Compliance & Internal Audit Staff

Robert Royston, JD, CHC
Corporate Compliance Officer
robert.royston@childrensal.org
205-638-7134

Robert began his career at Children’s in 2011 in the Risk Management Department. In 2017, he began giving dedicated time to the Compliance function and became the Corporate Compliance Officer in June 2022. He attained his Certified in Healthcare Compliance designation in October 2022. Robert received his undergraduate degree from Auburn University and his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law. He has worked with several healthcare entities in Alabama, as well as one in West Virginia.

Salena Whalen-Stalker, MSHRM
Compliance Coordinator
salena.stalker@childrensal.org
205-638-2370

Salena began her career at Children's in January 2011. Formerly, she served as the Medical Personnel Coordinator in a long-term care facility and has worked as an adjunct instructor, facilitated undergraduate courses in HRM, and delivered training for public and private organizations. Salena earned her undergraduate in Business Administration from UAB, her Master's in Human Resource Management from Troy University, and has completed graduate courses in Health Services Administration at both universities.

LeQuisha Mitchell, MSHA, RHIA
Compliance Audit Supervisor 
lequisha.mitchell@childrensal.org
205-638-2225

LeQuisha began her career at Children’s in June 2024. She previously worked at Medical West as a Compliance Audit Coordinator and most recently at UAB Hospital as a Compliance Specialist. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and her graduate degree from the University of St. Francis, Joliet. She is also a Certified Registered Health Information Administrator.

Salima Ali, MSHI, RHIA
Compliance Auditor
salima.ali@childrensal.org
205-638-5642

Salima began her career at Children’s in June 2024. She received her Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management and a Master of Science in Health Informatics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Formerly, she worked as a Director of Health Information Management and a HIPAA Compliance Officer in the healthcare field. Salima also possesses an RHIA certification.

Patrick Whitworth, CPA, CIA
Manager Internal Audit 
patrick.whitworth@childrensal.org
205-638-2702

Patrick began his career at Children's in November 2022. Formerly, he worked within the internal audit functions of publicly traded healthcare entities in Alabama and Tennessee. Patrick received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting from the University of Alabama and is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor.

Emily Forsman-Blackwell
Internal Audit 
emily.blackwell2@childrensal.org
205-638-9761

Emily began her career at Children’s in July of 2023. Previously, she worked in public accounting firms performing accounting functions, preparing tax returns, and executing external audits for various entities and industries. Emily earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Accounting from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.