Medical Student Council

met. He did his job day-in and day-out, never got out-worked, and his legacy with UF Health Jacksonville will be his servant leadership that drove UF Health Jacksonville and the UFCOM Jacksonville to continue its path of growth and community involvement in a way that few could.

By David Vukich, MD, FACEP

FCEP Past-President 1998-1999; Professor & Senior Associate Dean for Hospital Affairs; Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, UF Health Jacksonville

*Editor’s Note: On July 15, 2021, a week before Dr. Haley’s tragic death, Dr. David Vukich was interviewed for the 50 Years, 50 Voices Project. The following is a transcript of what he said about Dr. Haley during his interview, lightly edited for readability: “I was chairman of the search committee that found Dean Haley. He was up at Emory at the time, and he was just a perfect fit! He didn’t see the ad. I just cold called him and said, “hey, can you come down and interview for this job? We have an inner-city hospital; it’s a little bit like Grady (Memorial Hospital),” which is where he cut his teeth, and he said, “sure, I’ll do it.” So one thing led to another; he interviewed, and he’s a star. I’ve had seven or eight CEO’s since I’ve been here, and to be sure, he’s the most capable. He’s caused the most advancement here, and he’s an emergency physician! So when we have our meetings, there’s this secret handshake or what not — half of what goes on is not verbal, because we’ve shared so many experiences. Compared to me, he’s a youngster... I’m probably a lot older than him, but he’s probably a lot wiser than I am.” ■

COMMITTEE REPORT

Medical Student Council

By Cristina Sanchez, MS, MS-2

MD Candidate, Florida State University FCEP Medical Student Council Secretary-Editor

The FCEP Medical Student Council has transitioned into new leadership and is eager to get some exciting events up for interested future physicians. Please welcome our new officers: Veronica Abello (NSU) as our new chair, Christopher Day (FIU) as our new advocacy chair, and Cristina Sanchez (FSU) as our new secretary-editor.

This year’s annual FCEP “Symposium by the Sea” was held in person in Naples, Florida, from August 5-8. The event took place at the Naples Grande Beach Resort and brought together both current and aspiring emergency medicine physicians in a successful event for all. Aspiring physicians from the whole state of Florida are grateful to have had the opportunity to attend this live event. Continuing to navigate the SARS-COV-2 pandemic has brought many unexpected challenges. Medical students face uncertainty on a daily basis on how their education or programs of interest may change. Additionally, students are continuing the process of becoming accustomed to having much of their medical school careers take place virtually, and are grateful for the opportunity to attend some live events, such as the symposium. We are still uncertain if EM Days, an event which typically takes place in Tallahassee, will be held virtually or live in-person. Despite this uncertainty, students continue to look forward to learning about advocacy and government relations. We will be providing more information as the dates approach. The Medical Student Council is taking the current pandemic into account and is working hard to bring students what they most need. Likewise, we continue our dedication in keeping all students interested in emergency medicine up-to-date with any events, both virtual and in-person. Similar to last year, we are planning to have virtual information sessions led by program directors and practicing EM physicians this year. We hope these information sessions will help students to more easily navigate the interview season. Sessions will be recorded (with permission from participants), and those sessions will be posted at a later date. We are excited to be serving as the new Medical Student Council and eager to see what the next year brings us all. ■

Dr. Leon Haley Jr. receiving the Pfizer vaccine. Photo from UF Health Jacksonville

Scan to read more about Dr. Haley on UF Health Jacksonville’s website: