I was pleased to take part in the very first joint-campus town hall for the College of Medicine with UF College of Medicine interim Dean Jennifer Hunt, MD, and UF Health President and System CEO Stephen Motew, MD. This forum gave faculty and staff a unique opportunity to ask questions, hear clinical enterprise updates and gain insight into the approach of leadership moving forward as One UF and One UF Health. With a growing footprint across the state, it is our collective goal to be Florida’s premier health system by 2030. As part of an academic health system, medical education, research and scholarship play a significant role in the delivery and leading-edge care provided by our health care team. The work you do is necessary to keep our neighbors healthy, so I encourage you to stay engaged. There will be more forums like this one in the coming months.

We are just a short time away from welcoming the first cohort of medical students who will complete their third and fourth years of training at the Jacksonville Regional Medical Campus. Students have been selected and will pilot the program starting in May. This is a very exciting time for our faculty and staff. I would like to thank Frank Genuardi, MD, MPH, senior associate dean for educational affairs, the staff in the Office of Educational Affairs and our colleagues in Gainesville for their invaluable dedication to this effort.

The Center for Convening Transformative Care is making major inroads with stakeholders in the social and health care environment from across the state of Florida. They are also leveraging artificial intelligence to create healthier communities. In this issue, you will see some of the important work they are doing.

February was our time to Stand Up & Holler for Gator Nation Giving Day. Thank you for your generosity to the College of Medicine – Jacksonville. Your gifts directly support programs and initiatives on our campus. Each year, we haven’t just met our goal but we have surpassed it. Because of you, we continue making a positive impact that helps us in our efforts to move medicine forward.

As we equip and train the next generation of health care professionals, it is fitting that we also appreciate them for their contributions to the college and UF Health Jacksonville. On Feb. 27, the College of Medicine – Jacksonville observed Thank a Resident Day. We would like our trainees to know just how valued they are as we Teach, Learn and Care Together.

Finally, I would like to congratulate our faculty and staff who have received awards and recognitions during the last quarter. Visit the Awards and Acknowledgments section to read more about the many notable accomplishments of your fellow colleagues.

As always, it is my pleasure to serve as your dean working daily toward our mission to heal, to comfort, to educate and to discover.

Sincerely,

Linda R. Edwards, MD, FACP

Dean, UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville