The Sarasota Memorial Research Institute and Florida State University College of Medicine held their first joint Interprofessional Research Conference at Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Sarasota campus in May. The event, along with the groundbreaking of SMH’s new Research& Education Institute later this month, reflects the local health system’s national reputation as a teaching hospital and expanding commitment to clinical research. More than 150 healthcare professionals gathered to learn about innovative research projects and clinical studies led by multi-disciplinary specialists from across the region. The event featured dozens of individual and group poster, panel and podium presentations by physicians, pharmacists, nurses and other clinicians and a keynote address by National Institutes of Health award-winning researcher Irshad Chaudry, PhD. SMH and FSU leaders also presented nine research and innovation awards at the event, which was supported by the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation.

The 2023 award recipients are:

• SMH Distinguished Physician Research & Innovation Award – Beverly Long, MD
• SMH Distinguished Nurse Research & Innovation Award – Bridget Drafahl, PhD, C-ONQS, CNS, RN
• SMH Research & Innovation Excellence Award – Colleen Lindner, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC
• SMH Distinguished PharmacyResearch & Innovation Award – Pamela Lewis, RPh
• SMH Pharmacy New Investigator Research Award – Jonathan Summerlin, PharmD
• FSU Emergency Medicine Resident Research Award – Emily Wheeler, MD
• FSU Emergency Medicine Distinguished Faculty Research Scholar Award – Sagar Galwankar, MBBS, MBA, MPH
• FSU Internal Medicine Resident Research Award – Stephanie Williams, MD
• FSU Internal Medicine Distinguished Faculty Research Scholar Award – Robert Smith, PhD                                                                                                   

Thanks to support from donors and the Sarasota County Public Hospital Board, Sarasota Memorial is slated to break ground on a new, $75 million Research & Education Institute on the SMH-Sarasota campus later this month. Designed to promote collaboration, discovery and innovation in medical education and research,the 5-story facility will house Sarasota Memorial’s clinical research division, nursing and clinical education, and graduate medical educationprograms, medical library and a new, state-of-the-art simulation center designed for hands-on training.

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The Florida State University College of Medicine has established a scholarship fund in honor of Dr. Daniel Van Durme, the schools Chief Medical Officer who passed away following a motorcycle accident.

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On the eve of the Commencement Ceremony, the future physicians of the M.D. Class of 2023 were recognized at the Presentation of Awards, held at the College of Medicine’s Durell Peaden Auditorium.

Forty percent of the largest graduation class in the college’s history – 50 of 125 – were recognized with at least one honor spanning the college-wide and specialty award categories, but also including the previously announced regional campus award winners and inductees into the Delta Chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha and the FSU Chapman Chapter of the Gold Humanism honor societies.

A separate recognition ceremony for the honor society members was held earlier in the day. Both ceremonies were streamed and can be watched in their entirety here:

Honor Society Recognition Ceremony | Class of 2023 Presentation of Awards

The Presentation of Awards ceremony culminated with the recognition of eight college-wide award winners, who were selected from student and faculty nominations and based on achievement consistent with the mission of the FSU College of Medicine. The award recipients’ names are inscribed on a perpetual plaque on display at the college and receive their own plaques and a monetary award in recognition of their outstanding achievement.

The 2023 college-wide award winners:

§  J. Ocie Harris Outstanding Student Award, recognizing the student who has shown the best all-around promise of becoming a physician of the highest caliber and given in honor of the college’s dean 2002-2008: Tim Szilagyi Gemesi;

§  Myra M. Hurt Leadership in Medicine Award, recognizing exemplary leadership in one or more areas of medicine in honor of the college’s first acting dean: Elora Renee Friar;

§  Individual Achievement Award, in recognition of a student with significant contributions and achievements as recognized by her classmates and faculty: Michelle E. Flohr Rozanski;

§  Mission Award, recognizing excellence in furthering the college’s mission to educate and develop exemplary physicians who practice patient-centered health care, discover and advance knowledge, and respond to community needs, especially through service to underserved populations: Blake Patricia-Rae Meyer and Gabrielle Yap Sam;

§  Nobles/Brown Altruism in Medicine Award, recognizing exemplary concern for the health, well-being and fulfillment of others and the highest ideals of medicine as a service calling, given in memory of Stephen M. Nobles, M.D. (Class of 2011) and Robert L. Brown Sr., M.D. (PIMS Class of 1981): Jennifer Anne Trebilcock;

§  Student Research Award, recognizing sustained interest in research throughout the four years of medical education and a record of experience and achievement in research: Gabrielle LeBlanc;

§  Access to Care Award, in Honor of Robin McDougall, recognizing a strong, demonstrated interest in providing access to health care for underserved populations and sponsored by the Capital Medical Society Foundation in honor of the former We Care Network coordinator: Shivani Arza and Amber Hannah;

§  Linda Stine Interprofessional Leadership Award, recognizing outstanding effort to foster interprofessional education activities and/or team-based clinical activities, in honor of compassionate nurse Linda Stine: Shannon Pope.

A complete list of all M.D. Student Graduation Award winners can be viewed on our website, and a description of each award can be found in the ceremony program.