(Left to right) Senior vice president and dean Ray Watts with Dr. Theodis Buggs Jr., outgoing Medical Alumni Association president; Alabama Governor Robert Bentley; Dr. Gerhard Boehm, incoming MAA president; and Dr. Betty Ruth Speir, MAA past president

A leading characteristic shared by School of Medicine alumni is their readiness and desire to lead.

Last month I enjoyed the

Senior vice president and dean Ray Watts with School of Medicine students

Throughout its history, the School of Medicine has trained the best and brightest physicians to care for the people of Alabama. However, the elements of that training have evolved over time to incorporate new technologies, expanded knowledge about disease and treatment, and the increasing demands that

Medical Alumni Association president Theodis Buggs Jr. with senior vice president and dean Ray Watts

One of our biggest challenges in 2011 is a familiar one: Alabama’s shortage of primary care physicians.

Many of you who responded to our online survey—or with whom I have spoken at our alumni receptions in Birmingham and Mobile or at the December meeting of the Alabama Academic