DEAN ’ S MESSAGE
Early in my career as a family physician I was faced with a difficult decision . My childhood dream of caring for patients in my hometown of Quincy had been realized , and I was experiencing the daily fulfillment that drew me to becoming a community physician in the first place .
Then I was asked to lead the family medicine residency program at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital , where I had received my own specialty training just a few years earlier . While the need for care in my hometown was great , I had to ask myself where I could make the greatest impact .
Ultimately , developing more family physicians with the residency program was a way to ensure care for more patients in more places and would include as a bonus the satisfaction that comes with teaching .
That decision set me on a path toward a lifetime of involvement in medical education – something I ’ ve never regretted .
So when Florida State University President Richard McCullough and Provost Jim Clark asked me to become interim dean of this medical school , I was delighted .
As I ’ ve often said , the words in this medical school ’ s mission statement about being responsive to community needs , especially in medically underserved communities , feel as if they were written for me .
Yet the challenges for health care in my hometown , in Tallahassee , across Florida and throughout the world are more complex than ever . We didn ’ t need a pandemic to make us realize that our approach to health care must rapidly evolve to keep pace with the demands .
It ’ s also true that our College of Medicine faces nw challenges as we seek to grow our clinical practices consistent with our mission and in a way that will support that mission . We ’ ve made remarkable strides in the growth of our research potential and it ’ s no coincidence that excellence in behavioral health discovery has led the way .
As President McCullough has noted , Florida ’ s growth in the Panhandle brings with it a significant need for leadership in health care , and FSU Health is poised to provide it .
In Tallahassee , the Legislature has made a $ 125 million investment for Floridians in the form of a new FSU Health academic research building , where discovery and teaching will thrive , and the future of this medical school will begin to emerge .
In my new role I am uniquely positioned to ensure our strong medical education program continues to succeed and that the mission this school was founded upon serves as the foundation for growth in other areas .
As Dr . Fogarty pointed out in the dean ’ s message to open this report , there ’ s a lot for us to be proud of . I ’ m confident telling you as we close out this report that there are many great accomplishments to come for this medical school .
I have been excited to hear from so many alumni offering their encouragement and support . I knew them as students , and now get to witness the contributions they are making in communities throughout Florida and the U . S .
They remind me of that difficult choice I faced . While I still live in Quincy , I ’ ve never regretted becoming a medical educator . To now lead this medical school where I ’ ve worked in many roles for the last 20 years is the realization of another dream .
Your support is vital , whether it be through teaching and volunteering , in the form of a financial gift that helps us produce more of the doctors Florida needs , or simply telling your friends and neighbors about the impact we are having .
We ’ re in this together , and I ’ m grateful for this opportunity to be your new interim dean .
Alma Littles , M . D . Interim Dean Florida State University College of Medicine
Dr . Littles was founding chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health . She served as senior associate dean for academic affairs and medical education prior to becoming interim dean , effective Feb . 1 .