A season of shifts
Our enterprise remains committed to excellence during this period of marked transformation.
Welcome to the summer 2021 edition of Academic Matters, the quarterly newsletter of the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville. As the weather has warmed and we approach a new fiscal year, it feels right to take a moment to discuss transformation — a theme that is resonating throughout our enterprise in significant ways.
We continue to battle COVID-19, which unfortunately has led to more than 3.7 million deaths worldwide, including more than 600,000 in the United States and more than 37,000 in Florida. In Duval County, more than 1,480 people have died from complications related to the virus.
However, encouraging news is that daily COVID-19-related hospitalizations at UF Health Jacksonville have been trending downward over the past several months, with consistent daily hospitalization numbers in the teens. Our goal, obviously, is for that number to reach zero.
Leon L. Haley Jr., M.D., MHSA, and other UF Health leaders encourage employees to wear a face covering while at work, maintain physical distance and wash their hands often.
Meanwhile, UF Health continues to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to its employees and educate the community at large. We have administered more than 40,000 doses since December and encourage you and your loved ones to get vaccinated, if you haven’t done so already.
I know it’s exciting to see restaurants and other establishments reopen. But keep in mind there is a ways to go before things are back to “normal.” As such, remember to wear a face covering while at work, maintain physical distance and wash your hands often. We will emerge on the other side of this pandemic much stronger than before.
ACADEMIC ACTIVITY
The UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville recently recognized more than 100 resident and fellow physicians who completed their respective training programs, and we are excited to welcome all of the new trainees to campus.
We take seriously our responsibility to educate and train the providers of tomorrow. As such, continual growth as teachers is key. A trio of educational leaders on campus — including Linda Edwards, M.D., senior associate dean for educational affairs — discusses the plethora of faculty development opportunities available in the Educational Affairs section of the newsletter.
On the research front, plenty of momentum exists following the launch of Center for Health Equity and Engagement Research and the opening of the UF Health Urban Health Alliance’s Social Services Hub and Food Pharmacy. Alexander Parker, Ph.D., senior associate dean for research, and Madeline Joseph, M.D., associate dean for inclusion and equity, outline the latest in health equity research in this issue’s Research Affairs section.
From left, Leon L. Haley Jr., M.D., MHSA; Ann-Marie Knight; and Ross Jones, M.D., cut the ceremonial ribbon to celebrate the opening of the UF Health Urban Health Alliance’s Social Services Hub. State Sen. Aaron Bean, second from left, looks on.
EXPANDING OUR FOOTPRINT
Transformation is also manifesting itself in the way the UF Health footprint is expanding throughout Northeast Florida and beyond. Pradeep Kadambi, M.D., M.B.A., senior associate dean for clinical affairs, recaps key strategic investments since 2015 while outlining ongoing and future infrastructure projects that will make our high-quality medical services more accessible to more people.
I encourage you to read these updates while checking out the other articles in this issue. All of these transformative activities play a vital role as we continually pursue our vision to be the region’s most valued health care asset.
