Each year, the fourth-year medical class organizes a career-related activity. This year’s activity provided mock residency interviews to help prepare graduating students for the real thing.

Students were matched with a faculty member in a specialty different from their own to prevent them from practicing with a potential, future interviewer.

“Mock residency interview participants are required to wear interview attire and turn in their CV and personal statement beforehand to make sure the faculty member who’s interviewing them has enough background information,” saidBeverly L. Vidaurreta, Ph.D., program director of the College of Medicine’s student counseling and development office.

The faculty interviewer has 30 minutes with the student– 20 minutes to ask questions and 10 minutes for feedback. At the end of the meeting, students are given a videotape of their interview.

“It’s very helpful to view themselves to see some of the things they might not have noticed,” explained Vidaurreta. “For example, how you are sitting. People normally don’t think about those things, but once you actually see it, you can fix it.”

Although the event is optional, 50 senior class students participated in the mock residency interview activity this year. The November session was the third session this fall.

“The students that came in September and October found this event very helpful,” said Vidaurreta, who was inspired to coordinate this event at the UF COM after learning about similar activities during an Association of American Medical Colleges meeting.

Dr. Nancy Hardt, senior associate dean for external affairs, interviews JR Taylor III, academic chair for the class of 2010, during the College of Medicine’s mock residency interview event Wednesday, Nov. 4, at the Harrell Center.

But while these common questions are important, they’re not necessarily concerns that justify rushing a baby to the emergency room. To help answer common questions parents have, a group of UF College of Medicine pediatric residents put together a small brochure, which was passed out at UF pediatrics clinics. Last year, then third-year pediatric resident Sara Slovin, M.D., took parent education a step further, teaming up with a community group for new moms to offer the class “Babies Don’t Come With Instructions.” Basically, Newborn 101.

“It was to improve parents’ knowledge base about normal newborn care and improve their comfort level,” said Slovin, who finished her residency in July and is now a fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

For pediatric residents, teaching parents is just one facet of an important role they are learning to play as pediatricians — patient advocate. While most doctors and specialists are advocates for their patients, the role of advocacy in pediatrics is even more pronounced, says Michele Lossius, M.D., a assistant professor of pediatrics at the UF COM. Why? Children are too young to vote for policies that affect them and cannot advocate for themselves.

“As pediatricians, we are constantly doing advocacy, it’s almost a role residents don’t feel like they’re doing,” Lossius said. “You’re affecting each child who comes in your office, but you’re also trying to create local awareness and health change.”

To better prepare residents to advocate for patients, UF COM pediatric residents in Gainesville spend one month during their second year in an advocacy rotation. During this time, the residents work on projects they are passionate about — for Slovin it was the newborn class — as well as visit legislators in Tallahassee and learn about local issues that affect their patients. Each year, at least two residents also get the opportunity to attend a legislative day in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Jacskonville pediatric residents are also extensively involved in advocacy work.

“Because kids don’t vote, politicians who decide where the money goes don’t always worry about them,” said Jay Roberson, M.D., a third-year resident who attended the AAP Legislative Conference in April with fellow resident Karen Bodnar, M.D. “They should. (Children) are the future of the country and world but they get thrown on the backburner by a lot of larger groups, even by some hospitals and health-care systems because they are not necessarily a profitable sector as far as inpatient medicine goes.”

In recent years, pediatric residents have worked with the Florida chapter of the AAP to advocate for more stringent safety belt laws, have helped organize UF’s first Sports Medicine Jamboree to educate young athletes and have stood outside in the rain to protest the possible veto of extending funding for the State’s Children’s Health Insurance Plan. And this is just a taste of their involvement.

Last year, Lossius, who oversees the advocacy rotation and is a graduate of UF’s pediatric residency, added a new component to the program to beef up the advocacy residents do during their time here. Instead of only working on a project during their monthlong rotation, residents now start a long-term project in their first year.

But it doesn’t always take a giant project for residents to make a difference. Writing letters to the editor and taking the time to call a congressman to voice an opinion on a health-care bill that affects children can effect change, too.

“It can be little tiny things, like fliers to parents or calling to give an opinion on legislation,” Roberson said. “It takes minutes and ultimately makes a huge difference.”

Although she’s no longer a UF resident, Slovin still thinks about ways to improve “Babies Don’t Come with Instructions.”

“A lot of residents may not realize the impact they can have on their community,” said Slovin, who plans to stay in community pediatrics and continue her advocacy work. “This advocacy rotation gives residents the opportunity to develop skills and tools to take with them when they practice so they can advocate for their own patients and teach parents how to advocate for their children.”

After summer renovations, the center’s 3,100-square-foot “Blue Room” reopened for student use Sept. 28. Located on the second floor of the Communicore Building, it now features new carpet, ceilings, furniture, doors and freshly painted blue on the walls to keep true to its name.

According to Marie Brown, a project manager and interior designer for UF’s Facilities, Planning and Construction Office, the changes were necessary to rid the room of its old, shabby vibe.

“Whenever someone didn’t know what to do with a chair, they just stuck it in there,” she said. “The furniture was very random and the lighting was bad, which made people start to complain.”

The changes were managed by a planning advisory committee that consisted of Brown, Dennis Hines from the Office of the Senior Vice President from Health Affairs and Laverne Burch from the HSC Library. Students were also on the committee, including then fourth-year medical student and current resident Omayra L. Marrero and Kathy Janion, a College of Dentistry student.

Old study carrels were replaced by new ones in addition to long, wooden tables. The committee picked out a color scheme, lighting, type of carpet and wood. They wanted the setting to ensure a quiet space, particularly for studying for board exams, instead of a lounge environment.

Lauren Rittenbaugh, a second-year pharmacy student, said she had only been in the Blue Room once or twice before the renovations because she did not like the tiny carrels and old, tile floors. She said she now enjoys the new, bright lighting and comes to the room often to get her work done.

The construction work was completed by the HSC Construction Auxiliary, headed by Danny Moore, and continues to be administrated through the HSC Library.

The Blue Room. Photo by Priscilla Santos

Second-year medical student Mohammad Qureshi spent his summer researching the effect of Parkinson's disease at the UF Movement Disorders Clinic. Photo by Priscilla Santos

Rather than traveling and relaxing during their last free summer in medical school, some College of Medicine students  embarked on research projects instead. Second-year medical student Mohammad Qureshi is one of them.

Qureshi became fascinated with neurology during the neuroanatomy course he took his first year. That fascination led him to pursue a service project in that field.

The summer began, and the 23-year-old found himself working 40 “rewarding hours a week” at the Movement Disorders Center under Kenneth M. Heilman, M.D., distinguished professor of neurology & health psychology in the department of neurology. In addition to working in the clinic, where the young medical student saw patients with Parkinson’s disease, Qureshi conducted research on the effect, if any, Parkinson’s disease has beyond the motor deficits. He was looking to see if the disease affects how patients conceptualize sequencing actions, and how they behave.

So far, he wouldn’t trade being at the beach for the experiences his gained this summer working on the research project, he says.

“I remember one patient that was not participating fully in the study,” explains Qureshi. “I decided to withdraw him from the study. Afterward, he apologized and told me he had recently found out about his disease and was too depressed to concentrate because of it. We sat and talked for 10 minutes, and though it didn’t help me in the study, it made all the difference for the person to have someone listen to his problems.”

That’s something medical school classes can’t teach you, he says.

“Although I’ve been working, this summer has been very refreshing,” Qureshi says. “Everyone has warned me about how scary the second year is, but I’m prepared to move forward.”

COM Interim Dean, Michael L. Good, M.D., presents Rep. Larry Cretul with a framed stethoscope and plaque that read, "Thanks for keeping your ear on the Heart of Florida".

Representative Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, visited the University of Florida on July 30 and heard from deans of Health Science Center colleges about the progress made in patient care and research as a result of state funding. The deans, including Michael L. Good, interim dean of the College of Medicine; Kathleen Long, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., dean of the College of Nursing, and College of Dentistry Dean Teresa Dolan, D.D.S., M.P.H.; thanked Cretul for his ongoing support.

“Your support touched all three of the College of Medicine’s missions; education, patient care and research,” Good said.

The 2009 Florida legislative session was an important one for UF and its medical school. College of Medicine funding from the state has decreased significantly in the last five years, and it falls well behind other Florida medical schools in terms of per-student funding – specifically the two new schools at the University of Central Florida and Florida International University and the recently built Florida State University’s medical school.

Cretul was instrumental in bringing this issue to light and in helping UF find advocates in the legislature to begin to close the funding gap between the UF College of Medicine and other state medical schools.

Last year, UF’s College of Medicine received $4.5 million in recurring funds from the legislature, and this year, another $5 million was added.

At the gathering Cretul spoke about how critical is it for all sides to be “at the table” when it comes to budget and policy discussions.

“You need to be at the table because if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” he said. “And in today’s budget climate you better bring a knife and fork with you.”

The University of Florida supported the new physician assistant profession and, eventually, helped set the pace for public medical schools around the nation.

On June 12, just days before the commencement ceremony for 59 physician assistant studies students, the profession saw another milestone set by the University of Florida’s College of Medicine; the Board of Trustees approved the elevation of the PA program to the School of Physician Assistant Studies.

“This further demonstrates the significant role of the Physician Assistant program at the College of Medicine. It also reflects a tremendous need and demand for physician assistants in the health-care systems of our state and the nation,” said College of Medicine Interim Dean, Michael Good, M.D., during the graduation ceremony on Saturday, June 20.

School of Physician Assistant Studies class of 2009. Photo by Footstone Photography

UF’s first PA program began in 1972 in collaboration with Santa Fe Community College. The 30 students enrolled were awarded with an associate degree after two years of study. The program would find a permanent home at UF just five years later and PA graduates were awarded a bachelor of science degree.

“UF has been a trailblazer in moving the profession to the forefront, answering the growing demand for PAs as health-care reform and spending became top national issues,” said Wayne D. Bottom, PA-C, M.P.H., associate dean and director of the School of Physician Assistant Studies, who has led UF’s PA Program for 27 years.

“I’m not a lightweight,” Bottom said, referring to his longtime commitment to PA studies, which originated in Alabama. During his time there, Bottom successfully lobbied for the creation of the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants, a national application system for PA students that is similar to the American Medical College Application Service for medical students.

Bottom saw UF’s program through instability as it moved from the College of Allied Health Professions (now College of Public Health and Health Professions) back to the College of Medicine in 1993, and he was thrilled a year later when the Florida Legislature earmarked funding to double enrollment to 60 students per class. The Program was upgraded to the master’s degree level in 1996.

When asked about the significance of the recent elevation to a school status, Bottom said, “While this is designated as a school it is the equivalent to a new department within the College of Medicine which means we have the same rights and privileges as every other department … we have a voice and a vote.”

Currently there are 145 PA programs nationwide. UF is the only public university in Florida to offer PA studies as a graduate program. The move to a school has not changed the Program itself, however.

The School of Physician Assistant Studies remains a 24-month-long master’s program that includes 12 months of coursework and 12 months of clinical rotations. Following completion, students must pass the national certifying exam to receive the PA-C designation and to become licensed to practice in all 50 states.

According to labor statistics, this elevated designation as a School parallels the demand for physician assistants. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report new job opportunities for physician assistants will grow by 50 percent in the next six years, making it the fastest growing occupation in the nation. Bottom says that before graduation, his students have five to seven job offers to choose from with starting salaries between $70,000 and $90,000.

Graduate, Emily Stielow and Wayne Bottom, PA-C, associate dean of the School of Physician Assistant Studies at the recent commencement ceremony for the program. Photo by Footstone Photography

This projected job growth reflects the expansion of health-care industries and an emphasis on reducing costs, which results in increasing use of PAs by many health-care providers. The College of Medicine program has turned out more than 1,400 PA graduates with two-thirds still practicing in Florida.

“As baby boomers begin to retire, there will be a massive increase in patient needs; particularly in Florida,” Bottom said. “If President Obama gets some form of health insurance for the 47 million currently uninsured in the U.S., this will result in another massive hit on the resources of the practice of medicine.”

Today PAs assist physicians in virtually all major specialties and they practice in hospitals and private practices in urban and rural areas across the nation. Most PAs work in family and emergency medicine while others are drawn to internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics and surgery. PAs have become more prevalent in UF’s own network of health professionals, the UF Faculty Group Practice.

“We have had multiple PAs in gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition for many years,” said Christopher E. Forsmark, M.D., professor of medicine.

“The ability of our PAs to work collaboratively with the M.D. faculty allows us the ability to provide state-of-the-art care for our patients with complex gastrointestinal and liver diseases,” Forsmark said. “PAs are essential to the smooth functioning of our clinical enterprise and to our delivery of high-quality care.”

When asked about the future of PA studies, there is always room for progress, said Bottom. He sees the need for increased class size but knows there are some fundamental changes that must happen first.

“In order to keep contributing in terms of the number of PA graduates at this capacity, we need more space,” he said referring to the cramped classrooms and labs currently shared with medical students.

Bottom also feels an expansion of the program would be more likely if the out-of-state tuition was less intimidating. Recently, Florida Legislature voted not to allow out-of-state students to convert to in-state status after a year of study. Currently, out-of-state tuition for the program is $42,000 while in-state is $14,000.

“We need students from many backgrounds and clinical experience,” Bottom said. “The ability to have a diverse group of students will keep UF at the forefront of the PA profession.”

At the conclusion of Watson’s lecture, the first recipient of the Hugh A. Walters, M.D., Humanitarian Award will be announced. The award recognizes a surgical resident who embodies Dr. Walter’s qualities of compassionate care and selfless dedication to excellence.

The department of surgery established the Hugh A. Walters, M.D., Humanitarian Fund after the unexpected loss of this promising young surgeon. The fund supports humanitarian efforts and awareness in surgical education. For more information about this program or how to help support the fund, contact Tami Pomponi at 352-265-0646.

Ilicia’s mother, Gwynne Shugarman, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2002.

During her four years of medical school, Ilicia would leave on many occasions to go home to Clearwater, Fla. to be with her mother.

“I was a total mess between the bone marrow tests, the waiting and the diagnosis,” Gwynne Shugarman said. “Ilicia always came. She makes me feel safe. It’s knowing that I have her and also have the safety of her medical knowledge.”

Ilicia said the beginning was difficult. Aside from trying to understand the disease and the treatments, there were a slew of doctor visits, blood tests and bone marrow biopsies, not to mention stacks of results where the numbers resembled more of a roller coaster than anything else.

“I went with her to the hospital and experienced first-hand the waiting game,” Ilicia said. “It taught me how I will be with my patients.”
Gwynne recalls Ilicia always just simply being there for her.

“When I was first diagnosed, Ilicia, my mother and I went to the first meeting of getting answers. Ilicia organized questions to ask. She just let me be scared,” Gwynne said. “Everytime— one week recalls for a year, blood work, lab work, bone marrows, three month recalls —Ilicia’s always waiting for my numbers. When there are questions, she’s spoken to the people she knows. She does so much. She’s my doctor, she’s my daughter. She really takes care of me. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

Ilicia said her mother has been lucky in that her mother’s leukemia is chronic myelogenous leukemia, which is a more easily treatable kind of leukemia. The cancer has been kept in remission for seven years by a drug called Gleevac. She said as long as her mother’s body doesn’t become resistant to the medicine, she will stay on the treatment — and in remission — for the rest of her life.

Ilicia made a mini-documentary of her mother’s trials with leukemia for the Narrative Medicine and Humanities class, taught by Nina Stoyan-Rosenzweig.

“I thought it was important for med students to see what bothers patients the most, so they can see the important aspects of being a caring, compassionate physician,” she said. “I got a lot of essays back on how the video helped them. It’s been shown to three or four classes now.”

Though her mother was never treated poorly, Ilicia said her mother’s doctor often would keep her mother on a need-to-know basis when her mother wanted much more honesty.

“We mentioned in the video for upcoming doctors to be open and receptive to patients and how much, or how little, information they want to know,” Ilicia said.

Her mother’s fight against leukemia is just one of the reason’s Ilicia has decided to specialize in oncology, she said.

“My mother was a huge driving force, being involved in her journey and her care surely opened my eyes but so did the month I spent during my rotation on the oncology floor,” Ilicia said. “I’m fascinated with cancer and the patients, their stories and their families.”
Gwynne said, at first, she wasn’t sure if oncology would be too hard emotionally on her daughter.

“We had many conversations about oncology. We discussed her quality of life doing oncology. The conclusion we came to was that she genuinely has a gift,” Gwynne said. “I think it’s wonderful she wants to go into oncology. I don’t think it’s just because of me. She has a gift of making people comfortable with her. People open up to her.”

Tammy Euliano, M.D., a UF associate professor of anesthesiology and obstetrics and gynecology, has known Ilicia since her time as an undergraduate. She also encouraged Ilicia to pursue medical school. Ilicia later worked as her lab assistant in the 2004-2005 term.
“Ilicia recognized the privilege it is to help others in an altruistic way,” Euliano said. “I think she will be very popular with patients because she will take the time to talk with them. She will be respected in her field.”

In addition to medical school and helping her mother, Ilicia found time to volunteer with the local Best Buddies program, an organization that pairs volunteers with individuals with intellectual disabilities. They go on outings for bowling, to the Special Olympics, the movies and the park.

Ilicia has been paired with a man, now 38, for close to 11 years now. He has Prader-Willi syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes obesity due to the extreme urge to consume food as well as other symptoms. When she met him, he lived in a group home and weighed over 200 pounds.

Now, he shares an apartment with a roommate and a supervisor and weighs 140 pounds.

“I’ve seen him mature, I’ve seen him gain more control,” she said. “He was also the first person I called when I got into med school. He’s gotten so attached.”

Her mother said Ilicia does her volunteering “from her heart.”

Ilicia has also earned a few awards during her medical school career. These include the Lawrence M. Goodman Trust Recipient for research on tuberculosis in Ecuador; election into the Chapman Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society; and the Mark W.

Herrbold Memorial Award, given to someone who exemplifies extraordinary determination and perseverance in pursuit of a medical education.

After graduation May 16, Ilicia was married on May 23 to Scott Schlossman, 28. She will be starting her residency at Shands at UF upon her return from her honeymoon in Hawaii and will continue research on delayed cancer diagnosis with Thomas George, M.D., an assistant professor of hematology and oncology.

Currently, Ilicia said they have been compiling data on cultural, gender and socio-economic aspects and how they may contribute to a patient waiting so long to seek treatment.

“Dr. George has been such a valuable mentor to me,” she said.

“She’s going to be able to help a lot of people and do a lot of good,” Schlossman said. “It’s given me a sense of appreciation of how much work she’s put in and seeing the reward, getting the rotation in with patients, translating her knowledge from books to the floor. She’s doing what she loves.”

The iconic images that celebrate transitions in medical education went from hoods to coats this past weekend at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

On the same stage that served as a platform for COM graduation just one day before, class of 2011 medical students took part in UF’s 12-year-old tradition and donned their white coats on Sunday, May 17 in a ceremony sponsored by the Office of Medical Alumni Affairs and the Mark S. Gold, M.D., White Coat Ceremony Endowment.

“Today’s white coat ceremony is a more profound and more personal ritual for each of you,” said interim dean Dr. Michael Good, as he officially welcomed the sea of 875 smiles belonging to students, friends and family and compared the event to graduation.

“The white coat ceremony is, for you, about becoming a physician,” Good said.

Well wishes for success by Dr. David Libert, president of the UF Medical Alumni Association, were followed by a unique presentation by one of the students’ most revered faculty members, Dr. Patrick Duff, associate dean for student affairs and professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

Dr. Patrick Duff addresses students and their families at the recent white coat ceremony. Photo by Priscilla Santos

Wearing a casual button-down shirt, baseball cap and book bag, Duff illustrated how the students’ “tools” officially change from these garments and a laptop to a physician’s crisp white coat, stethoscope and tiny reference books.

“You now have conquered the Mount Everest of medical school – the basic science years,” said Duff.

“Today,” he continued, “marks a major transition from classroom student to clinical practitioner, from book-learner to thoughtful observer of people, from passive reader to active doer.”

And, so, with 35 years of experience in medicine under his belt, Duff graciously offered his six rules of the road to the soon-to-be third-year medical students who will catch a glimpse of the hectic and demanding schedule of a physician.

“Be passionate about your work, be persistent in enhancing your knowledge, be patient and professional, avoid arrogance and strive for balance.”

The students beamed as they walked across the stage to meet Duff and Dr. Maureen Novak, associate dean for medical education, who coated them with the symbol that identifies them with the profession.

“This day of transition,” said Dr. Kendall Campbell, assistant dean for minority affairs, “is a symbol of confidence for you and hope for your patients.”