A new era for patient care, medical education and research
SUMMER 2026 / FSUMED 3
On March 11, the Tallahassee City Commission took a historic step and voted to approve the transfer of city-owned Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare assets to Florida State University. Later in March, the FSU Board of Trustees and the Florida Board of Governors endorsed the transfer, clearing the path for something truly transformative: the creation of an integrated academic health center in the state’ s capital city.
TMH has long been a cornerstone of healing for the entire region. The 772-bed, not-forprofit healthcare system serves a 22-county region in North Florida and South Georgia. Since before the founding of the College of Medicine, when we were merely a vision in the brilliant brain of the college’ s first acting dean Myra Hurt, Ph. D., FSU fostered close ties with TMH. Its skilled physicians lent their expertise to help Dr. Hurt and her team build a medical school curriculum from the ground up— the first medical school of the 21st century in the United States. Today, the College of Medicine sponsors four residencies and two fellowships there. Our third- and fourth-year medical students and clinical physician assistant students train at TMH, guided and mentored by community-based physicians and other clinicians who serve as clerkship faculty.
For me, this moment is also profoundly personal. My journey with TMH began in 1986 as a resident in family medicine. After serving as chief resident and then spending five years in private practice in nearby Quincy, Florida, I partnered with TMH to establish what is now the TMH Physician Partners practice there. Returning to Tallahassee, I joined the residency program faculty and became program director in 1999. I have also served on the hospital’ s board of trustees, both as a member and as chair.
Now, we stand on the threshold of a new era. By taking this truly transformative step, we are cultivating a reciprocal collaboration that is much greater and much stronger than the sum of its parts. It’ s truly historic— not only for FSU and TMH, but also for the people of the city of Tallahassee and the entire region who rely on TMH for exceptional care. The expansion of TMH into a true academic health center has been discussed for years, and I am beyond thrilled to see it come to fruition. As we continue to build out our partnership with TMH and FSU Health, we will be better able to integrate clinical research, medical education and patient-focused care. We are building the healthcare system of the future.
And this is just one aspect of how FSU and the College of Medicine will help advance healthcare throughout Florida. Already, the FSU Health Research Center— a 140,000-square-foot facility— is nearing completion across town. FSU is building a brand-new FSU Health hospital in Panama City Beach, Florida, which TMH will operate. And, in Tallahassee, we recently opened our new College of Medicine facility on Phillips Road that houses some of our clinical practices, including the new FSU Health Precision Pediatrics, part of the Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases.
This is an exciting moment for all of us— not only for those in medical education and the healthcare professions, but for our entire community. Together, we have a great opportunity to create a brighter, healthier future for the people of our region. I hope you share this sense of optimism, and I look forward to reporting on our progress in the months ahead. The best is still to come.
Alma B. Littles, M. D. Dean, FSU College of Medicine