UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO) celebrated the graduation of the 11th cohort from the Institute for Leadership on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.

The program, designed for senior and mid-level leaders, aims to enhance personal, leadership, and management competencies while incorporating current leadership strategies and trends. Guest speakers from executive-level leadership positions at UAB, including past Institute graduates, provide practical skills-to-practice experiences that enrich the dynamic curriculum. The program is offered in both the fall and spring semesters.

This fall, 17 accomplished leaders completed the Institute for Leadership program:

• Shondra Black, MSHQS, RN, BSN-BC – Senior Director, Cardiovascular Imaging
• Pamela Cargo, DNP, MSHQS, LSSGB – Senior Director, Care Transitions
• Ryan Chambers, J.D., MBA – Assistant Director of Administration, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Mary Grace Cox, MPH, BSN, RN – Senior Director, Quality
• Hollyn Davis, MSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC – Nurse Manager, Nursing
• Michael Denaburg, PharmD, MBA – Director of Pharmacy
• Kayla Evans, BSN, MPH, RN, CNOR, CSSM – Director, Perioperative Services
• Terri Franklin, MSHI, (R), (CT) – Director, Radiology
• Gerick Marshall, DNP, MSHQS, MSHA, MBA, CCRN, LSSGB – Nurse Manager, Trauma
• Tapan Mehta, PhD, MSEE – Vice Chair for Research, Family and Community Medicine
• Andrew Sullivan, DNP, CRNP – Director, Perioperative Services
• Whitney Turner, M.D., FACEP – Assistant Professor, DVO, Highlands ED Medical Director, Emergency Medicine
• Benjamin von Schweinitz, M.D., FACEP – Vice Chair of Operations, Emergency Medicine
• Ashley Williamson, MSHA, LAT, ATC – Director of Strategic Initiative, Orthopaedic Surgery
• Tomeka Wilson, MPH – Executive Administrator, Biomedical Informatics and Data Sciences
• Allan Zajac, Ph.D. – Professor, Vice Chair, Microbiology
• John Brad Morrow, MSHQS, LSSGB – Associate Vice President, Food, Nutrition, & Guest Services

Each graduate of Cohort 11 demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, professional growth, and the ability to advance the mission of UAB Medicine through collaboration, innovation, and excellence in management.

“It was a great program that emphasized practical skills for bringing out the best in people,” said Allan Zajac, Ph.D.

“The LDO Institute for Leadership reinforced that people are the true currency of leadership,” said Tomeka Wilson. “When you invest in people with clarity, structure, and intention, you create value that outlives any title, strategy, or outcome.”

Congratulations to the Cohort 11 graduates of the UAB Medicine Institute for Leadership for their dedication to advancing leadership excellence across the university.