When Dr. Alma Littles was in second grade, her teacher told the bright, young girl she would make a good doctor someday.

“I didn’t know what that meant,” said Littles, the youngest of 12 children growing up in Quincy. “I don’t think I had ever seen a doctor.”

That young girl did indeed grow up to be a family physician, treating residents of her hometown, an area where doctors were scarce.

Littles’ career as a physician, educator and health leader blossomed, and in February 2023, she was named the interim dean of theFlorida State University College of Medicine, a school Littles helped create, with a mission that reflects her own life story.

“We were developing physicians who would practice personal and patient-centered care, focusing on populations of need, the underserved, geriatric patients,” Littles said. “I called it my personal, professional mission.”

FSU College of Medicine's Jonathan Appelbaum, M.D. and Michael Gloth, M.D. are among several physicians who share their advice on how patients can better ensure that their visits to the doctor's office goes well.

 

Maternal mental health is known to be a crisis across Florida — and throughout the nation.

That's why Florida State University’s College of Medicine and the Florida Maternal Mental Health Collaborative (FLMMHC) will host the state’s eighth annual Perinatal Mental Health Conference this Thursday, Dec. 7, and Friday, Dec. 8. The conference will be at the FSU Alumni Center, 1030 W. Tennessee St. in Tallahassee. This year marks
the conference’s first time taking place here since 2015. The annual event is also the state’s only conference that focuses on perinatal – the weeks right before and after birth – and maternal mental health.

“Every year, we identify what the needs are in the state and we mobilize stakeholders from the organization to see what we can do to address them,” said FLMMHC Co-Founder Heather Flynn, also an FSU professor and chair of the College of Medicine’s Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine.

The Homeless Outreach Medicine and Education (HOME) program, student-run by the College of Medicine's School of Physician Assistant Practice, is providing medical assistance to the unhoused community in Tallahassee..

"A lot of times when unhoused patients come into the ER or somewhere like that, they feel judged," explained Sam Mankus, the HOME president and a member of the PA Class of 2024. "[HOME] helps build a more positive relationship between healthcare providers and the unhoused community."

Over the last year the HOME program student volunteers, joined by a social worker and a licensed medical professional, make weekly rounds at a local encampment, where they measure vital signs, listen to the health concerns of individuals and provide advice and recommendations for further care.

Florida State University College of Medicine researcher Antonio Terracciano, Ph.D., who recently published research linking loneliness and Parkinson's disease, contributed to a Wall Street Journal story on the negative effects of loneliness.

"This uncomfortable, distressful feeling of being lonely over time has a negative effect," said Terracciano, a professor in the Department of Geriatrics. "You are in a state of stress, and over time this can increase vulnerability to disease."

Dr. Alexander Dumas "A.D." Brickler, who delivered more than 30,000 babies over the course of a storied 60-year career in medicine when he retired at age 90, passed away on Oct. 30.

"He, of course, helped train me when I was a resident and later worked for me when I became residency director at TMH," said FSU College of Medicine interim dean, Dr. Alma Littles. "Beyond that, he trained hundreds of family medicine residents here in Tallahassee, and also helped train hundreds of our medical students here at the FSU College of Medicine. We honored him with an Honorary Professor Emeritus award based on his many years of service to us."

The Florida State University College of Business is bringing together healthcare leaders from throughout Florida and the U.S. for a comprehensive one-day forum to address the industry's most pressing workforce, policy, financial and technology issues.

The Business of Healthcare Summit, scheduled for Jan. 26 at the Augustus B. Turnbull Conference Center, will examine healthcare operations in the state and nation from the perspective of hospitals, private practices, health systems, policy boards and other professional organizations.
 

Florida State University College of Medicine graduate Shlermine "Shea" Everidge (M.D., 2006) has been hired by Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare as the area's first fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist. 

Dr. Everidge, who completed her general surgery residency at TMH, is just the third physician from a Florida-based residency program to be trained at the prestigious Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

Loneliness may be linked to a higher likelihood of Parkinson’s disease, according to new research.

The new study, published earlier this week in JAMA Neurology, found that people who said they were lonely were 37% likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that can cause shaking, stiffness, memory issues, and other symptoms. 

A new study suggests that loneliness may be associated with a significant increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease, the second most common neurodegenerative condition after Alzheimer's disease.

"The findings add to the evidence that loneliness is a substantial psychosocial determinant of health," the authors noted in the study published in JAMA Neurology.

The study's lead author, Florida State University College of Medicine professor Antonio Terracciano, Ph.D., told UPI via email that "loneliness and other measures of social connectedness have been previously associated with other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Still, to our knowledge, no previous study had tested the association with Parkinson's disease."

Joslyn Schipper, a member of the FSU College of Medicine Class of 2024, shared her thoughts on obesity in medical education:

Obesity has evolved from an isolated concern to a pervasive health crisis. Within the United States along, nearly 42% of adults are classified as obese and obesity is considered a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The direct medical expenditure associated with obesity in the United State reached approximately $173 billion in 2019, with projections indicating an increase of $48-66 billion on the coming decade.

In light of obesity's concerning prevalence and economic burden, it becomes imperative that we equip future healthcare providers with the knowledge and skills essential for effective obesity management. 
 

Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez held a press conference at FSU PrimaryHealth to highlight the Florida Reimbursement Assistance for Medical Education (FRAME) program, through which a total of $16 million has been distributed to qualified health care professionals. Lieutenant Governor Nuñez was joined by State Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo, Florida State University (FSU) leadership, the Florida Medical Association, and a FRAME program award recipient.

Among those participating was FSU College of Medicine Interim Dean Dr. Alma Littles.

“The FSU College of Medicine was created with a mission to be responsive to community needs, and that’s what the State of Florida is doing with the FRAME program – addressing the state’s health care needs in a proven and effective manner,” Littles said, from the College of Medicine's facility in Southwest Tallahassee, which opened in 2019 to serve the underserved community. “This funding will provide valuable incentive for our graduates to practice primary care in Florida in communities that often struggle to recruit enough doctors and other health care professionals. I thank the Florida Legislature, the Governor, and the Lieutenant Governor for this important commitment to the health of all Floridians.”

View the entire press conference here

Loneliness is associated with the risk for incident Parkinson disease (PD), independent of other risk factors, according to a study led  by Florida State University College of Medicine researcher Antonio Terracciano, Ph.D., and published online in JAMA Neurology.

The Florida Statue University College of Medicine's Pensacola Regional Campus has been fulfilling its mission by addressing the health-care professional shortage. One of three regional campuses celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2023-2024, Pensacola has produced more than 50 alumni who are currently practicing in the region, according to its regional dean Dr. Paul McLeod.

Among them is Pensacola native Jada Leahy, M.D., who was inducted into the FSU Medical Alumni Hall of Fame on Sept. 23.

The artificial sweetener aspartame is associated with learning and memory deficits that can be passed on to the next generation, scientists in the Bhide Lab at FSU's College of Medicine have discovered.

These effects were seen after consuming as little as 10% of the Food and Drug Administration's daily recommendations.

A popular sugar-alternative has been linked to cognitive issues in a new study.

Researchers from Florida State University, in Tallahassee, found that mice who consumed a fraction of the recommended amount of aspartame had differences in their cognitive performance when compared to those who just drank water.

More worrying is that the rodents appeared to pass on the cognitive deficits to their pups. 

Florida State University broke ground on a new academic health center Thursday as it moves one step closer to establishing the state-of-the-art facility, which is slated to open in late 2026.

The Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis granted FSU $125 million two years ago toward building the health center, which will be a five-story building of up to 130,000 square feet with about 350 parking spaces, according to a draft report.

A person’s sense of purpose declines leading up to and following a diagnosis of dementia or cognitive decline, according to a new study.

“Purpose in life is the feeling that one’s life is goal-oriented and has direction. It is an important component of well-being,” said Dr. Angelina Sutin, lead author of the
study published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Researchers now know a sense of purpose is an important factor of good health across adulthood, added Sutin, professor of behavioral sciences and social medicine at the Florida State University College of Medicine in Tallahassee.

Updated recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) giving an “A” rating to three available PrEP medications could further reduce the risk of acquiring HIV, providing challenges to access are improved.

“These recommendations are very important, as access to PrEP has been disappointing and uptake overall has been very low, particularly in communities most affected by HIV,” said Jonathan Appelbaum, chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences at Florida State University College of Medicine. 

Appelbaum went on to stress the importance of outreach and education for frontline health-care providers, many of whom “still don’t feel at ease prescribing PrEP.”

Despite the recommendations, access and insurance coverage for PrEP is also threatened by litigation.

“USPSTF’s new recommendation, if it is allowed to prevail in governing insurance coverage, will minimize cost barriers,” said Appelbaum, “but we will still have issues of access and stigma to deal with.”
 

Through FSU PrimaryHealth, the Florida State University College of Medicine is one of four core partners serving Sabal Palm Elementary School. It is the only community partnership school in Leon County and draws from 32304 zip code in southwest Tallahassee, an area plagued by poverty. 

Nearly one person every day died from a drug overdose in Volusia County in 2022. More than 1,000 overdose deaths have occurred since 2020.

Dr. Stephen Viel and Jamie Ponti, an advanced practice registered nurse, have seen the ravages of drugs up close after working for years in Halifax Health emergency rooms.

On Wednesday, they opened the doors of Shoreline Medical Addiction Treatment, a clinic specializing in pharmacotherapy, the use of medications to treat addiction to opioids, alcohol, and other substances.
 

Three Florida State University College of Medicine faculty collaborators were recognized by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) and the U.S. Public Health Commissioned Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health (COF) at a recent awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Benjamin J. Smith, Niharika Suchak and Debra A. Danforth were selected for honorable mention recognition under the category of Health Communications and Health Technology, which was titled: Using Simulation for Skill Building in Teams: Modified Use of Simulation in Teams for Students in Training (MUST-SIT) Together.

Florida is the fastest growing state in the nation, according to new Census Bureau data, with approximately 900 people per day arriving to live here in recent years - which is making an existing shortage of doctors worse.

To combat the shortage, Florida State University College of Medicine operates six regional campuses around the state - including one in Fort Pierce that has already supplied the Vero Beach area with several physicians.

Amy Wetherby, distinguished research professor in the College of Medicine's Department of Clinical Sciences and director of the university’s Autism Institute, is profiled in Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.

John Weng (M.D. Class of '24) shares how a patient-encounter during his psychiatry rotation has positively impacted his approach to medicine as a future physician.

"I am forever grateful for this powerful experience and the opportunity to witness the power of empathy and understanding in patient care," Weng wrote.

The international publication Food Ingredients First discusses the impact of the recent World Health Organization evaluations of aspartame on companies, the public scrutiny of the artificial sweetener and a possible International Agency for Research on Cancer (IACR) reassessment with scientists and industry experts.

Pradeep Bhide, professor at Florida State University College of Medicine, was among those interviewed by the publication.

With Independence Day just around the corner, plans for outdoor fun are underway, but state and local officials warn Florida residents to be leery of a certain pesky intruder: mosquitoes.

Accounting for the recent resurgence of malaria in the state, Leon County is working with the Florida Department of Health to educate the community with best practices for the summer nights ahead.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning that malaria could be spreading in the United States for the first time in 20 years, following the confirmation of four domestic-borne cases in Sarasota County, Florida. Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite and is primarily spread to humans bitten by infected Anopheles mosquitoes, which can be found across the U.S.

Symptoms can include headaches, fever, nausea and muscle aches.

"You always want to protect yourself from mosquitoes in Florida," said FSU College of Medicine professor Dr. George Rust, Director of the Center for Medicine and Public Health. The CDC recommends wearing long-sleeved shirts and using a bug repellent with DEET.  

"There are a lot of things that are more common [that can cause illness]," Rust said, adding that it's too early to panic. "[Malaria] is very low on a scale of things that can kill you."

FAFP Past President ('96), Daniel (Dan) James Van Durme, M.D., age 61, passes away on May 30, 2023, in Tallahassee, FL. He was born on September 25, 1961, in Dansville, NY. Dan is survived by his wife of 42 years, Patricia, his children Felicia, Stephanie (Shawn), and Luke, his grandchildren Bella and Killian, and his siblings Norah, Jean, Michael, Claire, Tommy, Mar, Matthew, Rachel, and Patrick. He was a gifted teacher who won numerous awards and mentored hundreds of doctors worldwide. At USF, he was one of the family doctors for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Mutiny, and USF Athletics. While at FSU, he was instrumental in forming the Family Medicine Scholars and the Chapman Chapter of the Gold Humanism Society. Under his direction, FSU Primary Health was conceived and implemented, maintaining the mission of the school to provide doctors to underserved, rural, minority, and elderly populations.

Partnering with the Kearney Center, the FSU College of Medicine School of Physician Assistant Practice's HOME Street Medicine outreach program, is providing medical support and essential items to the unsheltered in Tallahassee.

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The Florida State University medical community is mourning the loss of its Chief Medical Officer Dr. Daniel Van Durme.

Known for his leadership, friendship and larger-than-life personality, his presence and influence on FSU and the community will live on for many years, Dr. Alma Littles, the FSU College of Medicine's interim dean, said in a statement

Neuroscientist Lataisia Jones, the first Black woman to earn a biomedical sciences Ph.D. from the Florida State University College of Medicine in 2017, was among 120 women working in STEM fields represented with a bright-orange sculpture displayed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. earlier this spring. The #IfThenSheCan exhibit, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institute and the If/Then initiative that connects girls with female leaders in science and technology, was recently featured in Washingtonian magazine.

FSU SeniorHealth providers place a high priority on improving the self-management skills of older patients. They work in conjunction with primary care providers to provide comprehensive evaluations and develop integrated care plans for seniors diagnosed with a wide range of health issues.

Second-year College of Medicine medical student Alex Tolbert, participating in the AMA Medical Student Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., offered some real-life perspective on how the shortage of federally-funded graduate medical education (GME) positions is a stressor on aspiring physicians.

Florida State University College of Medicine student Alex Tolbert outlines some of the benefits for those look to build their leadership experience through organized medicine. 

The rising cost of health care has had a dramatic impact on vulnerable communities like historic Newtown, within Sarasota’s city limits.

Sarasota Regional Campus students, faculty and community board members took part, along with physicians with the FSU College of Medicine Internal Medical Residency Program at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. 

Dr. Vida Farhangi, Newtown Internal Medicine Clinic director, helped lead the project and oversaw residents like David Jerez (seen in photo). Drs. Karen Hamad, Cynthia Samra and Washington Hill joined the residents and medical students at the fair.

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As Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced his $114.8 billion proposed state budget, it includes millions of dollars that would go toward Florida State and Florida A&M universities as well as Tallahassee Community College.

While FSU would be getting an $88.5 million in specific funding this year under DeSantis’s “Framework for Freedom” proposal for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, FAMU would receive $33.4 million and TCC would get $6.7 million.

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It was the first day of my inpatient internal medicine rotation and I felt as excited as ever to bein the hospital, participating in rounds. “How’s your day going?” I asked automatically in a cheery tone as I entered my first patient’s room.

“How do you think it’s going? I’m in the hospital,” the patient snarled dismissively. I stood there, a deer in the headlights, completely caught off guard.

A tractor-loader-backhoe, bulldozer and skid steer are parked next to a large sign that has been erected on a sprawling, dusty, brown parcel of property just north of Panama City Beach, Fla., along State 79 near Philip Griffitts Sr. Parkway.

On the sign is the colorful rendering of a new health care campus.

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare is expanding its footprint west of the capital city with a new medical campus in partnership with Florida State University and The St. Joe. Company.

A groundbreaking ceremony took place last week for the FSU Health-Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Medical Campus in Panama City Beach.

Florida State University’s College of Medicine dean position is no longer vacant as the university’s very own Dr. Alma Littles, senior associate dean for Medical Education and Academic Affairs, is appointed as the interim dean.
 

PANAMA CITY BEACH − The Beach celebrated a long-awaited milestone on Tuesday that will benefit local residents and tourists.

With about 200 people in attendance, local officials held a construction celebration for the FSU Health-Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Medical Campus, which is being built through a partnership between the St. Joe Company, Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.

Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial Hospital have moved forward in a big way by breaking ground on their shared medical campus in Panama City Beach. The project is part of FSU’s long-term goal of climbing higher in national rankings and will also serve a massive retirement community that just completed its 1,000th home.

Paul Casto recalled the days, well within his lifetime, when Panama City Beach was without an ambulance.

“If there was an emergency, they had to send one from the old Bay Medical,” said the Ward 1 representative on the PCB City Council. “We’ve been talking  about the need for a hospital on this beach for 40 years.”

COVID-19 activity is picking up as a new subtype of the omicron variant - XBB.1.5 - makes its way across the United States.

Florida State University College of Medicine's Daniel Van Durme, M.D., said the new subvariant seems to bypass previous immunity and resist treatments such a monoclonal antibodies, though there has not been enough research to determine whether XBB.1.5 will be more severe than its predecessors.

"Get the newest booster," Van Durme said. "It can keep you out of the hospital and can literally save your life."