College of Medicine Dean J. Ocie Harris, at microphone, announces the college ' s full accreditation on Feb. 3, 2005. FSU President T. K. Wetherell, Ed. D.( left), Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Alma Littles, M. D.,( second from right) and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs Myra Hurt, Ph. D., who served as acting dean when the college was first created, complete the front row. Littles is now the dean; Wetherell died in 2018 and Hurt in 2023; and Harris was recently voted into the college ' s Medical Alumni Hall of Fame and will be inducted at the Alumni Reunion in November.
“ I will say that Myra’ s vision, and her ability to think beyond the reality of the present, were instrumental in us reaching those unseeable goals out there.”
The production of those programs through the 2023-2024 academic year sheds numeric light on their success. The Bridge program has produced 214 graduates, all of whom entered the College of Medicine M. D. program; many became leaders of their respective classes.
Of the 626 IMS graduates, 43 have entered FSU’ s M. D. program, 18 have entered the PA program and five have begun their post-baccalaureate medical education in Bridge.
SSTRIDE participants, not including those from its offshoot Summer Institute program, have included 20 who entered either the M. D. or PA programs, while 227 USSTRIDE alumni have moved on to those programs. Those numbers continue to rise.
Research with a purpose
In addition to the pathway programs, the legislation specifically called for the college to advance knowledge in applied biomedical and behavioral sciences and train future scientists to assume leadership in health care delivery and academic medicine.
To that end, the college has produced 80 biomedical sciences Ph. D. graduates, in addition to 17 neuroscience Ph. D. graduates, who were educated and trained in faculty-led laboratories – alongside postdoctoral researchers – immersed in a broad range of funded discovery. for proposals( 152), awards( 112) and award funding($ 37.7 million), numbers that were unfathomable at the time of its creation. The influx of acclaimed faculty in the past year alone indicates the upward trend continues.
Today, a dozen College of Medicine-affiliated centers and institutes continue to advance research and engage the community in autism, child stress and health, brain repair, behavioral health, translational behavioral science and more. Launched in July 2023, the Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases includes research, education, diagnostic and clinical components – a bench to bedside model – aimed to transform the lives of children and families affected by rare diseases.
Mission remains at forefront
Growth also continues beyond the walls of the college in response to the state’ s growing need for more physicians. The college’ s menu of Graduate Medical Education( GME) sponsorships of residency and fellowship programs will nearly double this summer, providing additional opportunities for students in-state. Studies show that a majority – 77 % based on one University of California Health study – of physicians remain in the state where they completed residency.
That speaks directly to both the College of Medicine’ s mission to“ educate and develop exemplary physicians who practice patient-centered health care … especially through service to underserved populations,” which includes Florida’ s substantial geriatric and rural populations.
Research at the college reached a five-year high in fiscal year 2024
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