Affectionately known as the mother of the Florida State University College of Medicine, Senior Associate Dean Myra Hurt has used her leadership skills to make numerous contributions to education, science and research in Florida.
 
Hurt was recognized for her efforts this week when she received the FL CURED Jim King Leadership Award in Tampa.
 
The annual award, presented by Florida’sCenter for Universal Research to Eradicate Disease (FL CURED), honors outstanding efforts to expand and enhance the state’s biomedical research enterprise and expedite cures. Hurt is the 2011 co-recipient of the award along with William Dalton, president and CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center.
 
The award is named after the late Florida Sen. Jim King, who sponsored legislation leading to creation of the Florida Biomedical Research Program.
 
Hurt is a professor of biomedical sciences and senior associate dean for research and graduate programs at the College of Medicine. Since 2006, she has served as a member of the advisory council that rates and recommends biomedical research projects for funding in Florida.
 
She was nominated for a seat on the nine-person council by Sen. King.
 
“I think it’s really gratifying to win this award that bears Jim King’s name because his legacy is, among other things, the biomedical research program his legislation created,” Hurt said. “We’ve certainly seen a challenging and difficult funding environment in Florida, where biomedical research plays a vital role in the health of our citizens and in driving our economy.
 
“The research funding Jim King made possible has, in some cases, been the only thing providing a chance for new investigators and researchers in Florida. That’s our future.”
 
Though Hurt has devoted a lifetime to scientific research and teaching, her work in pushing for a new medical school at Florida State is credited with a far-reaching impact in also promoting new research by others, both in Florida and nationally.
 
Florida State’s medical school was the first new M.D. program to open in the United States in nearly a quarter-century. The battle for approval ultimately led to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) reversing course on its previous stance that America had a physician surplus.
 
In 2006, the AAMC called for a 30-percent increase in medical school enrollment. That opened the door for a wave of new medical schools, including three in Florida, each of which is sponsoring a biomedical science research program.
“There is no doubt that Myra’s leadership stimulated, at least in part, this burst of activity,” wrote FSU College of Medicine Biomedical Sciences Chair Richard Nowakowski in his nomination letter.
 
“Myra has not rested on this success,” Nowakowski said. “She founded the Ph.D. program at the College of Medicine . . . and is starting a clinical research network that will provide a way for primary care physicians across Florida to meaningfully participate in translational research.”
 
College of Medicine Dean John P. Fogarty cited the rapid growth of the medical school’s biomedical research program as a testament to Hurt’s impact.
 
“She has brought her incredible energy and drive to build the research productivity and infrastructure in the past eight years,” Fogarty said. “Research success as measured by grants and contracts has increased by 500 percent in the past five years, and the College of Medicine now occupies 18 percent of the total research funding of the university.
 
“Dr. Hurt’s vision, leadership and lifetime commitment to medical education and research in Florida are exemplary.”
 
For more information about the College of Medicine, contact Doug Carlson at (850) 645-1255, (850) 694-3735 or doug.carlson@med.fsu.edu.
 

CONTACT: Doug Carlson
(850) 645-1255; doug.carlson@med.fsu.edu

Oct. 31, 2011
  
Dance Marathon at Florida State University and Children’s Miracle Network at Shands Children’s Hospital at the University of Florida will present a $232,000 check to the Florida State University College of Medicine for the benefit of children throughout Gadsden and Leon counties.
 
The proceeds are part of the record $487,000 raised in 2011 by Dance Marathon, the largest student-run philanthropy on the Florida State campus. Children’s Miracle Network at Shands Children’s Hospital at UF distributes part of the money raised to the Florida State College of Medicine for use in pediatric outreach programs.
 
The College of Medicine is using part of the proceeds to pay for a school-based health program in Gadsden County designed to address health care disparities among area children. Other projects funded by the Dance Marathon earnings include equipment for the pediatrics unit at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.

Scheduled to participate in the ceremony are Florida State President Eric J. Barron, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Garnett S. Stokes, Dr. John P. Fogarty, dean of the FSU College of Medicine; Dr. Rick Bucciarelli, associate vice president forhealth affairs for government relations at the University of Florida; members of the Dance Marathon overall committee; and Florida State medical students who are part of the Pediatrics Interest Group. The presentation will take place:
 
TUESDAY, NOV. 1
 
12 P.M.
 
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
 
1115 W. CALL ST.
 
TALLAHASSEE, FLA.
 
Directions: From downtown travel west on Tennessee Street and turn left on Stadium Drive. The College of Medicine is located on the corner of Stadium Drive and Call Street. Limited press parking will be available by RSVP in a parking lot located off of Call Street between the College of Medicine and the Psychology Building. Additional parking is available in the parking garage on the corner of Stadium Drive and Spirit Way.
 

February 14, 2012

Florida State University Internal Medicine Residency Program at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare names first director

TALLAHASSEE – Gregory Todd, M.D., will be the first program director for the proposed Florida State University Internal Medicine Residency Program at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, administrators at both institutions who were part of the selection committee announced Tuesday.

Todd currently is senior associate program director of the Department of Medicine & Internal Medicine Residency Program with Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The medical center is a teaching affiliate of the State University of New York School of Medicine-Downstate and currently trains 96 residents in its internal medicine residency program.

“The selection of Dr. Todd is a significant step forward in the establishment of the program,” said Mark O’Bryant, president & CEO, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. “It has been a pleasure to get to know him during the selection process. I am confident that our prospective residents will enjoy working with him as they further their medical education. We look forward to Dr. Todd’s leadership in the development of a program that will bring significant benefits to our patients and our region.”

“I am very pleased that Dr. Todd will be joining us as our director,” said John P. Fogarty, M.D., dean of the FSU College of Medicine. “His background and experience both in law and academic medicine will be a significant help to us in navigating the regulatory rules for developing this new program. He is very excited for the unique opportunity to build this collaborative program from the ground up and we feel fortunate to have recruited such an outstanding physician.”

Todd’s medical academic appointments have also included the Mount Sinai School of Medicine as assistant professor from 2005 to 2008. He currently holds the title of adjunct clinical assistant professor of medicine with New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. Also, since 2005 he has been an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine with SUNY Downstate College of Medicine.

As he begins to organize the staff and faculty for the program, Todd said he keeps in mind one overriding vision: “I want the residents to treat the patient, not the disease,” he said. “In the hospital, this process of caring for the patient starts at the patient’s bedside. So, we will learn at the bedside because that is where medicine is best taught.”

He said he also believes the TMH/FSU alliance for learning has its advantages. “There is a marriage of strengths that is valuable. I have seen through its programs for patients that TMH is creative and innovative. The FSU College of Medicine provides an excellent environment for learning,” said Todd. “Bringing those attributes together is a foundation for transformational learning. In this new program we want residents to be innovative and to practice 21st Century medicine, not 20th Century medicine.”

Todd’s early career focus was in corporate and securities law. He graduated from the University of Dayton School of Law in 1981. In 1997 he discovered an interest in medicine and applied to Ross University School of Medicine in Portsmouth, Dominica. He has been with Maimonides Medical Center since 2001, initially as a resident in internal medicine and then as chief resident in 2004.

Though Todd will finish his obligations in his current position and will start full time here in May, he will assist with the residency program’s development prior to that time.

Todd replaces Dean Watson, M.D., vice president and chief medical officer of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, who was the interim program director during the start-up phase of the program.

By Ron Hartung

March 2012

FSU PROFESSOR NAMED TOP U.S. CLINICIAN IN GERIATRICS

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida State University College of Medicine, one of the nation’s leading educators in geriatric medicine, now also has the nation’s top geriatrician of 2012.

Dr. Niharika Suchak, an associate professor in the Department of Geriatrics, has been named Clinician of the Year by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). She will receive the award in May at the group’s annual scientific meeting.

“I cannot imagine another clinician more deserving of this award than Dr. Suchak,” said Barbara Resnick, president of the AGS. “She has an innate ability to guide patients and their families through the maze of complex medical decision-making and considers the patient’s individual needs, which is essential when caring for older adults.”

Teaching students how to care for older adults is a key part of the College of Medicine’s mission. Florida State has one of the few medical schools in the country with a separate geriatrics department. In addition, it integrates geriatrics throughout its four-year curriculum, because all physicians — not just geriatricians — are likely to provide care for older patients. For that reason, all students, no matter what specialty they want to pursue, complete a full rotation in geriatrics.

“Geriatrics faculty have a strong presence in all of the doctoring courses,” Suchak said. “The doctoring continuum is the strong thread that holds together the education received by the medical students throughout their four-year curriculum. I expect geriatrics to continue to lead the way in the evolution of innovative educational methods that maintain a focus on compassionate and advanced patient-centered health care.”

Suchak received her medical degree at the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune, India, and completed her residency and fellowship training at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore. She has a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene & Public Health. She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine, geriatric medicine, and hospice and palliative medicine.

Suchak was intensely involved in graduate and postgraduate medical education in geriatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in OklahomaCity and later at the Hackensack University Medical Center (in affiliation with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey). Dr. Kenneth Brummel-Smith, the department chair who brought Suchak to Florida State in March 2011, was not surprised by this latest honor.

“We knew we were getting a gem when we recruited Dr. Suchak from New Jersey,” Brummel-Smith said. ”It was the first time that each reference began their letter by saying, ‘I really hate to be writing this letter because we don’t want to lose her.’ In fact, two of the letters lamented that their biggest regret was that they would be losing the doctor who took care of their parents! We couldn’t be happier having her at FSU and are very proud of her accomplishments.”

Suchak said she was “deeply humbled” to receive the AGS award.

“I wish to share this recognition with my family, my mentors, my colleagues, my trainees, and foremost the patients, families and caregivers that I have had the privilege to serve,” she said. “A patient-physician relationship is a sacred relationship, and I am very grateful for the trust that my patients have placed in me. I will continue to work hard to earn the honor that this award signifies to our community.”

To obtain a photo of Suchak, send an email to news-office@unicomm.fsu.edu. For additional information, contact her at (850) 645-8440 or niharika.suchak@med.fsu.edu.

###

Few events hold more drama, or have more impact, in the life of a medical student than Match Day. For many, the sealed envelope holds the key to the future.

The residency match is conducted annually by the National Resident Matching Program. It’s the primary system for pairing graduating medical students across the United States with residency programs at teaching hospitals.

At the College of Medicine, 117 students from the Class of 2012 are expected to learn where they will continue their medical education.

Graduating medical students across the country receive their match information at the same time on the same day. The College of Medicine’s ceremony takes place:

FRIDAY, MARCH 16
NOON
OLGESBY UNION BALLROOM
TALLAHASSEE, FL

• Class of 2012 Match Results
• College of Medicine Residency Match Day results from 2005-2011
• Where are they now? Updated information about College of Medicine alumni.

CONTACT: Doug Carlson
(850) 645-1255 or (850) 694-3735; doug.carlson@med.fsu.edu
 
By Doug Carlson
March 16, 2012

FSU COLLEGE OF MEDICINE ANNOUNCES MATCH DAY RESULTS
 
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Graduating students in the Florida State University College of Medicine Class of 2012 received notification today of where they will enter residency training this summer. The class is the eighth to graduate from the medical school, which first enrolled students in 2001.

Seventy-two of the 117 graduating students, or 62 percent, are entering residency in primary care specialties, including family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine and obstetrics/gynecology.

Other students matched in anesthesiology, emergency medicine, neurology, pediatric neurology, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, pathology, psychiatry, diagnostic radiology, general surgery and urology.
 
“The percentage of our students entering primary care specialties underscores our emphasis on working to produce more of the doctors Florida needs most,” said College of Medicine Dean John P. Fogarty. “We’re proud of the fact that 71 percent of our alumni now practicing in Florida are providing primary care services, many of them in rural and other medically underserved areas of the state. Today’s match results will go a long way toward helping us continue to help Florida communities find the doctors they need.”
 
The residency match, conducted annually by the National Resident Matching Program, is the primary system that matches applicants to residency programs with available positions at U.S. teaching hospitals. Graduating medical students across the country receive their match information at the same time on the same day.
 
# # #
 
For information about FSU’s Match Day history, visit /alumnifriends/residency-match-day-results
 
To see where past College of Medicine graduates are practicing, visit http://public.med.fsu.edu/alumni/alumni.aspx?class=2005

 Healthy venture

FSU's College of Medicine makes local, state impact

Tallahassee Democrat editorial
Apr. 13, 2012

Anyone driving past the Florida State University campus can't help but notice the commanding presence of the College of Medicine building at Stadium Drive and Call Street.

Having such a prominent institution in this community is important, not only for its commitment to helping to provide training for the next generation of medical professionals locally and statewide, but also for the economic benefits it generates for the local economy.

The FSU College of Medicine is a major economic force in Tallahassee and Florida because of its direct mission to get its students training in communities throughout the state while developing a base for biomedical and biotech research.
This is commendable as some will remember the doubters a little more than a decade ago who questioned the approval of a community-based medical school, the first of its kind in 25 years.

This week, Dr. John Fogarty, dean of the college, addressed the Health Care/Health Sciences Roundtable of the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee-Leon County.

He pointed out that the college is able to boast of some heady economic development figures. Based on a study by MGT of America:

In its first 10 years, the College of Medicine has had a $750 million impact on Tallahassee's economy.
The current economic impact locally is now estimated at $100 million annually.
Statewide, the economic impact is $160 million annually.

In addition, the college has been able to build a research portfolio of more than $40 million since 2001. These are key indicators of the college's success in attracting researchers in medical studies to Tallahassee. It also is the kind of town and gown connection that has the potential for an even greater benefit to this community in that the work at the college also can be instrumental in spawning private business ventures.

But the College of Medicine's primary role is to contribute to the health care of residents, especially in rural and minority communities. Currently it has regional training sites in Immokalee and Marianna and six regional campuses, including Fort Pierce, Pensacola and Daytona Beach. It is sponsoring a new residency program in internal medicine at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, and in family medicine in Fort Myers.

A study from the Association of American Medical Colleges indicates that the college is becoming a leader in its recruitment of family-practice physicians, and is creating a diverse workforce of medical-school graduates.
In comparison to other medical schools, the report indicates the College of Medicine is:

Among the top producers of primary care physicians
Among the top producers of family physicians
Graduating a greater percentage of African-American physicians than more than 90 percent of other medical schools
Among the top 20 percent of schools in the percentage of graduates who are Hispanic.

These are impressive facts supporting the importance of the college's role, not only in Tallahassee, but Florida, in addressing health needs, connecting doctors to local communities and in creating economic growth.