Category Newsletter

Thirty-one University of Alabama graduate students from programs across campus had paid assistantships with and were mentored by College of Community Health Sciences faculty in 2025. 

Dr. Jesse Smallwood begins his training in July at the College of Community Health Sciences as its first pediatric fellow. Smallwood joins the College for fellowship training in family medicine-pediatrics.   Smallwood grew up on a small farm in Columbus, Ind. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind. He worked as a pharmacy…

Six physicians who comprise the inaugural class of The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Psychiatry Residency Program started their journeys to improve access to mental health care in Alabama.   University leadership, community partners and College of Community Health Sciences faculty and staff gathered June 24 at UA’s Randall Welcome Center to welcome the residents and to recognize the collaborative efforts that led to the creation of the new residency, which…

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…

The Tuscaloosa Rural Pre-Medical Internship (TRPI) celebrates its fifth year of preparing future rural physicians through clinical experiences, skills training and mentorship, said Candace Lacey, Rural Programs coordinator for the College of Community Health Sciences.  Established in 2021 as part of the CCHS Rural Health Leaders Pipeline, TRPI was created to encourage university students from rural Alabama to pursue careers in medicine and…

High school students from rural Alabama spent part of their summer at The University of Alabama exploring health care careers that can make a meaningful difference in their communities, said Cynthia Moore, assistant director for Rural Programs at the College of Community Health Sciences.  The College recently welcomed 38 high school students to its summer programs, where they learned about the need rural communities have for more doctors, dentists and other health care…

Dr. Niju Khatiwada earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and sociology from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., and received her medical degree from the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke, Va. Her clinical interests include child psychiatry and forensic psychiatry.  Dr. Christopher Lane earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Columbus State University in Columbus, Ga., and received his…

Dr. Louanne Friend, associate professor in the CCHS Department of Family, Internal, and Rural Medicine, authored, “Reclaiming nursing’s power: Advancing national leadership through the revival of nursing theory,” published in the Journal of Professional Nursing. Click here to view the entire article.  

Dr. Antonio Gardner, associate professor with the CCHS Department of Community Medicine and Population Health, Dr. John Wheat, professor with the CCHS Department of Family, Internal, and Rural Medicine, and Cynthia Moore, assistant director of CCHS’s Rural Programs, co-authored “Where Are Future Doctors Who Southern Rural African Americans Will Trust? A Look Back into Rural Medical Scholars Data,” published in…

Drs. Cayla Graham and Eddie Higginbotham, who completed their third and fourth years of medical school at CCHS, were named recipients of the UAB Medical Alumni Association Leadership and Community Service Award at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine commencement ceremony May 16. The award is given to a student who has demonstrated leadership in addressing educational, societal, and health care…