Ashley Williams Hogue, M.D., named to ‘Women Who Shape the State’ list
The trauma, acute care, and burn surgeon at USA Health and assistant professor of surgery at the Whiddon College of Medicine was recognized for her tireless dedication to her patients, her community, and public health advocacy.
By Carol McPhail
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Each year, Alabama celebrates the extraordinary women who are making a lasting impact across the state. One USA Health provider, leader and advocate earned a well-deserved place among the 2025 honorees of This is Alabama’s “Women Who Shape the State” class.
Ashley Williams Hogue, M.D., a trauma, acute care, and burn surgeon at USA Health University Hospital and assistant professor of surgery at the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama, was recognized for her tireless dedication to her patients, her community, and public health advocacy.
She believes in the power of representation, especially for young women. “It motivates me to be the best I can be in this leadership position because I know it impacts young women following in my footsteps,” she said. “You can’t be what you can’t see, and I continually strive to be an example of what young women can be.”
Since 2023, Williams Hogue has served as director of the Center for Healthy Communities, a role in which she is tasked with addressing the root causes of health inequalities in the Mobile community where healthcare access can be a significant barrier for many.
Among her many impactful initiatives is Project Inspire, a hospital-based injury prevention program co-founded by Williams Hogue and her husband, Antwan Hogue, M.D., which seeks to reduce youth violence in the Mobile area. Project Inspire, through its hands-on approach to preventing gun violence and providing support for at-risk youth, has shown promising results in changing lives and offering new paths to success.
A skilled surgeon, Williams Hogue has received multiple professional and personal honors. She was selected as a Future Trauma Leader – one of the highest honors for a junior trauma surgeon – by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. Her presentation, “Project Inspire Pilot Study: A Hospital-Led, Comprehensive Intervention Reduces Gun Violence Among Juveniles Delinquent of Gun Crimes,” won the 2023 Cox-Templeton Injury Prevention Paper Competition hosted by the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma. She was also named to Mobile Bay Magazine’s 2024 40 Under 40 class.
The 2025 "Women Who Shape the State" honorees were celebrated at a luncheon on Thursday, March 6, in Birmingham.