The department of community health and family medicine is growing. Our newest practice in Amelia Island is off to a great start under the leadership of Holly Hamilton, M.D. We are excited to contribute to the success of the UF Health North hospital by having a range of primary care services available in the vicinity. In addition, we participate in many community activities in Northeast Florida, including a recent Fernandina Beach festival guided by Jeremy Coleman, M.D.

We will soon embark on an exciting new research opportunity at most of our practices. It involves helping black female patients achieve and maintain weight loss through interventions facilitated by community health workers and trained physicians. This research will be funded for three years by a $2.1 million award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

We are excited to make a difference in the lives of our patients and contribute to evidence-based research in the treatment of obesity. Click here for more information about the project.

George “Skip” Wilson III, MD, laughs with colleagues during a special drop-in reception to celebrate his 30 years of service on the UF Health Jacksonville campus.

In other news, we said goodbye to a longtime community health and family medicine colleague, George “Skip” Wilson, M.D. He retired at the end of June after 30 years of service to the University of Florida, most recently as senior associate dean for clinical affairs. We wish him the very best in retirement.

Looking forward, immediate goals include expanding telemedicine offerings through virtual visits. We have a psychologist and licensed clinical social worker within our network and hope to expand behavioral health services in the near future.