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TAMPA BAY
USF HEALTH MORSANI COLLEGE OF MEDICINE CHAMPIONS IN ACADEMIC MEDICINE, MAKING LIFE BETTER Every great city has in its midst an academic medical center that improves the lives of patients, their families and the communities they serve. Over the past 50 years, the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine (MCOM) has played a leading role in the health and well-being of our region, serving as Tampa Bay’s champion in academic medicine. Our faculty, staff and students push the boundaries of academic medicine so they can make life better today and beyond. As we face an unprecedented time in health care, confronting the challenges of a global health pandemic, our grit and determination continue to advance health regionally, nationally and around the world. Through the half century since the MD charter class began classes, MCOM has increasingly prided itself on forging innovative research across disciplines, bringing together scientific researchers and outstanding clinicians to translate ideas from the laboratory bench to the patient’s bedside. MCOM is anchored by the nation’s fastest-rising public urban-research university, the University of South Florida (USF), and by USF Health and Tampa General Hospital (TGH), which are together the first and only academic medical center on Florida’s West Coast. Our medical school fosters discovery and innovation university-wide by attracting record-breaking research awards; recruiting top-tier faculty and students; and driving economic growth in downtown Tampa’s bustling urban core – one of the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas.
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Resonance Consultancy named Tampa as the
#1
City in Florida and
22
Nationwide
In partnership with our primary teaching hospital Tampa General Hospital (TGH), MCOM advances the standard of patient care in Tampa Bay through the power of academic medicine. Our physicians and allied health professionals help drive the frontiers of knowledge and innovation with breakthroughs in education, research and clinical practice, from pioneering medical discoveries to new specialized treatments and better health outcomes.
ranked Tampa as the
Under the leadership of Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of MCOM, and with the support of our incredible championship team – faculty, staff, students, alumni, patients, donors, and partners – progress in academic medicine is on the rise in Tampa Bay.
Emerging Tech City
U S F H E A LTH MO R SA N I C O L L EG E O F M ED I C I N E
Forbes
#1
ACADEMIC MEDICINE
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TAB TITLE DEAN’S WELCOME
ACADEMIC MEDICINE ON THE RISE The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine (MCOM) champions excellence in academic medicine in Tampa Bay, the State of Florida and across the Nation. Our exemplary faculty and staff have been paragons of resilience and devotion to their craft during the COVID-19 pandemic, caring for many of the sickest patients in the State with among the best outcomes in the nation, particularly for those requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Remarkably, during this time of turmoil we have achieved new records in admitted medical student mean MCAT scores, GPA, and diversity; matriculated student USMLE Step 1 and 2 scores; total and NIH grant funding; and patient volume, satisfaction, safety, and Medicare Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) composite scores. I could not be prouder of our faculty’s unflagging commitment to bringing world-class research, education, and patient care to our region. But none of these recent achievements should come as a surprise. Over the past seven years, MCOM has grown at an incredible rate, with major advances across all three mission areas. At the beginning of 2014, our faculty practice faced serious financial, and operational challenges and strained relationships with our teaching hospitals. After building consensus among clinical chairs and faculty, we eliminated non-mission-critical and financially unsound programs, reorganized the revenue cycle office, and launched Epic as our electronic health record to gain access to inpatient patient care data, support clinical research, accommodate the transition to ICD-10 and implement electronic charge capture and billing. Net collection rates have climbed from under 60% to over 90%. We also renegotiated payor contracts, improved patient access and increased provider productivity. Patient volume has grown 30% but total clinical revenues have increased over 150% from FY14 to FY21 and a $4M a year clinical practice deficit has been converted to a $23M surplus despite investments of nearly $40M in practice infrastructure. Over the past five years we have implemented an aggressive patient safety and satisfaction program as well as staff customer service training. Over that time our Press-Ganey scores have increased for physician satisfaction to above the 70th percentile. Our patient safety program has reduced malpractice claims by over 65% allowing us to forgo professional liability insurance premiums for the past two years. We have received top quality performance scores from the Medicare’s MIPS program, generating substantial bonus payments and have formed an Accountable Care Organization. Relations with our hospital partners have improved dramatically over the past seven years, especially with Tampa General Hospital (TGH). This past January we signed an agreement for a substantial integration of USF Health-TGH physician services to form a large, financially sound academic health center (AHC) with a common bottom-line. This integration “de-risks” USF Health, provides capital, improves IT, HR, and accounting systems, and increases academic support which will now be derived from aggregate AHC revenues not just faculty revenue. Since 2014 we reorganized the Office of Educational Affairs and the Admissions Office created an academic support center, overhauled the curriculum to increase active learning and clinical reasoning, and oversaw a very successful LCME re-accreditation. This year we
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U S F H E A LTH MO R SA N I C O L L EG E O F M ED I C I N E
had 6,400 applicants for 180 slots, up from 3,990 applicants in 2014. Recent matriculants had a record mean MCAT score (517; 94th percentile) and GPA (3.87) and this new class is also the most diverse in our history with 20% coming from groups traditionally underrepresented in medicine (URM), and 12% Black students including 11 Black men. Performance on Step 1 and Step 2 of the USMLE has greatly improved and over 95% of graduating students conduct research projects, up from 20% in 2014. In 2015, we reorganized our research operations, focusing on three strategic areas that complemented growing clinical strengths to create cardiovascular and neuroscience institutes and a global infectious disease program. The faculty Appointment & Promotions process was reorganized to be fairer, more empirical and to incentivize research. Research labs have been refurbished, over 100,000 SF of new labs built, core labs created, and a pilot grant program started. Aided by legislative funding, we doubled the number of NIH researchers. As a result, total MCOM faculty research awards, including that of affiliate faculty, increased from $128M in 2014 to $318M in 2021; and clinical trial funding tripled. Driven by increased NIH funding and MCAT scores, our USN&WR ranking has climbed from 80th in 2014 to 48th in 2021. I am particularly pleased by the successful effort to obtain a new medical school facility and heart institute. The process began when then Florida House Speaker Weatherford garnered $50M for the Heart Institute. Mr. Jeff Vinik, owner of the Stanley Cup champion Lightning NHL club, donated real estate for a co-located facility in his Water Street Tampa project. Unanimous support was garnered from the Florida State University System Board of Governors, and with strong support from Governor Scott we were able to secure another $62M in State funding and $75M in non-State funding. The 400,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility opened on January 8, 2020, on schedule, and earned the distinction of becoming the first-ever Microsoft Medical School of Innovation, integrating cuttingedge technology with small group active learning. While there is so much to be proud of over the past seven years, I am most proud of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to rapid conversion to online learning and creation of a telehealth platform, within a week of the lockdown, our researchers designed and tested a 3D-printed flocked nasal swab to address a critical shortage of commercial swabs used in COVID-19 test kits. We released the formula to the public, and it has been utilized by nearly 60 US health systems, multiple states, the U.S. Armed Forces, and over 50 countries. To date more than 70 million have been produced, directly impacting the planet’s response to COVID-19. USF Health managed three Hillsborough County testing sites conducting nearly 33,000 tests. I worked directly with the FDA commissioner and White House Task Force to utilize our research labs for campus-wide pooled testing surveillance, which helped USF achieve one of the lowest infection rates of any large U.S. public university. We created the “COVID-19 Confirmed Clinic” to provide follow-up services and monoclonal antibody therapy to nearly 600 patients. Our faculty conducted hundreds of media interviews, and joined with federal, state, and municipal elected leaders for news conferences, town halls, and podcasts to educate the public. Finally, we stood up over 60 COVID-19 related clinical trials at TGH including studies of Remdesivir, interleukin-6 pathway inhibitors, dexamethasone, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccines. Whether by training the next-generation of physician leaders, producing groundbreaking clinical research, or bringing the highestquality care to our more than one million patients annually, the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine is leveraging the power of academic medicine to transform health in Tampa Bay and beyond. Sincerely,
CHARLES J. LOCKWOOD, MD, MHCM Senior Vice President, USF Health Dean, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
2020 - 2021
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COVID-19
CHAMPIONS ON THE FRONTLINES OF COVID-19 INFORMING. TESTING. INNOVATING. CARING. During an incredibly tough year amid a global health pandemic, MCOM researchers, physicians, providers, residents, fellows, and students have worked with dedication and resilience to deliver the best care possible to our patients, their families and our communities. MCOM rallied with the colleges of Nursing, Public Health and Pharmacy, and our primary teaching hospital, Tampa General Hospital (TGH), offering solutions, support and strength to meet our community, region and nation’s urgent needs. Here are some key ways the COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for innovation at MCOM.
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U S F H E A LTH MO R SA N I C O L L EG E O F M ED I C I N E
At our clinical sites Nearly
33,000 COVID tests. Nearly
36,000 COVID vaccines.
USF Health’s multispecialty group practice completed over
200,000
telehealth visits since the COVID-19 crisis began — more than any other specialty group in the region.
INNOVATION
Invented 3D-printed nasal swabs adopted worldwide When viral collection nasal swabs were in short supply across the globe for COVID-19 testing kits, the Department of Radiology’s 3D Clinical Applications Division quickly mobilized to design, test and produce a 3D-printed alternative. To date, more than 70 million 3D-printed nasal swabs have been produced in 56 countries using the USF-patented design, including by several hospitals and academic medical centers, many state governments, and international agencies and health care facilities. The college’s clinical 3D-printing experts and faculty across MCOM collaborated with Northwell Health and Formlabs to develop prototypes and secure materials for a 3D-printed alternative. Working virtually around the clock for a week, the teams developed the nasal swab prototype for testing in USF Health and Northwell Health. Validation testing and rapid clinical testing followed at Northwell Health and Tampa General Hospital. A multisite clinical trial led by USF Health MCOM, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, showed that the 3D printed swabs performed as well as standard commercial swabs for COVID-19 diagnostic testing.
Summer Decker, PhD, director of 3D Clinical Applications Division in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, has been at the forefront of USF Health Radiology Department’s trailblazing use of 3D modeling in clinical capacities.
Jonathan Ford, PhD, a biomedical engineer in the USF Health 3D Lab, pulls newly printed nasal swabs made of specialized clinical/ surgical-grade material and ready for use in testing for COVID-19.
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COVID-19 / EDUCATION
Kept medical students on track as Florida’s only in-state USMLE testing site
Adapted quickly to meet students’ educational needs
The interdepartmental USF MCOM Prometric Center was the first-of-its-kind in Florida – and served as one of six nationwide to administer the U.S. Medical Licensing Exams (USMLE) when other prometric testing sites shut down due to COVID-19.
Like medical schools across the country, MCOM pivoted when COVID-19 hit to ensure students at all levels were kept safe without compromising the quality of their education. The entire medical education experience successfully transitioned largely to virtual learning and supervised telehealth using Microsoft Teams to maintain engagement, help reduce stress and keep everyone on track.
MCOM’s state-of-the art Experiential Learning Lab was transformed into a testing facility, serving as the only instate exam site option for medical students. The Department of Medical Education’s prometric-certified employees served as proctors and contributed nearly 1,100 hours running the testing center. Operating seven days a week, over the course of nine weeks, MCOM was the first medical school site to go live and the last to close.
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The Experiential Learning Lab, a transformative educational space in our new downtown Tampa MCOM facility, lets medical students seamlessly move from large-group classroom discussions to small-group to hands-on experiences. Moveable partitions divide the lab to accommodate exercises by groups of all sizes for simultaneously applying concepts of anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology — which is how doctors practice every day.
The hybrid curriculum amounted to more than 80% virtual teaching and less than 20% in-person activities based on scheduled course hours. Key performance indicators demonstrated that MCOM students achieved equivalent academic success when compared to pre-COVID cohorts, with academic standards remaining unchanged.
> M COM was the only medical school in the state of Florida accepting visiting students.
COVID-19 / CLINICAL CARE
Selected to join national vaccine clinical trials
Created COVID-19 outpatient clinic
Multidisciplinary research teams met the challenges of COVID-19 with an unprecedented sense of urgency, initiating more than 60 active clinical trials for hopeful treatments, including:
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, MCOM created a virtual telehealth clinic – the USF Health Confirmed COVID-19 Clinic (COCO clinic) – to provide vital follow-up services for patients discharged from the hospital and recovering from the virus. Students across health disciplines rotated through the site as part of their clinical training. Now housed as a permanent resource in our primary teaching hospital, the TGH Translational Care Clinic continues – to care for patients and connect them with home health care, behavioral health clinicians and social support outreach.
> Selected as a clinical trial site to test Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for children ages six months to 11. MCOM research physicians recruited Tampa Bay area young volunteers to participate in the phase 2/3 research study, called the KidCOVE Study, to evaluate safety and immune responses. > Enrolled young adults, including those not planning to be vaccinated, in an expanded nationwide Prevent COVID U study evaluating coronavirus infection and transmission in people ages 18-29. MCOM is one of 50 testing sites evaluating how well Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine prevents the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in young adults. > Chosen as a clinical trial testing site for the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. MCOM and TGH joined over 100 research sites expecting to enroll more than 30,000 adult participants in the phase 3 vaccine trials as part of the global search for a safe and effective vaccine to prevent COVID-19. > One of two academic allergy-research centers in Florida participating in a NIH-sponsored clinical trial to determine whether highly allergic adults are at greater risk for severe, immediate allergic reactions to the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccines. The study can help define causes of rare acute allergic reaction to these mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, which may enhance the safety of potential booster vaccines. > A mong the first to evaluate the practical effectiveness of monoclonal antibodies (MABs) when administered early to patients deemed at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19. The study co-led by MCOM and TGH, published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, demonstrated MABs can reduce hospitalizations and the pandemic stress on health care systems.
Launched first-of-its-kind institute in Florida to fight COVID-19 and other infectious diseases TGH and MCOM created the Taneja Family Global Emerging Diseases Institute, a one-of-a-kind, stand-alone institute in Florida, designed to treat patients suffering from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. An entire team of physician leaders serve the Institute, from inpatient care and outpatient clinics to teaching and research.
Partnered with Global Virus Network to help prepare for future pandemics The Global Virus Network, comprising the world’s foremost experts in virology, announced earlier this year that USF Health would serve as GVN’s Southeast United States Regional Headquarters providing organizational leadership and support to the coalition’s global headquarters. MCOM will join the other USF Health colleges in strengthening GVN’s research response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, and collaborating with the coalition to plan for, and defend against, future epidemics and pandemics. USF Health will also assist regional efforts to train and mentor future leaders who can find new solutions to protect against contagious diseases.
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COVID-19 / ENGAGEMENT
Kept Floridians informed From the early days of the crisis, Florida leaders turned to Dr. Lockwood and his faculty for best counsel, and people in and out of Florida relied on USF Health for expertise on COVID-19.
Dr. Lockwood and Kami Kim, MD, director of infectious disease and international medicine, joined a press conference at Tampa General Hospital with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to discuss COVID-19 vaccines and the effectiveness of treating high-risk patients early with COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies to reduce hospitalizations.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence made a public appearance at the University of South Florida and was accompanied by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, including U.S. Ambassador Deborah Birx, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, to address the state’s handling of the COVID-19 virus. At the USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), Pence led a roundtable discussion with former USF President Steven Currall, USF Health Senior Vice President and MCOM Dean Dr. Charles Lockwood, and area medical professionals.
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USF Health Professor Christian Brechot, MD, PhD, president of the Global Virus Network, developed a “Coronavirus Research and Care” blog providing routine insights on COVID-19, including the latest information about mitigation measures, testing, vaccine development, clinical trials, and viral variants.
COVID-19 / ENGAGEMENT
Inspiring COVID-19 champions Health care heroes across MCOM received awards and accolades for their incredible efforts in the fight against COVID-19. Among the many ways they inspired, to name a few: vaccinating underrepresented minorities; mitigating the nasal swab shortage by creating a 3D printed alternative; playing a key role in player and fan safety during this year’s National Football League Super Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa; and delivering masks to high-risk populations and their families, including homeless patients served by the college’s Tampa Bay Street Medicine program and refugees at a student-run clinic. Throughout the pandemic USF Health virologist and immunologist Michael Teng, PhD, provided consistent guidance to the public through hundreds of media interviews. He fielded questions on how mRNA vaccines work, their advantages and drawbacks, and whether the population will return to a pre-COVID lifestyle.
A panel of USF Health Morsani College of Medicine experts, along with the Honorable Jane Castor, mayor of the City of Tampa, participated in a COVID-19 roundtable discussion followed by a 30-minute virtual audience Q&A session.
Terri Ashmeade, MD, chief quality officer; associate executive director for USF Health Clinical Care, Quality and Population Health; and professor of pediatrics (pictured in the Jennifer Leigh Muma NICU at Tampa General Hospital), was one of two MCOM faculty members recognized as 2021 Champions of Humanistic Care by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. Dr. Ashmeade and Summer Decker, PhD (not pictured), associate professor of radiology; vice chair for radiology research; and director for 3D Clinical Applications, joined more than 200 health professionals honored at the Gold Foundation’s virtual gala for their compassion and courage during COVID-19. They shared the national spotlight with the NIH’s Dr. Anthony Fauci, recipient of the National Humanism in Medicine Medal.
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EDUCATION
RISING STUDENT SUCCESS IN ACADEMIC MEDICINE As the nation’s first Medical School of Innovation designated by Microsoft, the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine proudly champions innovative education and training. We prepare the future generation of medical leaders to meet tomorrow’s health care needs through value-based care. As the college grows, MCOM continues to attract the best and brightest students to Tampa Bay. Of more than 53,000 applicants seeking spots in 162 U.S. medical schools, nearly 6,400 applied to MCOM – up 19% from last year – and 173 first-year medical students were accepted into the incoming MD Class of 2025. Over the past several years, each MCOM first-year class has outpaced the class before, garnering higher MCAT scores and stronger GPAs. This year, the Class of 2025 is the most competitive and diverse class in the college’s history. The incoming students achieved record MCAT and GPA scores and 20% are from ethnic populations under-represented in medicine. This standout class achieved an overall GPA of 3.87 and a median MCAT score of 517, well above the national average among both public and private universities. Their MCAT score is in the 94th percentile of all medical students taking the exam nationally.
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Residency Stats
Match Day Stats
Our graduating medical students have filled through the Match with a competitive average
From the USF Health MCOM Class of 2021:
Step 2 score of
senior students matched
in academic year 20-21.
students (22%) stayed at USF for their residencies
Our residency programs provide patient care at 22 different clinical affiliates in Florida.
(46%) stayed in Florida
248
In AY 20-21, 58% of our graduates stayed in Florida for practice and 100% of our graduates would recommend MCOM for graduate medical education.
171 37
79 57
students (33%) chose primary care as their specialty (internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics).
EDUCATION Beyond traditional boundaries: Championing interprofessional education and practice USF Health’s 3rd Annual Interprofessional Education Day on the “Globalization of Infectious Diseases” was held virtually and hosted by the USF Health Office of Interprofessional Education and Practice (IPEP). Leaders and featured speakers discussed how interprofessional can improve health access, health disparities, health outcomes, and prevent the global spread of infectious diseases.
Collaboration is a defining force instilled in our MD program. Working together, our students reach solutions as integral members of the health care team. Medical students foster interprofessional (IPE) collaborations with peers in the Colleges of Nursing, Public Health and Pharmacy. Among the ways MCOM has fostered strong IPE for our students and expanded beyond traditional learning: > Pivoted to a virtual environment for all clinical skills examinations via Microsoft Teams, offering 83,335 virtual patient experiences for our students. MCOM was able to deploy both virtual exams and activities while also running inperson encounters at USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) with the Experiential Learning and Simulation (ELS) team. > Created a telehealth training module for USF Health medical students using the Florida American Medical Association’s innovative telemedicine online course along with adaptive criteria essential for the students’ skill set. Each student practiced history taking and observational skills for their physical exam section to hone skills needed to successfully complete the virtual standardized patient encounters. The ELS team has shared this curriculum with many medical schools across the country to help others successfully navigate the virtual environment with as few disruptions as possible.
> T he USF School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences ranked in the top 50 for Best Graduate Schools by U.S. News and World Report.
> Expanded our Interprofessional Education Program to add virtual modules taught to all MCOM students as well as Pharmacy, Nursing, PA, DPT and AT students.
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EDUCATION MD students across 4 years
726
No. of master’s and PhD students (medical sciences, bioinformatics, biotechnology)
766
No. of physical therapy students
147
No. of MCOM faculty
715
Full Time, Compensated Faculty No. of medical student and patient learning encounters in AY 2020-21
178,450 MCOM trains a total of 778 trainees, with 565 residents and 213 fellows in 65 accredited residency programs. 14 /
U S F H E A LTH MO R SA N I C O L L EG E O F M ED I C I N E
USF Health Morsani College of Medicine ranked as one of the best graduate schools in the nation for the most graduates in primary care in the latest 2022 U.S. News and World Report Best Medical School rankings.
EDUCATION
Meet the Class of 2025 6384
Top 10 Majors
Primary applicants
836 Interviewed
177
Matriculated
121 Core
56 SELECT
20%
53% 47% Female
Male
1
Biology
2
Biomedical Science
3
Neuroscience
4
Biochemistry
5
Molecular Biology
6
Chemistry
7
Psychology
8
Biomedical Engineering
9
Human Biology
10
Microbiology / Bacteriology
Under-represented in medicine/ Diversity
3.87 Median GPA
3.85
517
Median MCAT Score
Median BCPM
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EDUCATION > M COM students contributed over 20,000 hours amid the COVID-19 pandemic through virtual and inperson encounters to meet our community's urgent needs in providing critical health care services.
Champions of Health for Vulnerable Populations MCOM students, faculty and staff bring a distinctive combination of perspectives, cultural competencies and strengths devoted to improving health care through research, education and clinical care: > MCOM's incoming class of first-year medical students represent 12 percent black students including 11 black males. > MCOM was one of two medical schools in Florida to receive a 2020 Award for Excellence in Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Medical Education and Patient Care from the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. The college was recognized for creating a curricular thread integrated across all four years of medical school called Humanism in Action. The curriculum teaches communication skills that students need to elicit the values of their patients and then integrate those values into the patient care plan. > In August 2020, MCOM became an official chapter of the national White Coats for Black Lives. Open to all USF Health students, the organization aims to safeguard the lives and well-being of patients through the elimination of racism.
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USF Health Morsani College of Medicine faculty and students joined health care providers across the country in a moment of solidarity to show their support of the national White Coat for Black Lives movement against racial injustice and inequality to improve health outcomes.
RESEARCH
CHAMPIONS OF WORLD-CLASS INNOVATION At the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, we champion translating discoveries to best-practice clinical care. Ranked in the top 50 for research among both public and private universities by U.S. News & World Report, MCOM continues building its cross-disciplinary, translational research programs in diabetes, cardiovascular sciences, neuroscience, infectious diseases, and maternal-fetal medicine. Our college has made great strides in increasing the quality and diversity of research, helping drive the university’s record growth in federally sponsored research, and recruiting preeminent scientists funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH).
Percentage of students conducting scholarly work:
A USF Health preclinical study providing novel insights into maternal stress and preterm birth was published this spring in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). An NIH supported team, led by co-principal investigators Ozlem Guzeloglu-Kayisli, PhD (pictured), and Dr. Lockwood, uncovered a molecular mechanism to help explain how psychological and/or physiological stress in pregnant women triggers idiopathic preterm birth.
95%
Increase in Clinical Trials revenue
156% AY 15-21
MCOM Research Awards
USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s commitment to groundbreaking research fuels the City of Tampa’s champion standards and drives innovation across the nation. See how.
$318 M+ AY 21
MCOM NIH Awards
$164 M+ AY 21
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RESEARCH
> L isted as #16 out of 41,717 total PIs ranked worldwide
Top NIH diabetes funding in Florida, leading 1% of NIH PIs worldwide This year, the NIH awarded the University of South Florida total expected funds of $69.9 million over the next four years to continue the follow-up of study participants in The Environment Determinants of Diabetes in The Young (TEDDY) consortium. TEDDY is the largest multicenter prospective study of young children with genetic susceptibility to type 1 diabetes (T1D). Distinguished University Health Professor Jeffrey Krischer, PhD, director of the Health Informatics Institute (HII) at MCOM, is the principal investigator for TEDDY. He has overseen the NIH-supported data coordinating center for this consortium since its inception in 2004. Researchers employ advanced technologies such as proteomics, epigenetics, gene expression analyses, and metabolomics for TEDDY and other NIH initiatives. HII’s high-performance computing platform and big data analyses powers their critically important work needed to find new treatments and preventive approaches for type 1 diabetes.
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Under Dr. Krischer’s leadership, USF Health has built an internationally recognized hub for epidemiological research initiatives in T1D. He ranks in the top 1% of all NIH-funded principal investigators worldwide, according to Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. Over the last 10 years, Dr. Krischer has attracted $533 million in NIH awards to MCOM, largely for research on Type 1 diabetes and related autoimmune diseases.
Nature highlights MCOM-led TEDDY study as a diabetes research milestone > A 2019 Nature Medicine paper led by USF Health HII researchers was recently recognized as one of 24 key advances in diabetes research since insulin was discovered 100 years ago. The TEDDY study provided intriguing evidence showing that, in young children with increased genetic risk for type 1 diabetes, prolonged enterovirus infection plays a role in autoimmune destruction of insulinproducing beta cells. > T he USF Health work represented a major advance in understanding the links between the virome (all the viruses in the body) and T1D. The research team used sophisticated genomic sequencing technologies to identify a possible infectious cause for T1D.
RESEARCH
Strong neurosciences research portfolio > The USF Health Neuroscience Institute, anchored by Byrd Alzheimer’s Center, is one of the world’s largest freestanding institutes offering research and care for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias under one roof. > USF Health site principal investigator Jerri Edwards, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences, was awarded a five-year, $44.4 million NIH grant to test whether computerized brain training reduces dementia risk. The grant from the NIH’s National Institute on Aging expands USF’s Preventing Alzheimer’s with Cognitive Training (PACT) study. PACT is the largest primary prevention trial to date rigorously evaluating the effectiveness of computer-based training to protect against mild cognitive impairment and dementias like Alzheimer’s disease in older adults. > The USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Center, one of 60 Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative sites across the U.S. and Canada, contributed to a new international study suggesting there is reason to reevaluate the concept of “typical” Alzheimer’s disease. Reported in Nature Medicine, the study examined the largest and most diverse population to date using tau-PET scans, an advanced neuroimaging technique. Researchers identified four distinct patterns of tau accumulation and showed that each correlates to different symptoms with different prognoses. The findings help explain why Alzheimer’s patients may develop varied symptoms early in the disease. > Chaperone protein imbalance can play a significant role in initiating toxic accumulation of tau in the aging brain – an early step in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and related tauopathies, a new preclinical study by USF Health neuroscientists suggests. The NIH-funded study showed that disrupted chaperone proteins in the aging brain may tip the balance to promote toxic tau accumulation, leading to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Jerri Edwards, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, is USF site principal investigator for the PACT study.
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RESEARCH
Advancing team science to improve heart health > T he USF Health Heart Institute (HI) was founded on the principle of seeking innovative solutions to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of death in our state and country. Co-located in the MCOM building in Water Street Tampa, the 100,400 square-foot space houses NIH-funded faculty investigators and their teams. The facility is equipped with the latest technology, including a state-of-the-art biobank and advanced preclinical imaging suite, which allows researchers to see precisely how the heart and vascular systems respond to various diseases and targeted therapies. > T he Heart Institute is committed to translating laboratory findings on the underlying causes of heart, lung and blood vessel disease to the clinic to directly benefit patients. Laboratory scientists and physician-scientists work together with the common goal of creating optimal diagnostics, therapies and devices; generating biomedical inventions leading to patents and licenses; and attracting biotech and pharmaceutical companies. The HI research enterprise, which collaborates with TGH on clinical studies, expects to generate $30 million in NIH funding over the next five years – driving more than $60 million in yearly economic activity in the Tampa Bay region.
Jose Herazo-Maya, MD, associate chief of the MCOM Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine Division, led a retrospective multicenter study identifying a gene profile in blood that predicts the likelihood of poor outcomes for patients with COVID-19. The 50-gene risk profile could help customize treatments and potentially save lives. The study, published in LANCET’s EBioMedicine, repurposed a previously validated gene expression signature associated with a high risk of dying from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a severe lung disease.
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U S F H E A LTH MO R SA N I C O L L EG E O F M ED I C I N E
> T hrough better understanding of the genetic, molecular, and environmental drivers of heart and vascular abnormalities, the HI aims to discover more personalized ways to intervene earlier rather than later in the disease process when life-threatening, disabling events, such as heart attacks and strokes, can occur. Accelerating rigorous team science to bridge the gap from biological findings to clinical trials underscores the ultimate vision: to promote heart health by helping develop new treatments, preventions, or even cures to eradicate cardiovascular diseases. > T he HI recently recruited top talent to establish a Center of Regenerative Medicine and is developing other centers in the areas of Heart Failure, Inflammation, and Cardiovascular Disease.
RESEARCH
Ji Li, PhD, a professor of surgery, focuses on mechanisms of agerelated heart disease and uncovers significant reasons why the risk for heart attack and other cardiac complications increases in older adults. His team’s latest preclinical study, published in Aging Cell, found that diminished levels of proteins sirtuin 1 and sirtuin 3 in aging hearts weaken cardiac muscle cell contractions and can impair heart function.
Ganesh Halade, PhD, an associate professor of cardiovascular sciences, leads a National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute-funded team at the USF Health Heart Institute. His laboratory targets the root causes of unresolved cardiac inflammation to find precision heart failure therapies. Dr. Halade and collaborators recently reported research in JCP-Heart and Circulation defining the heartspleen connection in cardiac repair.
Ying Yang, PhD, an assistant professor of molecular pharmacology and physiology, led a Heart Institute preclinical study that identified the gene Foxo1 as a potential treatment target for hereditary lymphedema. The research was published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
2020 - 2021
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RESEARCH
Creating a USF Microbiomes Institute to improve human and environmental health The new USF Microbiomes Institute builds upon an ambitious microbiome initiative begun two years ago at MCOM. The institute will bolster interdisciplinary collaborations across the university to understand better how the diverse collections of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms, unique to each person, can be exploited to benefit human health and environmental health. > USF is the first Florida university to launch an interdisciplinary USF Microbiomes Institute under the leadership of USF Health’s Christian Bréchot, MD, PhD, who also serves as president of the Global Virus Network. > This spring, Dr. Bréchot recruited the first core faculty member to direct the institute’s Center for Microbiome Research. The center organizes technologies and resources for microbial studies, including human microbiome/probiotics biorepositories, tools to grow bacteria and perform fecal microbiota transplantation in transgenic models, and machines to sequence the genomes of microbes. > USF recently became one of only 38 U.S. academic institutions granted membership to the Microbiome Centers Consortium over the last two years. > Altering the composition microbes in the gut, skin, lungs, and other parts of the body to restore balance holds promise for treating a growing number of medical conditions. Early areas of microbiome research focus for the new institute are maternal/fetal medicine, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, infectious diseases, and longevity and general health.
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U S F H E A LTH MO R SA N I C O L L EG E O F M ED I C I N E
Hariom Yadav, PhD, associate professor of neurosurgery and brain repair, directs the USF Health Center for Microbiome Research, a key component of the new USF Microbiomes Institute. He investigates how the gut microbiome influences the gut-brain axis and develops microbial therapies, including probiotics, postbiotics and fermented foods, to improve cognitive decline and other age-related disorders.
CLINICAL CARE
DIABETES & ENDOCRINOLOGY RANKED
ELEVATING HEALTH CARE DELIVERY CHAMPIONS OF OUR EVERYDAY USF Health’s clinical enterprise has more providers and patients than ever, and a robust portfolio of health care services and new partnerships to deliver high-quality, value-based care. MCOM recently strengthened its longstanding relationship with primary teaching hospital and chief academic partner, Tampa General Hospital (TGH), aligning administrative and clinical practice areas into a joint organization called USF and Tampa General Physicians. This imposing physician enterprise, with over 40 clinical sites and more than 1,000 providers, forms one of the largest academic medical groups in Florida. Our hospital partner, TGH, ranked among the nation’s top 50 hospitals in more than five adult medical specialties either led or co-led by MCOM faculty, including being ranked No. 1 in all five specialties in Florida.
F our specialties also ranked as “high performing,” defined as among the top 10% of U.S. hospitals
> > > >
Cancer Geriatrics Neurology & Neurosurgery Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
#1 in Florida #28 in U.S. EAR, NOSE & THROAT
#1 in Florida #21
in U.S.
GASTROENTEROLOGY AND GI SURGERY
#1 in Florida #26 in U.S. ORTHOPEDICS
#1 in Florida #23 in U.S. REHABILITATION
#1 in Florida #36 in U.S. 2020 - 2021
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CLINICAL CARE
As the Tampa Bay region’s hub of academic medicine, MCOM physicians provide complex care in the areas of cardiovascular disease, lung and respiratory disorders, digestive disease, maternal-fetal medicine, neurological conditions, and women’s health. Here are just some ways MCOM elevates health care delivery and the clinical research contributing to better health outcomes. > Established the new USF Health and TGH Heart and Vascular Institute designed to be a destination cardiovascular institute built on the best clinical and scientific expertise at both USF Health and TGH. The institute benefits from innovative opportunities provided by organizations outside of the academic medical center, including private practices and the biomedical industry. > Adopted a new intravascular technology and successfully treated the first patient in the world with critical coronary artery disease. > Expanded digestive disease care by creating the USF Health Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, the region’s only center offering comprehensive and personalized care for patients living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. > Collaborated with TGH to offer an innovative, same-day minimally-invasive surgical treatment for women experiencing pain and fatigue caused by uterine fibroids. > The USF Health ALS Clinic was designated as one of only two sites in Florida for the CENTAUR clinical trial, which tested the safety and effectiveness of a new treatment shown to significantly benefit ALS patients. The New England Journal of Medicine published results of the highly anticipated study. Led by Dr. Judette Louis, chair of the USF Health MCOM Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, key TGH maternal health programs to reduce placental accreta and advance the safety of vaginal birth after cesarean earned first-in-the-nation dual recognition from the Maternal Safety Foundation.
> Partnered with TGH as one of the first sites in the country – and the first in Florida — to enroll patients in a new national study (EMBOLISE) testing whether a minimally invasive procedure can safely and effectively treat subacute and chronic subdural hematomas, a common type of brain bleed. > USF Health Genetics and Metabolism and TGH delivered one of the world’s first investigational gene therapies for the rare inherited disease phenylketonuria (PKU) as part of a pivotal multisite clinical trial. USF Health is one of four sites – three in the U.S. and one in the United Kingdom –participating in a phase 1/2, open-label clinical trial testing an adenovirus vector-mediated gene therapy for PKU. > Earned accreditation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), which certifies that the USF Health Ambulatory Surgery Center meets and exceeds nationally recognized standards of quality care. > Consistently named Best Doctors in America®, one of the largest ongoing peer physician polls in health care. Locally, 120 USF Health doctors made the biennial Best Doctors list – with many recognized in multiple subspecialties.
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U S F H E A LTH MO R SA N I C O L L EG E O F M ED I C I N E
CLINICAL CARE
1M+
Patient Volume
CARING FOR THE REGION Flagship outpatient care centers Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare
900+ No. of doctors, nurses and other practitioners of USF Health
South Tampa Center for Advanced Healthcare Neuroscience Institute, home of the Johnny B. Byrd Sr., Alzheimer’s Center and Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center
Key hospital partners
Clinical operations have had significant wins in the past year which has aided our pay-forperformance metrics and improved our Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) Merit based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) – score
100
Tampa General Hospital (primary teaching affiliate) James A. Haley Veterans’ Administration Hospital Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Moffitt Cancer Center Lehigh Valley Health Network … and other hospital affiliates The physicians of USF Health treat patients in more than three dozen hospital and specialty care locations across Florida’s west coast. 2020 - 2021
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GRATEFUL PATIENTS
Community volunteer and USF Health patient Bruce Mackey made a $1.8 million estate gift in honor of his USF Health doctors, cardiologist Guilherme Oliveira, MD, and dermatologist Basil Cherpelis, MD, that will fund a women’s heart health professorship, dermatology research endowment and caregiver education programs at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Center.
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U S F H E A LTH MO R SA N I C O L L EG E O F M ED I C I N E
A $1 million gift by philanthropist Timothy Ubben funds USF research led by Ubben’s doctor, Jose Herazo-Maya, MD, associate chief of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine, who studies how to detect and prevent lung scarring. Dr. Herazo-Maya has begun building a research team of other physician scientists, biostatisticians and basic scientists at The Ubben Family Pulmonary Research Laboratory in the new USF Health Heart Institute space.
After receiving a life-changing procedure at USF Health, philanthropist William “Bobby” Jacobsen honored his doctor Jorge Marcet, MD, by creating an endowment for advanced colorectal education and research. More than two years after Dr. Marcet treated him for rectal cancer with minimal surgery, Jacobsen remains cancerfree, grateful for the opportunity to continue living a normal life without a colostomy bag.
Grateful patient Michelle Turman made a $25,000 challenge gift to encourage other patients and donors to advance research and comprehensive care at the USF Health Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Center. Gastroenterologist Reneé Marchioni Beery, MD, ran tests and discovered that Turman was resistant to the medication she had been taking for several years. Doctor and patient worked together to develop a treatment plan, including a new medication, resulting in the remission of Crohn’s disease.
NEW HIRES
Syed Osman Ali, MD Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery (Cardiothoracic Surgery and Transplantation) USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Before USF: Loyola University, Chicago, IL; and Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH (advanced robotics and minimally invasive cardiac training)
ASHUTOSH DHARAP, PHD Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Center Before USF: Hackensack Meridian Health, JFK Medical Center, Edison, NJ
Expertise: Minimally invasive heart surgeries, including minimally invasive mitral valve repairs using robotics/mini-sternotomy and minimally invasive aortic valve replacement; multiarterial coronary artery bypass grafting and complex coronary revascularizations; lung transplantation and ECMO; video-assisted thoracic surgery (lung/mediastinal and chest wall surgery).
Expertise: Regulation of gene expression and pathophysiology by noncoding RNAs in cerebral ischemia; ischemic stroke; epigenetics; miRNA; lncRNA; RNA-protein interactions; transcriptomics.
K. DEAN ARNATOUKIS, MD, MBA
OLIVER FLOUTY, MD
Assistant Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical Research, Department of Surgery USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Co-director, Aortic Disease Center, Tampa General Hospital Before USF: University of Florida Expertise: Treatment of complex aortic disease with fenestrated/branched endovascular (minimally invasive) surgery, aortic aneurysms and dissections, peripheral arterial disease, cerebrovascular occlusive disease, mesenteric ischemia.
YAËL BENSOUSSAN, MD, MSC Assistant Professor of Laryngology and Director, USF Health Voice Center, Department of OtolaryngologyHead and Neck Surgery, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Before USF: University of Southern California (Fellowship in laryngology); University of Toronto (Residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, and Master of Science in system leadership and innovation)
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Before USF: University of Iowa, University of Oxford, and University of Toronto (Fellowships in epilepsy and functional neurosurgery) Expertise: Surgical implantation of devices in the brain and spinal cord for adults with movement disorders, epilepsy and pain.
JOSE HERAZO-MAYA, MD Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine (USF Health Heart Institute) Associate Division Chief of USF Health Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Before USF: Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; NCH Healthcare System, Naples, FL
Expertise: Laryngology; diagnosis and advanced treatment of voice, airway and swallowing disorders; optimizing vocal performance and health; state-of-art medical and surgical therapies, including awake laser therapy (pulsed KTP laser therapy), In-office vocal fold injections and other laryngeal procedures.
Expertise: Inflammatory and fibrotic disorders of lung tissue; gene profiles in blood as predictors of outcomes in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and COVID-19; precision medicine.
SWAROOP BOMMAREDDI, MD
CHRISTOPHER NICKEL, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery (Cardiothoracic Surgery and Transplant) USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
Before USF: University of Wisconsin Hospitals, Madison, WI (Fellowship in thoracic transplant and mechanical circulatory support)
Before USF: Emory University, Atlanta, GA (Fellowship in head and neck oncologic surgery and microvascular reconstruction)
Expertise: End-stage heart and lung disease, heart and lung transplantation, mechanical circulatory support, cardiogenic shock, machine perfusion for heart transplantation, donation after circulatory death
Expertise: Head and neck cancer surgery, microvascular reconstruction, transoral robotic surgery, systems-based quality improvement.
2020 - 2021
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NEW HIRES LINDSEY RYAN, MD Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Before USF: Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University (Fellowship in rhinology and advanced skull base surgery) Expertise: Medical and surgical treatment of diseases of the nose and paranasal sinuses including chronic sinusitis, nasal polyps, allergic rhinitis, nasal obstruction, nasal and sinus tumors; treatment using endoscopic sinus surgery and endoscopic or open skull base surgery.
ALEXANDER STARUSCHENKO, PHD Professor, Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology Director, Hypertension and Kidney Research Center USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Before USF: Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Professor of Medicine and Director, Center for Regenerative Medicine, USF Health Heart Institute Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Research USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Before USF: Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA Expertise: Molecular mechanisms and cardiovascular biology and medicine, non-coding RNAs, stem cells, reprograming and gene editing, heart regeneration, cardiovascular development, function and disease.
ZHIGAO WANG, PHD Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiovascular Sciences), USF Health Heart Institute USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Before USF: UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Expertise: Water and electrolyte homeostasis in the kidney; role of renal ion channels in the control of kidney function and blood pressure; hypertension; chronic kidney disease; diabetic nephropathy.
Expertise: Molecular mechanisms of necrotic cell death pathways; development of compounds to help treat necroptosis-related inflammatory diseases, including cardiac disease/defects, infections, ischemia injury, neurodegeneration, and cancers.
RICHARD TULI, MD, PHD
HARIOM YADAV, PHD
Professor and Division Chief of Radiation Oncology, Department of Radiology USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Director of Radiation Oncology and Deputy Director of the Cancer Institute Tampa General Hospital Before USF: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NYC Expertise: Comprehensive, personalized treatment of pancreatic, gastrointestinal and metastatic cancers; integrating new targeted molecular treatments, including PARP inhibitors and immune therapies, with advanced radiation technologies.
KUNAL VAKHARIA, MD Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Before USF: Mayo Clinic (complex cranial and skull base fellowship) Expertise: Brain surgery; focus on complex cranial and cerebrovascular pathologies, including aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and fistulas, carotid and cerebro-occlusive disease, acoustic neuromas, pituitary adenomas, meningiomas, and other skull base tumors.
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DA-ZHI WANG, PHD
U S F H E A LTH MO R SA N I C O L L EG E O F M ED I C I N E
Associate Professor, Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair Director, USF Center for Microbiome Research USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Before USF: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC Expertise: Role of microbiome and gut leakiness in age-related disorders by influencing gut-brain axis; development of microbial therapies, including probiotics, postbiotics, fermented foods, and modified diets to improve cognitive decline and age-related disorders; using cutting-edge concepts, technologies and models, and translating them to human use.
YAO YAO, PHD Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, USF Health Heart Institute USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Before USF: University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, Athens, GA Expertise: Blood-brain barrier, stroke, neurodegenerative disorders, laminin biology, extracellular matrix.
STRATEGIC PROMOTIONS HAYWOOD L. BROWN, MD
MARK MOSELEY, MD, MHA, CPE
Newly appointed USF Health Senior Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Vice Dean of Faculty Affairs, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Associate Dean for Diversity, USF Health and Morsani College of Medicine Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Maternal-Fetal Medicine)
Newly appointed Associate Vice President, USF Health Chief Clinical Officer, USF Health Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Professor of Internal Medicine (Emergency Medicine)
Before USF: Duke University Medical Center
Before USF: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and the OSU College of Medicine
Expertise: Women’s health disparities and advocacy; reduction in maternal mortality racial disparity; redefining postpartum care and telemedicine in ob/gyn; diversity and inclusion in faculty, student and staff recruitment and retention; care of women at high risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, particularly underrepresented and underserved populations.
Expertise: Clinical leadership of university’s health science colleges; health administration; enhancement of multidisciplinary care; faculty recruitment and retention; business of medicine and medical economics; patient satisfaction; telehealth; emergency medicine; observation medicine.
ERIC CORIS, MD
SARAH OBICAN, MD
Newly Appointed Chair of the USF Health Department of Family Medicine Professor of Family Medicine Professor of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Head Team Physician, USF Athletic Medicine Co-director, USF-MPM Sports Medicine Fellowship Assistant Team Physician, Tampa Bay Bucanneers Before USF: The Ohio State University College of Medicine Expertise: Primary care sports medicine; heat-related illness, sudden cardiac death, and concussion in athletes; innovation in musculoskeletal education, research and clinical care.
CLIFTON GOOCH, MD Newly appointed Co-Vice President of Clinical Trials and Translational Research, USF Health and Tampa General Hospital Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Tampa General Hospital Endowed Chair in Neurology
Newly appointed Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division, Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Associate Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology Medical Director, MotherToBaby Florida Before USF: Columbia University Expertise: Fetal echocardiography and ultrasounds; teratology and reproductive toxicology, birth defect and exposure medicine; fetal therapy including fetal shunts, fetal blood transfusions and laser interventions for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
GOPAL THINAKARAN, PHD Newly appointed CEO, USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute Professor of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine Eric Pfeiffer Endowed Chair in Alzheimer’s Research Associate Dean for Neuroscience Research
Before USF: Columbia University, NYC
Before USF: University of Chicago
Expertise: Clinical/translational research and therapeutics in neuromuscular, neurodegenerative and neuroimmunological diseases; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); electrophysiology; policy affecting academic neurology at the local, state and national levels.
Expertise: Alzheimer’s disease — cellular and molecular biology of the disease; molecular pathology; preclinical models; advanced microscopy; translating discoveries to promote therapeutic strategies.
David Wilson, MD Newly appointed Director of Electrophysiology Laboratory, Tampa General Hospital Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiovascular Sciences) USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Expertise: Transvenous lead extraction, complex atrial fibrillation ablation, epicardial ablation, electrophysiology procedures without fluoroscopy, conduction system pacing, left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) device placement, percutaneous removal of cardiac masses, ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation, complex pacemaker/ICD implants and management. 2020 - 2021
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A LEADING CENTER FOR HEALTH CARE SIMULATION LEARNING The University of South Florida’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) is one of the country’s top medical simulation facilities. Under one roof, the 90,000 square-foot, three-story facility houses the latest simulation technology and experiences to train the full spectrum of students and health care professionals. It has the resources to realistically replicate nearly all medical/clinical environments, with a dedication to improving patient safety and quality of care. Part of the mosaic of USF Health’s expanded presence in downtown Tampa, CAMLS is within walking distance of the new USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in the Water Street Tampa urban development district.
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U S F H E A LTH MO R SA N I C O L L EG E O F M ED I C I N E
USF Health is an integral part of the University of South Florida, established in 1956 and located in Tampa — a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success. USF Health is a partnership of the Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences, the Biomedical Graduate & Postdoctoral Programs, and the physicians of USF Health. Together through talent and innovation, USF Health is integrating patient care, education and research to our shared value:
Making Life Better
USF System President University of South Florida Rhea Law Senior Vice President, USF Health Dean, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM 2020-21 Annual Report produced by: USF Health Communications and Marketing 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MDC 47 Tampa, FL 33612 (813) 974-3300 health.usf.edu Design Cynthia Greco Editors/Writers Anne DeLotto Baier Elizabeth Peacock Sarah Worth Contributing Photographers Allison Long Fredrick Coleman
2020 - 2021
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