Patients will place their trust in you, just as countless people have supported you throughout your journey to this moment, Dr. Tamer Elsayed said to the residents and fellows at The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program and Fellowships graduation ceremony.
The ceremony was held June 28 at the Zone at Bryant-Denny Stadium on the UA campus. The residency is operated by the College of Community Health Sciences.
The graduating residents completed three years of specialty training in family medicine and will begin their practices in Alabama, as well as in other states and countries. Some will enter fellowship programs for additional education and training in other specialties.
The graduating fellows, who are already family medicine physicians, completed an additional year of training in other specialties, including behavioral health, obstetrics and sports medicine.
Awards were presented to residents during the ceremony, and those who pursued additional training experiences on special residency tracks in hospital medicine and obstetrics were also recognized.
During his remarks, Elsayed spoke about the dedication, sacrifice and perseverance required to become a physician. He encouraged graduates to remain humble, embrace lifelong learning and adapt as medicine continues to evolve through advances in technology and artificial intelligence.
Dr. Richard Friend, dean of CCHS, celebrated the graduates and thanked the faculty, clinicians and staff who have helped sustain the program’s excellence for more than five decades.
“This day is one of the best days of the year because we get to see the result of years of hard work,” Friend said. “These physicians are ready to go out and make a difference in communities that need them.”
Residency Class of 2026
- Dr. Zeel Adeshra
- Dr. Alesha Amerson
- Dr. Celia Asinor
- Dr. Christopher Britt
- Dr. Emily Brown
- Dr. Katie Carr
- Dr. Paris Cooke
- Dr. Callie hillman
- Dr. Arpitha Jammula
- Dr. Neethu Kurien
- Dr. Marwan Mahmoud
- Dr. Ricky Sekhon
- Dr. Kavena Sivajumar
- Dr. Katherine Sweeney Eck
- Dr. Lucas Tarvainen
- Dr. Justine Vella
2026 Graduate Fellows
- Dr. Ijeoma Okeke – Behavioral Health Fellow
- Dr. Rachel Butler-Sarvaunt – Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellow
- Dr. Melissa Deviney – Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellow
- Dr. Shae Hanson – Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellow
- Dr. Dana Hutton – Sports Medicine Fellow
- Dr. Leroy Jemison – Sports Medicine Fellow
- Dr. Joseph Snooks – Sports Medicine Fellow
Residency Award Winners
- William R. Willard Award – Dr. Rutger Fury (first-year resident)
- The John and Cindy Markushewski Award for Excellence in Emergency Medicine – Drs. Katherine Sweeney Eck and Thaksin Kongchum (second-year resident)
- Hospital Medicine Track Graduates – Drs. Katie Carr and Marwan Mahmoud
- Internal Medicine – Intern Award – Dr. Katherine Sweeney Eck
- Internal Medicine – Best Resident – Dr. Rutger Fury (first-year resident)
- Culinary Medicine Program Recognition Award – Dr. Alesha Amerson
- Pediatrics Award – Drs. Emily Brown and Christopher Britt
- Psychiatry Award – Dr. Marwan Mahmoud
- Psychiatry/R3 Award – Dr. Justine Vella
- Meaning in Medicine Award – Dr. Callie Hillman
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Award – Drs. Callie Hillman and Justine Vella
- Obstetrics Track Graduates – Drs. Arpitha Jammula and Callie Hillman
- Willaim F. deShazo III Sports Medicine Award – Dr. Marwan Mahmoud
- Recognition of Rural Medical Scholars – Drs. Christopher Britt, Emily Brown and Paris Cooke
- Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors Award for Scholarship – Dr. Justine Vella
- Professionalism in Family Medicine Residency Award – Drs. Alesha Amerson and Christopher Britt
- William W. Winternitz Award in Geriatrics – Drs. Alesha Amerson and Justine Vella
- Society of Teachers in Family Medicine Resident Teaching Award – Dr. Justine Vella
- Clinical Competency Committee Awards – Drs. Katherine Sweeney Eck, Callie Hillman, Elizabeth Lanier (second-year resident) and Rutger Fury and Georgi Griffin (first-year residents)
- William Owings Award for Excellence in Family Medicine – Drs. Emily Brown and Christopher Britt
- Sandral Hullett Award for Rural Health – Dr. Christopher Britt
- 360 Award – Dr. Alesha Amerson
Chief Residents
- Dr. Christopher Britt
- Dr. Emily Brown
- Dr. Callie Hillman
- Dr. Marwan Mahmoud