Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions Hall of Fame spotlight: Dr. Romsel Ang
Posted on April 23, 2026 by Daniel Curtis
As the Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions continues to recognize
individuals honored at its 2026 Honors Ceremony, the college is proud to celebrate
Dr. Romsel Ang, who was inducted into the CAHP Hall of Fame.
For Ang, the recognition is deeply personal.
“Being named to the Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions Hall of Fame is not only a dream come true, but a miracle from the heavens for myself, who was a 6-month-old Cambodian baby refugee who barely escaped the claws of the Communist Regime and Cambodian Civil War in 1975,” Ang said.
Her journey from refugee beginnings to physician, mentor and South Alabama alumna reflects a life shaped by resilience, gratitude and service. Ang said she wakes up each day hoping to continue fulfilling the meaning of the honor through her work as an internal medicine physician, through service and through helping others in need.
“I want to keep making a positive impact on society whether it is through my job as an internal medicine physician by educating my patients, students, colleagues, friends and family about healthcare, or providing financial support in other endeavors, or serving on a committee,” she said. “I will always do everything I can to help someone in need.”
Looking back, Ang said many mentors at South and in the South Alabama community helped shape her path.
She credited Dr. Stephen K. Itaya, then chair of Biomedical Sciences and professor of neurosciences, with helping revive the Biomedical Sciences Society in 1993 and creating a department culture that was warm, welcoming and student-centered. She also reflected on the support of the late Dr. Stephen Dill, Ruth Dill and the late Joseph L. Bedsole through the J.L. Bedsole Scholarship Program, which helped fund both college and medical school and opened doors that changed the course of her life.
Ang also highlighted Dr. Cindy Standfield, whom she first knew as Dr. Cindy Thurston, for her mentorship in the physiology lab during Summer Honors Research and for helping make research both rigorous and encouraging. She also expressed gratitude for the late Dr. Thomas Gerald Jackson of the Department of Chemistry, who served as a teacher, prehealth adviser and mentor to many students preparing for medical careers.
She added that USA ER physician Dr. Michael Sternberg also played an important role in her development by providing clinical instruction and shadowing opportunities that helped strengthen her preparation for a career in medicine.
Together, those relationships helped shape Ang’s South Alabama experience and laid the foundation for a life of service in medicine, education and community leadership.
Her Hall of Fame recognition reflects not only an outstanding professional path, but also the enduring connection she has maintained with the Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions and the University of South Alabama.