36 FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
there are many legs upon which the stool stands, but the patient, or the child, or family, they only see the top of it.
“ IPRD is created to deliver diagnostic tools and treatment for children and families. I cannot just make it stand on one leg. It needs to be a comprehensive, well-rounded program. … In order to build that, I need research, and education and training for the next generation of professionals. I need a clinical diagnostic facility, and a treatment delivery mechanism, which is a clinic.”
With additional funding from the Florida Legislature following the 2024 and 2025 sessions, and the ongoing financial support from McCullough and FSU Vice President for Research Stacey Patterson and College of Medicine Dean Alma Littles, Bhide is committed to stabilizing that stool.
Just two-plus years into the five-year plan, IPRD’ s build-out is well underway.
Assembling the Personnel
From the very start, Bhide acknowledged the importance of putting together a team capable of transforming the lives of children affected by rare diseases.
“ Building the workforce is a top priority,” said Bhide, who is assembling a team driven to make Florida the national leader in pediatric rare disease research and precision medicine.
Bhide quickly identified and enlisted the help of internal personnel, with the support of then-Biomedical Sciences department chair Richard Nowakowski, Ph. D., College of Medicine research colleagues Cynthia Vied, Ph. D., and Michelle Arbeitman, Ph. D., who were among the first to sign on and hold key associate director positions for IPRD Genomics and Research & Training, respectively.
All four made up IPRD’ s initial research advisory council, which reviewed grant applications and awarded funding for research focused on discovering and developing technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of a broad spectrum of rare diseases.
In July 2025, Bhide appointed Antonia Nemec, Ph. D., as IPRD’ s associate director for Research Operations.
Identifying and bringing key personnel to IPRD has accelerated since the February 2025 addition of acclaimed human geneticist, distinguished scientist
Photo: From left, FSU Provost James Clark and VP of Research Stacey Patterson join Florida IPRD leaders Pradeep Bhide, Cynthia Vied, David Ledbetter and College of Medicine Senior Associate Dean Xian Jin Xie and Dean Alma Littles in the new IPRD Diagnostic Lab.