Vision Fest was a time to be inspired about the future. Specifically, the future of UF Health and the role we all play in making our community a healthier place. A component of that vision is enhancing the educational curriculum for the next generation of health care providers. As a teaching hospital, this includes the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville.

David Nelson, MD, senior vice president for health affairs at the University of Florida and president of UF Health, spoke on our common vision — to improve health.

“It’s time to reaffirm our existing values and to infuse additional emphasis on things like integrity, respect, teamwork and well-being,” Nelson said. “Our biggest measure of success is whether we leave the world, the state of Florida and our communities in a better place than when we found them.”

As outlined in the organization’s One UF Health Together Roadmap, we aim to improve health and transform lives by embracing 11 key values:

• Accountability
• Compassion
• Diversity
• Excellence
• Inclusion
• Innovation
• Integrity
• Respect
• Teamwork
• Trust
• Well-being

Kevin Green, MD, a third-year fellow in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine, shared his experience as part of the health care team in Jacksonville. Green emphasized the investment UF Health makes in education, discovery, innovation and patient care will move the vision forward and shape those who will provide care in the future.

“As the community we serve continues to grow, we will grow with it, producing tomorrow’s workforce,” Green said. “The investment into research that we make today will shape our practices in the future, ensuring our community has access to the highest standard of care available.”

Leigh Neumayer, MD, a professor and chair of the department of surgery at the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville, is confident our faculty, staff, residents and fellows are equipped and capable of carrying of out this vision of improving health.

“There are endless possibilities to leverage the talent across our enterprise not just here in Jacksonville but across the enterprise at UF Health,” Neumayer said. “We are uniquely and perfectly positioned to execute this plan.”