FSU MED Magazine Fall 2019, Vol. 15 | Page 10

p e o p l e a n d Faculty milestones p l a c e s Bridge builder Anthony Speights has taken on major ∑ ∑ roles – associate dean of Interdisciplinary Kerwyn Flowers is the new director of rural medical Medical Sciences and director of the education. Most recently she was an assistant professor in College of Medicine’s Bridge Program. the Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health. The one-year master’s program provides She succeeds Anthony Speights, who can now devote promising but disadvantaged students full attention to his other roles, including director of the with a bridge to medical school or Bridge Program and (here’s a promotion) associate dean Flowers another career in health care. In August, of Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences. He succeeds Helen Bridge was honored by INSIGHT Into Livingston (story, page 9). Diversity magazine as a 2019 Inspiring Program in STEM. ∑ ∑ “This award is being presented as a ∑ ∑ Foster Liz Foster is the new assistant dean of the Interdisciplinary tribute to people and programs that Medical Sciences program. Most recently she was director of encourage and inspire a new generation IMS pre-health academic programming. of young people to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, and ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ math,” wrote Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity. “Your award- Eric Laywell is the new assistant dean for admissions. He’s winning program continues to make a also an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical significant difference through mentoring Sciences and director of the anatomy lab. He succeeds and teaching, research, and other efforts Graham Patrick, who is approaching retirement but is worthy of this national recognition.” continuing to teach this fall. Laywell Speights, who grew up in a small town and whose parents never got to college, ∑ ∑ relates to these students. ∑ ∑ Joan Meek is the new dean of the Orlando Regional “In high school and through Campus. She also serves as associate dean for graduate undergrad,” he said, “everything is about medical education. She succeeds Michael Muszynski, who ‘Every man for himself.’ You have to be is now a Professor Emeritus and is featured on page 7. the best in order to succeed – or you just get left behind. So we bring them into Bridge and the first thing I say is: ‘OK, everything that you think you know Meek about the education process, you have to forget now. Because this is all about Anthony Speights with then-medical student Martine Sainvilus (M.D., ’19). She got her start in medical school through the Bridge program and is now in her first year with the Orlando Health Pediatrics Residency Program. learning how to work together … to depend on each other … to trust each other … to be vulnerable – and to be all right being wrong in front of each other. “Because medicine really is one of those careers where it is impossible to know everything that there is to know.” Speights said the Bridge staff goes to great lengths to ensure that it admits students who fit the program – “because we are going to put forth every effort 8 to make sure that we bring everybody along…. I love this group. I love what this program does. And I feel like I’m home.”