“Our graduates carry forward a commitment to serving communities, whether in Alabama or across the country. They leave here with the skills and mindset needed to make thoughtful decisions and keep patient care at the center of their work.”
The remarks by Dr. Richard Friend, dean of the College of Community Health Sciences, were provided at the CCHS Senior Banquet May 14, held to recognize 32 UAB Heersink School of Medicine students who completed their clinical education (third and fourth years) at the College.
The medical students graduated from Heersink School of Medicine May 16.
They matched into residency programs in 12 states and will pursue specialties such as family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, surgery, orthopaedic surgery, urology, anesthesiology, radiation oncology, pathology, psychiatry, internal medicine and neurology.
“Today we recognize not only the accomplishments of our graduates, but also the dedication of their families, faculty and mentors who supported them along the way,” Friend said. “These students have grown from learners into capable, resilient physicians prepared to care for patients and think critically in complex situations.”
Friend added: “They leave here with the skills and mindset needed to make thoughtful decisions and keep patient care at the center of their work.”
Dr. Dale Dickinson, director of the Office of Medical Student Affairs, introduced the graduating class and praised their readiness to begin the next phase of their careers.
“We are incredibly proud of these students and the work they have put in to reach this moment,” Dickinson said. “They are well prepared to step forward with confidence as physicians and begin serving their patients and communities.”
Since its founding in 1972, the College has provided clinical education for 1,137 medical students.
The Graduating Class of 2025 and their residency specialties:
- Dr. Brejjette Aljabi – Urology
- Dr. Hannah Bednarski – Anesthesiology
- Dr. Brooks Bergman – Internal Medicine
- Dr. Michayla Brown- Radiation Oncology
- Dr. Kendall Campbell – Neurology
- Dr. Richard Clayton – Internal Medicine
- Dr. Alegna Contreras – Neurology
- Dr. India Ellison – Surgery
- Dr. Julia Giggie – Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Dr. Kierra Giles – Family Medicine
- Dr. Cayla Graham – Surgery
- Dr. Philip Harden – Internal Medicine/Pediatrics
- Dr. Shelby Harrelson – Orthopaedic Surgery
- Dr. Caleb Hayes – Family Medicine
- Dr. Phillip Hensley- Family Medicine
- Dr. Edward Higginbotham – Neurology
- Dr. Marli Jones – Psychiatry
- Dr. Brian Koh – Neurology
- Dr. Brannan Martens – Family Medicine
- Dr. William Newman – Family Medicine
- Dr. Madeleine Oberkirch – Pediatrics
- Dr. Nadia Pardo – Pathology
- Dr. Elizabeth Pinto – Psychiatry
- Dr. Anna Price – Psychiatry
- Dr. Venu Reddy – Psychiatry
- Dr. Ciearria Samuel- Pediatrics
- Dr. Charles Tinch – Neurology
- Dr. Andrew Van – Neurology
- Dr. Belle Vanderpool – Family Medicine
- Dr. Maya Wallace – Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Dr. Timberly Washington – Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Dr. Tameron Williams – Obstetrics and Gynecology
Awards given at the banquet:
Academic Honors and Community Engagement Awards from UAB Heersink School of Medicine:
Comprehensive Urban Underserved and Rural Experience (CU2RE)
Drs. Brejjette Aljabi, Hannah Bednarski, Michayla Brown, Kendall Campbell, Alegna Contreras, India Ellison, Julia Giggie, Kierra Giles, Philip Harden, Shelby Harrelson, Edward Higginbotham, Marli Jones, Brian Koh, Brannan Martens, Madeleine Oberkirch, Nadia Pardo, Elizabeth Pinto, Anna Price, Ciearria Smauel, Charles Tinch, Andrew Van and Maya Wallace
A program designed to enhance recruitment, training and retention of medical students dedicated to serving as family medicine physicians and provide primary care in the medically underserved urban and rural areas of Alabama.
Equal Assess Birmingham
Drs. Brejjette Aljabi and Elizabeth Pinto
Awarded to medical students who have engaged in community service by participating in Equal Access Birmingham, a student-run free clinic that provides continuity of care to the medically underserved.
Health Equity Scholar
Dr. Timberly Washington
A three-year program that trains and prepares medical students to care for historically marginalized populations.
Peer Educator Award
Drs. Kendall Campbell, Philip Harden, Shelby Harrelson, Madeleine Oberkirch and Tameron Williams
Awarded to medical students who participate in tutoring and learning services for their fellow peers. The Peer Education Program is supported by the Academic Success Program at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
College Scholarships
Dr. Benjamin Collins Maxwell Endowed Scholarship
Dr. Brannan Martens
Dr. Benjamin Maxwell was a pioneer in family medicine practice who trained many Tuscaloosa medical students and family medicine residents in his practice in Atmore, Ala. 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. Benjamin Maxwell, and all primary care physicians, and to support the Rural Medical Scholars Program and academic excellence within the College of Community Health Sciences. 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.
Frank Fitts Jr. Endowed Scholarship
Drs. Richard Clayton, Alegna Contreras, Cayla Graham, Marli Jones and Elizabeth Pinto
The Frank Fitts Jr. Endowed Scholarship was created by Cynthia Ford Fitts (now Thomas) to address the needs of medical students who bar 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.
Larry Mayes Endowed Scholarship
Dr. India Ellison
The Larry Mayes Endowed Scholarship is awarded to medical students at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine – Tuscaloosa Regional Campus who elect a community medicine experience in a medically underserved setting in the United States or abroad during their third or fourth year of medical school.
Reese Phifer, Jr., Memorial Foundation Endowed Scholarship
Drs. Kierra Giles, William Newman and Venu Reddy
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. 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 Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program, which the College operates, and who have an interest in spending part of their residency training in Fayette, Ala.
Dr. Samuel E. Gaskins Endowed Medical Students Scholarship
Drs. William Newman and Belle Vanderpool
Endowed by Dr. Samuel E. Gaskins in 2022, this scholarship reflects his lifelong commitment to compassionate, community-centered primary care and to mentoring future physicians at the College of Community Health Sciences, including through his leadership of The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency. Dr. Gaskins’ legacy lives on in the students and residents he taught, guided, and inspired. This scholarship supports UAB Heersink School of Medicine-Tuscaloosa Regional Campus medical students pursuing primary care, with priority to rising fourth-year Alabama residents accepted into the Integrated Residency Program.
Dr. Sandral Hullett Endowed Scholarship
Dr. Tameron Williams
The Dr. Sandral Hullett Scholarship was established in 1992 from gifts given by the Capstone Health Services Foundation and proceeds from the 1991 Fiesta Bowl to honor Hullett, one of the first African-American family medicine residents to graduate from The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program, which is operated by the College of Community Health Sciences.
Sturtevant Rural Medical Student Endowed Scholarship
Dr. Andrew Van
Dr. Alton Sturtevant is a co-founder of LabSouth, which was acquired by Dynacare Laboratories in 2000. He has more than 40 years of senior management experience in the laboratory industry. He is passionate about improving health care in rural communities and wants to support physicians practicing in rural areas. The Sturtevant Medical Student Endowed Support Fund earnings are used to provide support for students at the College of Community Health Sciences who have expressed an interest in practicing rural medicine.
Dr. Terrance M. Pugh Endowed Pathways to Progress Scholarship
Drs. Ciearria Samuel and Timberly Washington
Established in 2018 at the College of Community Health Sciences, the Dr. Terrance M. Pugh Endowed Pathways to Progress Scholarship is intended to enhance the educational experience and clinical training of the College’s future primary care physicians. In accordance with the donor’s request, preference shall be given to students who have demonstrated experience in, or a sustained commitment to, serving underserved communities.
William W. Winternitz Sr. Geriatric Scholarship
Dr. Richard Clayton
The William W. 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 of the College of Community Health Sciences.
Department and College Awards:
Recognition of Rural Medical Scholars
Drs. Brooks Bergman, Richard Clayton, Cayla Graham, Phillip Hensley, William Newman, Venu Reddy, Belle Vanderpool, Timberly Washington and Tameron Williams
Robert F. Gloor/James D. Leeper Award
Drs. Madeleine Oberkirch and Cayla Graham
Awarded for excellent performance in Community Medicine and Population Health.
William Owings Award in Family Medicine
Dr. Caleb Hayes
Awarded for excellence in Family Medicine.
William W. Winternitz Award in Internal Medicine
Drs. Cayla Graham and Richard Clayton
Awarded for outstanding achievement in Internal Medicine during the third and fourth years. This student possesses an exceptional wealth of knowledge, can 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 the student comes in contact.
Neurology Award
Dr. Brian Koh
Awarded for outstanding academic and clinical performance during the Neurology Clerkship.
Pediatrics Recognition Award
Dr. Madeleine Oberkirch
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. Marli Jones
Awarded for excellence exhibited by a medical student both academically and clinically during their Psychiatry Clerkship. This award is presented in honor of Dr. Peter Bryce, who was appointed as 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
Drs. Julia Giggie and Tameron Williams
Awarded to students 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
Drs. Brejjette Aljabi, India Ellison and Cayla Graham
Awarded to student(s) with the most outstanding clerkship performance during their third-year Surgical 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. Philip Harden
This award recognizes the medical student who has demonstrated excellence in communication skills, respect for staff and patients, and a commitment to working as an effective member of the health-care team.
Outstanding Student Research Award
Drs. Nadia Perdo and Timberly Washington
Recognition of the pursuit of one or more research projects leading to a presentation or publication during the clinical years of medical training
Dr. Richard O. Rutland Jr. Endowed Award
Dr. Caleb Hayes
Established in 2023 by the family of Dr. Richard O. Rutland Jr., this award honors the extraordinary legacy of a physician who devoted his life to caring for generations of families, practicing with compassion and dedication well into his eighties. Priority consideration is given to students who plan to complete their residency with The University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Program and who have expressed a strong desire to practice primary care in rural Alabama. This endowment supports a medical student who aspires to follow Dr. Rutland’s example—someone committed to serving rural communities and providing care that embraces not only the patient, but also their family and the community they call home. Dr. Rutland passed away in 2026, and it is with deep appreciation for his life and service that this award is being presented for the first time. His legacy continues through the work of future physicians who share his commitment to rural medicine.
Scholastic Achievement Award
Dr. Tameron Williams
Awarded for superior performance in the clinical curriculum.
William R. Willard Award
Dr. Kierra Giles
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. James Reeves, clinical associate professor with the CCHS Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
Awarded for outstanding contributions to undergraduate medical education during students’ junior year.
Patrick McCue Award
Dr. Dale Dickinson, director of the Office of Medical Student Affairs
Awarded for outstanding contributions to undergraduate medical education during students’ senior year. Legend has it that Dr. Patrick McCue won the faculty award so often that it was decided to name the award after him on the condition that, because he was the recipient so many times, he could not receive it again.
Resident Recognition Award
Dr. Justine Vella, a third-year resident in the UA Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program, which is operated by the College.
Awarded for outstanding contributions to undergraduate medical education.
James H. Akers Memorial Award
Dr. Cayla Graham
Awarded to a graduating senior for dedication to the art and science of medicine.