Annual Care Closet clothing and shoe donation drive begins Dec. 4

Care Closet, an annual clothing and shoe donation drive organized by a multidisciplinary team at USA Health University Hospital, collected more than 150 bags of items last year. For the third annual drive, donations will stay in-house to create an on-site facility at University Hospital for patients in need. 

Make a meaningful difference in our patients’ lives by donating new or gently used clothing and shoes (for adults and children) from Thursday, Dec. 4 through Wednesday, Dec. 10 at these designated drop-off points: internal medicine seventh-floor lounge at UH; the Mastin second-floor medical student office; and outside the Moorer Building. 

Please place donations in multiple small white kitchen garbage bags. The UH Care Closet team will process donations. 

Email carecloset@health.southalabama.edu or reach out to any contacts listed on the flyer with direct donation pickup requests or any questions. 

Medical students bring fresh perspective to Peer Helper Jubilee

Chris Novellino, Hannah Hill and Paras Ahuhja

Three medical students from the Whiddon College of Medicine's Peer Emotional and Educational Resilience Support (PEERS) program delivered a standout presentation at this year's Peer Helper Jubilee. Hosted by the Jennifer Claire Moore Foundation, the annual event brought more than 750 middle school and high school peer helpers from across Baldwin County to Orange Beach in early November.

In their session, “From the Field to the Hallway: Who’s Got Your Back,” fourth-year student Hannah Hill, third-year student Paras Ahuja, and second-year student Chris Novellino explored the often-overlooked distinctions — and complementary strengths — of mentors and peer supporters in a student’s academic and personal journey. 

The students drew from their own experiences navigating high-pressure academic environments and being a peer supporter. They opened by highlighting a core idea: Mentors and peer supporters are both essential, but they play fundamentally different roles.

“Mentors,” Hill explained, “provide experienced, long-term guidance. They see the big picture and help students make strategic decisions about academics, career pathways, and long-term goals. They help students zoom out.”

Novellino added, “Peer supporters, on the other hand, are the ones in the trenches with you — the classmates, teammates, and friends who understand real-time struggles because they’re living the same ones. They offer immediacy, empathy, and relatability. They help students zoom in.”

The session emphasized that students thrive when they have both: mentors who’ve walked the path before them, and peers who walk beside them.

Throughout the presentation, the medical students encouraged attendees to intentionally seek out and strengthen both types of relationships. They spoke on how to:

• Leverage mentors for academic and career planning
• Navigate social pressures and identity with the support of trusted peers
• Set personal goals and find supporters who invest selflessly

The trio also shared personal stories of burnout, isolation, community, and resilience — demonstrating how mentorship and peer support had shaped their own paths from undergraduate life to medical school. Their candor and relatability sparked meaningful discussion among students and chaperones. 

“It was so wonderful to see how attentive and engaged students were,” Ahuja said. “As med students who were in their shoes a few years ago, getting to talk with them was a privilege.”

The session closed with a challenge: Become the kind of peer supporter you once needed. Build a culture where students uplift one another; where support comes not just from those ahead but also from those beside.

For many attendees, the presentation was a highlight of the Jubilee — a reminder that leadership, compassion, and connection are skills that grow stronger when shared.

BMS graduate students take part in new professional development series

Ph.D. students in the Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program participate in Beyond the Bench.

The Office of Research, Education and Training has launched a new professional development series, Beyond the Bench: Mapping Your Career DNA, designed to equip Ph.D. students, postdocs and recent graduates with the tools they need to navigate their next steps with confidence.

The initiative was developed in response to requests from Christopher Davies, Ph.D., associate dean for research, current students, and former members of the Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Society, all of whom emphasized the need for structured career-preparation opportunities. Haley Kominek, a former officer in the BMS Graduate Society, played a key role in bringing the series to life, with strong support from Alani Rodgers, Ed.D., and Adam Barnes in USA Career Development.

The inaugural session focused on the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Readiness Competencies, a set of core skills identified as essential for career success across industries. Participants also learned about additional career resources and support services available right here at South.

The session was led by Barnes, assistant director of career development, who provided practical guidance on how students can begin strengthening these competencies during their training and throughout their professional journeys.

Beyond the Bench will continue throughout the year, offering workshops and conversations to help trainees explore diverse career pathways, build professional skills, and prepare for both academic and non-academic opportunities.

More information about upcoming sessions will be shared soon.

Medical student–faculty research team presents at national 2025 AMELS Conference

David S. Williams, Ph.D., and Nia Booth present a session at the Association of Medical Education Learning Specialists Conference.

David S. Williams, Ph.D., assistant dean for institutional and academic success in the Office of Accreditation and Planning, and third-year medical student Nia Booth represented the Whiddon College of Medicine at the 2025 Association of Medical Education Learning Specialists (AMELS) Conference, held Nov. 5–7 in San Antonio, Texas. Together, they presented a research session titled “Learning How to Learn: Medical Students’ Evolving Language and Reflections After a Pre-Matriculation Course.”

This presentation built upon earlier findings shared by Williams at the 2023 MELS Conference, extending the Whiddon College of Medicine’s multi-year examination of how medical students develop metacognitive awareness and apply evidence-based learning strategies after completing the summer pre-matriculation academic success course, Rx for Success. The research explores how students describe their study habits, conceptualize learning science, manage time, and adapt strategies throughout the pre-clerkship curriculum.

A significant innovation in this phase of study was the leadership of Booth, who joined the research team and served as the facilitator for focus groups of medical students conducted between December 2024 and March 2025. The team explored how medical students internalize and apply the language and strategies of learning science during their pre-clerkship years.

Booth’s peer-to-peer role provided authenticity and depth to the qualitative data, enriching the analysis in meaningful ways. The team found clear themes of study strategy adaptation, evolving conceptions of knowledge, a shift from passive to active learning, increased strategic self-regulation, and the influence of early learning-science instruction.

“I’ve truly enjoyed working on this project,” said Booth, who serves as president of the Class of 2027. “It has given me a deeper appreciation for how much we grow as learners throughout medical school and how the programs we offer here at South really foster and support that growth. Presenting our work at AMELS was an honor, and it was especially meaningful to share our students’ stories, which highlight just how impactful intentional programming can be in supporting student success.”

“It was a privilege to co-present this work with Nia,” Williams said. “Her leadership, professionalism, and insight as both a researcher, Rx for Success student facilitator, and current M3 student voice elevated this project in ways that will meaningfully shape how we design and deliver academic success programming. Her ability to guide thoughtful conversations among her peers provided depth and nuance that the research team could not have captured otherwise.”

This research was conducted in collaboration with T.J. Hundley, M.D., associate dean for medical education. The team will continue analysis over the coming year, using these findings to inform future enhancements to Rx for Success and academic support programming across the curriculum.