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.
Stanwood, a behavioral neuroscientist and developmental neuropharmacologist, explores the effects of gene and environmental interactions on brain development. In a recent study, his lab showed that the receptors targeted by drugs that treat metabolism, diabetes and obesity — Ozempic is one popular example — are also involved in the addictive effects of cocaine and other drugs of abuse. An upcoming project funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will examine the interactions of harmful chemicals and psychosocial stressors such as adverse childhood experiences on children in the southwestern Florida community of Immokalee.
“I’m really excited to be part of a team that’s gathering new sources of data to assemble to make new models for cumulative risk exposures,” Stanwood said. “I think this is very impactful and can change lives positively, not just for members of the Immokalee community, but can also be adapted for other communities across the state and across the nation. Our team is uniquely positioned to evaluate both chemical and nonchemical stressors jointly – for the first time.”
Stanwood and Mariana Fuentes, an associate professor in FSU’s Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), are among 11 faculty members from Florida universities who will be honored as rising stars. Other honorees come from the University of Florida, University of Miami, University of Central Florida, and Florida International University.
The academy also nominated two additional FSU faculty members, one from CAS’s Department of Psychology and one from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, for membership in this year’s class.
To be selected for ASEMFL membership, individuals must live or work in Florida and be a member of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, or be nominated by an ASEMFL member and have an outstanding record of accomplishments, national and international recognition.
Established in 2018, ASEMFL works to inform Floridians of current and future science, engineering and medicine issues and address associated challenges. The organization provides unbiased expertise for issues that concern the state and helps facilitate scientific interactions.
Visit asemfl.org for more information about the organization and this year’s meeting.
Commemorative bench gifted to Fort Pierce Campus by Treasure Coast club
Opportunities to sit and rest are rare for Florida State University College of Medicine medical and physician assistant students and staff.
An idyllic setting, under the oak trees outside the Fort Pierce Regional Campus buildings, now has a special place when those opportunities do arise.
As a final philanthropic gesture before disbanding, the Treasure Coast Seminole Club presented Fort Pierce Regional Campus Dean Juliette Lomax-Homier, M.D., with a hand-crafted, 350-pound concrete bench at an Oct. 25 dedication ceremony.
The shaded resting place, nestled within the Indian River State College’s main campus, will serve as a perpetual remembrance of the Treasure Coast Seminole Club, which at one point was recognized as the state’s best for three years running. The group has also been a supporter of Fort Pierce campus, which began training third- and fourth-year medical students in 2007.
Club member Chris Berkeley brought the idea to Fort Pierce campus officials in the spring and donated funds to commission a local artist, Anita Prentice, to create the bench. Adorned with her signature glass, title and stone mosaics, the bench features the Florida State University seal over a heart rhythm signature. A pair of plaques commemorate the gift.
College of Medicine Interim Dean Alma Littles, M.D., who was visiting the campus, joined Lomax-Homier and a half-dozen Treasure Coast Seminole Club members at the dedication.
Caption: College of Medicine Interim Dean Alma Littles, M.D. and Fort Pierce Regional Campus Dean Juliette Lomax-Homier, M.D., flank Treasure Coast Seminole Club members (left-to-right), Chris Berkeley, Kathy Pancoast, Richard Pancoast, Garrison Dundas, Jean Bridges and Jack Bridges, behind the commemorative bench. Top right, Artist Anita Prentice, poses with the bench she was commissioned to design. Bottom right, the bench includes dedication plaques to the FSU College of Medicine's Fort Pierce Campus and from the Treasure Coast Seminole Club.
Gender-affirming care is life-saving, research shows. Why is it so controversial for trans kids? Ramiz Kseri, M.D., an assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at Florida State University's College of Medicine, and Jonathan Appelbaum, M.D., chair of the college's Department of Clinical Sciences as well as its education director and a professor of internal medicine, are two of the many experts consulted for this USA Today article.
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."
PA Class of '24 taps into interprofessional training at College of Nursing
In a little more than two months, 59 students from the Florida State University School of Physician Assistant Practice Class of 2024 will begin clinical rotations at one of the College of Medicine’s six regional campuses – the final phase of their 27-month program. Once there, they will be fully immersed in the interprofessional health-care experience, learning and working alongside physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and registered nurses.
Recently, the PA Class of 2024 got a glimpse of what that will look like, thanks to an interprofessional education experience in the simulation lab at the FSU College of Nursing. The activity was arranged by College of Medicine Associate Professor John P. Bastin, DMSc, PA-C, and College of Nursing Simulation Director Carla Dormeus, Ed.D., and it was the first time PA students used the lab.
“The sessions included an introduction to neonatal resuscitation,” Bastin said. “The students had the opportunity to practice resuscitation of a simulated newborn who was not breathing, which was followed by the emergency childbirth simulation.
”Using the high-fidelity simulators, students were given the opportunity to perform a prepartum assessment, observe the stages of delivery, then deliver the baby and placenta.”
The event, part of PA students’ emergency medicine instruction block, was divided into four sessions to accommodate the entire class in the simulation lab. Amanda Baxley, R.N. – one of a half-dozen College of Nursing personnel participating in the joint effort – led each of the sessions.
Count PA student Star Emison among those who was both impressed and enlightened by the experience.
“The nurses and nurse practitioners that led the activity were highly knowledgeable,” Emison said. “Not only did they teach us the mechanics of childbirth and resuscitation, but they also gave us insight into how to communicate with patients experiencing these emergencies.”
That type of information will soon have even greater value.
“The session prepared the PA students for clinical rotations starting in January, as well as entering clinical practice upon graduation,” Bastin said. “As an emergency medicine PA, I benefitted from the training, as well.”
The benefits extend beyond the actual medical training.
“Anyone who works in health care knows that nurses are relied on heavily,” Emison added. “There is a lot of value in working with nurses early in our education as it helps foster the respect that is necessary to provide team-based care.”
Bastin hopes to provide additional interprofessional experiences for PA students in the College of Nursing’s simulation lab in the future.
“I hope this is just the beginning for the collaboration between the two colleges,” Emison added. “There is so much we can learn from each other, especially in the setting of the simulation center that looks and feels like a real hospital.”
Paula Nieto-Morales, a Ph.D. student in the College of Medicine’s Department of Biomedical Sciences, was selected as a National Hispanic Latino Cardiovascular Collaborative (NHLCC) Scholar for the 2023-2024 program year. As a Scholar, she will attend the Scientific Sessions conference of the American Heart Association (AHA) Nov. 10-13 in Philadelphia.
Paula Nieto-Morales
Nieto-Morales works in the laboratory of Professor Jose Pinto, Ph.D., where she studies cardiomyopathies, which are diseases of the heart. Her current research involves validating the first dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) created to date using the CRISPR gene-editing tool. She hopes to uncover the underlying mechanism of DCM and the potential therapeutic effects of the novel myotropic drug danicamtiv.
“Paula is a bright and creative young woman with high professional goals. Her project involves a novel pre-clinical model of Pediatric Dilated Cardiomyopathy (PDCM), which is in line with the American Heart Association mission,” Pinto said. “PDCM is a devastating disease, and currently there are no available treatments.”
Nieto-Morales, who was born and raised in Villavicencio, Colombia, earned an academic and athletic scholarship to pay for her college education at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky. After completing her bachelor’s degree in 2018, she moved to Atlanta to work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a contractor in the Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections.
In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world, she joined the CDC’s Global Rapid Response team and was deployed as a laboratory scientist to the Oklahoma Department of Health to support the testing capabilities in the virology division.
“By the end of my deployment, I knew I was ready to pursue a long-term career in research and medicine,” said Nieto-Morales, who began her Ph.D. program at Florida State University in 2022.
The NHLCC, a unit within the AHA’s Office of Health Equity, is composed of health and medical professionals who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino, including cardiologists, surgeons, primary care physicians, researchers, academics and leaders from prominent accredited societies, and others interested in Hispanic cardiovascular health issues. It created the Scholars program to engage health professions students and early-career investigators in networking, mentorship and sponsorship opportunities, with the ultimate goal to increase Hispanic and Latino representation in the health-care workforce and bridge the gaps in health equity.
In Nieto-Morales' selection notification email, Carlos J. Rodriguez, M.D., a founding NHLCC member and its current chair, wrote, “We understand the road to pursue a career in research is not an easy one and we are here to support you along the way. We hope your experience as an NHL Scholar is fruitful and leads to long-term professional connections in your career and in your work to create a healthier community.”
Nieto-Morales brings cardiovascular knowledge to her local volunteer efforts, working weekly as an ultrasound technician at a local pregnancy center serving underserved populations. She is also active in the non-profit Who We Play For, which works to eliminate preventable sudden cardiac death in young people by providing free electrocardiogram heart screenings to sixth-grade students.
“My goal after my Ph.D. training is to go to medical school to achieve my lifelong dream of becoming a physician-scientist pediatric cardiologist, performing bench-to-bedside research and patient care, helping children diagnosed with heart disease,” Nieto-Morales said.
She acknowledges that she has big dreams and loves what she does, but she will never forget where she comes from.
“Being a NHLCC Scholar is an honor and I’m looking forward to working with my mentors.”
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.
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.
