By Nancy Kinnally
November 28, 2001
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A family physician from rural Milton, Fla., will serve as the assistant dean for the FSU College of Medicine’s regional campus in Pensacola.
The college announced Monday that it has appointed Dr. Paul McLeod to lead the development of the first of several regional medical campuses it will establish throughout the state.
McLeod, who spent 21 years in rural family practice and 10 years as an assistant clinical professor for the University of South Alabama, is currently national medical director for MED3000 Health Solutions. He will begin his new position Jan. 1.
Dr. Joseph E. Scherger, dean of the College of Medicine, said McLeod has all of the qualities needed for the job.
“He is a highly respected primary care physician and has served a rural population in Milton for many years,” Scherger said.
“He is recognized by his peers as a talented leader who will be able to put together a quality education program and get other doctors committed to teaching. And he will be a great mentor for our students because he is truly excited about helping develop the next generation of doctors.”
McLeod said the Pensacola area is an ideal place for the new campus, one of several regional medical campuses the college is establishing by forming partnerships with existing community hospitals and practices for the clinical education of third- and fourth-year medical students.
"The Pensacola community has a rich tradition of medical education,” McLeod said. “We have supported and benefited from residency programs for many years. The FSU program builds upon this foundation with an educational model that has already been eagerly embraced by our physicians and hospitals, both urban and rural. The result will be the well-trained, caring physicians needed to meet Florida’s most pressing health-care needs."
Three Pensacola hospitals – Baptist Health Care, Sacred Heart and West Florida Hospital – will be involved in the education of FSU medical students, as will several local practices. Scherger said the collaborative approach of the Pensacola medical community made it a natural for the first regional medical campus.
“The leaders of all three Pensacola hospitals are committed to working together to bring quality medical education to the community,” he said.
Dr E. Coy Irvin, the Escambia County Medical Society’s representative on the initial board for the school’s Regional Medical Campus - Pensacola, said the presence of the FSU College of Medicine will have a positive impact on Pensacola and the surrounding rural communities.
“Bringing the resources and students of the FSU College of Medicine to our hospitals and community practices will enrich the practice environment for our physicians and help us move forward with the adoption of new technologies and practice models to improve patient care,” Irvin said.