OB/GYN book club to discuss 'Reproduction on the Reservation'

The OB/GYN Interest Group will host its next book club meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 6:30 p.m. in the Atlantis Room on Children's & Women's Hospital campus. 

The group will discuss “Reproduction on the Reservation: Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Colonialism in the Long Twentieth Century” by Brianna Theobald. This pathbreaking book documents the transformation of reproductive practices and politics on Indian reservations from the late 19th century to the present, integrating a localized history of childbearing, motherhood, and activism on the Crow Reservation in Montana with an analysis of trends affecting Indigenous women more broadly.

Dinner will be served, so please RSVP at: https://tinyurl.com/mpn8xmz3

The book is available for free on the Hoopla app through the Mobile Public Library.

Whiddon College of Medicine makes national impact at AAMC’s Learn Serve Lead 2024

Representatives from the Whiddon College of Medicine attend the AAMC annual meeting.

Several members from the Whiddon College of Medicine showcased the institution’s dedication to quality improvement, student wellness, and advancing medical education at the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Learn Serve Lead 2024 annual meeting in Atlanta. As the premier event for academic medicine, the conference brought together thought leaders from across the nation to share strategies and drive innovation in healthcare education. 

“Collaboration is at the heart of the Whiddon College of Medicine’s approach to driving innovation in medical education,” said Melisa Pierce, Ed.D., MPA, director of quality improvement. “Through partnerships with other medical colleges, we share knowledge, identify gaps in current research and resources, and develop solutions to pressing challenges. This collective effort ensures that we not only meet but exceed the standards of medical education, equipping our students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed as future physicians.”

Key discussions led by the team included:

• Addressing Conflict and Belonging: Tiquera Hall, Ph.D., MPA, education and training manager, hosted a session on navigating peer-to-peer conflict and microaggressions in collaborative learning groups, emphasizing psychological safety and belonging in medical education.
• Assessment and Learning Improvement: David Williams, Ph.D., MPA, assistant dean for institutional and academic success, led a discussion on closing the loop in course and program assessments, focusing on leveraging data to drive meaningful learning improvements across the curriculum.
• Professional Identity Formation: LoRen Modisa, Ed.D., MPA, director of the Office of Health Advancement, shared strategies for embedding professional identity formation throughout the medical school curriculum, fostering the development of future physicians.
• Peer-to-Peer Programs: Angie O’Neal, M.Ed., director of learning support services, and Becky Smith, Ph.D., health and wellness counselor, discussed the development of two peer-support programs — Peer Emotional and Educational Resilience Support (PEERS) and Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) — that promote wellness and destigmatize help-seeking behaviors among medical students.
• Quality Improvement: Melisa Pierce, Ed.D., MPA, facilitated a session on maximizing the impact of Continuous Quality Improvement Committees, focusing on how structured processes and data-driven decision-making enhance transparency, stakeholder engagement, and sustained improvement in accreditation efforts.

Additionally, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Laventrice Ridgeway, Ed.D., ALC, joined a panel discussion addressing challenges with Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPEs), collaborating with colleagues from other medical colleges to explore solutions that enhance the residency application process and better reflect student performance. Ridgeway was also acknowledged as the newly appointed AAMC Group on Student Affairs’ liaison to the Committee on Student Diversity Affairs.

“By engaging with academic medicine professionals nationwide, the Whiddon College of Medicine continues to advance its mission of providing the highest quality medical education,” Pierce said. “Participation in Learn Serve Lead allows us to contribute to the broader academic medicine community while driving meaningful improvements within our own institution. These efforts reflect our dedication to fostering excellence and ensuring that our students are prepared to meet the evolving demands of healthcare.”

Mobile Bay magazine’s 40 Under 40 includes standouts from Whiddon COM

Each year, Mobile Bay magazine highlights 40 residents under the age of 40 who are selected from the business and professional community, the arts, medicine, education, community involvement, and more.

Casey Daniel, Ph.D., MPH

This year’s honorees from USA Health and the Whiddon College of Medicine include:

Casey Daniel, Ph.D., MPH, is an associate professor of family medicine at the Whiddon College of Medicine and director of epidemiology and public health at the University of South Alabama. Inspired to pursue cancer research after battling melanoma as a teenager, Daniel has worked to bring public health awareness, engagement and education to the region through research, teaching and outreach. She has worked on 13 funded grants totaling $15.56 million and is helping to develop a Master of Public Health degree program at USA.

Maryann Mbaka, M.D., MBA

Maryann Mbaka, M.D., MBA, is a trauma surgeon at University Hospital and assistant professor of surgery and associate program director for the general surgery residency program at the Whiddon College of Medicine. The Nigeria native has dedicated her career to providing life-saving care, advancing trauma research, and mentoring future physicians. She is a prolific researcher with more than 30 peer-reviewed publications. She is leading a clinical trial exploring innovative tools to enhance critical care. Mbaka is also the founder and CEO of Living Kings and Queens Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering communities through healthcare access.

Rodgers takes on new leadership role at Whiddon COM

Alani Rodgers, M.Ed.

Alani Rodgers, M.Ed., has been appointed assistant director of the Office of Research Education and Training (ORET) at the Whiddon College of Medicine. 

The office plays a pivotal role in managing the Basic Medical Sciences (BMS) Graduate Program as well as coordinating support for undergraduate students and postdoctoral trainees. 

“I am truly excited to enter my new role as assistant director in ORET. It’s an incredible opportunity to support students and the department in ways that will contribute to our collective success,” Rodgers said. “I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues to help create an environment where students thrive, develop, and feel empowered. Together, we’ll continue to build on the strength of our department, fostering growth, innovation, and the pursuit of excellence.”  

Robert Barrington, Ph.D., director of the ORET, said under Rodgers’ leadership, the office is poised to advance several strategic initiatives aimed at strengthening the BMS Graduate Program. These efforts include expanding enrollment to align with the institution's aspiration of achieving Carnegie R1 status, revising curricula, and enhancing opportunities for student professional development. Rodgers will be instrumental in these endeavors, beginning with the recruitment of the 2025 cohort.

Rodgers is a familiar and highly regarded member of the Whiddon College of Medicine, having served in the Office of Admissions since 2020. She initially joined as assistant to the director before being promoted to assistant director. Her prior experience includes roles as a secretary with the USA College of Engineering and USA Health. 

Rodgers received a Master of Education in educational administration for higher education administrators from the University of South Alabama. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in educational leadership and administration at USA. 

Learn more about the Office of Research Education and Training. 

Chakroborty awarded $100,000 grant to further breast cancer research

At the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama’s award presentation, from left, are Debanjan Chakroborty, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology; Chandrani Sarkar, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology; Beth Davis, president and CEO of BCRFA; and Simon Grelet, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology.  

Debanjan Chakroborty, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pathology at the Whiddon College of Medicine and a cancer researcher at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute, is the recipient of a $100,000 grant from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama. Presented during an event in Birmingham in early December, the award was part of the organization’s $1.125 million investment in state-based research in 2024.

The highly competitive grants provide investigators funding over a two-year period. The awards act as seed funding for early-stage studies, allowing researchers to generate crucial data needed to attract major national grants. 

Breast cancer is a complex disease that is often identified with the presence of hardened mass or tissue, resulting from an overabundance of non-cellular components called extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM imparts a gradual elastic force to the cancer cells, known as matrix stiffness, which alters the cancer cell behavior, promotes metastatic progression, and impacts therapeutic outcomes, Chakroborty explained.

“Manipulation of cancer tissue stiffness is envisioned as a major strategy for improvement in cancer therapeutics,” he said. “However, the strategy is not yet successful due to the lack of appropriate targets.” 

Chakroborty’s project will explore a novel axis in breast cancer progression. Specifically, the study will identify the role of lysine-deficient protein kinase 1 (WNK1) on matrix stiffness in breast cancer. WNK1 is a protein that is abundantly expressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts, the most prominent non–cancer cell population in breast cancer tumor microenvironment and the primary depositor of ECM.

The research will be conducted in collaboration with Dhananjay T. Tambe, Ph.D., associate professor of mechanical engineering/biomedical engineering at USA; and Elba A. Turbat-Herrera, M.D., professor of pathology and director of the USA Health Biobank.

Also during the event, other researchers from USA presented posters to share findings from previously funded BCRFA research projects. Among the presenters were Simon Grelet, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology; and postdoctoral fellows Prabhat Suman, Ph.D., from Chakroborty’s lab, and Sooraj Kakkat, Ph.D., from the lab of Chandrani Sarkar, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology. 

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to find a cure for breast cancer by funding promising breast cancer research in Alabama. BCRFA funds promote a comprehensive approach to battling breast cancer by fueling collaborative and innovative research to help diagnose, treat, prevent, and eradicate the disease.