UF College of Medicine

06/02/2026

We are launching a new cross-campus initiative with the University of Florida College of Medicine - Jacksonville to help M.D., PA and graduate education teaching faculty develop skills in education research, curriculum evaluation and scholarly dissemination.

The inaugural Medical Education Research and Scholarship intensive course will begin this fall, and applications for the eight-month intensive course are being accepted throughout the month of June.

Learn more at https://news.drgator.ufl.edu/2026/06/02/medical-education-research-scholarship-faculty-course/.

06/02/2026

Our Summer Send-Off Series is back! University of Florida College of Medicine students and alumni are invited to join the receptions happening around Florida to help welcome our newly accepted medical students into the .

The receptions will take place at the following locations:
⭐ Tampa: 6:30 p.m. on June 11 at Whiskey Cake
⭐ Jacksonville: 6:30 p.m. on June 11 at Seasons 52
⭐ Orlando: 6:30 p.m. on June 18 at RusTeak Thornton Park

Please RSVP at https://med.ufl.edu/alumni-affairs/summersendoff/.

06/02/2026

Are you interested in medical school in the Sunshine State?

Meet us at the AAMC Virtual Medical School Fair to learn more about our Gator M.D. program. We'll be there from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, June 4, with two special guests.

Frank Genuardi, M.D., senior associate dean for educational affairs at the University of Florida College of Medicine - Jacksonville, will join from 11 a.m. to noon and 1:30-2:30 p.m. to answer questions about the new Jacksonville regional medical campus.

Mark Segal, M.D., Ph.D., director of the University of Florida College of Medicine M.D.-Ph.D. training program, will join from 3-5 p.m. to chat with anyone interested in the combined degree track.

Please register for the fair at https://virtualfairs.aamc.org/Fair/EventDetails?fairId=f98ea3d0-3750-4593-a5b7-b41900f8ae64. We hope to see you there!

06/01/2026

Thanks to a Family Medicine Cares USA grant award, the University of Florida College of Medicine's free, student-run Equal Access Clinic Network was able to purchase new medical equipment for uninsured and underinsured patients in the North Central Florida community. Along with an electrocardiogram machine, hemoglobin A1C testing supplies and women’s health supplies, the clinics now have two automated external defibrillators, portable devices that can help save the life of someone experiencing cardiac arrest.

Rising fourth-year medical student and Equal Access Clinic Network grants coordinator Brandon Climenhage spearheaded the effort after he and another student cared for a patient experiencing chest pain.

"Volunteering with the Equal Access Clinic Network has been one of the most meaningful parts of my medical school experience," Climenhage said. "It was really meaningful to see the process through, from identifying a need as a clinic officer to helping secure resources that directly benefit our patients. This is the kind of work I plan to continue as a physician, and I’m grateful that I had the chance to make an impact in my community as a student."

Kamilah Roca-Datzer, a UF M.D.-Ph.D. student and finance director for the Equal Access Clinic Network, also worked on the grant.

"Each of our four primary care clinics serves a unique patient population in different community locations," she said. "The impact has been felt by both our volunteers, who are better equipped to provide care, and our patients, who benefit from more accessible, high-quality care tailored to their needs."

06/01/2026

Congratulations to Michael Haller, M.D., professor and chief of pediatric endocrinology at the University of Florida College of Medicine, on being appointed chair of Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet. 🎉

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Michael Haller and Dr. Carmella Evans-Molina to their new roles as Chair and Vice Chair, and in expressing our gratitude to Dr. Kevan Herold and Dr. Linda DiMeglio for their dedication and exceptional leadership.

05/30/2026

Looking good, UF PA Class of 2027! Congratulations on completing year one. 🐊🥼

05/30/2026

“Receiving my white coat means the world to me,” said Kensky Lajeune, a rising second-year University of Florida PA student and double-Gator who graduated from the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions health science program. “One of my biggest reasons for being interested in medicine was my mother. She is a nurse, and I wanted to emulate her. She drives me to be better. In my clinical year, I look forward to putting my skills to the test. I feel like the bulk of my learning begins there. It’ll be completely different from sitting in a lecture, hearing about disorders and procedures, compared with actually witnessing and performing them.”

Lajeune, a Haitian American from Boynton Beach, Florida, serves as president of the Gator PA Class of 2027.

“What I’ve enjoyed the most about PA school so far is spending time with all the friends I’ve made along the way,” he said. “From group study sessions and game nights to socials and trips, I’ve enjoyed every interaction with my class. My goal from the very beginning was to have this cohort feel like a family, supporting one another and enjoying each other’s company. So far, so good.”

Congratulations to Lajeune and the Class of 2027!

05/30/2026

“I knew I wanted to pursue medicine from a very young age, but my passion for the PA profession truly began during my high school medical program. On a field trip to our local hospital, we passed by the operating room, and I still remember how cinematic the moment felt. The OR doors opened, and I stood there in complete awe as I watched a provider with his hands deep in a patient’s chest. In the middle of the procedure, he looked up at us and waved, and just like that, the doors closed again. I immediately asked our tour guide who he was, and she replied, ‘Oh, that is our PA.’ I rushed home that same day and spent hours researching the profession, and the more I learned about the PA role, the more deeply I fell in love with it. From that moment on, I knew exactly what I was meant to do,” said Gabriela Gomez, a rising second-year UF physician assistant student and double-Gator who received her white coat today. “I hope to use my future career as a PA to help bridge gaps by providing compassionate, high-quality care to all patients. I want to help people feel heard and understood regardless of their background.”

Gomez, a Colombian and Dominican American from West Palm Beach, Florida, is the first in her family to attend and graduate from college. During her undergraduate health science studies with the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions, she helped lead UF’s pre-PA club. Now, she serves as secretary for the Gator PA Class of 2027.

“Growing up, a white coat felt like something I only saw people wear in TV shows and movies, so now being the one who gets to wear it is surreal,” she said. “More than anything, I can’t wait to have what I call my ‘Tinker Bell moment’ — that moment where I rotate through a specialty and something just clicks. I’m excited to discover what area of medicine truly stands out to me and where I feel most at home!”

Congratulations to Gomez and the Class of 2027!

05/30/2026

“By the time I got to high school, I knew I wanted to take care of people and had my sights set on the healthcare field. It was not until my internship at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, during my senior year of college that I started working with PAs, giving me my first glimpse at this great profession,” said Patrick Mitchell, a rising second-year UF physician assistant student who received his white coat today. “The white coat symbolizes our transition to hands-on clinical work, showing we have gained the knowledge and trust to go out into the community and help those in need. I am really looking forward to gaining hands-on procedural experience as well as putting together everything we have learned to help real patients get back to their normal lives.”

Mitchell, a former Division I college baseball player from Broward County, Florida, serves as the American Academy of Physician Associates student representative for the Gator PA Class of 2027.

“My favorite part about PA school at UF is easily the connections I have made with my classmates,” he said. “PA school is hard, and I would not be able to get through it without their support. Between study groups, movie nights, pickleball and football games, all of the friends I have made this year have been the greatest aspect of this program.”

Congratulations to Mitchell and the Class of 2027!

05/30/2026

The PA Class of 2027 ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. 🐊🥼
Tune in to the celebration at https://mediasite.video.ufl.edu/Mediasite/Play/24ddd079788644e396ca23c098997fe21d.