Across 41 years, Allan Goldman, MD, has treated patients, taught and advised students and residents, chaired the Department of Internal Medicine, directed Graduate Medical Education, connected with alumni, taught environmental and occupational health to public health students, and been a mentor and leader to teams of staff and colleagues across the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

“I extend a very special thank you for passing on excellence to so many generations of our students, residents and fellows to whom you have been a tireless mentor, and for bolstering scholarship funding to support deserving medical students,” said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine.

“Congratulations on a job well done and a retirement well deserved.”

Dr. Allan Goldman.

Dr. Goldman joined USF in the summer of 1974. MCOM’s founding internal medicine chair Roy H. Behnke, MD, recruited him to direct the College’s first Division of Pulmonary Disease in the Department of Internal Medicine and as chief of the pulmonary section at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital. Dr. Goldman directed the division for 23 years.

Dr. Goldman also set up a pulmonary disease training program for residents. For years, most practicing pulmonologists in Tampa were graduates from the USF program, since USF had the only such training program in the region.

In 1994, following Dr. Behnke’s retirement, Dr. Goldman was named interim chair and later took the job fulltime. He holds a joint appointment as professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Public Health.

Dr. Goldman provided some of the earliest collaborations with Tampa General Hospital, helping lay the foundation for TGH becoming USF’s primary teaching hospital. He also was the founding director of the Thoracic Oncology and Lung Cancer Center at Moffitt Cancer Center.

In his four decades at USF, Dr. Goldman had a consistent and lasting impact on the growth of the Morsani College of Medicine and USF Health.

“Allan is a man of integrity, compassion and his word,” said Richard F. Lockey MD, FACP, professor and director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and holder of the Joy McCann Culverhouse Chair of Allergy and Immunology.

“He is a physician’s physician, a person with whom you would trust as a family member. Allan is a life-long friend, a person with the utmost integrity.  He has always promoted what is best for the patient and for USF.”

Among the events planned to honor Dr. Goldman, there was a thank-you video created and a reception at CAMLS July 22 was hosted and included many familiar faces: fellow chairs, division directors, MCOM alumni, colleagues, staff, friends and family.

Dr. John Sinnott (left) and Dr. Charles Lockwood (right) at the celebration for Dr. Goldman at CAMLS.

Dr. Lockwood helped set the congratulatory tone of the evening, offering heartfelt thanks to Dr. Goldman for providing strong leadership across four institutions: USF Health, Tampa General Hospital, Haley VA Hospital and Moffitt Cancer Center and throughout the community.

“His life’s work has been marked by the pursuit of excellence,” Dr. Lockwood said.

Current Department of Internal Medicine Chair John Sinnott, MD, reflected on how he was mentored by Dr. Goldman as an intern and resident.

“I learned so much from the gentle, intelligent way he taught me about caring for patients,” Dr. Sinnott said. “In the same way, he treated the nurses, respiratory therapists and all the hospital staff with dignity… I realized whenever I rounded with Dr. Goldman as a resident that he was always happy.  The pleasure he took in his job is how we should all approach medicine.”

Guests described Dr. Goldman as being a constant learner and educator, fully engaged in life, calm and “unflappable.”

Building on those, Neil Fenske, MD, chair of the Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, said with a laugh, “I only saw Allan Goldman stressed one time – and that was when the Dean said he was going to take the Dermatology Department away from Internal Medicine and make it a department.”

Charles Paidas, MD, vice dean for Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education at MCOM, reminded guests of the breadth of Dr. Goldman’s impact.

“So many physicians, nurses and other health care professionals working in our affiliate hospitals were mentored by him in some way throughout his career,” Dr. Paidas said. “I have every intention of continuing to consult with Dr. Goldman frequently.”

Mr. and Mrs. Goldman.

Dr. Goldman then thanked everyone for the kind words.

“I survived five deans as division director and five deans as chair – that may be a record,” Dr. Goldman said. “I always learned something from each of them. Over the years, our (College of Medicine) goal became not only to become a first-class educational institution for the community, but also to focus on good patient care and research….. Now with leaders like Dr. Lockwood and Dr. Sinnott, the institution is poised for tremendous growth and excellence in all those areas.”

Dr. Phil Marty, Dr. Allan Goldman and Dr. Richard Lockey.

Dr. Allan Goldman with Dr. Jay Wolfson.

There was also a celebration for Dr. Goldman on the main campus that drew more friends and colleagues.

Dr. Bryan Bognar and Dr. David Solomon applaud Dr. Goldman at the celebration on campus in the USF Health Rotunda.

Dr. and Mrs. Worth Boyce and Dr. Allan Goldman.

Staff and colleagues presented Dr. Goldman with a thank you gift, focusing on golf, of course.

The golf theme continued with a creative cake.

Dr. Goldman earned his medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School and conducted an internship at the Wadsworth VA Hospital in Los Angeles, CA, a residency in internal medicine at Brooke General Hospital in San Antonio, TX, and a fellowship in pulmonary disease at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.

He is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary disease and critical care medicine, has participated in and/or lead more than 100 committees, programs and organizations, has been the editor, reviewer and consultant for dozens of journals, and has authored more than 220 publications.

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Office of Communications

The infectious diseases expert will lead the medical school’s largest department

Tampa, FL (Nov. 28, 2012) – John T. Sinnott, MD, the James P. Cullison Professor of Medicine, has been appointed chair of Department of Internal Medicine at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.  Dr. Sinnott has served as Director of the college’s Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine, and as the Associate Dean of USF Medicine International.  His new leadership role begins Dec. 1. 

 Dr. Sinnott is the third chair in the history of USF’s Department of Internal Medicine, the medical school’s largest department. He succeeds Allan Goldman, who served as chair for 18 years and is now the associate dean of graduate medical education, and Roy Behnke, the founding chair in 1972.

Dr. John T. Sinnott

 “Dr. Sinnott has led our Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine into an internationally recognized powerhouse,” said Stephen Klasko, MD, CEO of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine.   “He is a veteran, valued and creative leader who will work with faculty to develop a vision and strategic plan for a department he describes as ‘nutrient-rich and primed to lead in medicine, research and education.’”

 “Technological advances in medicine are outstripping its humanity while business models are dramatically changing our practices,” Dr. Sinnott said. “I hope to inspire the Department of Internal Medicine to meet these challenges and synthesize a new model — a patient-centered academic department, where energized faculty conduct research, teach students and deliver outstanding care.”

Dr. Sinnott’s accomplishments across his nearly 30 years at USF include:

–          Long-regarded as a master clinician, he has trained 96 infectious disease subspecialists and countless medical and graduate students.

–          He has assembled an extensive network linking USF and the public health departments in Hillsborough and Polk Counties as well as with the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Laboratories in Tampa.  His work led to a nationally-recognized model for academicians working with health departments.

–          A federally-funded researcher, he is the principal investigator for a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant. This grant evaluates and provides technical assistance to 30 sites across the U.S. serving HIV patients co-infected with hepatitis C. It also explores optimal treatment regimens and provides alternative approaches to care for resource-poor areas.

–          His interest in innovative education spurred him to forge partnerships with training programs worldwide, including in India, China, Thailand, Colombia and Panama. These successful collaborations have yielded numerous exchanges between USF and global partners, as well as grant-funded activities in India and China.

–          Under his tenure as Division Director, USF has been at the forefront of biodefense and initiatives in response to emerging infectious diseases threatening Floridians and visitors to the state.  The Division has grown from three to 17 faculty members.  Fellowships have increased from two to 10 trainees.

–          A proponent of integrating healthcare education and technology, Dr. Sinnott worked with Dr. Richard Oehler to develop IDPodcasts.net, a premiere infectious diseases learning resource on the web, and other mobile device applications for clinicians and students.  Most recently, Dr. Sinnott created the content for USF’s first commercial app available on iTunes, MD Stats, a tool for medical students to interactively learn the basics of medical statistics.

Dr. Sinnott succeeds Dr. Allan Goldman, right, as chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. He is the third chair in the history of the USF medical school’s largest department.

Dr. Sinnott is co-director of the USF Health Signature Interdisciplinary Research Program in Allergy, Immunology and Infectious Disease. Over the years, he has served as chief of medicine, vice chief of staff, and the first university physician ever elected chief of staff at Tampa General Hospital.

After Dr. Sinnott was selected “Most Outstanding Clinical Professor” by students for six consecutive years, the competitive prize was retired and renamed the “John Sinnott Award for Outstanding Clinical Professor.” 

He has received numerous other awards from local to international levels. These include the Florida Medical Association Award for Leadership in Medical Education, the NBI Award for Humanism in Medicine, the Leadership Florida Distinguished Member Award, the Florida HIV/AIDS Red Ribbon Excellence Award, and, recently, the 2011 Healthcare Educator of the Year Award by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. He was inducted into the Leon G. Smith Infectious Disease Institute Hall Of Fame, has been a finalist for the Association of American Medical Colleges Humanism in Medicine award, and is consistently listed among The Best Doctors in America. He has been recognized for his global medicine achievements by the princess of Thailand and by the Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Maharashtra India.

Dr. Sinnott received his master’s degree in microbiology from USF and a MD degree from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine and fellowship in infectious diseases and tropical medicine at USF before joining the university’s Division of Infectious Diseases as a faculty member in 1983.

 Board certified in both medicine and infectious diseases, Dr. Sinnott is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.  He has published more than 180 abstracts, articles and textbook chapters, many with students and trainees.

-USF Health-

USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a global research university ranked 50^th in the nation by the National Science Foundation for both federal and total research expenditures among all U.S. universities.

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

Media contact:
Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications 
(813) 974-3303 or abaier@health.usf.edu