brother’s journey introduced me to radiation oncology, my personal experiences in the field brought awareness to the disparities in cancer care and my ability to address these,” she said. 

A native of Chicago, Tabb grew up in a single-parent household as the eldest of three children and came to the University of South Alabama on a track scholarship. “My family’s story is a testament of hope despite insurmountable odds,” she said. “I wish to continue this testament and bring hope for the future, hope that there continues to be innovative and effective therapies to treat cancer, and hope that black and brown children will see their place in medicine through minority physician representation.” 

Christopher Johnson has his sights set on diagnostic radiology, but he didn’t have to look far for inspiration. His mother, Leigh Ann Cashwell, M.D., a diagnostic radiology specialist affiliated with George Regional Hospital in Lucedale, Mississippi, is a 2001 graduate of the Whiddon College of Medicine.

Christopher Johnson is hooded by his grandparents.

“It’s been very interesting working with attendings that were previously my mother’s classmates. I always make them feel old because my mother had me at the beginning of her M2 year in school,” he said. “But I appreciate going into a field that she is trained in. I always have someone to reach out to while trying to learn this specialty.”

Johnson put what he learned into practice earlier this year during the first medical mission trip to Rwanda since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before he begins his residency with USA Health, he will travel to Senegal as part of another medical mission trip, again led by the Christian Medical Ministry of South Alabama.

“I’d like to grow more in my faith, and participating in these trips allows me to make a difference helping underserved communities while doing so and has the added benefit of allowing me to see more of the world,” he said. “I am very proud to have successfully made it through my schooling and to have matched into radiology. It is a blessing that this path was open for me to take.”

Meredith Gwin, a doctoral candidate in the Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program, was hooded by her faculty mentor, Troy Stevens, Ph.D., professor and chair of physiology and cell biology. 

“The majority of my time as a Ph.D. student has been incredible – incredibly challenging but, more importantly, incredibly rewarding and gratifying,” she said.

Troy Stevens, Ph.D., hoods Meredith Gwin.

A native of Daphne, Alabama, Gwin has spent the last several years in the graduate program's physiology and cell biology track and as a researcher in the USA Center for Lung Biology. Her research has focused on the role the GSAP protein plays in the response to bacterial pneumonia in the brain, heart and lungs.

Her post-graduation dilemma is deciding between accepting a research associate position at USA in the Center for Lung Biology and the neonatology division, or a post-doctoral fellowship at Yale University in the department of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine.

“I don’t think it’s quite hit me that it’s over,” she said. “It feels like I’ve crossed the finish line in the longest marathon of my life, but the adrenaline is still rushing. It’s the end of a very significant chapter of my life, so I’m a little bit in my feels about it being over.”

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

• 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., and T.J. Hundley Jr., M.D. 

View more photos from the ceremony on Flickr. 

Watch a video of the livestream on YouTube.

Faculty Development to focus on medical ethics

The Office of Faculty Development will host grand rounds at noon on Friday, May 12, via Zoom. 

Allison Krile Thornton, assistant professor of philosophy at USA, will present on medical ethics. 

Register for the session on Zoom. 

Medical students, residents present posters at state psychiatry conference

Second-year psychiatry resident Amy Hudson, M.D., tied for third place in the poster competition.

A group of third-year medical students and psychiatry residents recently presented research posters at the Alabama Psychiatric Physicians Association (APPA) 2023 Spring Conference in Destin, Florida. 

First-year psychiatry resident Tyeler Rayburn, M.D., who serves on the APPA Resident Fellow Section Committee, presented the poster “Managing Psychiatric Symptoms in Patients with Autoimmune Limbic Encephalitis.” 

“Although these patients are rare, it’s important for psychiatrists and child neurologists at a tertiary referral center such as ours to be aware of them,” Rayburn said of his presentation. “This illness perfectly illustrates the intersection of psychiatry and neurology in diagnosis and management. We reviewed and reported best practices and new findings in treatment, especially in regard to psychiatric symptoms in a pediatric hospital setting.” 

Amy Hudson, M.D., a second-year psychiatry resident, tied for third place in the poster competition for her presentation “ASD Diagnosis in a Previously Undiagnosed Adult.”  

Third-year medical student Taran Carrasco

presented a poster at the conference.

Taran Carrasco, a third-year medical student at the Whiddon College of Medicine, presented the poster “Methamphetamine-Induced Catatonia: Considerations in the ED Setting.” Catatonia is a disorder that disrupts a person’s awareness of the world around them. 

“I think what was most important about my case presentation was that patients who present with catatonia are usually seen first by emergency medicine providers,” Carrasco said. “It is important that emergency medicine physicians consider a wide range of etiologies of catatonia because it can be caused by psychiatric disorders, medications, metabolic disorders and illicit substances, just to name a few. Methamphetamines are not typically thought to induce catatonic features, but that is what made our case so interesting.” 

Additional authors of the poster were third-year medical student Jonathan Lee and first-year psychiatry resident Evan Chavers, M.D. 

Carrasco said she attended a variety of sessions at the conference covering topics such as the science of happiness, updates in psychological testing, what makes a good referral, and commitment laws in Alabama. “While I do not currently plan to pursue psychiatry, I am passionate about mental health, and I believe it is beneficial for all providers to have some basic knowledge of psychiatry and the processes in place to help patients obtain the help they need,” she said. 

Below is a list of the poster presentations from Whiddon College of Medicine medical students, residents and faculty: 

“Locked Units and Lockup: Delusional Disorder and the Justice System” 
Presenting author: Kiley Brady, M3  
Additional author: Evan Chavers, M.D., PGY-1

“Methamphetamine-Induced Catatonia: Considerations in the ED Setting” 
Presenting author: Taran Carrasco, M3  
Additional authors: Jonathan Lee, M3; Evan Chavers, M.D., PGY-1

“Depakote Augmentation in the Treatment of Catatonia” 
Presenting author: Amanda Davis, M.D., PGY-1
Additional authors: Shane Stephenson, M3; Miranda Crowell, M.D., PGY-1; Praveen Narahari, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry  

“Delusional Ideation Resulting from Long-Term PTSD: A Case Study” 
Presenting author: Sela Gavan, M3  
Additional author: Maridith Hollis, M.D.  

“ASD Diagnosis in a Previously Undiagnosed Adult” 
Presenting author: Amy Hudson, M.D., PGY-2
Additional authors: Samantha Lee, M.D., PGY-2; Edgar W. Finn, M.D, assistant professor of psychiatry; Adryanna Tucker, M3, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine - Auburn

“Treating Concurrent Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder” 
Presenting author: Mia Jetsu, M3  
Additional authors: Lauren Mussell, M3; Tyeler Rayburn, M.D., PGY-1; Robert Detrinis, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry  

“Examination of Quetiapine in the Role of Delirium” 
Presenting author: Cara King, M3  
Additional authors: Jeanetta Malone, M.D., PGY-2; Maridith Hollis, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry  

“Mutism as the Presenting Symptom of Psychosis and Identifying First-Episode Psychosis” 
Presenting author: Jeanetta Malone, M.D., PGY-2
Additional author: William Burns, M.D., PGY-2

“Managing Behavioral Symptoms in Autoimmune Limbic Encephalitis” 
Presenting author: Lauren Mussell, M3  
Additional authors: Mia Jetsu, M3; Tyeler Rayburn, M.D., PGY-1; Sandra Parker, M.D., professor and chair of psychiatry  

“Managing Psychiatric Symptoms in a Patient with Autoimmune Limbic Encephalitis” 
Presenting author: Tyeler Rayburn, M.D., PGY-1
Additional author: Sandra Parker, M.D., professor and chair of psychiatry  

View the abstracts of the poster presentations. 

Members of the Class of 2023 recognized at honors ceremony

Emily Paige Elliott received the Dean's Award from John V. Marymont, M.D., M.B.A,, at the honors ceremony.

The Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine presented awards to select members of the Class of 2023 at a ceremony on Friday, April 28, in the USA Student Center Ballroom. The following is a listing of award recipients:

Dean’s Award: Emily Paige Elliott
Awarded to the graduating senior who has accumulated the highest scholastic grade-point average for the full four years of medical school.

Merck Award: Jesse Lowell Stutzman, MengJie Hu
Awarded to senior students who have demonstrated superior academic achievement.

Kasey Grant Andrews and Sarah Fillingim displayed their
awards after the ceremony.

Glasgow-Rubin Achievement Citations: Mary Kash Andrews, Emily Paige Elliott, Sarah Elizabeth Fillingim, Trista Diane Phelps
Presented to those women students who graduate in the top 10% of their class.

Dr. Robert A. Kreisberg Endowed Award of Excellence: Jeffrey Clay Krout
Awarded to a graduating senior student in the top 25% of the class who is distinguished in both the clinical and basic sciences. This student has demonstrated superior leadership and integrity, possesses a strong work ethic, and has performed in such a way as to earn the respect of his or her fellow students and faculty.

The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award: Kasey Grant Andrews, Melody Petty, M.D.
Presented by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation to the senior student and to the faculty member nominated and selected by the senior class who have demonstrated outstanding compassion to patients and their families.

Medical Alumni Leadership Award: Sarah Elizabeth Fillingim
Awarded to the senior student by vote of classmates, in recognition of outstanding leadership of the graduating class.

Excellence in Public Health Award: Jacob M. Williams
Presented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Public Health Service to recognize the medical student who has demonstrated a commitment to public health and public health practice and has exhibited leadership and hard work with a passion and dedication to public health within the medical profession.

Community Service Award: Kasey Grant Andrews, Jacob M. Williams
Presented by the Medical Society of Mobile County to two senior medical students whose classmates believe best fulfill the ideals of humanitarian public service as demonstrated by superior awareness of, and achievement in, civic and community programs.

Fredrick Chambers II accepted the SNMA Award from
Melody Zeidan, M.D.

SNMA Leadership Award: Fredrick Chambers II
Awarded by the Student National Medical Association to a graduating senior who has demonstrated outstanding community, school, and organizational service and leadership qualities.

Ritha Baliga Memorial Medical Scholarship: Ashley E. Holland
Awarded to an outstanding senior student who demonstrates a merit ranking within the top 50% of the class and is interested in pursuing a career in pediatric healthcare.

Dr. Richard William Gurich Memorial Endowed Scholarship: Mary Kash Andrews
Awarded to a graduating senior student who has not only performed at the highest level during the third and fourth year but has also demonstrated efficacy in patient relations and professionalism.

Dr. William James Atkinson Jr. Memorial Endowed Scholarship: Leena Bipin Patel
Presented to a fourth-year medical student exhibiting exemplary character, possessing a dedication to the field of medicine, and demonstrating a commitment to compassionate patient care. This student is interested in primary care and plans to practice in the state of Alabama.

Dr. Joseph G. Hardin Jr. Memorial Scholarship: Mary Margaret Vansant
Awarded to a graduating senior student who is interested in pursuing a career in internal medicine.

National Medical Fellowships Henrietta Lacks Memorial Scholarship: Donavon Jared Dahmer; runner-up: Santina Johnson, senior doctoral candidate for Ph.D.
Established in 2021 by Margie Malone Tuckson and Dr. Reed V. Tuckson, this scholarship honors the life of Henrietta Lacks and the invaluable impact she has made in the advancement of science and medicine. The scholarship is given to an underrepresented minority student who has exemplified outstanding academic achievement, leadership, research and community service.

John A. Desak Award: Trista Diane Phelps
In honor of Whiddon College of Medicine graduate Dr. Maryella Sirmon’s father, this award is presented to the highest-ranking female in the graduating class who has accepted a residency in internal medicine.

Steven Karl Teplick, M.D., FARC Memorial Award: Ian Marsalis Fleming Thompson
Awarded to a graduating senior student specializing in radiology and committed to lifelong learning as exemplified by Dr. Steven Teplick.

Cooke-Scott Scholarship: Sarah Elizabeth Bouslog, Donavon Jared Dahmer, Evan A. Dixon, Ashley Nguyen, Alexander Williams
Awarded to fourth-year medical students wishing to pursue a career in the neuroscience field (neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, ophthalmology) and who have demonstrated exemplary qualities and commitment to their field.

Outstanding Student in the Pre-Clerkship Curriculum: Mary Kash Andrews
Awarded to a graduating senior student for outstanding performance in the pre-clerkship curriculum.

Award for Excellence in Teaching Clinical Skills: Magnolia Marie Elizabeth McElyea
Awarded to a graduating senior student for outstanding teaching skills and student mentoring in the Clinical Skills Program. This student has demonstrated a dedication to education in the field of clinical skills.

Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics Excellence Award: Justin Jacob Chediak
Presented to a graduating senior student for demonstrating outstanding knowledge in basic and clinical pharmacology.

Hollis J. Wiseman Award for Excellence in Pediatrics: Kasey Grant Andrews
Presented to the student who best exemplified Dr. Wiseman’s outstanding scholarship, compassion for patients and families, involvement in the profession and community, enthusiasm for exploration, and steadfast love of family, friends and colleagues.

Samuel Eichold Award: Veena Bharadwaj Krishnan
Presented to the graduating medical student who through scholarship, patient care, interaction with faculty and housestaff, and motivation, has demonstrated outstanding achievement in internal medicine.

Dr. Michael M. Linder Endowed Award: Jesse Lowell Stutzman
Awarded to a senior student who has accepted a residency in family medicine and exemplifies a commitment to family medicine, as practiced by Dr. Michael Linder, through astute clinical acumen based on the knowledge of the human body and evidence-based medicine. This student possesses a passion for teaching this knowledge and the art of family medicine to others, and demonstrates courage to do what is best for the whole patient and their family.

Ralph Denny Wright and Anne G. Wright Memorial Scholarship: Jerry Garcia Medrano
Awarded to the senior student focusing on internal medicine/family practice, who strives to become a compassionate physician and skilled diagnostician as exemplified by Dr. Wright.

The Orthopaedic Excellence Award: Hunter E. Lucas
Presented to the graduating medical student who best personifies the compassion, selflessness and tireless work ethic of Drs. Anderson, McBryde and Meyer. This student has shown excellence above all peers during the orthopaedic rotations.

John W. Donald Memorial Award in Surgery: Matthew Ryan Joyner
Awarded to the senior student who best demonstrated clinical and academic excellence in the surgery clerkship.

H. C. Mullins, M.D. Award: Elizabeth Carey Beddingfield
Awarded by the faculty of the Department of Family Medicine to the graduating senior who demonstrated excellence in the ability to apply principles, practice, and philosophy of family medicine in caring for patients and their families. This award is given in honor of Dr. H. C. Mullins, professor emeritus and founding chair of the department.

Obstetrics and Gynecology Award: Rennan S. Zaharias
Presented to the graduating medical student who, through scholarship, patient care, interaction with faculty and housestaff, and motivation, has demonstrated excellence in obstetrics and gynecology.

Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award: Ifeoluwa A. Akisanya
Presented by the Department of Emergency Medicine to the graduating medical student who best exemplifies outstanding performance in emergency medical care.

Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Award: Payal K. Patel
Presented on behalf of SAEM to the graduating medical student who has demonstrated excellence and academic proficiency in emergency medicine.

Excellence in Psychiatry Award: Sarah Elizabeth Bouslog
Presented to the fourth-year medical student excels in psychiatry, displaying exceptional knowledge and skills in providing compassionate and evidence-based mental healthcare. This award recognizes their academic excellence, clinical proficiency and leadership potential in the field of psychiatry.

AAN Medical Student Prize for Excellence in Neurology Award: Ashley Nguyen
Awarded to the medical student who exemplifies outstanding scientific achievement and clinical acumen in neurology or neuroscience, and outstanding personal qualities of integrity, compassion and leadership.

View more photos from the honors breakfast and ceremony on Flickr.

Singh honored by the Society of American Asian Scientists in Cancer Research

Cancer researcher Seema Singh, Ph.D., is one of the 2023 recipients of an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Society of American Asian Scientists in Cancer Research.

The award, given to a senior scientist of Asian origin who has made significant contributions to cancer research, was presented on April 16 during the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research held in Orlando, Florida.

Singh is a professor of pathology at the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama and a senior member of the Cancer Biology Program at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute.

“Seema Singh, Ph.D., is a dedicated and thoughtful cancer researcher who is committed to curing breast cancer, understanding the biology of cancer health disparities, and educating future cancer biologists,” said Martin Heslin, M.D., M.S.H.A., director of the Mitchell Cancer Institute. “We are very honored to have her as a part of USA Health and the Mitchell Cancer Institute.”

Singh said it is a great honor to receive this award, and she is overwhelmed with gratitude for the recognition. “However, I must acknowledge that this achievement was not accomplished solely by myself, but rather it is a culmination of the efforts of a great team of students, fellows, and collaborators who have supported me throughout my journey,” she said. “I owe this award to each and every one of them, as their contributions and dedication have been essential to the success of my research.”

Singh added, “I am fortunate to have been a part of such a supportive community, and together, we will continue to work hard to find new ways to cure and manage cancer more effectively. I hope that through our research, we can ensure that each section of society benefits equally from the advances in cancer research, thus bringing health equity and justice.”

Since joining the MCI in 2009, Singh has published more than 70 articles in scientific journals. Her research has been funded through the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. Singh is a co-inventor of two patents issued in 2016 and 2017 involving methods and compositions for improved cancer diagnosis, classification and treatment.

She was awarded an Excellence in Faculty Innovation Award from the USA Alumni Association in 2016, and the Mayer Mitchell Award for Excellence in Cancer Research from the Mitchell Cancer Institute in 2020. She was appointed to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama’s Medical Advisory Council in 2022.

Prior to joining the MCI, Singh completed postdoctoral training at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in the area of tumor microenvironment, and breast and melanoma pathobiology. She earned doctoral and postgraduate degrees from Aligarh M. University in India.

The Society of American Asian Scientists in Cancer Research is a nonprofit organization of more than 5,000 scientists from Asia who are working in the U.S. and Canada in the field of cancer research.