Nearly 800 family, friends and faculty members joined entering third-year students for the annual White Coat Ceremony, held Sunday, May 19, at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

“You have completed the first major mountain climb, which is the rigorous basic science curriculum,” said Patrick Duff, M.D., associate dean for student affairs and professor of obstetrics and gynecology. “Now you transition from the classroom to the patient’s bedside.”

After a musical tribute to families and friends, the 138 medical students were called on stage one by one to receive their white coats embroidered with their names. They will wear their new coats when they start their clerkships in July, where they will encounter opportunities that will help them develop a compassionate heart, intent ears and observant eyes – necessary traits of a talented clinician and revered physician, Duff told the class.

Lauren Simmons and her mother, Debra Simmons share a hug following the White Coat Ceremony, May 19.

“No patient cares about how much you know until they know how much you care,” Duff said.  “I urge you to act every day in a manner that earns the respect of your colleagues and patients.”

Michael Tudeen, class academic chair, spoke on behalf of his classmates and reflected on their last two years.

“Today, we don our white coats, a moment many of us have been waiting years for.” Tudeen said.

Due to curriculum changes implemented this fall, the class of 2015 is the last to study under the previous medical education plan. Beginning with the class of 2016, UF medical students now receive their white coats at the end of their first semester.

“Consider that for each class we had, it was the last time it would be taught in that particular format,” Tudeen reminded his classmates. “Although no one is perfect, we did our best to go out with a bang.”

Tudeen remarked on the bonds that were formed during their four semesters of basic science classwork.

“Many things have changed with the transition to clinical rotations, but the relationships we’ve grown and fostered over the past two years will continue to help us thrive,” he said. “The work we’ve accomplished will provide us with the ability to treat and serve our patients during a time of their greatest need.

“This is a privilege and an honor we do not take lightly. We look forward to our years of service and we accept these white coats as symbols of our commitment to our future patients.”

The ceremony ended with students and physicians reciting the class code of ethics, which they wrote during their first week of medical school. The celebration spilled outside to the Performing Arts Center plaza with plenty of photos and hugs.

“I feel like I have really accomplished something, and now I’m ready for the next step,” said Lauren Simmons, whose mother traveled to Gainesville from South Florida for the event.

“It was such a heartfelt, warm ceremony honoring such a great accomplishment. I am so proud of Lauren and we feel so blessed,” Debra Simmons said of her daughter.

“Today your dreams of becoming a doctor become a reality,” said David S. Guzick, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president for health affairs and president of the UF&Shands Health System.

About 1,700 family members and friends, along with faculty members, attended the May 11 ceremony at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

“It’s a very exciting time to finally have all my family and friends here after four long and hard years,” said new graduate Ron Leong, M.D., whose parents and sister flew in from Macau, which is located near Hong Kong, for his graduation.

The class of 2013 includes 14 graduates qualifying for honors for academic excellence and 16 graduates qualifying for honors in research this year. Graduate Stephanie Yarnell received her M.D./Ph.D., while Lauren Lee was commissioned as a medical corps officer and pinned with her new U.S. Air Force Captain rank insignia.

“Today is an amazing milestone in your professional life, a day you will never forget,” Michael L. Good, M.D., dean of the College of Medicine, told graduates.

Joshua Cohen, M.D., who gave the student address, talked about the satisfaction he and his fellow classmates will have as they sign the Hippocratic Oath and write the initials M.D. after their names for the very first time.

“Today, in a way, is the first time in our lives we’ll have chosen names,” he said. “It’s finally ours to own.”

Jennifer Goetz, M.D., received the John Gorrie Award for showing the best promise for becoming a physician of the highest quality and became the first recipient of the Student Excellence in Medical Education Award. Demetri Arnaoutakis, M.D., received the C. Craig Tisher Faculty Award for Excellence in Research.

Commencement speaker Steven DeKosky, M.D., a 1974 College of Medicine graduate and vice president and dean of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, urged graduates to find a work-life balance, advocate for the good of others and remember “it’s all about the patient.”

UF has a tradition of first-rate faculty and the new graduates will be well trained to take on the challenges they will encounter as new physicians, he said. DeKosky said the best moment of the morning for him was seeing the graduating students cheer as some of their teachers filed into the auditorium.

“I owe them and the university for much of my success,” said DeKosky, referring to some of his early mentors at UF.
During the event, longtime UF College of Medicine faculty members William Enneking, M.D., and Gerold Schiebler, M.D., were recognized as UF Distinguished Achievement Awardees. Enneking is a world-renowned orthopaedics physician, while Schiebler is a pediatrician dedicated to the health care of disadvantaged children.

The new graduates will start residencies around the country this summer in a variety of specialties. Robert Hollander, M.D., adjunct assistant professor in the department of medicine and 2013 Hippocratic Award recipient, told the graduates to always continue to learn and strive to become mentors themselves as they advance in their careers.

During the graduation ceremony, two students were hooded by family members, who are UF COM faculty. Daniel Cuevas was accompanied by his father Danilo C. Cuevas, M.D., and his mother Lily L. Cuevas, who are both assistant professors in the division of neonatology at the UF College of Medicine-Jacksonville. Richard Schatz was joined by his father Desmond Schatz, M.D., medical director of the UF Diabetes Center of Excellence and associate chair of pediatrics at the UF College of Medicine.

Diana Mora-Montero, whose family immigrated to Florida from Colombia 10 years ago, celebrated her graduation with her fiance Will McFarland
and sister Clara Mora, who both also became new physicians.

“My sister graduated from the University of South Florida’s medical school yesterday,” she said. “My fiance, Will, is in our class.”

Erin Wilmer, who was joined by family from Hawaii, likely summed up the feelings of most of her classmates as they head to the next stage of their lives.

“It really feels amazing to be moving on to the next step and also sad to leave the wonderful family and supportive environment of the place I’ve called home for the past four years,” she said.

But the UF College of Medicine class of 2013 graduate, who grew up in Toronto, Canada, is looking forward to taking her passion for discovery to the next level as a physician.

“Cancer is an extremely complex disease, and we still know so little about it,” Vertes said. “We have therapies, but no cure.”

Vertes will be starting a pathology residency at UF Gainesville in July, where she hopes to eventually focus on studying blood cancers and how cancer metastasizes.

After commencement, UF College of Medicine class of 2013 graduate, Eva Vertes, will continue to pursue an already promising career in cancer research. Photo by Jesse S. Jones

“Cancer metastasis is an especially fascinating area of cancer research to me, because much remains to be understood about this process and it may hold the key to potentially curative therapies,” she said.

Vertes’ drive to explore the unknown evolved at a young age. She got turned on to science at age 9, after reading the book “The Hot Zone” which is about an Ebola virus outbreak.

She was born and raised in Toronto, but her maternal grandparents, who were both Holocaust survivors, fled communist Hungary in 1956 and immigrated to Canada. Vertes is named after her grandmother Eva, who was a scientist in a biochemistry lab at the University of Toronto and died of cancer at the age 44.

When Vertes was 14, she became involved in neuroscience research at McMaster University in

Hamilton, Ontario, and spent her last year of high school working in Italy on Alzheimer’s disease research.

She was profiled on the PBS web video series and site, “The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers,” when she was 23 years old for her cancer research. When Vertes was 19, she gave a talk on studying medicine and her cancer research for TED, which is a global organization that specializes in both conferences and online inspirational talks.

While studying molecular biology as an undergraduate at Princeton University, Vertes worked in a cancer stem cell lab at Stanford University for a summer. Despite her interest in neuroscience, cancer research captured her attention.

“That’s when I was hooked,” she said. “It was fascinating.”

Eva Vertes is named after her grandmother who was a scientist in a biochemistry lab at the University of Toronto. Photo provided by Eva Vertes.

After graduation, she spent two years working in cancer research at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. But she realized she needed her medical degree to do research with clinical applications. One of her colleagues was a UF alumnus and encouraged her to apply to the UF College of Medicine.

“So I applied. And, when I came to interview here, I just loved it,” Vertes said. “I felt it was a very supportive environment and I know that is what I thrive in.”

Over the past four years, she has flourished both professionally and personally at UF. While in medical school, she also met Gainesville attorney Evan George, whom she married in June 2012.

The couple is expecting their first child, a daughter whom they plan to name Evelyn after George’s grandmother, in August.

Vertes said she is looking forward to tackling both residency and motherhood in a few months and glad she will be at UF.

“They have a great pathology program here. It is an excellent place to train, and they also understand, and encourage, having a healthy work-life balance,” she said.
“I’m nervous in the sense that it’s going to be a handful, but I think it’s a challenge I can meet.”

The UF College of Medicine class of 2013 honored Robert Hollander, M.D., an adjunct assistant professor in the department of medicine, with this year’s Hippocratic Award. Photo by Jesse S. Jones

When Robert Hollander, M.D., an adjunct assistant professor in the department of medicine, was announced as the winner of the coveted Hippocratic award, his first reaction was disbelief.

“This was unexpected,” Hollander said standing behind the lectern adjacent to the young Hippocratic tree on May 7 at Wilmot Gardens. “The reason why I look forward to Monday mornings is because I look forward to seeing the medical students who are ready to be challenged and to make that interaction.”

Originally established by the 1969 graduating class, the award is presented each year to “a faculty member who is not only an outstanding teacher but who is also a mentor, a role model and, in essence, a person our students feel like they could emulate in their career,” said Michael L. Good, M.D., dean of the UF College of Medicine.

The word “Hippocratic” refers to the Greek father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, who was well remembered for his teaching and contributions to medicine. The recipients’ names are recognized on a plaque that sits below the transplanted cutting of a sycamore tree given to UF from the Greek government in 1969. This tree, known as the Hippocratic tree, was a cutting from a tree on the island of Kos under which Hippocrates supposedly once taught.

Hollander may not have expected the honor, but the students who selected him knew they made the right choice.

Josh Cohen, this year’s class president, spoke of Hollander’s willingness to relate to patients, a quality that every physician should strive to perfect.

“Dr. Hollander is a special individual. He is truly a one-of-a-kind physician,” Cohen said. “When he walks into a room he doesn’t leave until all of the patients’ questions are answered and he’s had a chance to brighten their day with a factoid or tidbit from the daily news.”

(from left) Joseph Fantone, M.D., senior associate dean for educational affairs, medical student Josh Cohen, class of 2013 president, Robert Hollander, M.D., an adjunct assistant professor in the department of medicine and the 2013 Hippocratic Award winner, and Michael L. Good, M.D., dean of the UF College of Medicine at the 2013 Hippocratic Award Ceremony at Wilmot Gardens. Photo by Jesse S. Jones

Shazia Mohammad, a senior in the College of Medicine, agreed.

“Whenever he wants to establish a personal connection he always does a phenomenal job with the patients,” Mohammad said. “He may just simply ask them why they got a tattoo or where they served in the army.”
Cohen also said that same personable attitude is reflected in Hollander’s teaching style.

“My fellow classmates who have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Hollander all agree that any period of time working with him was defining,” Cohen said. “He conveys knowledge with humility and focus. He teaches in a way that sticks, and he really wants all of us to be the best we can be, not just in the hospital but at home as well.”

But, after the praise given from his students, Hollander was quick to give the credit back to the future professionals in the graduating class.

“Clinical teaching, as many of you aspire to do, is really meaningless as a solitary experience and it can only exist within the framework of the word ‘team,’” Hollander said. “It’s not the action of clinical teaching that has any meaning, it’s the interaction. That is what clinical teaching is all about, and for that, I thank you all.”

The praised professor left with closing words to the students wanting to follow in his footsteps.

“All the hard work and intellectual curiosity that brought you to this point and got you through medical school, don’t leave it behind, “ Hollander said. “Don’t stop doing what you did to get to this point. It’s easy to do. When the forces of residency aspire to keep the humanity out of you, don’t let it happen.”

UF&Shands leaders will honor faculty and staff by serving special meals and treats at the following locations:

Shands Vista and Shands Rehab Hospital Cafeteria
Monday, May 13
7 – 9 a.m. – Coffee bar

Tuesday, May 14
11 a.m. – 2 p.m. – $5.50 BBQ-themed lunch
Cookies will be delivered to your location
Midnight pizza party for night-shift employees

Wednesday, May 15
11 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Hamburgers, hot dogs and entertainment on the Patio

Thursday, May 16
Midnight ice cream for night shift employees
Friday, May 17
2 – 4 p.m. – Ice cream social, provided by our volunteers

Shands at UF (north campus) cafeteria:
Tuesday, May 14
11 a.m. – 2 p.m. – $5.50 BBQ-themed lunch
2 – 4 p.m. – Ice cream social

Wednesday, May 15
1 – 3 a.m. – Overnight cookie deliveries for staff
6 – 7:30 a.m. – Free breakfast for all staff in the Faculty Dining Room (Room 1242)

Shands Cancer Hospital (south campus):
Tuesday, May 14
2 – 4 p.m. – Ice cream social outside the Terrace Market Café
Wednesday, May 15
3 – 4 a.m. – Overnight cookie deliveries for staff
6 – 7:30 a.m. – Free breakfast for all staff outside the Terrace Market Café

1329 Building Cafeteria:
Tuesday, May 14
11 a.m. – 2 p.m. – $5.50 BBQ-themed lunch
2 – 4 p.m. – Ice cream social

Shands Medical Plaza Food Court:
Tuesday, May 14
2 – 4 p.m. – Ice cream social
Off-site patient-care and support locations:
Tuesday, May 14 or Wednesday, May 15 – Cookies will be delivered to your location

UF Physicians outpatient practices:
Friday, May 17 – Leaders will deliver cookies to employees and staff

The society, which recognizes those who demonstrate compassion and humanism in medicine, inducted 23 fourth-year medical students, six residents and two faculty members during the ceremony in the Broad-Bussel Atrium of the Biomedical Sciences Building.

One of the two faculty members inducted was Paulus, who passed away unexpectedly Dec. 12 as he slept. He was a professor in the department of anesthesiology and in the College of Engineering’s department of mechanical engineering. A scholar, innovator and leader, Paulus is remembered as someone who had a passion for making sure that patients had exceptional, safe experiences, and who had an unshakeable commitment to his colleagues.

This year’s Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine award, recognizing outstanding examples of clinical excellence and humanism, went to faculty member Beverly Vidaurreta, Ph.D, who is an assistant professor and program director of the College of Medicine’s Student Counseling and Development office, and fourth-year medical student Vikram Narayan.

Approximately 15 percent of the fourth-year class is inducted into the society each year. Student inductees are chosen by a selection committee and based on peer evaluation. Faculty and resident members are nominated by students.

Congratulations to the 2012-2013 inductees:

Faculty

The late David A. Paulus, M.D.
Beverly Vidaurreta, Ph.D

Residents

Brandon Allen, M.D.
Devon Cole, M.D.
Jonathan Holloway, M.D.
Mark Laudenschlager, M.D.
Maren Locke, M.D.
Makesha Miggins, M.D.

Medical Students

Melanie Adamsky
Brett Chandler Bentley
Ashley Black
Elizabeth Byrne
Lauren Cooper
Natasha Deming
Iain Sean Elliott
Brian Fitzgerald Jr.
Melissa Kalbhenn Fitzgerald
Jennifer Goetz
Jonathan Green
Jessica Greer
Sarah Scarlet Kim
Joshua Kramer
Lauren Lee
Aimee Morris
Amanda Musto
Vikram Narayan
Mailan Nguyen
Yeon-Jung Park
Chloe Russo
Meera Srikanthan
Erin Wilmer

Like them, the fourth-year University of Florida College of Medicine student was a standout soccer player recruited to Columbia University as an undergraduate.

And, as of May 11, like his brothers, Arnaoutakis will be able to add M.D. after his name.

He will become the third son in his family to become a physician and the second to graduate from the UF College of Medicine. His oldest brother, George, is a 2007 UF College of Medicine graduate.

“I’ve always had big shoes to fill, but at the same time had one foot in the door because of them,” said Arnaoutakis, whose brothers George and Dean are both surgery residents at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Demetri Arnaoutakis, UF College of Medicine class of 2013. Photo by Maria Belen Farias

However, Arnaoutakis has spent the past four years paving his own distinct career path.

He is the only member of the class of 2013 who matched to otolaryngology and is starting a five-year residency in July at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.

As a junior, he also was awarded a highly competitive Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship, which allowed him to dedicate a year to clinical research in head and neck cancer at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

“It was a great privilege and blessing to be selected for such a distinguished award,” he said. “Research is a way of giving back and understanding more about the underlying disease process.”

Arnaoutakis, whose parents are both of Greek heritage, grew up in the Tampa Bay area. He credits his family and mentors with helping him achieve his dream of becoming a surgeon.

His stepfather, Ron Hytoff, who is the former president and chief executive officer of Tampa General Hospital, helped foster his interest in medicine. But Arnaoutakis first became interested in otolaryngology as a senior in high school, when he was able to shadow a local pediatric otolaryngologist. His fascination with the ear, nose and throat specialty stuck.

“It’s such a small field, but there are so many niches within otolaryngology that it offers a great variety with regards to clinical diagnosis, treatment and research ” he said.

At the UF College of Medicine, he quickly found a mentor in William O. Collins, M.D., chief of pediatric otolaryngology and an assistant professor in both the departments of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and pediatrics. He spent the summer after his first year of medical school working with Collins on a research project that was published in a national medical journal.

“I was first author on that article – just me and him,” Arnaoutakis said. “One of the great things about coming here to UF was finding such a fostering mentor in Dr. Collins.”

Collins was also the one who encouraged him to apply for the Doris Duke fellowship at Johns Hopkins.

At Johns Hopkins, Arnaoutakis worked with Joseph Califano, M.D., a professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and renowned researcher specializing in head and neck cancer. Part of Arnaoutakis’ experience included working with Califano on a clinical trial.

“It was a great honor to learn from Dr. Califano who is a highly respected physician-scientist,” he said.

Arnaoutakis’ research fellowship delayed his graduation by a year, but he still keeps in touch with his friends from the class of 2012. He also enjoyed spending a year living with his two brothers in Baltimore.

“George, Dean and I are extremely close and obviously share many similar life experiences,” he said. “We probably talk on the phone every day.”

As graduation draws near, he is excited to further his medical expertise in Texas, but will also miss his home state.

“A part of me is sad to be leaving Florida,” Arnaoutakis said. “At the same time, I’m excited for a new challenge and opportunity that awaits in Dallas.”

The webcast will be available at the start of the event. If you are experiencing trouble viewing the live video feed, please click here.

In just a few days, students from the UF College of Medicine’s class of 2013 will embark on the next chapter of their lives.

Some of the students’ friends and family, plus faculty, staff and alumni are unable to share in the excitement of the day. That is why, The Gator Nation and the College of Medicine’s class of 2013 will be live on graduation day. Those interested can take part in the College of Medicine tradition without leaving their computers during the UF College of Medicine Commencement Ceremony, Saturday, May 11.

Stay on top of live updates and join in the discussion on Twitter using #UFMedGrad and #UFGrad.

Photos from the ceremony will be available in the following week on the UF COM Alumni Facebook page.

*What you will need to watch the ceremony

Windows users: Windows Media Player 9.0 or later (FREE download available at Microsoft.com)
MAC users: Flip4Mac (FREE download available at Microsoft.com)

Cullen W. Banks, M.D.

A valued friend to the UF College of Medicine and one of Alachua County’s most respected and beloved physicians Cullen W. Banks, M.D., has passed. He died Tuesday at his home in Gainesville following a lengthy illness. He was 88.
Over the course of his remarkable career that spanned 47 years, Banks, an esteemed obstetrician/gynecologist, delivered an estimated 4,000 babies. He may best be known for being the first African-American to have full practicing privileges in Alachua County – first at Alachua General in 1949, and later at North Florida Regional Medical Center, where he was a founding trustee.

Banks’ dedication to his patients and his tireless work in the community made him a legend around the state. In 1996, the Florida Medical Association awarded him the Certificate of Merit, and The Gainesville Sun named him the area’s Person of the Year in 1998. Banks was also honored by the Gainesville Rotary Club with its Service Above Self award.

Banks, who earned his medical degree from Howard University in 1948, leaves a significant impact on the College of Medicine. For many years he served on the Admissions Committee, influencing the quality and character of several UF medical school classes. An endowed scholarship in Banks’ name ensures that his influence will last in perpetuity. The Cullen Banks, M.D., Scholarship is awarded to students with a commitment to leadership and community service and who have an understanding of racial and ethnic issues in society, particularly the doctor-patient relationship.

Banks is survived by his wife of 54 years, LaKay Banks, and his three children, Barry; Garry, a 1990 graduate of the College of Medicine; and Colleen; and three grandchildren.

The funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Greater Bethel AME Church. In lieu of flowers, the Banks family has asked that donations be made to the Cullen Banks, MD Scholarship at the University of Florida Foundation.

University of Florida Dance Marathon participants held up signs revealing the total amount raised for Children’s Miracle Network.

Students in Dance Marathon at the University of Florida 2013 raised a record-breaking total of $1,169,722 for Children’s Miracle Network at Shands Hospital for Children at the University of Florida.

This is the first time ever that the event, held Saturday and Sunday (April 13-14) at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on the UF campus in Gainesville, broke the million-dollar mark. Last year, Dance Marathon at UF raised just under $887,000.

“Congratulations to Dance Marathon on a terrific achievement,” UF President Bernie Machen said. “The good these students do for the Children’s Miracle Network is inspiring, and I know the thousands of parents whose sons and daughters have benefited are grateful for all of their hard work.”

Marking its 19th year, Dance Marathon at UF included 830 dancers moving and shaking for 26.2 hours in support of Children’s Miracle Network and the patients at Shands Hospital for Children. Opening ceremonies began at 11 a.m. Saturday and closing ceremonies wrapped up the event at 2:45 p.m. Sunday.

Participants were not only challenged to stay on their feet for the duration of the marathon, they learned a unique line dance that they practiced and performed throughout the event.

“I’m not a natural-born dancer but I started getting it around hour 10, and I think that, by the end, we all had it down,” said UF sophomore Melissa Dukes. “It was great to be part of something bigger than myself, and it’s surreal that we broke $1 million. It’s a sign of how people can pull together and help others.”

Raising a million dollars is a huge milestone for Dance Marathon at UF. The event began in 1995 with just 81 dancers, who stayed on their feet for 32 hours and raised $12,424 for Shands Hospital for Children at UF.

Since then, Dance Marathon at UF has raised more than $6.4 million, supporting Shands Hospital for Children and the department of pediatrics at the UF College of Medicine.

“The funds raised from this extraordinary student-run event will help us continue our commitment to providing the highest quality of care for the kids at Shands Hospital for Children,” said David S. Guzick, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president for health affairs and president of UF&Shands Health System. “The dollars will be put to immediate use toward construction of our new neonatal intensive care unit, purchasing needed equipment and supporting faculty research that is directed at improved prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases.”

UF students danced alongside patients and heard stories from 50 Ambassador Families at the event, which reminded dancers why their efforts are so meaningful.

The UF COM Dance Marathon team won first place in its category for both spirit points and overall fundraising.

“Thank you for all the right reasons,” Brian Winckler told the crowd of students on the first morning. Winckler’s 4-year-old daughter, Bailey, is finally on her way to a normal childhood after enduring 13 surgeries to correct several health problems since birth. “What you’re doing here is helping to make things just a little bit easier for those families who are up at Shands right now.”

More than 1,000 student volunteers planned the event, and about 3,000 visitors and participants visited the dancers to provide encouragement and support.

This is the first year ever that the UF College of Medicine had a team. It won first place in its category for both spirit points and overall fundraising. Plus, UF COM team organizer Travus White, who is a second-year medical student won the Jen Krug award, which goes to one person each year that embodies Dance Marathon.

Dance Marathon at UF is one of the founding five dance marathons benefiting Children’s Miracle Network. It is the third-largest Dance Marathon benefiting Children’s Miracle Network, with Indiana University and Iowa University as first and second, respectively.

The John J. Ross, M.D., Pediatric Lecture and Activity Room was dedicated March 30 at Shands Hospital for Children at UF. The room will be used as a lecture and conference room and as a multipurpose room for pediatric activities, such as movie nights and crafts.

The new John J. Ross, M.D. Pediatric Lecture and Activity Room was dedicated March 30. Ross’ widow Nancy Hays Ross and son John Joseph Ross II unveil the plaque for the new room with Michael Good, M.D., dean of the UF College of Medicine. Photo by Maria Belen Farias

Family and friends of Ross made a donation to Shands Healthcare to name room 4433 for Ross, who is remembered for his dedication to Shands pediatrics and contributions to the Gainesville community.

“This named conference room will give everyone the opportunity to remember John every time we pass by or gather, and recall his lifetime of extraordinary work and the many contributions he made to our medical school and health system,” said Michael Good, M.D., dean of the College of Medicine. “The John J. Ross, M.D. Pediatric Lecture and Activity Room is a wonderful tribute to Dr. Ross’ gentle and compassionate spirit.”

Ross, a UF professor emeritus who served 47 years in the UF College of Medicine, died at the age of 83 in Gainesville on July 17. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Nancy Hays Ross of Gainesville; three children MaryAnn Ross Neill, John Joseph Ross II and Edward Henessey Ross; and nine grandchildren.

He was the second pediatric neurologist in the state of Florida and served as the UF College Of Medicine’s chief of pediatric neurology for a number of years.

During his tenure, Ross founded many programs, including the Ross-Mercer Program, now known as the Florida Multidisciplinary Diagnostic and Training Program, which serves children with learning disabilities and underachievement difficulties in the school districts of North Central Florida. After retiring, he was heavily involved in fundraising for the Lung Transplant Program in Gainesville.

John Joseph Ross II said the hospital was a very special place for his father and he placed tremendous value on the strong relationships he built and enjoyed with his many colleagues and friends at Shands.

“We thought a room focused on children and education would be an extremely appropriate tribute to dad,” he said. “He dedicated his career to helping children develop and helping children learn.”

Ross grew up in Jacksonville, earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and studied Health Systems Management at Harvard Business School. After completing his pediatrics fellowship at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital and his pediatric neurology training at Children’s Medical Center and Boston City Hospital, he came to Shands Hospital in 1965.

“I think he felt a real sense of obligation to use his talents to make a difference in the lives of others and clearly did so throughout his life,” said the younger John Ross.

Findings published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences show that certain strands of corn growing in acidic tropical and subtropical areas have three copies of a particular gene. The expression of the copies results in an increased tolerance to aluminum — a chemical element toxic to many plants at high levels in acidic soil.

The triplicate gene may ultimately be used to breed or genetically modify plants to adapt to soil containing high levels of aluminum.

“Identifying genes that make plants more tolerant of aluminum is very critical for farmers growing crops where productivity is suboptimal due to acidic soil,” said Matias Kirst, Ph.D., co-author and a member of Genetics Institute.

In plants, tolerance to aluminum is a phenotype — a trait such as growth, physiology and yield. It has been long suspected that multiple gene copies determine certain phenotypes, but this is the first actual proof, said Kirst, an assistant professor in UF’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

“This is the first time copy number variation has been shown to affect a phenotype in plants,” Kirst said. “From now on, people will be paying more attention to this type of variation to identify and explain traits.”

The findings suggest that the changes in gene copy number may be a rapid evolutionary response to new environments or climate change. The fact that genome changes are still happening today, after the domestication of maize, is relevant, said lead author Lyza Maron, Ph.D.

“That has implications for adaptation,” said Maron, a research associate at the Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health at Cornell University. “It’s important, more than ever, that we can breed crops in a changing environment.”

They diagnosed hypertension. They wrote prescriptions. When patients left, though, mystery followed. Wegman, then a second-year M.D.-Ph.D. student, wondered if patients stayed healthy or if their medication helped ailments. To find out, he recruited three undergraduate interns to start calling patients, making follow-ups a part of protocol.

Wegman, was one of 20 medical students, residents and young physicians in the country who recently received the 2013 Medical Student Leadership Award from the American Medical Association. He is now in his third year of the M.D.-Ph.D. program and a doctoral candidate in the department of epidemiology in the College of Public Health and Health Professions and the College of Medicine.

His decision to follow-up with patients led Wegman to found the Health Outreach Quality Improvement program, or HOQI, a partnership with the Equal Access and UF Mobile Outreach clinics. He uses systematic data collection from HOQI’s 11 clinics to teach 55 undergraduate volunteers who their patients are and what barriers they face when seeking care.

“They’re uninsured, typically marginalized by society,” Wegman said. “I work with students to show them how to be responsive to patients — not addressing medical needs, but social needs.”

Wegman, who was named a National Quality Scholar by the American College of Medical Quality, serves as a board member for the local nonprofit Southwest Advocacy Group, or SWAG. SWAG provides educational and quality of life resources to the underserved 32607 zip code.

“It’s more than just a center,” Wegman said. “It’s a group of residents, local advocates and community partners who all come together to serve a region in Gainesville that has a concentrated social and health disparity.”

Wegman also is conducting a sub-study on the $9.9 million Texas Wellness Incentives and Navigation grant with Betsy Shenkman, M.S.N., Ph.D., chairwoman of the department of health outcomes and policy. The project tests whether increasing access to wellness services improves the health of patients who already have health problems.

He’s looking at responses to hypertension drugs as well for his predoctoral fellowship, a one- to two-year fellowship that provides junior trainees the opportunity to develop a career in multidisciplinary clinical and translational research.

“There’s no bit of me that is not translational,” Wegman said. “I get challenged because many of my other colleagues are more biomedically focused, so that keeps me grounded.”

Even with a slew of accomplishments and titles, Wegman approaches each project with individual attention. He doesn’t believe in multitasking or balancing work. It’s pure enthusiasm that drives him.

“I get up every morning excited for it all,” he said. “That keeps me moving through.”

Jennifer Goetz, who is president of the local Alpha Omega Alpha chapter, and Heather Harrell, M.D., the college’s director of fourth-year programs, welcomed the 29 new honor medical society members. Photo by W. Charles Poulton

UF College of Medicine student Jennifer Goetz recalled meeting her fellow members of the UF College of Medicine class of 2013 at orientation for the first time.

Four years later, she and nearly two dozen of her classmates celebrated their accomplishments at the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society induction banquet March 14.

“For me, this group of students is very inspirational, not just for academics, but for their leadership, service and humanism,” said Goetz, who is president of the local Alpha Omega Alpha chapter.

The UF Beta Chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society inducted 22 students, four residents and three faculty members during the event held at the Biomedical Science Building.

Richard B. Gunderman, M.D., Ph.D, who is a professor and vice chairman of the department of radiology at Indiana University, was the guest speaker at the induction banquet. Photo by W. Charles Poulton

Students who rank in the top 25 percent of the class are eligible for membership in Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Selection is subsequently limited to one-sixth of the total class enrollment. The professional medical organization’s criteria for selection include excellence in scholarship, character, service and future potential as a physician.

“These are really the crème de la crème medical students,” said Heather Harrell, M.D., associate professor of medicine, clerkship director and director of fourth-year programs at the UF College of Medicine.

The honor society banquet has been held the evening before Match Day for the past few years to allow families to more easily attend the event, she said.

“We had the best turnout ever this year,” Harrell said. “So many families were there.”

Richard B. Gunderman, M.D., Ph.D, a professor and vice chair of the department of radiology at Indiana University, provided the keynote speech. In addition to his position as department chair, he holds faculty positions in pediatrics, medical education, philosophy, philanthropy and liberal arts.

Michael Good, M.D., dean of the UF College of Medicine, spoke to the new inductees and their families at the end of the banquet. Photo by W. Charles Poulton

Gunderman, a national counselor for the Alpha Omega Alpha organization, spoke about the true meaning of professionalism in medicine. Professionalism is not just looking or acting the part, he told students, but actually being a professional to your core.

“It’s a matter of the heart and the spirit,” Gunderman said.

Following Gunderman’s speech, Goetz introduced the new student members to the honor society.

“They’re a phenomenal group and I’m very proud to be graduating with them in two months,” Goetz said.

Congratulations to the new inductees:

Faculty

Daniel Rubin, M.D., assistant professor of community health and family medicine
Robert Hollander, M.D., adjunct assistant professor in the department of medicine
Desmond Schatz, M.D., professor and associate chair of the department of pediatrics

Residents

Ajay Antony, M.D., department of anesthesiology
Devon Cole, M.D., department of anesthesiology
Morganna Freeman-Keller, M.D., department of medicine
Constance Lee, M.D., department of surgery

Students

Melanie Adamsky
Brendan Browne
Liz Byrne
Rick Cassidy
Matt Clark
Jennifer Goetz
Scott Goldsmith
Jessica Greer
Brett Keeling
Amirah Khan
Lauren Kropp
Lauren Lee
Raj Machhar
Sarah Moum
Amanda Musto
Sara Rodriguez
John Stahl
Zach Stone
Noelle Williams
Erin Wilmer
Justin Woods
Stephanie Yarnell

“The more I talk to Parkinson’s patients, the more I realized a couple of things,” said Okun, co-director of UF Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration. “Almost nothing is available to patients about basic lifestyle things in any language but English. Even in the most educated patients, who have access to everything, there are still lots of very simple things they aren’t doing. There are lots of things you can do to improve your quality of life.”

To address this need, Okun has authored a book titled “Parkinson’s Treatment: 10 Secrets to a Happier Life.” Published this month, the book is now available on Amazon and Smashwords in more than 20 languages. The e-book retails for $3.99. His goal is to reach every patient and family dealing with the disease.

Globally, about 4 to 6 million people have Parkinson’s disease, and 50,000 to 60,000 new cases are diagnosed in the United States each year, according to the National Parkinson Foundation. As people continue to live longer, the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease in the population also will increase, Okun said.

“It is really important for people to recognize this is a problem,” he said. “If you plan on living a long life, pushing up into the eighth or ninth decade, your chances of facing a disease like this are very high. You cannot escape it.”

But unlike having a disease such as Alzheimer’s, patients can live for decades with Parkinson’s — so understanding how to live well with the disease is crucial.

Some of the topics Okun covers in the book are how to prepare for hospital stays and when to take medications, as well as everyday issues such as sleeping and exercise. Chapters are also devoted to secondary problems such as depression and addiction-like symptoms in Parkinson’s patients.

“Really, these should not be secrets,” Okun said. “If you know these things, you can live a much better life with your disease.”

To Okun, what is perhaps most important is making the information available in languages besides English. The book was made available on both Amazon and Smashwords specifically to increase the number of possible translations. Currently, copies can be found in 20 languages, including English, Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic among others.

“There isn’t any joking with Dr. Okun about the ‘10 Secrets to a Happier Life’ in Parkinson’s disease,” said Muhammad Ali, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1984, in a written statement. “This book is a critical resource for Parkinson’s disease patients and families from around the world who speak different languages but suffer from very similar and often disabling symptoms.”

Dianne Farb

Dianne Farb is an accomplished attorney working as general counsel for the UF College of Medicine and an acclaimed novelist, but what she’s most proud of is her work helping local cancer patients and their families.

“I think our best gifts are those that have an immediate impact on cancer patients and their families,” said Farb, who is co-founder of the nonprofit Climb for Cancer Foundation.

Farb was one of only two women who received the esteemed 2013 Women of Distinction Award, which recognizes outstanding community leaders, at a March 14 reception at Santa Fe College.

“I didn’t know I’d been nominated, so I was very shocked,” she said of the award.

Others aren’t surprised that Farb’s tireless work to better her community was recognized.

Though she juggles her foundation work with a professionally demanding job as general counsel for the UF College of Medicine and is also a published book author, Dianne always has time for and is genuinely interested in and concerned for others,” said Paul Okunieff, M.D., director of the UF Shands Cancer Center and the Marshall E. Rinker Sr. Foundation and David B. and Leighan R. Rinker Chair.

Farb and her husband, Ron, started Climb for Cancer in 2002 after seeing the challenges faced by the most vulnerable cancer patients — children and lower-income people, he said. The nonprofit has raised and donated more than $1 million for everything from pediatric cancer research and camps to providing food vouchers and gas cards to financially distressed families of cancer patients.

“Her many contributions to improving the lives of others make her most worthy of this award,” said Michael L. Good, M.D., dean of the UF College of Medicine.

Farb is an extraordinary legal professional with an incredible work ethic, mirrored in her personal life, he said.

But Farb, who earned her juris doctor degree with honors in 2000 from UF’s Levin College of Law, said she also makes time for fun in her life, specifically for her writing.  She has published two novels and is now working on a third.

“It’s my creative outlet,” she said.

Ashley Black let a friend take a peek at her results, but she forced herself to wait until she was called onstage to open her envelope and find out where she would be headed for her residency.

She wasn’t disappointed. Not only did she get one of her top choices, Black made history by becoming the first UF medical student to match in cardiothoracic surgery, a relatively new residency program, at Stanford University.

UF medical student Ashley Black reacts after receiving her residency results. Black is headed to Stanford University for a residency in cardiothoracic surgery. She is the first UF medical student to obtain a slot in the relatively new residency program. Photo by Maria Belen Farias

“I just feel so relieved,” said Black, a member of the UF College of Medicine’s class of 2013.

Black is one of 127 medical students graduating May 11, who found out where they matched for their residency training during the college’s annual Match Day ceremony, held March 15 at the J. Wayne Reitz Union. Family and friends worldwide, from India to Macau, also viewed a live video stream of the event online.

Michael Good, M.D., dean of the College of Medicine, said Match Day is such an important day that he could still recall his own 29 years later. He was a graduating medical student at the University of Michigan and he was matched to an anesthesiology residency at the University of Florida.

“This year, I’ll be celebrating 30 years at the University of Florida,” he said. “That is how profound today is.”

Thirty-one percent of graduating students will stay in Florida for their residencies, with 23 percent doing their residency at UF, said Patrick Duff, M.D., the college’s associate dean for student affairs.

Nationally, 163 students matched to residencies at the UF College of Medicine in Gainesville, said Michael E. Mahla, M.D., associate dean for graduate medical education. An additional 81 students matched to UF College of Medicine-Jacksonville residency programs.

One of those students who will be staying at UF for residency training at UF is Eva Vertes, whose father drove for two days from Ontario, Canada through snowstorms to attend her Match Day ceremony.

“UF just rocks-I love it,” said Vertes, who was matched to a pathology residency at UF Gainesville, which was her first choice. Her husband, Evan George, is an attorney in Gainesville and the couple is expecting their first child in August.

Ashley Patterson celebrates her residency news with her father, Don. The first doctor in her family, Ashley will be headed to Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Jacobi) in the Bronx, NY for her pediatrics residency. Photo by Maria Belen Farias

Forty-one percent of graduating UF students chose a primary care specialty, such as family or internal medicine, pediatrics or obstetrics/gynecology. The most popular specialties among the class of 2013 were internal medicine, pediatrics and emergency medicine.

Ashley Patterson will be headed to Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Jacobi) in the Bronx, NY for her pediatrics residency. She said she’s ready for a big city and the new responsibility of being a doctor.

Her parents said Patterson had said she wanted to be a pediatrician since she was 5 years old.

“She’s our family’s first doctor,” said her mother, Margaret Patterson.

Desmond Schatz, M.D., medical director of the UF Diabetes Center of Excellence and associate chair of pediatrics at the UF College of Medicine, said his experience matching to a residency in his native South Africa was not the exciting event that it is here in the U.S. But he was thrilled to share his son Richard’s news that he will be headed to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston for a residency in internal medicine.

“It just brought back wonderful memories of the combination of hard work and the desire to succeed and help other people,” said the elder Schatz. “This is a very proud moment for me.”

Lauren Lee, who was the only member of her class to do the military match, found out Dec. 12 that she matched to an internal medicine residency at Lackland Air Force Base at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. But she said it was exciting to find out where the rest of her classmates were headed.

“We have a lot of really successful people,” she said.

Five couples from the class chose to match to residencies together. One of those couples, Will McFarland and Diana Mora-Montero, both matched to UF Gainesville. McFarland is specializing in diagnostic radiology and Mora-Montero’s residency is in emergency medicine.

“She agreed to a couples match before I proposed to her…and she said ‘yes’ to that too,” said McFarland.

Medical student Tim Tidwell was anxious to see what state he and his family would be living in for the next few years.

“This will be the second surprise in the last year,” joked Tidwell, looking at his 5-month-son Oaks.

An hour later, Tidwell and his wife, Meagan, found out they were headed to Exempla St. Joseph Hospital Program in Denver, Co. for his internal medicine residency.

“We got our number one,” said Meagan Tidwell, who smiled happily at Oaks. “He better learn how to ski.”

The ninth annual saltwater trout tournament, Fishing for Kids, is spearheaded by the UF&Shands engineering department and has raised more than $70,000 since 2005. This family-friendly event will take place at Sea Hag Marina in Steinhatchee, Fla.

For more information and to register for the event, please visit www.fishinforkids.org.

To purchase tickets, please visit http://bit.ly/shandsufgainesville and use promo code shandsg1. For more information, please contact Jessica Jennings in the UF&Shands Office of Development at jesjen@shands.ufl.edu or at 352-265-7237.

During the summer of 2012, Brown was involved in a severe car accident that resulted in his suffering a traumatic brain injury, just prior to the start of his third year of medical school. Since the accident, Ray has been receiving physical, occupational and speech therapy and, as a veteran, he’s currently receiving care at a VA facility in Tampa near his family’s home.

For more information visit raceforray.com. Gifts may be made online or mailed to Pray for Ray, P.O. Box 662, St. Augustine, FL 32085-0662. Donations may be made through February 28, 2013. Any thoughts and encouragements can also be sent to Ray and his family via their website at www.pray4ray.wordpress.com.

Donn Dennis, Ray Bergeron, Franky So and Nan Yao-Su will be recognized as four of 98 people selected from universities and nonprofit institutions nationally. Vice President for Research David P. Norton also was named a Charter Fellow.

The 98 innovators represent 54 research universities and nonprofit research institutes. Together, the new fellows hold more than 3,200 U.S. patents. The academic inventors and innovators elected to the rank of NAI Charter Fellow are named inventors on U.S. patents and were nominated for outstanding contributions to innovation in areas such as patents and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation. Included in the Charter class are eight Nobel Laureates, two Fellows of the Royal Society, 12 presidents of research universities and nonprofit research institutes, 50 members of the National Academies (National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine), 11 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, three recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, four recipients of the National Medal of Science, and 29 American Association for the Advancement of Science fellows, among other major awards and distinctions.

Donn Dennis, M.D., is a professor in the departments of anesthesiology, psychiatry, and pharmacology & experimental therapeutics at UF&Shands, the University of Florida Academic Health Center. He currently sits in the Joachim S. Gravenstein, M.D., endowed chair in anesthesiology. Dennis also serves as chief science officer of Xhale Inc., a company he co-founded in late 2005.

His career has focused on developing innovations in patient-centric medicine, particularly technologies to improve the safety and efficacy of drugs and reduce the incidence of adverse events in medical settings to improve clinical outcomes while reducing health care costs. He is an inventor on 62 United States and foreign equivalent patents. The intellectual property outlined in these patents focuses on three areas: nanotechnology-based strategies to optimize drug delivery, make drugs more dissolvable and treat drug toxicity; technologies to reduce healthcare-associated infections; and technologies to streamline the execution of clinical trials and optimize drug therapy in the setting of disease management.

Raymond J. Bergeron, Ph.D., is a distinguished professor emeritus of medicinal chemistry and was a Duckworth eminent scholar of drug development at the UF College of Pharmacy. He has published 200 papers, authored a text on bioorganic chemistry, edited two books on iron overload diseases and holds 200 patents. His research interests include cancer chemotherapy, the role of metals in diseases and metal chelators. Bergeron has dedicated his career to drug discovery and development surrounding cancer and iron overload diseases affecting children, namely thalassemia and sickle cell disease. Bergeron has taken five drugs to clinical trials. Most recently, his efforts have led to a promising treatment for children with iron overload. This drug is now in phase 2 human clinical trials. He also has discovered a new therapeutic for pancreatic cancer, for which there is virtually no effective cure. It is anticipated that human trials will be launched within a year and a half.

Franky So, Ph.D., is the Rolf E. Hummel professor of electronic materials and associate chair of research in the department of materials science and engineering. His research focuses on flexible optoelectronic devices based on organic and nanocrystal materials. These devices include: organic light emitting diodes, or OLEDs, for smart phone displays and flat screen TVs and high efficiency, high quality solid state lighting devices that will replace light bulbs one day; low-cost, high efficiency flexible polymer solar cells that can be printed by roll-to-roll process; and low-cost nanocrystal devices for UV and infrared sensors. He is an inventor of more than 70 issued patents and has another 20 pending patents.

Nan-Yao Su, Ph.D., is a professor emeritus of entomology at the UF Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center in the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

His research into how termites search for and locate food sources in soil led to the development of the first commercial termite bait products in the United States. Su has published more than 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has served as an international expert in integrated pest management for the United Nations Environmental Program and for governmental agencies in New Zealand, Chile and China. He has contributed chapters to 15 books and is the co-editor of “Biology and Control of the Formosan Subterranean Termite.”

The NAI Charter Fellows will be inducted as Fellows by the U.S. Commissioner for Patents, Margaret A. Focarino, from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, Feb. 22 during the National Academy of Inventors’ annual conference in Tampa.

Forums begin Jan. 16, and schedules are posted here: https://intranet.ahc.ufl.edu/wwa/Care/shands/EFH/SitePages/Home.aspx.

Be sure to check the schedule for joint UF&Shands Employee Forums, which are open to UF Health Science Center staff and co-hosted by Ed Jimenez, Shands at UF chief operating officer, and Tim Flynn, M.D., Shands at UF chief medical officer. These are open-discussion forums, and questions are encouraged.

UF College of Medicine students Travus White and Nicole Melanson are organizing the college’s first Dance Marathon team, which will raise money to benefit Shands Hospital for Children. Photo by Jesse S. Jones

Four years ago, UF College of Medicine student Travus White found himself rocking out to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” in the O’Connell Center along with 800 other UF students.

This April, the second-year medical student is sure he’s going to have to break out his “Gangnum Style” moves and he’s ready.

That’s because White is organizing the first ever UF College of Medicine Dance Marathon team.

“I had this vision that our school would be involved,” said White, who is vice president of community service for UF’s American Medical Association Medical Student Section and participated in the event as an undergraduate with his fraternity.

Dance Marathon at UF, which will be held April 13 to 14, is a 26.2-hour event benefiting Shands Hospital for Children. Each year, hundreds of participants keep moving, along with pediatric patients and their families, to raise money and awareness for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

“I love that it has such an impact,” White said. “Dance Marathon has this spark…that no matter how you feel about community service, it changes people’s minds.”

Last year about 815 dancers participating in Dance Marathon at UF raised more than $886,000 for Shands Hospital for Children at UF through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Started 18 years ago, Dance Marathon has donated more than $5.3 million, making it the most successful student-run philanthropy in the Southeastern U.S.

Heather Mears, director of development for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at
Shands Hospital for Children at UF,said the money raised is split between Shands Hospital for Children and the UF department of pediatrics. Funds are used for everything from research and equipment to helping fund programs like the hospital’s child’s life or Arts in Medicine programs, she said.

“I think the main reaction is why hasn’t there been a team before,” White said. “We are at Shands and are advocates for that health care community. So I just went with it.”

Travus White and Nicole Melanson practice train for the 26.2-hour Dance Marathon, “Gangnum Style”. The Dance Marathon benefits Shands Hospital for Children at UF. Photo by Jesse S. Jones

The College of Medicine’s team now has about 50 registered team members following a Nov. 14 information meeting that attracted almost 100 students. White’s goal is to enlist 70 dancing members.

“I think this is really an inaugural event to have College of Medicine students involved with Children’s Miracle Network,” said Scott Rivkees, M.D., chair and professor of pediatrics at the UF College of Medicine, who spoke at the meeting. “This is phenomenal.”

White’s co-delegate is Nicole Melanson, a first year medical student who also enjoyed participating in Dance Marathon as an undergraduate.

“You directly see all the benefits to the kids,” said Melanson of the event.

The team’s goal is to raise $5,000 this year and it has already raised nearly $1,000 in donations without holding any major fundraisers, White said.

“It’s just a great event that advocates for children, health care and our hospital,” he said.

To donate to the UF COM team, go to the www.floridadm.org website and search for “Travus White” or “College of Medicine Team.”

Camila Avila (left) and Nadia Palma (left), who are members of the UF College of Medicine’s chapter of the Hispanic American Medical Student Association, stand with Christmas presents that their group collected for local migrant families. Photo by Maria Belen Farias

UF College of Medicine students made the holidays a little merrier for local migrant workers’ families.

The UF College of Medicine’s chapter of the Hispanic American Medical Student Association collected presents and other goods for four families in need, which include about 10 children and six adults.

“We’re collecting clothes, toys, food and money,” said second-year medical students Camila Avila shortly before the Christmas break.

HAMSA last did the Christmas drive for migrant workers in 2009, said Avila, and she and chapter president Nadia Palma wanted to revive the effort. They coordinated the donation through the Alachua Multi-County Migrant Education program, which is a part of Alachua County Public Schools.

The help is appreciated, said Natalie Norris, supervisor of Title 1 migrant education at the Alachua Multi-County Migrant Education Program. Migrant families who didn’t travel to work the southern crops, now have to rely on whatever they have saved or scrounge for whatever work they can find, she said.

“The needs are always great in Northern Florida around this time of year,” said Norris.

Fellow students and faculty generously donated to the drive, including the college’s Diversity and Health Care Equity office, Avila said. HAMSA’s UF chapter has about 20 to 30 active members and a board of six people.

Avila said her family also struggled when they moved to the U.S. from Colombia 10 years ago, and she wanted to give back.

Second-year medical student Camila Avila delivers Christmas gifts to the Alachua Multi-County Migrant Education Program. The UF College of Medicine’s chapter of the Hispanic American Medical Student Association collected presents and other goods for four local migrant families in need. Photo by Maria Belen Farias

“My family went through hard times when they moved here,” said Avila, who is HAMSA’s treasurer. “And I know a lot of people helped them.”

HAMSA also held a blanket and sweater drive for migrant workers this winter and recently donated several bags of the goods to the migrant education office.

Palma said she spoke to migrant workers at a health fair and knows there is a need locally, especially during the colder season.

“We got to meet the workers and know how hard they work,” she said.

HAMSA is also planning to hold a health fair in the spring for migrant workers, offering health screenings and other resources. They will be collecting nonperishable food, clothing and toiletries for the workers and their families. To donate or volunteer, contact HAMSA by emailing uf.hamsa@gmail.com.

UF College of Medicine student Estefania Santamaria celebrates with (from left) her stepfather, Carlos Reveron, mother, Brenda Reveron and her father, Jose Santamaria. Estefania’s father few in from Spain to attend the White Coat Ceremony. Photo by Jesse S. Jones

The 135 members of the class of 2016 made history Saturday by becoming the UF College of Medicine’s first class to receive their white coats as first-year medical students.

“Let me start out by congratulating you on being trailblazers,” said Michael L. Good, M.D., dean of the College of Medicine.

More than 500 family members, friends and faculty attended the college’s 16th Annual White Coat Ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 8 at the Health Professions/Nursing/Pharmacy Complex auditorium.

Previous UF College of Medicine classes received their white coats at the end of the second year, which signified the end of two years of basic science studies and the beginning of two years of clinical rotations.

The class of 2016 is the first to fully experience the college’s new curriculum changes this fall, which include integrating clinical skills earlier and throughout training, and college administrators decided it was appropriate to hold the white coat ceremony earlier.

Patrick Duff, M.D., associate dean for student affairs, compared the first-year medical students to dolls, saying they have some of the necessary traits to become physicians but are still “a work in progress.” Photo by Jesse S. Jones

Jay Lynch, M.D., assistant dean for admissions and a professor of medicine, said the white coat gives entry to the most private and personal areas of people’s lives, so its wearer carries a great responsibility.

Patrick Duff, M.D., associate dean for student affairs and professor of obstetrics and gynecology, told students they have completed the first step of their journey to become physicians but still need more time to gain the needed breadth and depth of clinical experience.

“In short, you are still a work in progress,” he said.

After musical performances by students and speeches by college leadership, family and friends applauded as students were called on stage one by one to receive their white coats embroidered with their names.

Carl Herndon, the class academic chair, told the audience it was an honor to receive this symbol of their profession.

Members of the class of 2016 laugh during academic chair and fellow student Carl Herndon’s remarks. Photo by Jesse S. Jones

Herndon, whose mother, Karyn Herndon, M.D., is a 1986 graduate of the College of Medicine, said medical students at many other institutions get waist-length coats, but UF presented each of them with a full-length white coat.

“It’s up to us to fill it out,” he said.

After the ceremony, the students, clad in their new coats, proudly posed for photos with friends and family and credited their classmates for their support during the last semester.

Adam Kemp poses in his white coat with his son, William, who was born during Kemp’s first week of class. Photo by Jesse S. Jones

“I feel like we kind of accomplished this together,” said Estefania Santamaria, whose parents attended the event, including her father who flew in from Spain.

Students will start their preceptorships on Monday, Dec. 10, which pairs them for two weeks with community physicians for their first significant patient-contact experience.

Holding his infant son William, Adam Kemp said receiving his white coat made his dream of becoming a physician feel more like a reality. The 29-year-old father of two worked in commercial banking for years before deciding to go to medical school.

“It makes it real now that we’re entering down this path,” he said.

A professor in the department of anesthesiology and in the College of Engineering’s department of mechanical engineering, Paulus is remembered as someone who had a passion for making sure that patients had exceptional, safe experiences, and who had an unshakeable commitment to his colleagues. That dual commitment was on display when he guided the anesthesiology department to adopt as part of its mission statement the idea that the physicians take great care not just of their patients, but of each other.

“We wouldn’t have had that in there if it hadn’t been for Dave,” said anesthesiology chair Kayser Enneking, M.D. “I’ve really come to believe in it.”

Colleagues say he was always quick to share credit and kudos and truly saw himself as part of a team in which every person contributed and mattered.

Paulus was known for doing whatever he thought was right to achieve the best outcome for patients, even though this approach sometimes made him unpopular with colleagues. But in the end, colleagues said, they could see that his efforts were carried out with the best intentions and noblest spirit, and, more often than not, resulted in positive change.

A master anesthesiologist, Paulus was known for his work with children who needed repeated radiation therapy sessions. He would come in at 6 a.m. before things started up in the OR, so he could meet the children to help ease their fear and explain to them what they were going through. And he always showed excitement about patient successes.

“David would just burst … burst into my office with this infectious enthusiasm of the moment, sometimes about a patient that had just had some miraculous save, and he would just effusively compliment his colleagues and say what a great thing they had done,” said Tim Goldfarb, CEO of Shands HealthCare. “It was almost rollicking. He’d say ‘you should hear about these patients’ or ‘we had this kid … it was fantastic.’”

Paulus served the UF College of Medicine and Shands HealthCare in many ways, in many different areas of operation. He made his mark in the design of the Shands south tower with special touches that help improve patients’ experiences. Along with the late J.S. Gravenstein, M.D., and Nik Gravenstein, M.D., the former anesthesiology chair,

Paulus created a course that allows engineers and marketing professionals who design and sell operating room equipment to come and see their equipment in operation, and think of how to devise ways to improve the equipment from a patient’s standpoint. People come from around the world to attend the course, and in this way, Paulus’ impact spread beyond the patients he saw directly to countless others around the world.

“Dr. Paulus’ service was remarkable and invaluable and the effects of his passing will be felt for years to come. It’s hard to think of anything on the campus that he hasn’t done at one time or another in his career,” Good said. “It is not an understatement to say that it will take three or four faculty members to fill all the roles that David did in patient care, medical education and innovation.”

Colleagues say Paulus was always available, and a consummate listener. He and his wife, Louise, often met for dinner with other physicians at the irreverently named Berman Antisocial Club, a moniker that acknowledged at least one of the doctors would be unable to socialize because he or she was taking care of patients.

A scholar, innovator and leader, Paulus had a stellar career of accomplishments and service. He earned his medical degree at the University of Vermont and his master’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin. He came to UF as an anesthesiology resident in 1977 and held many faculty and leadership positions over the years, including associate chair for clinical care in the department of anesthesiology, medical director of the Shands operating room, medical director of Shands HomeCare and board member for Shands HealthCare.

He authored and edited six books and contributed chapters to 20 others. He co-authored 30 papers in peer-reviewed journals such as Anesthesia and Analgesia, the Annals of Internal Medicine, the Journal of Clinical Anesthesia and the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, and had many invited articles and editorials in scholarly journals and innumerable lectures, presentations and exhibits.

His awards include a Quality Award Certificate of Merit from the Society for Ambulatory Care Professionals, membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honorary Society and the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honorary Society, a Society of Authors and the Royal Society of Medicine Book Award and multiple Physician Customer Service Recognition Awards from Shands at UF.

He served in many medical professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, for which he was chair of the Council on Medical Education and Science; the Florida Medical Association; the Alachua County Medical Association, for which he served as president; the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation; the American Society of Anesthesiologists; the Society for Technology in Anesthesia and many others.

He held numerous visiting professorships across the country, and taught and advised students and professionals not only in the UF College of Medicine, but also in the Levin College of Law, the College of Public Health and Health Professions and the Warrington College of Business.
Still, he found time to help his neighbors. He was very active with Habitat for Humanity, helping to build houses for fellow Gainesville residents, and active in his neighborhood organization.

“He put his heart and soul into everything he did,” Enneking said. “He was an incredibly passionate person who just wanted to make the world a better place — and he did.”

Paulus is survived by his wife, Louise, and his children Eric, Matthew and Lizzie. A memorial service will be held at UF&Shands in coming weeks. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the University of Florida Foundation in Paulus’ name.

“The position was attractive to me for several reasons,” Qiu said. “I feel the environment at the UF Health Science Center is very supportive of the biostatistics department, especially the top administrators, who recognize the importance of biostatistics. With six health colleges and several institutes at UF, there are enormous resources and collaboration opportunities for the department. There is great potential for the biostatistics department to grow.”

Qiu will start at UF July 1, 2013 heading the new department, which is administered jointly by the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions and the College of Medicine and brings together faculty from both colleges.

“The department of biostatistics, along with the UF department of epidemiology, has a novel cross-college structure that combines the strengths and resources of the College of Public Health and Health Professions and the College of Medicine,” said David S. Guzick, M.D., Ph.D., UF’s senior vice president for health affairs and president of the UF&Shands Health System. “We have already seen significant growth in research and education programs as a result of this unique collaborative model and we expect even greater advancements in the department of biostatistics under Dr. Qiu’s leadership.”

Qiu is currently a professor at the University of Minnesota’s School of Statistics. He is an elected fellow of the American Statistical Association and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute. He has been named editor of Technometrics, the official journal of the American Society for Quality and the American Statistical Association, for a three-year term beginning in 2013.

“I am delighted that Dr. Qiu will be joining us to helm the department of biostatistics,” said Michael G. Perri, Ph.D., dean of the College of Public Health and Health Professions. “His outstanding record of research, his commitment to academic excellence and his visionary goals represent the right blend of assets to develop the department of biostatistics into one of the premier departments of its kind in the nation.”

Qiu is a major contributor to the development of a statistical analysis method called jump regression analysis, which allows researchers to determine how variables are associated with each other when the relationship among them is not continuous. His research has also focused on describing and analyzing medical images such as MRI images, developing statistical methods for monitoring processes such as a hospital’s daily operations, and analyzing patient survival data. He has authored two books and more than 60 research papers that have appeared in peer-reviewed journals. His book “Image Processing and Jump Regression Analysis” won Technometrics’ inaugural Ziegel Prize in 2007 for an outstanding new book on statistical methodology.

“The field of biostatistics is at the core of all health-related research, and we are pleased to have such an accomplished scientist join us as the biostatistics department chair,” said Michael Good, M.D., dean of the UF College of Medicine. “Dr. Qiu’s vision for expanding the department’s collaborations across campus will strengthen the design and analysis of health research conducted at the UF and in so doing, enhance the potential impact of our work on the lives of the citizens of Florida and the nation.”

Qiu’s goals for the biostatistics department include hiring additional faculty with strong research backgrounds in statistical methodologies, strengthening the graduate degree programs, promoting collaboration among biostatistics faculty and other UF researchers, expanding biostatistical consulting services and providing biostatistics training programs for UF faculty.

The study, which will be published Wednesday (Dec. 12) in the Journal of the American Medical Association, revealed that people at risk for Type 1 diabetes had smaller pancreases than people who were not at risk.

“This is the first time this has been noted,” said Martha Campbell-Thompson, D.V.M., Ph.D., a professor in the UF College of Medicine department of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine. “We still don’t know what causes Type 1 diabetes, but if people have fewer beta cells to begin with, other confounding factors such as a virus or genetics could help push them over into having clinical diabetes. There are a lot of possibilities.”

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system begins attacking its own beta cells in the pancreas, which are responsible for producing insulin the body needs to convert sugar into energy. The beta cells stop producing insulin, often beginning in childhood. Because of this, patients must take insulin for the rest of their lives. This differs from the more common Type 2 diabetes, which often can be prevented and treated through lifestyle changes, such as improved diet and increased exercise.

Although genetics plays a big role, researchers still don’t know what triggers this autoimmune attack, and after it begins, there is no going back, said Campbell-Thompson, director of the pathology core for the Network for Pancreatic Organ Donors with Diabetes, or nPOD, a human pancreas biorepository housed within the UF Diabetes Center of Excellence.

In the current study, Campbell-Thompson and colleagues at the City of Hope National Medical Center examined 164 pancreases from adult organ donors, including those with auto-antibodies linked to an increased risk for Type 1 diabetes. After examining the organs and comparing them with control samples, the researchers discovered that the people at risk for Type 1 diabetes had pancreases roughly three-fourths the weight of those of patients not at risk for the disease. In addition, patients already diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes had pancreases about half the weight of control samples, Campbell-Thompson said.

“Had they not become organ donors, these people might have eventually developed Type 1 diabetes, so we were trying to carefully characterize their pancreases and their insulin-producing cells to see what was going on. A simple part of that was just weighing the pancreas when we got it,” she said. “As we got more and more of these donors, a trend started showing up that these pancreases weighed less. They weighed lower than normal controls.”

The ultimate goal of the research, and nPOD, which provides pancreas samples to researchers across the country, is to first understand how the pancreas works and then uncover new and better ways to not only treat Type 1 diabetes, but also to prevent it.

“Thanks to nPOD’s valuable and rapidly growing collection of pancreas samples and other tissues, its team of researchers was able to examine, for the first time, the pancreas weight of those at risk for developing Type 1 diabetes,” said Teodora Staeva, Ph.D., program director for immune therapies at JDRF, the leading foundation focused on advancing Type 1 diabetes research, which funded the study. “The findings raise significant questions about the development and progression of Type 1 diabetes.”

Obtaining and analyzing human pancreas samples has proved crucial for researchers because mouse models used to uncover new treatments for Type 1 diabetes are no longer considered good examples of the disease in humans.

“There are major differences between human Type 1 diabetes and the animal models,” Campbell-Thompson said. “It’s really changing some of our ideas about when this autoimmune attack might occur, and we still don’t know all the players.”

The researchers now hope to take the study a step further by using noninvasive methods such as magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, to gauge pancreas size in live patients.

“This could really change some of the ideas we have about Type 1 diabetes,” Campbell-Thompson said. “By understanding how it develops we can think of new ways to treat it.”