Alabama Governor's Newsletter October 2026
In this Issue:
- Governor's Message
- 2026 Chapter Laureate: Dr. Bipin Kumar
- 2026 Chapter Excellence Award – Gold Winner
- Former ACP Governors inducted into the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame
- Poetry and Medicine
- Call for Nominations: Wellness Champion
- Dr. Centor Receives National Award
- Important Upcoming Dates
Ross B. Vaughn, MD, FACP, ACP Governor
Governor's Message
After a blistering summer it is beginning to feel a little cooler outside, the trees are turning to those autumnal shades that we have been waiting for, and it is time to give you all a seasonal update for our ACP chapter.
We had an outstanding chapter scientific session in June at the Gulf State Park Resort in Orange Beach. David Pugach, ACP's Vice President for Governmental Affairs and Public Policy, updated our membership regarding the College's ongoing advocacy efforts to preserve patient access to care, promote fair physician compensation, and combat the misinformation and disinformation that fuels the lack of trust in science. Didactic sessions included advances in dementia care, updates in rheumatology, as well as a very informative presentation on immunotherapy for malignancies. Dr. Louis Boohaker marshalled an intense Doctors Dilemma with competing teams from residency programs across Alabama and Mississippi, and an entertaining Thieves Market was presented by Dr. Ryan Kraemer. The oral presentations by residents were phenomenal, and abstract competitions by students and residents highlighted their enthusiasm for learning.
Make plans now to attend our winter meeting on February 6, 2027, on the campus of the Whiddon College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama. The topic will be novel approaches for population health. Further details will be forthcoming.
Also, mark your calendar now for next year's chapter scientific session which will be on Memorial Day weekend, May 28-29, 2027, at Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa in Birmingham.
Best,
Ross B. Vaughn, MD, FACP
Governor
2026 Chapter Laureate: Dr. Bipin Kumar
Bipin Kumar was born and educated in Delhi, India. He received his medical degree from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in 1972. He came to the United States for his internal medicine residency at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and Veterans Administration Hospital from 1973 through 1976. After practicing internal medicine in Brooklyn, New York, for 2 years for a health insurance company, he moved to Wetumpka, Alabama, in 1978 and established a solo internal medicine practice delivering outpatient and inpatient medical care for 48 years, retiring in January of 2026. He has been Director of the ICU at Elmore Community Hospital most of his career and served as President of the medical staff several times, as well as serving as Director of Medical Education for the medical staff. He has been involved with the local chapter of the American Heart Association and has participated with the Disaster Relief and Emergency Medical System in his county.
Dr. Kumar has been a member of ACP since his internal medicine residency and was elected to Fellowship in 2005. He has been one of the most faithful members of the Alabama Chapter during his entire career, rarely missing an annual state meeting. He has served on the chapter Council for many years.
He lives in Wetumpka with his wife Manjula. They have one son who is a practicing colorectal surgeon in Poughkeepsie, New York, and have two grandchildren. He and his wife enjoy traveling, outdoor activities, and gardening.
For a career providing primary care to a small Alabama town and his commitment to the Alabama Chapter of ACP, he is most deserving of the 2026 Chapter Laureate Award.
2026 Chapter Excellence Award – Gold Winner
For the second consecutive year, we are pleased to announce that our chapter is in receipt of the Gold Level of the Chapter Excellence Award! The award recognizes truly extraordinary chapters that surpass excellence in chapter management. We are in the company of 69 other outstanding chapters. To achieve the Gold Level of the Chapter Excellence Award, chapters must meet 20 Bronze criteria, 12 Silver criteria and a significant number of Gold level activities. Criteria include such activities as having a legislative action plan or agenda, holding a volunteerism/community service activity, holding multiple stand-alone meetings, having revenue sources outside of dues and meeting registration fees, implementing a strategic plan, implementing a formal recruitment and retention plan and measuring outcomes, conducting various activities for Medical Students, Residents and Early Career Physicians. We would like to extend a special thanks to those chapter members who assisted us in all of these endeavors! For their hard work and dedication, we received this award.
Former ACP Governors inducted into the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame
Dr. Robert Kreisberg was born in New York and raised in Chicago. He earned his undergraduate and medical degrees at Northwestern University before completing a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston. In 1964, he joined the University of Alabama School of Medicine, launching a distinguished academic career that included leadership roles at UAB, the University of South Alabama, and Baptist Health in Birmingham. A nationally respected educator, researcher, and physician, he received numerous teaching awards, served as Dean and Vice-President for Health Affairs at the University of South Alabama, and held leadership positions in major medical organizations and advisory boards. Dr. Kreisberg passed away in 2016 at the age of 82. He was governor of the Alabama ACP chapter from 1979 to 1983.
Dr. Wick Many, a native of New Orleans, graduated from the University of Alabama School of Medicine in 1973 and completed training in internal medicine and infectious diseases at UAB and UT Southwestern. In 1980, he founded Montgomery's first infectious disease practice. He later served as assistant then program director of UAB's Montgomery Internal Medicine Program before helping establish the UAB School of Medicine Montgomery Regional Campus, where he became its inaugural dean in 2012 where he served until 2017. After retiring, Dr. Many continued caring for patients living with HIV at a nonprofit clinic in Montgomery. He was governor of the Alabama ACP chapter from 2011 to 2015.
Poetry and Medicine
“One Wolf Against Another”
In the stillness of a quiet room,
Where sunlight fights against the gloom,
I lie, a woman so fierce, yet worn,
My spirit was bruised but never torn.
My body, tired, bent, and scarred,
Carries burdens, heavy and hard.
Lupus, the wolf within my veins,
Howls through my joys and pains.
My joints ache like a storm's dark cry,
My fingers so stiff as I try to reach for the sky.
The rash blooms like a burning rose,
On cheeks that flare and eyes that close.
The sun, my enemy, cruel and bright,
Turns my skin to fire, drains my might.
The chills creep deep beneath my bones,
A fever's heat, a war unknown.
“This body's mine, though it may bend,
It will not break; it will not end.
Though nights are long and days grow cold,
I burn with strength, a fire bold.”
I am the wolf, both wild and free,
Fighting not just for what I see.
Each flare, a howl, each pain, a snarl,
Here still I stand, I will not fall.
Lupus, you may bite and sting,
But to my spirit, you clip no wing.
I rise, I stumble, rise once more—
This battle's mine, and loudly I roar.
Through sleepless nights and aching days,
I clutch the light in an endless haze.
My breath grows shallow, my heart skips a beat,
Yet still, I walk on unbowed, weary, heavy feet.
For every tear, a smile breaks free,
A testament to my tenacity.
I may be bruised, my skin may burn,
But I will fight, I will return.
I am more than flesh and bone,
My heart is a stone, and my spirit has grown.
I fight like the wolf against the beast,
Determined not to be its feast.
In the silence of the night,
I gather strength in the fading light.
And in the dawn, with hope anew,
I face every challenge, pushing through.
In my eyes, a dazzle so bright,
Defying the shadows, chasing the light.
Here as I battle, day by day,
Like the wolf, I'll find my way!
Shreyjit Kaur, MD
Resident Physician
Categorical Internal Medicine
Flowers Hospital, Dothan, AL
Call for Nominations: Wellness Champion
A key part of ACP's Physician Well-being and Professional Fulfillment initiative is its chapter-based Well-being Champion program.
The overall goal of the Well-being Champion program is to foster local communities of well-being by supporting chapter members, practices, and organizations in addressing burnout and the conditions that create it.
The Champions, who are trained ACP members passionate about ensuring the health and well-being of their colleagues, strive to reach this goal through a variety of approaches tailored to the needs of the chapter and its members.
We are grateful for the service of our outgoing Well-being Champion, Dr. Rachna Valvani, who has recently moved to Chattanooga where she will be the founding program director of the internal medicine residency at HCA Parkridge.
If you are interested in training to be our new wellness champion, please contact Christi Long, alamedroups@gmail.com.
Dr. Centor Receives National Award
Dr. Robert Centor, Professor Emeritus of Medicine and former Associate Dean at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Alfred Stengel Memorial Award for Outstanding Service to ACP. Centor, a former chair of the Board of Regents, was honored nationally for his loyalty and exceptional contributions to the aims and purposes of the College.
The award was established in 1947 in honor of the late Dr. Alfred Stengel, former Regent and President of the College for two terms.
Important Upcoming Dates
Alabama ACP Winter Meeting February 6, 2027 Mobile, AL
ACP National Internal Medicine Meeting April 15-17, 2027 Los Angeles, CA
ACP Leadership Day May 11-12, 2027 Washington, DC
Alabama ACP Scientific Session May 28-29, 2027 Birmingham, AL