Personalized women’s health facility now accepting members

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjRhFNce5Sw

Women in the Tampa Bay region who seek a more personalized, navigated style of health care now have a new option, as USF Health opens the Pamela Muma Women’s Health Center.

Located at the USF Health South Tampa Center for Advanced Healthcare, across from Tampa General Hospital, the 5,600 square-foot facility provides a relaxing environment for high-quality primary and preventive care exclusively for women.  The patient-centered practice with a low doctor-to-patient ratio offers priority access for urgent, acute and chronic health care needs, and tailors to the needs of each individual.

Pamela Muma worked with USF Health to make her vision for a center of excellence dedicated to personalized, navigated health care for women a reality.

The center features six spacious exam suites, as well as spaces for a doctor to review lab results and other medical information one-on-one with the patient. Members gain regular and after-hours access to a health care navigator and a physician, who will be able to arrange diagnostic testing and same-day lab testing results when possible, and can expedite filling of prescriptions and coordinate follow-up care with specialists.

At the Feb. 5 ribbon-cutting event for the new center are, from left: Pamela and Les Muma, USF System President Judy Genshaft, and Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine.

The facility became possible through a $2 million gift from philanthropist Pamela Muma, who envisioned a better solution for women after experiencing her own personal challenges of navigating the health care system.

“This will be a godsend to women. It’s been a dream of mine, a passion, to build a center of excellence that will treat the primary health care needs of women of all ages in a relaxing and comforting setting. This center will provide annual physicals and other services in one facility, where our goal is to provide same-day results for diagnostics and imaging,” Muma said.

The center provides a comfortable, relaxing setting with many amenities.

Pam and Les Muma are USF’s largest benefactors, helping to advance the university’s mission through generous gifts of more than $56 million to benefit numerous programs in academics, athletics and health.

“This new women’s center complements the broad range of care offered by USF Health, providing even more options to access the benefits of our preeminent academic medical center,” said USF System President Judy Genshaft. “We are grateful for Pam Muma’s transformative gift and pioneering vision that made the center possible. It will make an impact on the lives of thousands of women throughout the Tampa Bay region.”

Dr. Denise Edwards, the center’s lead physician, in one of the facility’s six spacious exam suites.

USF Health is Tampa Bay’s only academic medical center, and serves as the region’s leader in advanced multispecialty care. The Muma center is the newest in a range of USF clinical programs improving the health and well-being of women — including a program attuned to physiological gender differences affecting the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of heart disease in women, and a maternal-fetal medicine team equipped to provide the best possible outcomes for high-risk pregnancies.

“Pam not only envisioned creating a center of excellence for personalized and navigated women’s health care in the Tampa Bay region, she persevered in working with USF Health to make it a reality,” said Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. “I am confident this innovative center will prove to be a model worthy of national emulation. We are extremely grateful to both Pam and Les for their significant investment to advance women’s health and for their steadfast support of USF Health and the Morsani College of Medicine.”

Members gain regular and after-hours access to a health care navigator and a physician, who will be able to arrange diagnostic testing and same-day lab testing results when possible and can coordinate follow-up care with specialists.

The center is now accepting membership applications, and will begin seeing patients Feb. 6.  They expect to serve a full capacity of 600 to 700 patients, about a third of a typical primary care office.

For more information, please visit the center’s website.

-Video by Ryan Noone and photos by Sandra C. Roa and Ryan Noone, University Communications and Marketing

The partnership between USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and the College of Engineering can help spur new technologies, devices and processes to improve health care and reduce costs

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A rare joint program between the USF College of Engineering and USF Health Morsani College of Medicine is celebrating its success, made possible by funding from the State of Florida’s preeminence program.

The newly created Department of Medical Engineering is preparing to open a wet lab that allows students and faculty to conduct tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and biomedicine experiments. Students recently started working with electronic equipment to design and build medical devices. Biomedical engineering graduate students have also been observing surgeries performed by USF Health physicians at Tampa General Hospital.

“The new medical engineering facility houses a unique, interdisciplinary program and is a shining example of the things that happen when we combine our strengths and work together,” USF System President Judy Genshaft said during a ribbon-cutting to officially launch the department’s new academic home in the Interdisciplinary Sciences Building. “This new department is already making an impressive impact, and it shows what we can achieve through preeminence.”

“This innovative partnership between medicine and engineering embodies interprofessional learning and research, which will allow us to advance patient safety and care,” said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine (MCOM).  “Medical engineering can play a vital role in improving health outcomes while lowering costs.”

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The Florida Board of Governors designated USF as a Preeminent State Research University in 2018, allocating more than $6 million in new funding this year, which can also be used to enhance research or student success activities in other strategic areas and attract nationally regarded faculty members.

“We wouldn’t have a new department. We wouldn’t have an undergraduate biomedical engineering major without preeminence funding,” said Robert Frisina, PhD, chair of the Department of Medical Engineering.

Professor Huabei Jiang was recruited from the University of Florida, where he served as the endowed professor of biomedical engineering. Professor George Spirou comes to USF from West Virginia University, where he was director and endowed professor of neuroscience. Together, they brought with them more than $5 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health, adding to the portfolio that helps USF rank as one of the nation’s top 25 public research universities, according to the National Science Foundation.

Samuel Wickline, MD, (left), professor of cardiology and director of the USF Health Heart Institute, is a faculty member in the Department of Medical Engineering. He is pictured here with colleague Hua Pan, PhD, a biomedical engineer.

The department’s faculty members consist of physician-scientists as well as engineers, including Stephen Liggett, MD, professor of internal medicine, molecular pharmacology and physiology and vice dean for research at MCOM, and Samuel Wickline, MD, professor of cardiology and director of the USF Health Heart Institute.

USF is one of very few universities to have a medical engineering department and just one of four in Florida to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical engineering. Currently, 105 undergraduate students are enrolled, 45 are pursuing their master’s degree and 20 are working towards their PhD.

USF System President Judy Genshaft (center), USF Provost Ralph Wilcox; Robert Bishop, dean of the College of Engineering; Robert Frisina, chair of the Department of Medical Engineering; and Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president of USF Health and MCOM dean; joined College of Engineering faculty and students to cut a ribbon to celebrating the new academic home of the medical engineering department.

“Biomedical engineering is the fastest growing area of engineering and one of the top job fields in the United States if you look at over the next 10 years. So, we were able to fill a critical gap in Florida’s State University System for training biomedical engineers,” said Frisina.

There are many career options for graduates, such as in drug development and creating medical devices. Demand is especially high due to our aging population and changes needed within the health care system.

The launch of the Department of Medical Engineering comes at an important time as the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute is slated to open in downtown Tampa in late 2019. This will allow for better synergy between biomedical engineers and their colleagues at USF Health and Tampa General Hospital.

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-Ribbon-cutting photo by Ryan Wakefield, College of Engineering

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-yUgH33P2A

On a warm, breezy November day, an 800-pound white beam was slowly lifted skyward by a construction crane, marking another milestone in USF’s history – the topping off of the 13-story USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in downtown Tampa.

A construction crew hoisted the 20-foot long, 800-pound beam into the air and and placed it on top the 13-story Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute building in downtown Tampa.

Below, as the USF Fight Song played on, a crowd of university and community leaders, elected officials, faculty and medical students – with cell phone cameras aimed skyward — watched the ascent of the beam bearing a green USF Bulls topiary and gently flapping flags on either end.  Many had earlier signed the steel beam at the Nov. 14 topping-off celebration, an event traditionally held when the last beam is placed, signifying completion of the building’s exterior structure.

The beam was placed at the top of the 13-story, 395,000-square-foot building shortly before noon, culminating the morning’s topping-off program held under a tent in Water Street Tampa, a $3-billion real estate development by Strategic Property Partners (SPP), the joint venture of Jeff Vinik and Cascade Investments, LLC.   USF Health’s iconic building, scheduled to open in late 2019, is a key anchor for SPP’s transformative downtown waterfront district.

From left: Calvin Williams, USF System vice president for administrative services; USF System President Judy Genshaft; and Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine.

“Today we are celebrating a momentous occasion — the topping-off of one of the most significant projects ever to be completed in USF System history,” said USF System President Judy Genshaft.

“This project belongs to all of us, and would not be possible if it were not for the incredible support of visionary Tampa Bay and state leaders.  It is staggering in its impact — in terms of academic, research and economic significance.”

Guests gathered under a tent set up in the heart of Water Street Tampa for the topping-off celebration.

Once complete, the building will house more than 1,800 students, faculty, researchers and staff — equipping them with world-class labs, technologically advanced lecture halls and learning spaces, and research facilities to help shape the next generations of physicians and pioneer new discoveries for cardiovascular health.

The new state-of-the-art hub for medical education and research is located in close proximity to USF’s primary teaching hospital, Tampa General Hospital, and its world-class Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) facility.  It will be a key driver of economic activity for the Tampa Bay area by helping to generate a substantial increase in research grant funding, attract new biotechnology companies to the region and position USF to move up in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.

Dr. Lockwood signs the beam before the topping-off celebration in Water Street Tampa.

Charles J. Lockwood, MD, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, said the new building has been designed with a new generation of physicians and other health professionals in mind – and is already attracting top talent.  USF’s incoming class of medical students in fall 2018 was its most competitive ever, with the highest median MCAT score in the state of Florida, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

“Medical knowledge is doubling every 73 days, so how do you prepare students for a world like that?” Dr. Lockwood said.  “You don’t memorize textbooks anymore; you have to be able to curate knowledge, understand it and apply it appropriately at the point of care.

“This building will be an extraordinary gem for the community and medicine in general. We will push the boundaries of medical knowledge and keep pace with its rapid expansion.”

Among those attending the celebration were university benefactors Frank and Carol Morsani, for whom the USF medical college is named. Frank Morsani told those in the audience that they had the unique opportunity of a lifetime to be part of the city of Tampa’s transformation over the last two decades.

USF benefactor Frank Morsani was among the speakers. USF’s medical college is named after Frank and his wife Carol.

“Not only is today a celebration of this university and medical school but, ladies and gentlemen, it’s a celebration for this community and city,” Morsani said. “Carol and I hope that this school of medicine will continue the transformation and philanthropy necessary for the growth of our community.”

Then with his voice choking back emotion, he added: “As we stroll hand in hand into the sunset of our lives, we are proud, honored and humbled to have this school of medicine as our legacy.”

First-year medical student Tampa Hutchens represented his fellow students at the podium, sharing their enthusiasm for the new downtown MCOM and Heart Institute.  They will be among the first occupants of the building when it opens.

First-year USF medical student Tampa Hutchens represented his classmates at the podium.

“My classmates and I are extremely happy about this new building, the resources it will have to offer, and the chance to pioneer our medical education with new facilities that enhance our research and learning experiences  — not to mention the view,” said Hutchens, who received his bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences from USF and was “so excited” to be accepted to medical school here.

“The Morsani College of Medicine stands ready to transform its students into the kind of medical professionals we want to see in our clinics, in our hospitals and in our time of need – the compassionate, talented, patient-centered people who will improve the health of Tampa Bay and its surrounding communities.”

The event included the unveiling of a rendering of USF Health Heart Institute Weatherford Family Atrium in honor of Will Weatherford, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, and his family.

Will Weatherford with wife Courtney (right) near the rendering of the USF Health Heart Institute Weatherford Family Atrium unveiled at the topping-off celebration.

Weatherford played a key role in helping champion the relocation of the MCOM and Heart Institute downtown and secure initial funding for the building, and he remains an advocate for the project.  “Our family feels blessed and honored to play a small role in the incredible transformation of our community and of this university, and in this real estate project that will forever change the way downtown Tampa looks,” he said.

Representatives from SPP and Skanska, the firm building the MCOM and Heart Institute in Water Street Tampa, also spoke at the topping-off celebration. (The project’s architect is HOK.)

James Nozar, chief executive officer for Strategic Property Partners, spoke on behalf of Jeff Vinik. The new MCOM and Heart Institute building is a key anchor of Water Street Tampa, the $3-billion real estate development by SPP, the joint venture of Vinik and Cascade Investments, LLC.

Water Street Tampa will be the world’s first WELL-certified district, and the Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute are a vital part of that health and wellness initiative, said James Nozar, chief executive officer of SPP, who spoke on behalf of Jeff Vinik.

“The partnership with USF has been very important to SPP,” Nozar said. “It’s bringing all these great minds downtown to be part of the ecosystem we’re working to create here in Water Street Tampa. Having 2,000 or so students, faculty and researchers downtown is an incredible opportunity…  A lot of of the office tenants and retail people we’re speaking with are interested in being near that. We’re designing residential facilities with that in mind.”

Tracy Hunt (right), vice president of operations for Skanska U.S.A, with USF Foundation CEO Joel Momberg, who served as master of ceremonies for the event.

“Our team’s mission is to deliver a state-of-the-art building that will benefit the Tampa Bay community for years to come,” said Tracy Hunt, vice president of operations for Skanska U.S.A. “As strong as the steel (reinforcing the building) is, the building’s real strength is all of you.”

What they said:

Bryan Bognar, MD, vice dean of Educational Affairs for the Morsani College of Medicine, watches as the beam is lifted to the top of the new building.

“This is a once-in-a-generation transformational moment. In my 30 years with USF, this moment is a bit surreal. We’ve been saying that this place is a diamond in the rough. Well, now it’s in full view – cut, polished and brilliant.”
-Bryan Bognar, MD, MPH, FACP
Vice Dean for Educational Affairs USF Health Morsani College of Medicine

“I always hoped this day would come. It took a lot of people doing a lot of work, and who believed in the vision. This is truly a partnership that will reap benefits to USF and the City of Tampa for decades to come.”
– Bob Buckhorn, City of Tampa Mayor

City of Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn with USF medical student Liz Lafranchise and USF mascot Rocky D. Bull.

“This is definitely a game changer, certainly for top students and faculty for years to come.”
-Mark Moseley, MD
Chief Clinical Officer, USF Health and Chief Medical Officer, USF Health
Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Morsani College of Medicine

“To have seen this building come from an idea to where it is today is so gratifying. And the presence of this building here today is stunning.”
– Hal Mullis, USF Trustee

“It’s thrilling to see USF expand its footprint in such a meaningful way. It’s great to be a part of all of this. In all of the planning, it was critical to be inclusive. We planned this college of medicine for its occupants, but it’s really for all of USF Health. We are making sure we get in the building on time and that everyone has a voice.”
-Carole Post
Associate Vice President, USF Health
Chief Administrative Officer, USF Health
Chief Executive Officer, HPCC/CAMLS

Kevin Sneed, PharmD (right), dean of the USF College of Pharmacy, on a recent tour of the USF Health building under construction in downtown Tampa.

“This is not just about the medical school or the Heart Institute. It’s about every community that wants to build a workforce.”
-Kevin Sneed, PharmD
Senior Associate Vice President, USF Health
Dean, College of Pharmacy

“Now that we can see the building, we are even more excited to fill its space with our Heart Institute teams. The people we’re recruiting are very impressed with the whole project and eager to get to USF.”
Sam Wickline, MD
Professor of Cardiology, Director of the USF Health Heart Institute

The new Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute facility is scheduled to open in late 2019.

USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute by the numbers:

50 percent – Rise in USF medical school applications since the facility was announced

1,800 – Anticipated students, faculty, researchers and staff who will occupy the building

$2.35 to $2.60 — Amount that every $1 in National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding adds to the local economy (Not including the potential for increased economic activity from biotech, pharmaceutical companies and USF start-ups)

31 – NIH funded cardiovascular faculty researchers to work at Heart Institute, more than half already recruited

$28 million – Projected increase in NIH research funding generated by the Heart Institute alone within five years.

$66 – $73 million – Expected yearly economic activity driven by the Heart Institute

47,000 tons – Amount of concrete used to build the facility, comparable to the weight of 155 Boeing 747 jets.

2.5 million linear feet – Amount of rebar used to reinforce the structure, equivalent to nearly 500 miles, or the approximate distance from Tampa to Atlanta.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCaPVmOkbcg

A commemorative gift from the topping-off celebration included a piece of reinforcement steel like that used to reinforce the building’s auditorium, and reads: The Building’s Real Strength is You.

Learn more about the project and its progress at www.usf.edu/waterstreet, including a live feed of construction available here.

-Sarah Worth contributed to this story
-USF Health video by Torie M. Doll, and photos by Eric Younghans and Freddie Coleman, USF Health Communications and Marketing
-USF video, drone images, and additional photos by Ryan Noone and Sandra C. Roa, University Communications and Marketing

New plates will be available for drivers this month

TAMPA, Fla. (Aug. 1, 2018) – For the first time in nearly 15 years, drivers around the state who support the University of South Florida will have a new look for their license plates.

Drivers will immediately notice USF’s new plates are green, as opposed to the primarily white design of the old plates, with a larger Bulls logo on the left side and the university’s name printed in gold at the bottom.

The launch of the updated design coincides with USF’s recent historic designation as a Preeminent State Research University, representing a new era for students, faculty, staff and alumni.

The new design aims to build on the approximately 15,000 drivers who currently have USF specialty plates. For each purchase, USF receives $25 to support scholarships, student programs and other alumni engagement activities.

“Adopting a new USF license plate is one more way to showcase our Bull pride, all while providing more resources to benefit students,” USF System President Judy Genshaft said. “The University of South Florida is fortunate to have the support of so many alumni, fans and friends across the state of Florida.”

This is the first time USF has offered a new license plate design since April 2004.

The new plates will be available in all tax offices across Florida in August, however exact dates will vary by location.

For more information, including a FAQ, visit Bullsplate.org.

Former license plate design

The new USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute, shown here under construction in June 2018, will open late 2019.

Emails are coming in about biotech start-ups, applications are pouring in from high-caliber students, powerhouse researchers are inquiring about opportunities, research funding has gone up, property values are on the upswing, and condos and apartments are rising across the urban core.

These are tangible upticks attesting that something big is happening in Tampa – even while that something is still under construction.

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute is building a new facility in the heart of burgeoning downtown Tampa and will be a primary anchor in the $3 billion real estate development – Water Street Tampa – by Strategic Property Partners, the joint venture between Jeff Vinik and Cascade Investment, LLC.

From left, USF System President Judy Genshaft, Frank and Carol Morsani, and Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, were among those who recently toured the construction site for USF in Water Street Tampa.

When the project kicked off several years ago, talk was hot about the potential a medical school and cardiovascular research institute in the urban core would have on the entire region. Biotechnology, pharmaceutical, biomedical engineering, translational research, biomanufacturing – these are among the forward-thinking buzzwords that painted the vision.

But today, talk has shifted from potential to more tangible, offering stronger hints of the true ripple effect expected.

University and community leaders shared their insights on some early indicators of success, giving us all a glimpse of the economic impact ahead.

“What they’re saying …

Craig J. Richard, president and CEO, Tampa Hillsborough
Economic Development Corporation:

“I’m happy to say that, with the announcement that USF is building a medical school in downtown, it has certainly helped us in promoting Tampa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. When I arrived on the scene a couple of years ago, there was already some buzz. Now the buzz has accelerated. It makes it easier for us as an organization and for our employers to attract top talent. Spin offs that could result from entrepreneurial collaborations at the medical school would have a beneficial effect on our life sciences, health care and technology industries.”

Judy Genshaft, USF System president:

“We are creating a world-class learning, research and training environment. We already know how much this exciting future appeals to the best and the brightest. Since this project was first announced in 2014, applications to our College of Medicine are up by 60 percent. And our incoming students have achieved the highest MCAT scores of all Florida universities. And our Heart Institute is attracting world-class experts. In addition to the outstanding research that will take place there, the Heart Institute is going to have a major economic impact – we expect it to drive between $66 and $73 million in local economic activity annually.”

Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, senior vice president of
USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine:

“We’ve almost doubled the total research grant dollars that the medical school received since I arrived four years ago. Our national rankings have dramatically improved. I also get a sense of the excitement just from the emails I’ve been getting from folks who are very interested in this project, interested in relocating here … It’s really drawing attention nationally … The payoff of this project probably won’t be fully realized for a decade, but the immediate impact is significant. Every $1 of National Institutes of Health funding we can bring to the Heart Institute will generate about $2.60 in local economic activity. That will happen almost immediately. We’re talking about $72 million a year within the next five years being generated in the Tampa Bay area just from the research brought into the heart institute. But that doesn’t begin to measure the impact when we think about the creation of patents, licensing fees, biotech companies, whether we start them or they come in to be part of this project. With that, we’re talking about hopefully hundreds of millions of dollars of economic impact.”

Samuel Wickline, MD, director, USF Health Heart Institute:

“We are already attracting very qualified individuals who are doing very exciting things in many different areas in cardiac research … I’ve been talking to a number of individuals who are interested in getting ideas out of the bench and into clinical practice. It’s fairly early in the game right now.  Tampa hasn’t had those sorts of investment opportunities … I’ve been talking to a large swath of individuals who might be interested in providing those types of funds for biotech start-ups. The heart institute was meant to be that kind of an attractor.”

Bob Buckhorn, mayor, City of Tampa:

“I don’t have to sell often and hard because people now are talking about us. Tampa has become that place that everyone is talking about. Inevitably, when I go tell the story, they come to me and say ‘Hey, what’s going on down there?’ … People are like, ‘What in the heck are you people doing there, because all we hear about is Tampa?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, we are good. Come on down and see it.’ ”

Carol and Frank Morsani, for whom the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine is named, ride a golf cart en route to a construction site tour of USF in Water Street Tampa.

The new state-of-the-art facility housing the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute is rising out of the ground at the corner of Meridian Avenue and Channelside Drive in downtown Tampa.

Frank Morsani in the emerging building, with downtown Tampa’s skyline in the background.

The new USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute will be a primary anchor for Strategic Property Partners’ $3 billion Water Street Tampa development.

Learn more about USF in Water Street Tampa by visiting usf.edu/waterstreet.

-Drone aerial photo by Sandra C. Roa and Ryan Noone, USF Communications and Marketing
-Construction site photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications and Marketing 

Historic achievement places USF in the top category of Florida’s universities and comes with millions of dollars in new funding that will benefit the Tampa Bay region’s future

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSYOcsKRrCo

TAMPA, Fla. (June 28, 2018) – The University of South Florida can officially stand side by side with the University of Florida and Florida State University as the best universities in the state. The Florida Board of Governors voted unanimously on Thursday to formally designate USF as a “Preeminent State Research University,” recognizing the institution’s high performance and strong trajectory toward national excellence.

Preeminence represents the culmination of USF’s many years of careful strategic planning, focused allocation of resources and determination of thousands of students, faculty and staff. The designation comes with millions of dollars in additional funding, carries prestige that will benefit USF in many key areas, including new student and faculty recruitment, and will enhance the economic development of the Tampa Bay region.

“This validates our efforts over more than a decade to transform USF into a premiere institution of higher education, rivaling peers twice our age,” said USF System President Judy Genshaft. “This critical designation will have an exponential impact on our continued efforts to grow our research enterprise, provide the highest-quality education to our students, strengthen our partnerships and help us make an even bigger difference in our community.”

The Florida Preeminence program, written into state law in 2013, rewards high-achieving universities based on 12 metrics, including graduation rates, student retention rates, research expenditures and the number of patents awarded. In order to earn Preeminence, a university must meet or exceed at least 11 of the 12 benchmarks.

In 2016, USF was designated as the state’s first “Emerging Preeminent State Research University” for meeting nine of the 12 requirements. Since that time, USF’s six-year graduation rate and student retention rates have improved to qualify for full Preeminence.

“Achieving Preeminence is a testament to USF’s longstanding commitment to student success, world-class research and faculty excellence,” said USF Board of Trustees Chair Brian Lamb. “We want to thank the Board of Governors, our Governor and our state Legislature for their continued support of higher education. Preeminence positions the university to compete for the very best talent nationally and globally, which accelerates the growing reputation of the university and the Tampa Bay community.”

This year, USF and the other Preeminent universities will each receive an increase of approximately $6.15 million in new, recurring funds through the program. The amount of additional dollars awarded for Preeminence each year is determined by the Legislature and Governor through the annual state budget.

USF will use the new funding to invest in student success initiatives, attract nationally prominent faculty members and enhance research activities in strategic areas, such as heart health and medical engineering. Those two fields are important as USF moves forward with plans to open the new Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute facility in late 2019 as part of Water Street Tampa.

“USF is relentless in its focus on student success, increasing its graduation rates, boosting its national rankings, and working to enhance performance in a number of areas that are important to students, families and taxpayers. I congratulate them on becoming the state’s third Preeminent university – this is a very important milestone,” said Marshall Criser III, chancellor of the State University System.

A new website launched today by USF, www.usfnewera.org, is designed to explain the benefits of Preeminence, detail the historic journey to earn the designation and update supporters on the university’s progress.

Inspired by the Preeminence designation, the USF Foundation has also established the USF New Era Fund. Gifts will support faculty recruitment, student success, scholarships and other critical efforts that impact students.

New National Academy of Inventors/Intellectual Property Owners Association rankings released

TAMPA, Fla. (June 5, 2018) – The University of South Florida is the nation’s fifth leading public university in generating new United States utility patents and ranks 12^th among universities worldwide in this key measure of innovation, according to rankings released Tuesday by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO).

With 116 new utility patents issued in 2017, USF continues to stand with some of the world’s most prestigious institutions in the highly competitive arena – including innovation powerhouses such as the University of California System, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University and Stanford University. On a global scale, this is the eighth year USF has ranked in the top 20.

USF earned two more patents in 2017 over its previous record of 114 in 2016. USF was first among Florida’s universities, which collectively ranked highly among the world’s centers of academic invention.

“We are in an era when the public increasingly looks to research universities as a key driver of global innovation. USF’s strong emphasis on invention creates benefits far beyond our campus,” USF System President Judy Genshaft said. “Each day, our students, faculty and staff bring incredible new ideas to life and apply their talents in shaping a better future for all.”

The ranking is the latest marker of success for USF’s efforts to translate academic research into new technologies, medicines and products, and has fueled the university’s growing national and international reputation. The rankings coincided with Tuesday’s start of the Times Higher Education Young Universities Summit at USF, which is drawing scores of academic leaders from universities around the world founded during the last 70 years. USF is the first North American university to host the prestigious summit.

USF’s rise up the patent rankings comes through strategic and dedicated support for building an integrated technology transfer effort. In addition to supporting a vibrant research environment, the USF System provides faculty, students and staff with institutional support to patent and license their inventions; gives faculty members credit in the tenure and promotion process for inventions and creating startup companies; and provides guidance and early-stage funding opportunities for startup companies. Students and faculty have access to programs such as the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps and the USF Student Innovation Incubator to support them as they entrepreneurial efforts around their inventions.

“USF is part of a global community of dynamic institutions who are leveraging scientific and technological discoveries to create new jobs, new companies and even new industries,” said Paul R. Sanberg, USF’s senior vice president for research, innovation & knowledge enterprise. “Inventors and innovators fuel the growth of the global knowledge economy, and we have built a strong institutional culture to support their efforts. As the only research university in the Tampa Bay Region, our economy and our community grow stronger with each new idea that becomes a patented invention.”

USF joins the University of California System, the University of Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the University of Texas System and the University of Michigan as the top American public institutions in the ranking.

Other Florida universities listed in the top 100 ranking are the University of Florida with 111 patents; Florida International University with 42 patents; University of Central Florida with 39 patents; and Florida State University with 34 patents.

The NAI and IPO have published the report annually since 2013 to highlight the vital role patents play in university research and innovation. The report ranks the top 100 universities named as the first assignee on utility patents granted by the USPTO during the 2017 calendar year.

The full report is available here.

-Story by Vickie Chachere, USF Research and Innovation

Senior medical students at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine learned where they will spend their residencies on national Match Day

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=11yf80Gc3Wc

Click here for Match Day 2018 results.

The lawn outside Ulele restaurant along the banks of Hillsborough River was packed March 16, as senior medical students from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine (MCOM) gathered with friends and family to learn where they will spend their residency training after graduating from medical school next month.

Called Match Day, the annual event is held at all medical schools across the country to reveal where senior medical students will spend their residencies, the next step in their medical education – which can last from three to seven years, depending on the specialty. The match process is handled through the National Residency Match Program (NRMP).  Match Day, which follows several months of students applying for, interviewing for, and ranking their preferred residency programs, is when students learn which residency programs chose them. This year’s NRMP main match was the largest in history: a record-high 37,103 applicants submitted program choices for 33,167 positions, the most ever offered in the Match.

For USF MCOM, festivities began with a welcome and good luck from USF System President Judy Genshaft.

“This has always been the most joyous event,” Genshaft said. “Best wishes, good luck and congratulations.”

USF System President Judy Genshaft, center, with Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and Morsani College of Medicine dean, and Dr. Kira Zwygart, MCOM associate dean for student affairs.

Up next was MCOM Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, thanking the USF Board of Trustees, MCOM Alumni Society members, and donors who attended the event, including Dr. David Vesley and Helen Vasiloudes.

Turning to the students, Dr. Lockwood said “We have all been working on this day for the last four years, but especially our students. All of you senior medical students from the Class of 2018 have worked very hard to get here.”

Then, at high noon, the first envelope was drawn, going to Carrie Ryan, who matched to a general surgery residency at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine.

The first match! Carrie Ryan.

For this year’s Match Day, the Class of 2018 includes 158 MCOM students, of which 48 are in the SELECT MD program and have spent the past two years doing their clinical rotations in Allentown, PA.

More of the Class of 2018: USF Health students in the SELECT MD program matched in Allentown, PA.

In addition, five students participated in military matches. As happens in military matches, these students already learned where they will be conducting their residencies, but joined in the celebration with their classmates at Match Day.

Names continued to be announced by Kira Zwygart, MD, associate dean for MCOM Office of Student Affairs. One by one, senior students came forward to accept an envelope, open it, and discover their futures.

Each medical school has its own tradition for releasing the match information: some simply hand out envelopes and students open them en masse. The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine has a long-standing tradition for handing out envelopes one at a time, in random order, and allowing each student to open and announce to their classmates where he or she is headed. The additional attention to each student and the additional time for sharing their news creates a festive atmosphere that, over the years, has offered generations of USF students an opportunity to savor the moment that defines their future.

Another MCOM tradition: each student places a dollar into a box and, because the student names are called in random order, the final envelope holder gets the cash. This year, the final call went to a couple: Sarah Rawi and Alec Freling. Both are going to the University of Connecticut School of Medicine; Rawi matched in an internal medicine residency and Freling will be in emergency medicine.

And the money goes to a couples match… Sarah Rawi and Alec Freling.

Then the crowd of newly matched students gathered together for what might be their last photo as a class. Everyone cheered in unison, thrilled to have matched.

The MCOM Class of 2018 shows their USF Bulls pride.

Stats: From the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine: 158 students matched; 34 students (21.5%) are staying at USF; 70 (44.3%) are staying in Florida; and 59 students (37.3%) chose primary care as their specialty (internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics). Click here for more details about the nationwide Match from the National Residency Match Program.

Match Day defines the future for students

Yohan Perera always knew he wanted to travel internationally to care for the underserved. In choosing a specialty for his career, Perera felt it was family medicine that offered the most opportunities to meet that goal.

“I have always felt a strong calling to serve internationally and family medicine will allow me a lot of flexibility to do that,” Perera said. “I wanted to be well prepared to meet the challenges of international medicine. I love surgery, obstetrics, pediatrics and internal medicine, and it is family medicine that does all of those, plus has the international opportunities I’m seeking.”

California bound: Yohan Perera and his wife Jessica celebrate his match to a residency in family medicine in Ventura, California.

To bolster his drive for serving, Perera started his tenure at MCOM by volunteering at the BRIDGE Healthcare Clinic, which treats a medically underserved population near the USF campus. The effort made a lasting impact: he was executive director for a year, helped apply for and get a $38,000 grant from Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, helped coordinate the addition of a cardiology night at BRIDGE clinics to offer much-needed ultrasound and EKG screenings, and helped expand counseling services, too.

“It’s been awesome to gain this experience,” he said. “In addition to helping an underserved population, I gained invaluable organizational leadership experience.”

Perera said it is MCOM that really provided the strong education he will need in the years ahead. When looking at medical schools, USF Health’s medical school stood out for offering better clinical experiences to their students than other programs, he said.

“Medical schools have pretty much the same first two years for a curriculum,” he said. “It’s the third and fourth year that really make you a doctor, and USF offers the breadth of clinical experience, opportunities and expertise I’ll use my entire life.”

Perera matched in family medicine at ­­­­­­­Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura, California.

***

Chelsea Wilson saw firsthand the intensity of the emergency room, and she knew she wanted to work in the middle of it.

After spending five years as a physician assistant, nearly two of which was in an ER, she realized that she wanted the increased responsibility of being a physician.

“I love the diversity of conditions and care requirements that come into an emergency room, the diagnostic work that is always from scratch with each new patient, building from the ground up every time – it’s like a puzzle,” she said.

With her parents, Kira and Ron, Chelsea Wilson learns she’s headed to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC.

Wilson’s drive fits well with that specialty, and has always pushed her to stay ahead of her peers. She was homeschooled and dual enrolled in college classes, finishing more than two years of college before graduating high school. Then she went on to the University of Florida for a master’s degree as a physician assistant – graduating as a PA at age 22!

While at MCOM, Wilson created a workshop as her capstone project that is designed to teach senior students about finances, loan repayment and saving for retirement.

“My personal goal for the project is to get people to save during their residencies and make responsible financial decisions that will set them up for the future,” she said. “If we keep living like a resident, even for two years, once we become an attending physician, it will make a huge difference in the long term.”

Additionally, saving during residency, she said, means they can contribute to their Roth IRAs while their income still qualifies them. She emphasizes the point by showing how it pays off in the long run through the power of compounding interest.

“This kind of information is lacking for graduating students, especial physicians who already start saving years after their peers due to the length of medical school and residency,” she said.

Wilson, the first in her family to become a physician, hoped to be matched at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. And she did, in emergency medicine.

***

Mark Schattschneider is not your typical senior medical student. He is 39 years old, worked as a registered nurse, and has five children.

But those atypical experiences are really what prepared him to become a physician.

Schattschneider never thought about medical school while growing up. And not in college or in his early career, either. The decision to become a doctor came while he was already in a career and well down the road for building a family. A job as a patient transporter at Moffitt Cancer Center gave Schattschneider his first look at the medical field. That led to training as a nurse aide, then to becoming a registered nurse, a role he had for nine years.

“I was working in the intensive care unit and loving it, but I knew I wanted to do more, to have a wider responsibility for my patients,” he said. “Going to medical school would be a huge time commitment and, like many, I wondered about my academic confidence.”

Mark Schattschneider announces to his family and the world that they are staying in Florida — he matched to an emergency medicine residency at Orlando Health.

Then, while on a medical mission to the Dominican Republic, Schattschneider talked with some of the doctors.

“They all gave me great insight into what the career is like,” he said. “And while chatting with a surgeon, for every excuse or obstacle I said was in my way, he told me he had said the same things, and that nothing was really standing in my way. He told me that, if I feel a calling, I have to go for it.”

But it would take seven more years before he actually started medical school. Work and family stretched the effort but in 2014, at age 35 and with five children, he stood with his classmates on the first day of medical school at USF Health.

Four years later, he is matching to his residency.

Schattschneider fulfilled his hopes – he is staying in Florida in an emergency medicine residency at Orlando Health.

***

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=43ZOAc4GZDE

Communications team supporting Match Day 2018: Anne DeLotto Baier, Freddie Coleman, Torie Doll, Shelby Kaplan, Tina Meketa, Ryan Noone, Elizabeth Peacock, Sandra Roa, Sarah Worth, Michelle Young, Eric Younghans.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1i0deG7NAU

The Tampa Bay Lighting’s ThunderBug joined the University of South Florida mascot Rocky D. Bull Thursday, March 8, for the third annual USF Presenting Night.  Hundreds of students and faculty attended the USF pre-game party and game, cheering on the Tampa Bay Lightning as they faced off against the New York Rangers during their 25^th anniversary season.

USF System President Judy Genshaft and Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, were among the USF Bulls riding the Zamboni during intermission at the Tampa Bay Lightning’s USF Presents Night.

Fans were greeted with a performance by the Spirit Squad and Drum Experience on the steps of Amalie Arena.

“This is a special night because the University of South Florida and the Tampa Bay Lighting go hand in hand and support each other very well,” said USF Women’s Basketball Coach Jose Fernandez, the 2018 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year who was among the USF leaders present at Lightning Night.

“I think the Tampa Bay Lighting, as an organization, is one of the best organizations in the entire country. Mr. Vinik supports, not only USF, but the entire Tampa Bay community. It’s so amazing. We are very excited to have the medical school moving downtown.”

Members of the USF Spirit Squad and of the Tampa Bay Lightning cheer squad greeted fans. 

Attendees stampeded inside when the doors opened, the first 10,000 collecting Bulls & Bolts accordion noise makers. The exclusive pre-party offered all-you-can-eat food and drinks, as well as music by Bulls Radio DJ Jaevon.

Before the first puck drop, highlights included the USF ROTC Color Guard, a standing military salute to Ken Nahrwold of the USF Office of Veteran Success, and the singing of National Anthem by Annie Scott, USF College of Music graduate student.

Annie Scott, a graduate student at the USF College of Music, sang the National Anthem before the start of the game.

Going into the first intermission with the Bolts in the lead 2-0, the Lightning Zamboni took a lap around the ice with USF System President Judy Genshaft and Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, on board. Hitting the fresh ice to continue the entertainment were several USF students, the USF Spirit Squad, and Rocky.

The second period kicked off with a “Here’s to You” recognition featuring Tayler Mannarino, a USF junior majoring in chemical engineering, who serves as the president of USF’s largest student-run philanthropy, Bulls for Kids.

Irene Hurst and Andrew Kirwin of the USF Muma College of Business Executive MBA program joined Jose Fernandez, USF women’s basketball coach, for a lap around the ice in the Lightning Zamboni during the second intermission. USF mascot Rocky D. Bull also hitched a ride.

The final lap around the ice in the Lightning Zamboni at second intermission included Coach Jose Fernandez; Irene Hurst, Executive MBA Program director at the Muma College of Business; Andrew Kirwin, Executive MBA Program graduate; and Rocky.

Thursday night’s game ended with a Bolts 5-3 win! Another successful USF Presenting Night with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

-Video by Multimedia Journalist Team, University Communications and Marketing; photos by Eric Younghans and story by Torie Doll, USF Health Communications

Haywood L. Brown, MD, joining USF from Duke University, will also have appointments at the Morsani College of Medicine and USF Health

TAMPA, Fla. (March 5, 2018) – Haywood L. Brown, MD, an experienced physician, researcher and leader in higher education, has been selected as the University of South Florida System’s new vice president for diversity, inclusion & equal opportunity and Title IX administrator. Along with his USF System role, Dr. Brown has also been named associate dean for diversity at the Morsani College of Medicine and chief diversity officer for USF Health.

Dr. Brown’s first day with USF will be July 1, 2018.

“Dr. Brown is a highly accomplished and well-respected leader in academic medicine and issues of diversity who will make the University of South Florida System even stronger,” USF System President Judy Genshaft said.  “One of our greatest assets is the rich diversity of our students, faculty and staff. Dr. Brown will continue our commitment to providing a welcoming climate of inclusion throughout the USF System.”

Haywood L. Brown, MD

Working across the entire institution, Dr. Brown will shape and implement policies that support the university’s strategic goals and mission. He will be responsible for leading USF’s diversity and Title IX programs, and he will also work closely with senior leadership to develop diverse modeling across the institution. Dr. Brown will oversee the implementation of the USF System Diversity Strategic Plan.

“I am so honored to have this opportunity at USF,” Dr. Brown said. “Throughout my career, I have recognized the importance of diversity in achieving excellence in education and community engagement, particularly as it relates to population health and health outcomes.”

At USF Health, Dr. Brown will provide vision, leadership, coordination and strategic planning for the design and implementation of a USF Health-wide platform to enhance diversity, equity and respect. He will work to align USF Health’s diversity initiatives with the university’s strategic plan and provide guidance on the recruitment and retention of a diverse community of students, faculty and staff.

“Dr. Brown comes to USF Health with a stellar background in teaching, research and clinical practice. He has been a leader in medicine at the state and national levels and is a champion for the health of underrepresented and underserved populations,” Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, added. “I am excited to see Dr. Brown join our university, and I have every confidence in his abilities as a proven leader who will help strengthen USF’s outreach to all communities.”

Dr. Brown comes to USF from Duke University Medical Center, where he has worked in several capacities since 2002. Most recently, Dr. Brown served as the F. Bayard Carter Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and has held leadership roles in a number of university committees. He has also been actively involved in diversity initiatives within his department, university-wide and in the broader Durham, N.C. community. Throughout his career, Dr. Brown has made it a point to focus on serving diverse populations.

“Diversity is also about recognizing the talent each individual brings to an institution and to society in order to contribute to diverse demographics of our communities. So much of my work in medicine has been at the community level and to help inspire young learners, especially underrepresented minors to strive for excellence,” Dr. Brown said. “Getting this opportunity at USF to contribute at the undergraduate level at this time in my career is a dream come true.”

Prior to his time at Duke University, Dr. Brown spent more than a decade at Indiana University School of Medicine. He received his bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and his medical degree from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University.