MEDIA ADVISORY

CONTACT: Doug Carlson, FSU College of Medicine
(850) 645-1255; doug.carlson@med.fsu.edu

May 17, 2018

The Florida State University College of Medicine will graduate its 14th class of medical students at a commencement ceremony Saturday. Michael Sweeney, associate professor of clinical sciences and the medical school’s education director for surgery, will deliver the commencement address.

During the ceremony, the college will graduate 108 new physicians. In addition, it will graduate its ninth class of students with the Master of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences–Bridge to Clinical Medicine. By completing the program, the 10 Bridge students have qualified to begin medical school at Florida State on May 29 as members of the incoming Class of 2022.

The Bridge program has been credited with increasing the number of qualified candidates for medical school from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine, including minority students and students from rural communities. Bridge and other outreach programs have helped the College of Medicine become the only U.S. medical school to rank among the Top 10 for its percentage of both black and Hispanic students.

Thanks in part to Bridge, FSU medical alumni are practicing in rural communities at rates significantly above the national average. Eighty-four FSU alumni are caring for patients in the Florida Panhandle and rural border counties.

The commencement ceremony will take place: