John Sinnott, MD, will step down July 1 from his role as chair of the Department of Internal Medicine in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

Dr. Sinnott will continue service as the James Cullison Professor of Medicine.  Harry Van Loveren, MD, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, will serve as the interim chair as a national search for a new chair of Internal Medicine takes place.

Dr. Sinnott leaves behind a legacy as a renowned physician and dynamic teacher and mentor.  During his 10-year run as chair of USF Health’s largest department, he has ushered in a culture that has helped the department achieve unprecedented growth and achievement. Three internal medicine specialties are nationally ranked among the top 50 for Tampa General Hospital by U.S. News and World Report. The department has accumulated $46.4 million in NIH funding, placing them 35th nationally by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.

“It is difficult to tally Dr. Sinnott’s many contributions to the Morsani College of Medicine in his 40 years on our faculty and as an outstanding leader, physician, teacher and advocate,” said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. “He is a tireless advocate of the Morsani College of Medicine and its mission. …We are deeply grateful for all that Dr. Sinnott has done for USF Health, the Morsani College of Medicine, his colleagues, his students, and his patients.”

Dr. Sinnott was only the third person in the college’s history to be the chair of Internal Medicine. As the largest department within the Morsani College of Medicine, his success came from his trust and confidence in all of his division directors and vice chairs.  When he first stepped into the role of department chair, one of his priorities was to continue to build on the successes of Allan Goldman, MD. Dr. Sinnott’s priority as department chair was to continue investing in faculty development and being patient-centered, he said. Having a patient-centered approach to their key missions of research, clinical and academic excellence was the catalyst to the department’s rise in national prominence and increase in the number of community-based programs established by internal medicine physicians.

“One thing I’m particularly proud of is a legacy of supporting parts of humanity that are often left behind,” Dr. Sinnott said, referencing the USF BRIDGE Healthcare Clinic, the department needle exchange program and other clinics for underserved populations started by physicians within the department. “We’re at a stratospheric level when it comes to teaching.  I have some of the best teachers in the world.  I love our commitment to absolute quality.  That quality is why I never stay awake at night worried about physicians making mistakes.  That quality is what has resulted in the rise in patients for the Morsani College of Medicine.”

Lynette Menezes, PhD, assistant vice president of USF Health International, with John Sinnott, MD, former USF Health Department of Internal Medicine chair.

Dr. Sinnott will continue to work with Lynette Menezes, PhD, assistant vice president of USF Health International. Starting July 1, Dr. Sinnott will take additional roles in that program. The program is committed to enhancing the health of populations worldwide through an interdisciplinary collaboration between the USF Health colleges and its international partners.  Drs. Sinnott and Menezes started the program in 2006.  According to the program’s 2020-2021 annual report, program participants took part in 92 collaborations across 38 countries.

Dr. Sinnott said his first step in his new role is listening, so that he gains an understanding about where the program is and where he wants to take the program, which has experienced great success under the leadership of Dr. Menezes.  In the future, he hopes to treat international patients who come to USF Health from their home countries, and continue to expand collaborative relationships to allow physicians to travel abroad and treat patients.

Dr. Sinnott’s interest in international medicine was sparked in the mid 1990s, as he began working with doctors who had immigrated from Latin America.  Additionally, Korea began pioneering advanced imaging technology, and France started to become a world leader in molecular biology. His interest in health care developments across the world helped him track medical innovations in other countries’ health care systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A specialist in infectious diseases, Dr. Sinnott became one of the resident COVID-19 experts who regularly spoke to media outlets during the pandemic.  In addition to the interviews with local, regional and national media outlets, he regularly kept in contact with his international colleagues to get a firm understanding of what was working for them and what wasn’t. The relationships between USF and its international colleagues were essential to the sharing of information.

“Health care is a global initiative and the University of South Florida is a global university,” he said. “I feel that our international programs have had reciprocal benefits for our student and international partners. Our students and physicians have the opportunity to gain a multitude of perspectives of how different countries practice medicine. Our international students and physicians who spend time with us are able to take some of our best practices back to their countries.”

Dr. Sinnott said he is a person who truly bleeds green and gold.  He earned his master’s degree at USF and attended residency and fellowship at USF Health after he graduated from the University of South Alabama’s medical school. Between his graduate education, residency and fellowship, as well as his faculty service, he has been a presence at USF Health for approximately 45 years, he said.  He’s held several high-level leadership roles within the college, including director of the Division of Infectious Disease, and co-director of the Interdisciplinary Program in Allergy, Immunology and Infectious Disease.

His interest in spending his career at USF stemmed from the dedication of College of Medicine leaders to developing future leader. Dr. Sinnott always felt that he was able to advance within the organization.  He is known for a humble and warm presence that extends into all aspects of his life, accompanied by a firm belief that no one gets where they are without tremendous support.

“I want to thank my students, my trainees, my faculty, my directors and people in senior administration,” Dr. Sinnott said. “What I am today is a product of all these people’s efforts.  This is not my success; this is very much their success.  USF has provided me with a career beyond my wildest dreams.  If you’re going to pick an institution to stay with, USF is the place to stay.”

What others have to say about Dr. Sinnott:

“As a teacher and mentor, Dr. Sinnott is unmatched.  For him, every interaction is a teaching moment for the mentor and the mentee, each learning from each other. Always an innovator, Dr. Sinnott continues to be extremely creative, brimming with new ideas and always being one step ahead of a new innovation.  He taught me about ChatGPT before I could get around to it. As the founding associate dean of international, Dr. Sinnott expanded the global footprint of USF tremendously and inspired me and many other faculty to choose global health as a career path. He has continued to support countless students, residents, fellows and faculty engaged in global activities.  It’s been an honor to work with him and I look forward to his continued support and engagement in our global efforts at USF Health.” – Lynette Menezes, PhD, assistant vice president of USF Health International

“John, I speak for many in thanking you for your friendship and support professionally and personally.  You’ve had such a profound impact on the lives of so many. My experience began one summer on a tennis court in 1967.  Besides tennis, you taught us the joy of reading, respect for others and an open mind.  You challenged us to set high expectations and, with hard work, to exceed them. Over the years, this story has been repeated…changing the lives of countless others.  You have received many awards…even having the award for the best clinical teaching faculty named after you.  The best news is that your contributions are continuing.” – Douglas Holt, MD, FACP, FIDSA, professor of medicine, USF Health Department of Internal Medicine

Cuc Mai, MD, assistant dean for Graduate Medical Education (GME) and program director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, has been appointed senior associate dean for GME at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine (MCOM).

Dr. Mai, an associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, will lead GME in an interim capacity until the senior associate dean appointment becomes permanent on March 1.  She assumes the role held by Charles Paidas, MD, who left USF Health Jan. 17 to join Nemours Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del.

Cuc Mai, MD

Kellee Oller, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, has been selected as the new program director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program effective March 1.

“Dr. Mai has been strongly committed to improving the learning environment for all our residents and fellows,” said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine.  “I am confident in her ability as proven leader to strengthen our training programs during this time of dynamic change in GME.”

Since Dr. Mai became the internal medicine residency program director in 2012, the program has increased in size by 30 percent, expanded its rotation offerings, and improved its national recognition with a more competitive match. It has also achieved a 100-percent board pass rate, and a 100-percent fellowship match rate.

“She has been an outstanding leader with exceptional creativity who has brought national prominence to our residency,” said John Sinnott, MD, chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Mai received her MD degree from USF in 2000 and completed her residency in internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. She joined the faculty of MCOM as an assistant professor of internal medicine in 2005, and was advanced to associate professor in 2012. In 2015 she was appointed Assistant Dean for GME.

She has been instrumental in GME curricular design and innovation at Tampa General Hospital and other teaching affiliates. Most recently, Dr. Mai helped develop the GME Patient Safety Workshop to help USF residents across various specialties to better identify potential causes of medical errors, as well as to develop protocols and enhance communication to avoid such errors.

A fellow of the American College of Physicians, Dr. Mai received the ACP Florida Chapter’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award in 2016.  She has been a two-time recipient of the Roy H. Behnke Residents’ Faculty Award and three-time recipient of the Tampa General Hospital Outstanding Teacher Award.

Dr Kapil Patel was recruited from Stanford University known for its preeminent center

Pulmonologist Kapil Patel, MD, arrived at USF Health full-time Sept. 1 with one overarching goal in mind: to help lead and strengthen the Lung Transplant Program at Tampa General Hospital while strategically working to create a Center of Excellence for Advanced Lung Disease.

He came from Stanford University Medical Center, home to one the few such specialty pulmonology centers in the United States, which is known for its exceptional patient outcomes and consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best in the nation.

Pulmonologist Dr. Kapil Patel was recruited to the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine from Stanford University Medical Center.

“Dr. Patel’s recruitment is significant for USF Internal Medicine, the patients of USF Health and Tampa General Hospital and the community at large. His move from Stanford University to head the lung transplantation program is a landmark, making this the first solid organ transplant program to be part of USF in 35 years,” said John Sinnott, MD, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “Dr. Patel’s vision for a center for advanced lung disease will place USF and Tampa General at the forefront of caring for patients with lung diseases in the United States.”

A center like the one at Stanford promotes continuity of care, allowing patients to be conveniently treated in one place by physicians who subspecialize in complex lung disorders, while cohesively providing the latest advances in medical and surgical care, said Dr. Patel, assistant professor of medicine in the Morsani College of Medicine’s Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine and medical director for lung transplant, interstitial lung disease and adult cystic fibrosis.

“As you bring academic research to the forefront, it also opens opportunities for patients to participate in clinical trials that can afford alternatives to treatment they may not otherwise receive elsewhere,” he said.

Dr. Patel most recently directed the Stanford’s Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Program, one of the arms of the medical school’s Center for Advanced Lung Disease. He helped build physician referrals to Stanford’s ILD program from 100 to more than 200 in just over two years.

Providing integrated subspecialty care for complex lung diseases

Dr. Patel says he was attracted to USF Health by the opportunity to serve as medical director of an academic-affiliated lung transplant program and to build upon the solid foundation laid by Tampa General’s transplant team to create what could be Florida’s first center for advanced lung disease.

He plans to work with colleagues in USF Health Internal Medicine and Tampa General over the next several years to develop a center of excellence serving as the umbrella for four interconnected programs:

• Lung Transplantation: Tampa General already has an active program accredited by the United Network of Organ Sharing – one of five in Florida – and has performed more than 480 total adult lung transplants (single and double) since 2002. The program’s one-year patient survival rate of more than 91 percent and three-year survival rate of more than 71 percent both exceed national survival rate statistics. Dr. Patel plans to selectively grow a larger program.

“Selective is the way to go to do the right thing for patients. It is critical to identify appropriate candidates in need of transplant and to understand the limitations to transplant, so you do not push the limits too far,” he said. “We want to be confident that the surgery will go well, so the patient leaves the hospital with a new life.”

Since arriving here, Dr. Patel has worked closely with USF Health-affiliated cardiothoracic surgeon Christiano Caldeira, MD, of Florida Advanced Cardiothoracic Surgery, who serves as surgical director of the heart and lung transplant programs at TGH. They take donor calls together, jointly decide which donor organs are the healthiest for recipients, and co-manage lung transplant patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Dr. Patel with Nicole Davis, RN, a lung transplant coordinator at Tampa General Hospital.

• Interstitial Lung Disease, or ILD (also known as pulmonary fibrosis): This new program would manage the care of patients with a group of lung disorders causing tissue deep in the lungs to progressively stiffen and scar, which affects the ability to get enough oxygen into the bloodstream. Currently, Dr. Patel said, Florida has no ILD program certified by the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) Care Center Network. Dr. Patel will lead an initiative by USF and TGH to establish the first.

• Cystic Fibrosis: Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that causes thick mucus to build up in the lungs, leading to repeated, serious lung infections. The Cystic Fibrosis Program at TGH is the largest adult program in the state certified and supported by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

• Pulmonary Hypertension: USF Health pulmonologist Ricardo Restrepo-Jaramillo,MD, assistant professor of medicine, specializes in pulmonary hypertension – high blood pressure that occurs in the arteries that go from the heart to the lungs and may eventually lead to heart failure. He will become director of the new USF pulmonary hypertension program at TGH, Dr. Patel said.

Lung transplants are typically performed for people likely to die from lung disease within one to two years, when other treatments like medications or breathing devices no longer work, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. ILD and cystic fibrosis are both conditions accounting for the most lung transplants nationwide, Dr. Patel said, with pulmonary hypertension affecting a smaller population of patients needing transplants.

Collaborating with community physicians

To create an integrated center, Dr. Patel plans to bring several pulmonologists with research as well as clinical expertise into the lung transplant program he directs, as well as recruit subspecialty directors for the ILD and cystic fibrosis programs. He will also add nurse practitioners to a team already supported by TGH nurse coordinators, respiratory therapists, social workers, dietitians and a pharmacist.

“When you manage patients with advanced lung disease, it takes a multidisciplinary team of professionals skilled in pre and post-transplant,” he said. “These are patients with complex conditions who need a lot of support and coordination,”

Dr. Patel sees patients at the Cardiac and Lung Transplant Clinic based at Harbourside Medical Tower.

More immediately, though, he is focusing on selectively increasing the referral base of patients by meeting with community physicians across the Tampa Bay region and seeing established pre-transplant patients in the clinic at Harbourside Medical Tower, Tampa General campus.

“I want doctors in the community to know that we are here to collaborate in the care of patients with advanced lung diseases,” Dr. Patel said. “Our availability is a priority, and ensuring the shortening of turn-around times for initial clinic visits is crucial, so that patients referred to the USF-TGH program are evaluated for medical care or transplant within weeks, not months. When someone needs a transplant, they need to be seen yesterday, and we work to intervene early.”

Advances in pulmonary transplant treatment

Over the last decade, advances in surgical techniques and significant improvements in post-operative care have contributed to improved survival of pulmonary transplant patients.

“We’ve gotten better at understanding what it takes to get these patients through transplants with fewer complications,” Dr. Patel said. “Once you get patients through the ICU following transplant, their chances of recovery and surviving a year or more out are much better.”

Medical therapy has also improved. For example, in 2014 the FDA approved the first medications (pirfenidone and nintedanib) to treat the most common type of pulmonary fibrosis, known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Until then, lung transplant was the only option for these patients, said Dr. Patel, who at Stanford led several site clinical trials testing the effectiveness of drugs for IPF.

Dr. Patel received his MD degree from the Medical University of Lublin in Poland. He completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Vermont and a dual heart-lung and lung fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center. He worked in private practice in Baltimore as well as holding faculty positions at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, the University of Maryland Medical Center, and Stanford.

Dr. Patel is a member of the American College of Chest Physicians and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.

A USF-TGH Center for Advanced Lung Disease won’t happen overnight. But Dr. Patel is confident that the vision can become a reality one purposeful step at a time.

“That’s why I came here,” he said. “We have a strong foundation and the pieces to grow.”

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications and Marketing

Devoting time to the needs of the community is at the heart of a new scholarship for USF medical students.

Called the Dr. John Sinnott Merit Scholarship in Medicine, the scholarship is named after John T. Sinnott, MD, FACP, FIDSA, chair of the USF Health Department of Internal Medicine, the James A. Cullison Professor of Medicine, and director of the Florida Infectious Disease Institute. The scholarship was initiated when John Ekarius, former chief operating officer for USF Health, provided its first donation. More than 50 donors have added to that seed money to grow the gift to about $33,000.

John Ekarius (right) announces the scholarship named for Dr. John Sinnott (left), with Dr. Margarita Cancio-Cabrerra and Dr. Douglas Holt.

“One can see the impact of John’s legacy by watching alumni interact with him,” Ekarius said. “His repeated winning of the Golden Apple teaching award symbolizes his dedication to the school and its future. John represents the best of the Morsani College of Medicine.”

The first word of the scholarship came when Ekarius made a surprise announcement about it at an Internal Medicine event in December. Taken aback, Dr. Sinnott was clearly moved by the gesture.

“John came up with an amazing surprise and a unique honor,” Dr. Sinnott said. “The scholarship he started in my name will assist many students as they pursue their dream of a career in medicine.”

In working with USF Health Development to fine tune the details for the scholarship, Dr. Sinnott determined that a student’s work within his or her community should be central to the tenets of the scholarship’s criteria.

“Some of my most rewarding experiences have been in working in our comunity,” Dr. Sinnott said. “This scholarship program will inspire our students to ‘give back’ to our school and community.”

The inaugural scholarship will be awarded for Fall 2014. For more details about the scholarship or to make an additional contribution to it, contact Patrick Henry, director of Development for the Morsani College of Medicine, phenry1@health.usf.edu or (813) 974-4803.

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