“ FSU Health is an initiative — really a philosophy — of how and what FSU is doing or will do to improve health and health care in Florida and beyond ,” said Stacey Patterson , Ph . D ., FSU vice president for Research . “ It ’ s anything and everything that fits into that bucket from the business of health and the policies that regulate health care to research , innovation , and education for all health professions to the clinical practices themselves . From my perspective , FSU Health is bigger than any one individual , institute , or project .”
Although many of the university ’ s colleges have a role in this initiative , the College of Medicine is at the forefront .
“ This is an exciting time to be at the College of Medicine ”
- Dean Alma Littles , M . D .
“ With the collaborative approach FSU Health offers , we can more easily leverage the strengths of not only our college , but also that of others . For example , we are partnering with the College of Nursing to explore ways we can combine our efforts to improve health and patient care in our region — and , more specifically , in the new medical office building in Panama City Beach and soon , a new hospital being built there in partnership with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and The St . Joe Company .”
Already , the College of Medicine has developed partnerships that further the FSU Health cause . Its ongoing relationship with Mayo Clinic Florida , based in Jacksonville , has led to new opportunities for faculty and students alike . This past summer , seven FSU medical students spent 10 weeks in Jacksonville , where they were paired with Mayo physician mentors ( three of them FSU College of Medicine alumni ) to gain hands-on experience on specific research projects . Also this year , Mayo Clinic Florida donated a liver scanner now housed at FSU PrimaryHealth™ , which is already helping patients .” Although many of the university ’ s colleges have a role in this initiative , the College of Medicine is at the forefront . Partnerships are the keys to success . The College of Medicine ’ s six regional campuses expand FSU ’ s footprint in Florida and its ability to partner with providers and others to meet the unique needs of their respective communities — advancing patient care and research statewide and beyond .
“ The growth of our Graduate Medical Education program is another example of how beneficial partnerships can be ,” Littles said . “ Florida , like most states , is facing a shortage of physicians and other health care professionals . To address this , we are working with hospitals and others to grow our GME program — adding more residency slots and fellowship opportunities . Evidence shows that physicians tend to stay in the state or city where they complete their residencies , so we must continually find ways to partner with others and grow the program to not only improve patient care , but also access to it . This includes building on our Physician Assistant program and other programs within the college .”
According to Patterson , through its programs and partnerships , the College of Medicine is uniquely poised to play the lead role in the continued growth and success of FSU Health .
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