Thirty-six medical students were honored at the College of Community Health Sciences Senior Banquet on Thursday, May 16, at the Tuscaloosa River Market. The students, now physicians, will soon begin their residency training in programs across fourteen states.
The students completed the third and fourth years of medical school – their clinical education – at the College, which also functions as the Tuscaloosa Regional Campus for the University of Alabama School of Medicine. All students spend their first two years of medical school at the School of Medicine’s main campus in Birmingham, and then receive their clinical education at either Birmingham or one of the regional campuses in Tuscaloosa, Huntsville or Montgomery.
In his welcoming remarks, Dr. Richard Friend, interim dean of CCHS said the students in the class of 2019 were among some of the most robust, ambitious and accomplished the college has graduated to date.
The students received awards from faculty, clinical staff and their peers.
Awards given at the Banquet
Department and College Awards
| Robert F. Gloor Award in Community Medicine Dr. Joshua Price |
Awarded for excellent performance in Community and Rural Medicine |
| William Owings Award in Family Medicine Dr. Joshua Price |
Awarded for excellence in Family Medicine |
| Recognition of Rural Medical Scholars | Drs. Jacob Guin, Phillip Higginbotham, William Mitchell, Allison Montgomery, Chelsea Palmer, Joshua Price, Marshall Pritchett, Crystal Skinner, and Hannah Zahedi. |
| William W. Winternitz Award in Internal Medicine Dr. Amie Lemley Scott |
Awarded for outstanding achievement in Internal Medicine during the third and fourth years. This student possesses an exceptional wealth of knowledge, is able to integrate the pathology of disease with the physiology of clinical skills, and practices with empathy, compassion, and a desire to improve the patients with whom he or she comes in contact. |
| Neurology Award Dr. Andrew Elson |
Awarded for outstanding academic and clinical performance during the Neurology Clerkship. |
| Pediatrics Recognition Award Drs. Keri Mallicoat and Zoza Spears |
Awarded for outstanding interest, ability and the reflection of pleasure in helping parents and their children reach their full personal, social and educational potential. |
| Peter Bryce Award in Psychiatry Dr. Saier William Akers |
Awarded for excellence exhibited by a medical student both academically and clinically during his/her Psychiatry Clerkship. This award is presented in honor of Dr. Peter Bryce, who was appointed the first superintendent of Bryce Hospital in Tuscaloosa. He and his wife, Ellen Clarkson Bryce, were cornerstones for Tuscaloosa society and tenacious advocates for people who experience mental illness. |
| Finney/Akers Memorial Award in Obstetrics and Gynecology Dr. Allison Montgomery |
Awarded to a student achieving outstanding academic and clinical success in Obstetrics and Gynecology. This award is presented in honor of former medical students James H. Akers and Teresa K. Finney. |
| William R. Shamblin, MD, Surgery Award Dr. Benjamin Smood |
Awarded to a student or students with the highest scholastic achievement during their third-year Surgery Clerkship. Dr. William R. Shamblin, a Tuscaloosa native and former Chair of the Department of Surgery, spent years educating medical students and Family Medicine residents. This award continues in his honor. |
| Interprofessional Excellence Award Dr. Saier William Akers |
This award recognizes the medical student who has best demonstrated excellence in communication skills, respect for staff and patients, and a commitment to working as an effective member of the health care team. |
| Proassurance Patient Communication Award Dr. Saier William Akers |
Awarded to a student who best demonstrates appropriate bedside manner, goes above and beyond in helping patients understand their diagnosis and treatment, and is a passionate patient advocate. |
| Student Research Award Drs. Saier William Akers and Rachel Daniell |
Recognition of the pursuit of one or more research projects leading to presentation or publication during the clinical years of medical training. |
| Scholastic Achievement Award Dr. Allison Montgomery |
Awarded for superior performance in the clinical curriculum. |
| William R. Willard Award Dr. David Osula |
Established by the Bank of Moundville, this award is presented for outstanding contributions to the goals and mission of the College of Community Health Sciences as voted by the College faculty. |
Faculty, Resident and Student Awards as determined by the graduating class
| Faculty Recognition Award Dr. Heather Taylor |
Awarded for outstanding contributions to undergraduate medical education during the students’ junior year. |
| Patrick McCue Award Dr. Robert Sheppard |
Awarded for outstanding contributions to undergraduate medical education during the students’ senior year. |
| Resident Recognition Award Dr. Zack Smith |
Awarded for outstanding contributions to medical education. |
| James H. Akers Memorial Award Dr. Amy Scott |
Awarded to a graduating senior for dedication to the art and science of medicine. |
College Scholarships
| Frank Fitts Jr. Endowed Scholarship Dr. Phillip Higginbotham and Zeb Akers |
The Frank Fitts Jr. Endowed Scholarship was created by Cynthia Ford Fitts (now Thomas) to address the needs of medical students who bear a high debt load upon graduation from medical school. The scholarship was named in honor of her late husband, Frank Fitts Jr., great grandson of J.H. Fitts, who established The University of Alabama’s first endowed scholarship in 1903. |
| Robert E. Pieroni, MD, and Family Endowed Scholarship Dr. Zeb Akers |
The Robert E. Pieroni, MD, and Family Endowed Scholarship was established by Dr. and Mrs. Robert Pieroni to support medical students intending to enter primary care. |
| William Winternitz, Sr. Geriatric Scholarship Dr. Amie Scott |
The William Winternitz, Sr. Geriatric Scholarship was established in 2016 by Ms. Madeleine M. Hill, in honor of her late husband. The recipient of this award has shown an exceptional interest in geriatrics and/or service learning and represents the best in academic medicine as recognized by faculty, residents and medical students. |
| Dr. Sandral Hullett Endowed Scholarship Dr. David Osula |
The Dr. Sandral Hullet Scholarship was established in 1992 from gifts given by the Capstone Health Services Foundation and proceeds from the 1991 Fiesta Bowl to honor Dr. Hullett, one of the first African-American Family Medicine Residents to graduate from The University of Alabama Family Medicine Residency. |
| Reese Phifer, Jr., Memorial Foundation Scholarship Dr. Crystal Skinner |
The Reese Phifer Jr. Memorial Foundation Endowed Scholarship is awarded annually to promote the education of medical students at the College of Community Health Sciences/University of Alabama School of Medicine-Tuscaloosa Regional Campus. The Reese Phifer, Jr., Memorial Foundation was established by Mr. and Mrs. Reese Phifer in 1967 in memory of their son J. Reese Phifer, Jr., a student at The University of Alabama who died in 1964. The foundation established the scholarship fund in 2014. Priority is given to current fourth-year medical students who intend to complete their residency at The University of Alabama Family Medicine Residency, which the College operates, and who have an interest in spending part of their residency training in Fayette, Alabama. |
| Dr. Benjamin Collins Maxwell Endowed Scholarship Dr. Zeb Akers |
Dr. Maxwell was a pioneer in family medical practice who trained many Tuscaloosa medical students and family medicine residents in his practice in Atmore, Alabama. He was renowned for the degree of interest, patience, and compassion he had for his patients. This scholarship was endowed by Dr. David and Mrs. Regina Maxwell to honor the legacy of Dr. Maxwell and of all primary care physicians and to support the Rural Medical Scholars program and academic excellence within CCHS. Priority is given to graduating medical students who plan to practice rural primary care in Alabama, with special consideration for students from Escambia County and the Rural Medical Scholars program. |