environment that demanded real answers , and thus allowed a real opportunity to learn ,” said Sean Gabany , a fourth-year medical student and recent inductee to the FSU Chapman Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society . “ It showed me what my future could hold when I become an experienced clinician and how what I learn now could make my dream of serving the underserved a reality .”
Merryn and Richard Jolkovsky
After tragedy , a family ’ s generosity keeps a memory and passion for medical education alive
By Patrick Crowley , FSU College of Medicine
It ’ s human nature that , after our inevitable passing , we hope to be remembered by friends and loved ones , and for the good we did while living our lives . Wanting to preserve the memory of her husband and his passion for medical education , Merryn Jolkovsky , M . D ., established the Richard Jolkovsky , M . D ., Memorial Fund to support the FSU College of Medicine ’ s Summer Clinical Practicum .
Richard , a cardiologist who graduated in 1983 from the Florida State University Program in Medical Sciences ( PIMS ), the forerunner to the College of Medicine , lost his life in a February 2022 small plane crash .
“ Rick loved the PIMS program ,” said Jolkovsky , who worked with Alma Littles , M . D ., dean of the College of Medicine , and Jim McNeill , assistant dean for advancement , to create the endowed fund . “ He talked about it fondly over the years and was so thrilled when FSU was able to offer a full medical school program . Before he died , we were discussing finding a way to support the College of Medicine but had not finalized our giving plan .”
During Summer Clinical Practicum , students who have completed their first year of medical school participate in community-based patient care activities in rural , urban underserved or geriatric locations throughout Florida and South Georgia .
“ This program allowed me to connect the dots between medical lecture and clinical skills as we got to experience medicine in a real
The real-world experience gained through the three-week program has had a profound impact on students . It provides an immersive , experiential learning environment where students , under the direct supervision of primary care physicians , can practice and improve their basic clinical skills and acquire experience working with a health care team . For Gabany , the experience at the college ’ s Immokalee Health Education Site shaped the trajectory of his career .
“ Summer Clinical Practicum allowed me to take the first major steps toward determining what my future as a physician will look like ,” Gabany said , who is setting his sights on pediatric and child psychiatry . “ It reinforced my love of working with children but also introduced me to integrated care — a unique way for medicine to be practiced that . . . addresses the whole child , physically and mentally .”
This is the kind of impact the program is supposed to have — helping future physicians choose meaningful career paths and exposing them to areas most in need of health care professionals — and it is one reason Jolkovsky chose to support it .
“ I hope this endowment will allow medical students to gain experience working in their local communities and encourage them to consider practicing in those smaller towns and rural areas ,” Jolkovsky said . “ In his career as a cardiologist , Rick was passionate about improving the state of health care in rural areas . He felt strongly enough about the need to improve the health care system that he pursued a Master of Medical Management degree through USC ( University of Southern California ), graduating in 2016 . He felt we needed more physicians to practice in rural areas and needed to support those local practitioners and their patients with access to specialty services in their own communities .”
Today , Dr . Jolkovsky — known as RJ — is remembered by family , friends , patients ,
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