Meet the new Governor-elect Designee - Alabama Chapter

Congratulations to the Alabama Chapter Governor-elect Designee (GED), Roger D. Smalligan, MD, MPH, MACP. Our new GED will complete a year of training as a Governor-elect and start their four-year term as Governor in the Spring of 2027. As Governor, Dr. Smalligan will serve as the official representative of the College for our Chapter, providing a link between members at the local level and leadership at the national level. In the meantime, Dr. Smalligan will be working closely with Dr. Vaughn (the current governor) and College staff to learn about the College and their duties as Governor. To learn more about the new GED, read their bio below.

Roger D. Smalligan, MD, MPH, MACP

Medical School Education: Johns Hopkins University

Post-Doctoral Training: Vanderbilt University Hospital

Board Certifications: Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Care, ABIM; Board Eligible in Pediatrics

Present Employment Position: Regional Dean, Huntsville Regional Medical Campus, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine

ACP Chapter and Leadership Activities: After previously serving actively as an ACP Governor's Advisory Council Member in Tennessee and Texas while living in those states I was invited to join the same Council in Alabama shortly after accepting the job of Regional Dean of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. In this leadership role I promoted ACP participation of the entire internal medicine residency and faculty by funding memberships and sponsoring Doctor's Dilemma teams as well as recruiting new internists to apply for Fellowship and to attend state and national ACP events. My encouragement and example led colleagues and mentees take on important leadership roles including leading the Council of Young Physicians and organizing the State meetings.

ACP National Activities: I joined the ACP during my residency at Vanderbilt and in 1994 applied for and became a Fellow of the ACP. My longstanding commitment and service to the ACP, to compassionate clinical care both at home and abroad, to medical education and to research led the Alabama Chapter to award him the ACP Laureate Award in 2024. I serve as an abstract and poster judge annually for both state and national ACP meetings as well as mentoring students and residents as they prepare interesting cases for these events. On invitation from the ACP Global Engagement group I travelled as part of a team to give Faculty Development lectures in Argentina in 2018. This led to an invitation the following year by the ACP to give sessions to a national group of internists Paraguay. In 2020 I was asked to represent the ACP and give lectures at the annual meeting of internists in Peru (SPMI). Later, through connections as the ACP representative in Peru I was invited to present at the Colombian Congress of Internal Medicine in Bogota.

Other Appointments/Activities: Each year I help organize, sponsor and then participate in taking medical students and residents to provide medical care in underserved areas of the Dominican Republic. Locally I volunteer and mentor students at a local free clinic. I am constantly engaging with local hospital leadership to maintain and improve the clinical experiences of the UAB medical students. I serve on numerous university related committees.

Areas of Professional Interest and Expertise: Medical Education; Growing Clinical Trials Research on the Regional Campus; Providing and Teaching about Hospice and Palliative Care