USA Health adds family medicine physician Kathleen White, D.O.

By Michelle Ryan-Day
[email protected]

Kathleen White, D.O., a board-certified family medicine physician with a passion for comprehensive, patient-centered care and medical education, recently joined USA Health as a family medicine physician.

“I was drawn to family medicine because of the unique opportunity to build long-term relationships with patients and care for individuals and families throughout their lives,” White said. “I enjoy the breadth of the specialty and the ability to address a wide variety of medical concerns.”

As an osteopathic physician, White received additional training in the musculoskeletal system as well as hands-on diagnostic and treatment techniques. Her clinical interests include preventative and lifestyle medicine, resident and medical student education, and osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT).

White earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine in Dothan in 2020 after earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Baylor University. She completed her family medicine residency at the Virginia Commonwealth University/Riverside Family Medicine Residency Program in Newport News, Virginia, where she served as chief resident during her final year. She received the program’s Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award in 2022 and participated in the American Academy of Family Physicians’ Chief Resident Leadership Development Program.

Following residency, White joined the Mary Washington Family Medicine Residency in Fredericksburg, Virginia, as a core faculty member. In that role, she supervised family medicine residents, transitional-year interns and medical students in both outpatient and inpatient settings while continuing to provide direct patient care. She also helped develop and implement educational curricula, participated in simulations and procedural skills workshops, mentored residents, and contributed to resident recruitment and program development.

Her experience in academic medicine was a key factor in choosing USA Health, where she will serve as an assistant professor of family medicine at the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine.

“I chose to practice in an academic health system because it combines my passions for patient care, teaching, and lifelong learning,” White said. “Academic medicine provides the opportunity to care for patients while also training the next generation of physicians.”

White is actively pursuing additional training through the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Residency Faculty Certificate Program, with an emphasis on teaching strategies, assessment, and program development. She also has been involved in graduate medical education committees and quality-improvement initiatives focused on improving patient care.

Her scholarly interests include practice and quality improvement, including work involving screening and management of unhealthy alcohol use among patients with multiple chronic conditions. She also has participated in quality-improvement projects addressing congestive heart failure management, inpatient glycemic control, and other areas of clinical care. Current projects include statin utilization in patients with diabetes, pneumococcal vaccination, and microalbuminuria screening.

White also brings an international perspective to her practice. During residency, she completed a monthlong international rotation at Kijabe Hospital in Kenya, where she worked as a rounding inpatient hospitalist, helped oversee junior residents, cared for complex patients in a resource-limited setting and participated in daily medical education.

“My goal is to create meaningful partnerships with patients, empowering them to take an active role in their health and well-being,” she said.

White will see patients at the USA Health Family Medicine Center, located at 2419 Gordon Smith Dr. in Mobile. To schedule an appointment with White, call 251-434-3475.