As the day wanes, medical student volunteers with the USF Health Tampa Bay Street Medicine (TBSM) Refugee Clinic are inventorying medical supplies and vaccines before patients arrive for evening appointments.

“In the past six months our patient population doubled,” Azd Al-Mashal, MD, co-founder of the USF Health TBSM Refugee Clinic, said before the start of another busy Wednesday night.

The USF Health TBSM Refugee Clinic provides free medical care to refugees from all over the world, adults and children who now have a common bond of being refugees in the Tampa area. TBSM is a student-run organization dedicated to improving the health of vulnerable populations in our community. The TBSM Refugee Clinic offers medical provider visits, prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, labs, imaging, mental health services, preventative care and hygiene kits to refugees and asylum seekers who don’t have insurance. The clinic is held twice a month, evenings on the second and fourth Wednesday, at USF Health Carol and Frank Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare.

“Ten years down the line, I definitely want to see Refugee Clinic continuing its incredible momentum of growth,” said Richa Bisht, MD, the former co-director of the USF Health TBSM Refugee Clinic.

To donate to the USF Health Tampa Bay Street Medicine and the Refugee Clinic, please visit giving.usf.edu

As society returns to what life was like before the pandemic, many people are glad to again hang out with friends, attend concerts and travel.

For others, however, the idea of being around others can cause a crippling dread of social interaction called Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD).

SAD is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States, affecting 15 million adults and about 12 percent of the population at any given time, according to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) and the National Institute of Mental Health.

Ryan Wagoner, MD, associate professor of psychiatry in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, said SAD is different from simply being shy, which he called a “personality trait” and manifests itself in such instances as a person feeling awkward walking into a room full of strangers or being nervous before a blind date.

Ryan Wagoner, MD

“When people are placed in situations where they have to be scrutinized by other people—social settings (and) presentations … that’s when Social Anxiety Disorder can pop up,” Dr. Wagoner said.

SAD, on the other hand, can cause intense stress that affects a person’s life. For example, someone living with SAD may turn down a promotion that involves public speaking or refusing to attend social and work parties.“When people are placed in situations where they have to be scrutinized by other people—social settings (and) presentations … that’s when Social Anxiety Disorder can pop up,” Dr. Wagoner said.

“There’s no hard and fast rule that COVID was good or bad for Social Anxiety Disorder—it was both,” he said.

As people ease their way back into normal levels of social interaction, Dr. Wagoner said it was important for people who think they have SAD to pace themselves and watch out for warning signs of acute anxiety.

“People with Social Anxiety Disorder need to figure out what they are comfortable with doing because if they put themselves in very uncomfortable situations without the appropriate support then they can be right back into some of those acute episodes,” Dr. Wagoner said.

Common symptoms of SAD, according to the ADAA, include:

• Fear of being visibly nervous in front of others
• Extreme anticipatory anxiety about social interactions and performance situations, such as speaking to a group
• Severe fear of not knowing what to say
• Avoiding face-to-face interactions by depending on technology
• Fear of eating in public
• Using alcohol or substances to function in social situations

Most people who seek treatments for SAD do improve and enjoy a better quality of life, Dr. Wagoner said. Treatments include cognitive-behavioral therapy and/or medication.

“Why not pursue treatments in order to try to make life better?” he said

Video & Article: Allison Long

A few tears and thunderous cheers filled the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Fla., on May 6 as families, friends, staff and faculty watched the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Class of 2022 take the final step from medical students to doctors.

Morsani College of Medicine (MCOM) Dean and USF Health Senior Vice President Charles Lockwood, MD, MHCM, congratulated the graduates on being “a unique class” that completed their four-year medical school journey during a time marked by political strife, economic turmoil and the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockwood also stressed the importance of becoming physicians in a world that continues to evolve and is now dominated by what he called “a cruel and wholly unnecessary war.”

Charles Lockwood, MD, spoke on Friday, May, during the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2022 graduation.

“In the 21st century, health is not global, not local—dynamic, not static—and medical knowledge is accelerating at an unimaginable rate,” he said. “It falls to determined and bold individuals such as yourselves to meet these current challenges and the ones that lie ahead of you.”

The Class of 2022 includes 166 graduates, of which 159 were expected to participate in Friday’s ceremony.

John Couris, President & CEO of Tampa General Hospital, received Dean’s Award on Friday, May, during the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2022 graduation ceremony at Mahaffey Theater.

The 2022 Deans Award was presented to John Couris, president and chief executive officer of Tampa General Hospital. Lockwood praised Couris as an instrumental advocate for the partnership between USF Health and Tampa General, which has resulted in the newly formed USF Tampa Physician Group.

“John has had a transformative effect on the organization, prioritizing innovation by launching new programs, embracing state-of-the-art technologies, and embracing patient safety, outcomes and satisfaction,” Lockwood said. “We at USF Health are incredibly grateful for his friendship and continuing partnership.”

This year’s honorary degree recipient was world-renowned infectious disease expert Claire Pomeroy, MD, chief executive officer of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation and professor emeritus at the University of California-Davis. Her leadership roles have included being president of the Center for AIDS Research, Education and Services (CARES); chair of the Council of Deans of the Association of American Medical Colleges; and fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Her work as an infectious disease physician has been focused on addressing social determinants of health, strengthening public health infrastructure, and caring for the underserved.

Claire Pomeroy, MD, waved to the crowd after receiving her honorary degree on Friday, May, during the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2022 graduation ceremony.

Echoing Lockwood, Pomeroy emphasized to the students that their knowledge and skills as physicians would be needed in a world dealing with the pandemic, racial injustice and the Russian attacks on Ukraine.

“You will go on to practice medicine at a time in which these upheavals have laid bare the imperative to reform our healthcare systems and achieve our profession’s mission of creating better health for all,” she said. “As you accept your diploma today, I urge you to also accept the charge to lead us in the change our nation needs.”

Prisca Alilio, MD, who was chosen by her classmates to deliver the class farewell speech, said her experience working in the hospitals at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic helped her understand that more is needed to succeed as doctors.

Prisca Alilio,MD, spoke on Friday, May, during the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2022 graduation ceremony at Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“Though the pandemic threatened the safety of our communities and had us part with loved ones prematurely, we scheduled and rescheduled to take Step 1, donned our N95s and joined our dedicated care teams in the hospitals and clinics,” she said. “Our reward is a sacred one: to join the ranks of a profession entrusted to render service to humanity with full respect of the dignity of man.”

Alilio was also chosen by the other medical students to receive the Doctor’s Doctor Award, along with fellow senior medical students Britton McGlawn-McGrane, MD, and Charles Jang, MD.

Before the ceremony concluded, Karim Hanna, MD, recipient of the student-elected 2022 Osler Award, which recognizes the most outstanding role model, delivered the charge speech to the students. Hanna challenged the students to be more than just doctors.

Karim Hanna, MD, spoke on Friday, May, during the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2022 graduation ceremony at Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“Let’s be doctors who chase compassion, not competition,” she said. “By carrying our MD, we are saying we are prepared to co-suffer, we are prepared for discomfort. We will provide help, hope and love to those in need. I will seek out these opportunities. That is what makes us physicians.”

The graduating class of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2022 was photographed during the ceremony at Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Class of 2022 Award Recipients:

Donn L. Smith Award: Awarded to the top performing CORE student.

William Steele Fisher, MD and Chang-woo Jang, MD

Morsani College of Medicine Dean’s Award: Awarded to the top performing SELECT student.

Stuart Polk, MD

Luther McEachern Memorial Award: Awarded to the senior medical student who excels academically and exhibits outstanding service the school.

Nat Jones, MD

Doctor’s Doctor Award:  Student-selected award  presented to s senior medical student(s) who they would choose as their personal for family’s physician:

Britton McGlawn-McGrane, MD; Charles Jang, MD; Prisca Alilio, MD

Carol M. Petrucelli, MD, Award for Outstanding Student in Dermatology:

Caroline Gerhardt, MD

Charles E. Aucermann, MD,  Excellence in Family Medicine: Vincent VanBerkum, MD

Outstanding Contributions to Sports Medicine: Grace Benmhend, MD

Outstanding Sennior Student in Psychiatry: Alex Dolan, MD

Outstanding Student in Consultation/Liaison Psychiatry:

Jack Lyden, MD and Katherine Ammon, MD

Chairman’s Award for Scholarly Activity: Alex Dolan, MD

MCOM Dept. of Surgery Outstanding Student Award: Logan Prager, MD

Dr. Laurie Woodard Community Advocate Award: Nadia Mohammed, MD

Charles Lockwood, MD, (left) and Bryan Bognar, MD, hooded Catherine Blackburn, MD, on Friday, May, during the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2022 graduation ceremony.

Roy H. Behnke, MD, Award for Excellence in Internal Medicine: Alicia Darwin, MD

Laennec Award for Excellence in Clinical Medicine: Lauren Strang, MD

Florida ACP Student Award: Maria Kocab, MD

Lawrence Kahana Award for Outstanding Physical Diagnosis Skills: Daniel Wind, MD

Internal Medicine Chairman’s Award: Andrew Matar, MD

Award for Outstanding Achievement in Molecular Medicine: Zachary Makovich, MD

Award for Outstanding Achievement in Neuroscience: Vineet Nadkarni, MD

Award for Outstanding Achievement in Immunology and Infectious Disease: Daniel Martin, MD

Award for Outstanding Achievement in Physiology: Joshua Shultz, MD

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine commencement book.

Brown Farrior Award for Excellence in Otolaryngology: Shreni Shaw, MD

Senior Student Excellence in Neurology: Byron Cheon, MD; Sage Hewitt, MD; Grace Kim, MD;

Vineet Nadkarni, MD; Sathvik Shastry, MD

Outstanding Academic Achievement (Highest Score on Neurology Exam):

Lauren Strang, MD; Steele Fischer, MD

Outstanding Achievement in Pharmacology: Charles Jang, MD

Christopher P. Phelps Award for Excellence in Anatomy: Eric Taylor, MD

John U. Balis Award for Excellence in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine: Steele Fisher, MD

Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pre-clerkship Clinical Medicine:

Alicia Darwin, MD, and Michael Mortellaro, MD

Graduates take advantage of the beautiful weather on Friday, May, after the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2022 graduation ceremony in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Basic Science Chairs Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Basic Sciences: Lane Polk, MD

Tampa General Hospital Medical Staff Basic Science Award: Lauren Strang, MD

Tampa General Hospital Medical Staff Clinician’s Award: Lilla Kis, MD

Tampa General Hospital Medical Staff Humanitarian Award:

Claire Bethel, MD and Lauren Holt, MD

Tampa General Hospital Foundation Scholar’s Award: Brennan Ninesling, MD

Tampa General Hospital/USF Global Emerging Disease Scholar: Kimberly Menezes, MD

Phillip T Gompf Award for Excellence in Infectious Disease:  Brennan Ninesling, MD

ACOG Robert G. Nelson Award for Outstanding Achievement in OB/GYN as a third-year medical student: Lilla Kis, MD

Anna Lauchnor, MD, received her Navy lieutenant insignia from her grandfather on Friday, May, during the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2022 graduation ceremony at Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Fla.

ACOG James M. Ingram, MD Award for Outstanding Achievement in OB/GYN:

Lauren Holt, MD

USF Department of OB/GYN James M. Ingram, MD Award: Melissa Chan, MD

Dept. of Pediatrics Outstanding Medical Student Award: Olivia Hardy, MD

FCCAAP Luther W. Holloway Award: Catherine Blackburn, MD

Lewis A. Barness, MD Award: Brennan Ninesling, MD

Marck Manuals:  Steele Fisher, MD; Charles Jang, MD; Linda Lu, MD; Anastasia Jermihov, MD

AMWA Glasgow-Rubin Certificate of Commendation for Academic Achievement:

Alicia Darwin, MD; Caroline Gerhardt, MD; Anastasia Jermihov, MD; Lilla Kis, MD;

Linda Lu, MD; Shruti Kulkarni, MD; Jordan McDonald, MD

Outstanding Contributions to Student Life Award: Prisca Alilio, MD

Thomas and Elizabeth Flannery and William and Mary Tibbels Scholarly Award:

Brennan Ninesling, MD

Florida Gamma Chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society

Graduates listened on Friday, May, during the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2022 graduation ceremony.

Gold Humanism Honor Society

Graduates laugh on Friday, May, during the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2022 graduation ceremony at Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Robert A. Good Honor Society

Anastasia Jermihov, MD, kisses her boyfriend after the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2022 graduation ceremony.

Photos & Video: Allison Long

Story: Freddie Coleman & Allison Long

Back in 2007, four University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine (MCOM) students started a student-run free clinic with a couple of exam rooms at the Hillsborough Health Department and an idea to help the underserved communities surrounding the university.

“We wanted to establish somewhere (that) is more a pillar for the community,” said Waldo Guerrero, MD, one of the co-founders of the BRIDGE Clinic. “What really drove the idea of the clinic was having a more substantiable way to provide care to the underserved folks.”

Fifteen years later, the BRIDGE Clinic encompasses more than 20 exam rooms in The USF Carol and Frank Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare and the volunteer services of USF students from medicine, pharmacy, public health, social work and physical therapy. The experience not only helps the students care for their neighbors but also assists their health care education.

“It was a great opportunity for me to be able to give back to the community while also getting a lot of hands-on experience,” said Marissa Maldonado, a fourth-year MCOM medical student.

The clinic has grown in response to rising demand for medical services among the uninsured and underserved in the community. The US Census Bureau reports that 14.9 percent of people 65 and under lack health insurance, and the Florida Department of Health says that 15.7 percent of employed people in Hillsborough County do not have insurance.

“The proudest moments are every Tuesday night after clinic is done, “said Eduardo Gonzalez, MD, co-medical director of the BRIDGE clinic. “Patients were seen and provided wonderful care that they otherwise they would not have been able to obtain.”

Donations are welcome to maintain and grow the clinic.

“Whatever gift is given, it will be used,” Dr. Gonzalez said. “It will be used 100 percent in the caring of patients.”

Alba Osorio was afraid to take her 4-year-old daughter Alice out in public because Alice might have a temper tantrum.

“The tantrums, she starts screaming and crying,” Osorio said, adding that her efforts to calm the child down were often unsuccessful. “We had to do something because this situation is hard for her and for us as the parents.”

Through word-of-mouth from a neighbor, she heard of a pair of programs offered through the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine that aims to help parents and guardians deal with outbursts, poor life skills and other challenging child behavior.

The Helping our Toddlers, Developing our Children’s Skills (HOT DOCS) and DOCS K-5 each are six-week courses sponsored by the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County that tap into the expertise of USF Health child and adolescent psychologists.

HOT DOCS is for children up to age 5 and covers basics, like eating, bathing, dressing and following directions, as well as managing tantrums. DOCS K–5 works with children up to fifth grade. It focuses on doing homework, staying safe, socializing and changing challenging behaviors.

Heather Agazzi, PhD, is a board-certified child and adolescent psychologist, a professor of pediatrics in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, and director of the DOCS Parenting Programs. She said she recognized in her practice that dealing with child behavior was a problem for many parents in Hillsborough County.

“Early life-challenging behavior often leads to school failure and other problems,” Dr. Agazzi said. “We want to try and meet those children’s needs as early in life as possible.”

Heather Agazzi, PhD

Weekly sessions, offered in English and Spanish, include skills review, parenting tips, special play activities, plan development, coaching and feedback.

“We typically have three HOT DOCS classes running and one DOCS K-5 (class),” Dr. Agazzi said.

Cristina Ortiz took the class in 2006 and said she was amazed at the impact it had on her son. She was initially hired as a translator and, over the years, was promoted until she became program coordinator.

Cristina Ortiz

“Knowing all the struggle, I do understand what families go through, and I love that this program is available for them to bring them a lot of help—and not only what we provide through HOT DOCS but I also give them a lot of resources,” Ortiz said.

She also teaches the Spanish version of the class, which is necessary. According to a March 2020 Tampa Bay Times article, almost 40 percent of people identified as Spanish speakers in Hillsborough County have trouble speaking English.

For Osorio, the program has been a welcome help in curbing her daughter’s tantrums.

“It means a lot to us to have access to this program,” Osorio said. “To us, the program really works. . . . We saw a change in our daughter’s behavior at home, outside, at school, and every day is different now, and it’s better for her and for us.”

Registration fee for each course is $20 per participant for parents and caregivers.

To get information and sign-up, Call or email hotdocs@usf.edu
(813) 974-1048

Otolaryngology is a mouthful to say, but as a medical specialty treating diseases and disorders of the ears, nose and throat, it’s a crucial one—and demand for its practitioners is growing along with the population in the Tampa Bay area.

In response, USF Health is expanding its Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. Three otolaryngologists—commonly known as ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctors—have recently joined USF Health to contribute to that expansion. Each brings not only their own commitment to care but also their individual subspecialties to provide a wide variety of important services to patients.

Tapan Padhya, MD, chair of the Otolaryngology department.

“Their addition helps augment our research and surgical education efforts already ongoing within their respective subspecialties,” said Tapan Padhya, MD, professor and chair of the Otolaryngology department. “Our department is already recognized as a prominent academic ENT program in Florida and their addition and enthusiasm will only add to our regional and national reputation.”

Dr. Yaël Bensoussan is an attending laryngologist and an assistant professor in the Morsani College of Medicine. She has advanced expertise in voice, swallowing and upper airway evaluation and treatment.

Laryngologists are throat specialists who help patients with voice, swallowing and upper airway disorders. After Dr. Bensoussan finished her otolaryngology residency training in Canada at the University of Toronto, she completed additional years of training specializing in the throat at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Dr. Bensoussan’s background also includes a degree in speech pathology and a prior career in music, which led her to her passion for voice and laryngeal disorders.

“I can tell when a singer has a problem,” Dr. Bensoussan said. When Dr. Bensoussan was younger, she was suddenly unable to sing because of nodules that had developed on her vocal cords. Working with a speech pathologist helped her regain her singing abilities, and the nodules disappeared with therapy.

Dr. Bensoussan has started the USF Health Voice Center, together with her speech pathology partner, Stephanie Watts, PhD, which provides services to people with voice, upper airway, and swallowing disorders and is the only academic voice center in the area.

“I’ve always had the dream to open a multidisciplinary voice center to make sure we all work together to provide the best care for patients,” Dr. Bensoussan said. “My goal is to introduce innovation within our center. To bring in new equipment so we can continue to provide expert care to our patients.”

Yael Bensoussan, MD, is a laryngologist that specializes in voice, airway and swallowing disorders involving the voice box and the throat.

The rapid growth of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery is what attracted Dr. Bensoussan to USF Health.

“It’s really exciting to hop on a wagon that’s going fast, right?” she said. “Clearly, this was one of the biggest growing departments. I can contribute to the growth, and that’s the exciting part of the job, for sure.”

Dr. Nickel is also trying to be as minimally invasive in his treatments as possible. He uses a robot with articulating arms and 4K cameras to remove cancerous tumors in two to three hours. Prior to the use of robots, the surgery to remove the tumors could take about 10 hours and leave considerable scarring.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “What that allows us to do is to minimize co-morbidities and maximize function while still treating the cancer.”

He continued, “In using robotics, we can give less radiation and chemotherapy on the back end, which helps patients mend tremendously.”

USF Health offers patients and doctors the latest in technology and equipment. “We’re very fortunate to practice here because we have state-of-the-art equipment,” Dr. Nickel said. “The robot we are using is the best available. We really have a team that understands this type of minimally invasive surgery.”

Sometimes a patient will lose his or her jaw because of cancer, and Dr. Nickel specializes in microvascular free tissue reconstruction. That involves taking muscles and bones from another part of the patient’s body, such as the arm or leg, and transposing it to the jaw. Using a microscope, Dr. Nickel then sews blood vessels back together. The new tissue allows the patient to restore form and function.

Christopher Nickel, MD, has clinical expertise is in treating cancers of the head and neck.

What bought Dr. Nickel, who did his residency training at USF Health, back?

“The growth here has been incredible,” he said. “The commitment at USF is really helping us take off and become a cutting-edge department.”

Dr. Lindsey Ryan is an assistant professor at the Morsani College of Medicine. She is a rhinologist, which focuses on treating diseases and conditions of the nasal cavity and sinuses—including chronic sinusitis, nasal polyps, allergic rhinitis, deviated nasal septum and sinonasal tumors.

Skull-based surgery is a specialty for Dr. Ryan. She can remove tumors from the nasal cavity and front of the brain using an endoscope, which is a minimally invasive technique.

“(The technique) gives patients the opportunity to potentially have everything done through the nose,” Dr. Ryan said. “There’s no external deformity; other people wouldn’t even know that you had surgery.”

Dr. Ryan also specializes in treating sinus polyps, which are benign growths on the lining of a nasal passage or the sinuses. About 30 percent of patients with chronic sinusitis, a long-lasting inflammation and infection of the sinuses, have sinus polyps. If medications fail, those patients will require endoscopic surgery.

Dr. Ryan did her residency training at USF Health before completing a fellowship training in rhinology and skull based surgery.

“I did my five years of residency training here, and so I’m really excited to come back and join with the faculty that trained me and made me the otolaryngologist that I am today,” she said. “I’m very excited about it.”

Dr. Ryan said she wants to reciprocate the residency education she received by educating other residents.

“I feel like I had excellent training here,” she said. “So, to be able to educate the next generation of otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons is really important to me.”

Lindsey Ryan, MD, is a rhinologist. She focuses on treating diseases and conditions of the nasal cavity and sinuses.

Dr. Ryan is looking forward to working in an interprofessional environment to improve patient outcomes.

“That’s pretty unique actually to have the ability to provide multidisciplinary care for patients,” she said. “Being able to grow and expand—that’s our goal. And it’s definitely my goal.”

USF Health assistant professor Jennifer Teeter (far left) puts a white coat on Sarah Eldin, class of 2022, during the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program’s Commitment to Professionalism Ceremony.

A year ago, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the members of the 2022 class of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s Physician Assistant Program had to miss their Commitment to Professionalism Ceremony—the traditional beginning of training when students first receive their white coats.

On Thursday, they joined with the Class of 2023 to make up for a lost time as the two student cohorts held a combined ceremony, allowing families, friends, staff and faculty to celebrate their new and ongoing educational journeys.

Physician Assistant Program Director Todd Wills, MD, gave the keynote address.

Todd Wills, MD, associate dean and program director, told the students that the 2021 installment of the annual white coats ceremony was “unlike any in our program’s history.”

“Each of our program’s faculty and staff have been eagerly awaiting this day when we could formally recognize the important professional commitment,” Dr. Wills said. “Today’s festivities are a celebration of the value of the generous support that has helped our students reach this first step in fulfilling their career aspirations.”

Charles Lockwood, MD, MHCM, USF Health senior vice president and Morsani College of Medicine dean, commended the students for their ability to quickly adapt to unique circumstances brought on by COVID-19, which significantly changed elements of their physician assistant education. For example, the class of 2022 had much of their first-year curriculum delivered remotely while the class of 2023 was the first to enroll via a 100% virtual interview process. All students had to adjust to rapidly changing protocols to evaluate symptoms before attending class or going into clinics.

Charles Lockwood, MD, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Senior Vice President and Dean, gave an address during the ceremony.

“These superb students rose to the occasion, not only excelling in their training but also greatly contributing to USF Health’s pandemic response,” Dr. Lockwood said during the ceremony. “I’m very proud of your resilience and grit in adapting to the challenges posed by COVID-19, and I look forward to watching you grow during your time here.”

Before receiving their coats, the students paid tribute to Sonali Jariwala and Kai McCaslin, two class of 2022 students who died in separate car accidents. The families of Jariwala and McCaslin attended the ceremony to receive their white coats. Students wore in memoriam pins on their white coats in honor of the two.

“Their deaths reminded each of us how fragile we are and how it is the people around us who truly give our lives purpose and meaning,” Dr. Wills said. “I promise that none of us will forget them and that we will conduct ourselves professionally in a manner that honors their memory.“

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program’s Commitment to Professionalism Ceremony paid tribute to Sonali Jariwala and Kai McCaslin, two Class of 2022 students who died in separate car accidents.

Dr. Wills closed the ceremony by challenging the students to become great physician assistants and great people, which he described as, “a person who engages in routine self-reflection and one who goes out of your way to establish trust, respect and a sense of belonging here at USF and beyond.”

The Commitment to Professionalism Ceremony welcomed the class of 2022 and 2023 on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021, at the USF School of Music’s Concert Hall.

Overview of the class of 2022 (50 students):

Florida residents: 48

Female: 45

Male: 5

Average age: 24.16

Underrepresented minority: 3

First-generation college graduate: 6

Physician assistant class of 2023 student John Duong, flashes the “Go Bulls” gesture after the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Physician Assistant program’s Commitment to Professionalism Ceremony.

Overview of the class of 2023 (50 students):

Florida residents: 44

Female: 38

Male: 12

Average age: 24.54

Underrepresented minority: 4

First-generation college graduate: 7

Kristen Outlaw, class of 2023

“From my first conversation with the faculty at USF, I felt both warmth and a commitment to excellence that drew me to this program. The faculty members work so incredibly hard and are fully dedicated to growing us into competent, compassionate healthcare professionals. Taking an oath to my future patients means a great deal to me. There are few professions where we swear to provide a service under oath and I take that responsibility very seriously.  It is an immense honor to make this oath to my future patients at the white coat ceremony in front of all the family, friends, and faculty that have helped me get to this point. Go Bulls!”

Kasi White, class of 2023

“For the past five years, I’ve put everything into being able to stand where I am right now. Every single obstacle, every single moment where I lost belief in myself, and every single ‘no’ I received led me to be the strong, very capable and resilient woman standing here with her white coat on her shoulders. The very first white coat in the family. I made it.”

Physician assistant students posed for photos following the ceremony.

Photos by Allison Long, Article by Freddie Coleman and Allison Long

(Left) Rishi Rane, MD, at his FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine White Coat Ceremony. (Right) Dr. Rane performing in Il Mondo Della Luna in Cincinnati. Pre-Covid photos courtesy of Dr. Rane.

On March 14, 2021, the 63^rd Annual GRAMMY Awards aired on CBS and one University of South Florida (USF) emergency medicine resident was particularly interested in who would win Best Opera Recording.

Music and medicine share the ability to heal and transform, and Rishi Rane, MD, emergency medicine resident, and trained professional tenor, practices both. Dr. Rane studied at the University of Miami (UM) Frost School of Music, and after graduation in 2009, moved to New York to pursue a career as an opera singer. The first year was rough, but eventually he landed several roles at the Bronx Opera and Opera America, at local places of worship, and even at the world-renown Metropolitan Opera, where he joined the company’s production of Aida, his favorite opera, as a non-singing supernumerary. “That was a really big deal because it was a dream of mine to sing at the Met,” Dr. Rane told Ileana Varela, associate director of marketing and PR at Florida International University (FIU).

Rishi Rane, MD, trained professional tenor, singing “Maria” from West Side Story. Pre-Covid Video.

After five years in music, Dr. Rane was starting to feel the burnout and decided to pursue a steadier and more reliable career in medicine. Medicine has always been part of Dr. Rane’s life since his mother is a Registered Nurse (RN) and his sister is a Physician Assistant (PA). Dr. Rane even worked in music therapy at the University of Florida (UF) Health Cancer Center in Orlando and found it to be an amazing experience where he could really connect with patients and help relieve their stress and anxiety. His path to a career in medicine began with a move back to his home state of Florida and enrollment into the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. “As an opera singer, you memorize tons of lines and music,” Dr. Rane said. “I guess you could say that practice got me ready for med school.”

During his fourth year of medical school, Dr. Rane’s music career came knocking in the form of an “out of the blue” email from the director of the Met. An old castmate recommended Dr. Rane and he was being asked to audition for George Gerwin’s classic American opera, Porgy and Bess. With the support and encouragement of his medical school advisor, Dr. Rane auditioned and was chosen to be in the show’s ensemble. “This was obviously a great opportunity and one that I couldn’t pass up, but that being said, medicine is what I saw myself doing,” Dr. Rane said. “After all, I’d come a long way and felt like I’d found a new passion in life.”

With special permission from his advisor, Dr. Rane finished up his last year of medical school remotely while preforming at the Lincoln Center, completing an emergency medicine rotation at New York Presbyterian Hospital, and applying for his first residency program. “I’ve managed to find a way to keep music in my life through what may very well have been the most stressful time in medical school,” Dr. Rane said.

After three weeks of music and staging rehearsals in rehearsal rooms around the Met opera house, the cast of Porgy & Bess gets ready to move their final rehearsals to the stage. Pre-Covid photo courtesy of the Met opera chorus’ Facebook Page.

A scene from the final dress rehearsal of the Met’s production of The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Pre-Covid Video.

According to Amazon’s editorial review for the 3-CD set audio recording of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, the show was returning to the Met stage for the first time in nearly 30 years and ended up breaking company box-office records. The show was extended for an unprecedented three additional performances in February 2020. The production was also seen in cinemas around the world as part of the Met’s Live in HD series and seen by more than 325,000 people, making it one of the most successful transmissions in the series’ history.

The 3-CD set audio recording of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess as sold on Amazon.

Dr. Rane’s unique life experiences wouldn’t end there. He came back to Florida to start his prestigious three-year residency at Tampa General Hospital (TGH) as a part of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine (MCOM) Emergency Medicine Residency Training Program. Only a few months into the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Rane was stationed in TGH’s emergency department, among “the sickest of the sick, people on ventilators,” Dr. Rane told Joel Rozen, staff writer for the Met. “There are a lot of challenges the virus presents, but it also offers the opportunity to be creative. You’re multitasking and thinking on your feet, and the need to communicate with a lot of people at once reminds me of what I loved about performing.”

Now, almost a year into Dr. Rane’s residency, one of his notable memories is, “getting the opportunity to run a successful code in the ICU and intubating and managing the care of a critical patient in the trauma bay for the first time,” Dr. Rane shared. “Some of my favorite memories outside of work have been simply having a meal and good conversation with faculty members, spending time with my amazing co-residents, going out on boat rides in Tampa Bay and exploring all that Tampa has to offer.”

While continuing to endure the anxiety of the COVID-19 crisis, Dr. Rane’s music career came back around for more exciting news – the 2019 Metropolitan Opera recording of Porgy and Bess won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. The recording was conducted by David Robertson and starred Angel Blue and Eric Owens. The cast also included Latonia Moore, Ryan Speedo Green, Alfred Walker, Golda Schultz, Denyce Graves, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Dr. Rane and the rest of the members of the chorus and orchestra will receive a Grammy certificate while the 6 leading cast members and conductor will receive the iconic trophies. “I was overjoyed,” Dr. Rane said about the win. “We had all poured our heart and soul into that production, so this was just a testament to all of the hard work. Over the course of rehearsals and performances, I feel like my cast at the Metropolitan Opera became more like a family. Being part of that production as a fourth-year medical student was truly an incredible gift, and I feel so lucky to be given the opportunity to do it.”

The Metropolitan Opera closed during the height of the pandemic in New York City and has remained closed to this day with plans of reopening in the Fall with the same production of Porgy and Bess. Dr. Rane and the original cast have all been invited back to perform in it, but unfortunately, Dr. Rane doesn’t think he is going to join. “I unfortunately don’t see my participation in it a possibility right now as residency is my priority,” Dr. Rane said. “That being the case, I have developed a good relationship with directors at the Met, so hopefully the door will remain open and I will be invited back to perform there again in the future.”

At the end of a busy day at the hospital, Dr. Rane often sits down at his piano and sings to help de-stress. “I do see continuing to perform as a real possibility in the future and plan to continue singing and performing in some capacity after residency,” Dr. Rane said. “Whether that be putting on concerts or performing in a local theater company, I feel it’s important to find balance in life, and music certainly does that for me.”

USF Health students, staff and faculty during a White Coats 4 Black Lives demonstration outside of the USF Health Morsani Center, in June 2020.

In December 2020, Susan Moore, MD, an Indiana physician, died of COVID-19 after alleging she experienced racial discrimination while undergoing treatment at a hospital operated by Indiana University Health System. “Moore’s story of her pain being dismissed reinforces what studies have repeatedly shown: Even taking wealth, education and insurance status into account, Black patients receive worse medical care and face worse outcomes,” a Washington Post article on Dr. Moore’s death said.

Just one month before Dr. Moore’s death, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) shared an article that touched on a 2016 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science which included a survey that revealed that 40% of first- and second-year medical students endorsed the belief that “Black people’s skin is thicker than white people’s.” The study also showed that the trainees who believed this myth were less likely to treat Black people’s pain appropriately.

This article brought to light the continued need for institutions to address racial bias in healthcare starting with health education. USF Health is doing its part by building curriculums that teach the next generation of health care providers about social determinants of health and how to provide value-based and patient-centered care, and recruiting and retaining the diverse educators to teach it.

“Your goal as the practitioner is to truly understand who the patient is and all of the different aspects of the patient which may have some impact on their medical care,” Deborah DeWaay, MD, FACP, associate dean of undergraduate medical education for USF Health Morsani College of Medicine (MCOM), said. “It helps the provider battle unconscious bias because when they individuate patients in their mind, they’re less likely to give biased care.”

In 2016, MCOM started focusing on incorporating course objectives that examine prejudice, assumptions and privilege, such as Safe Zone training and poverty simulation activities. In 2019, Shirley Smith, MA, director of student diversity and enrichment for MCOM, became the College’s integration director for cultural competency. Using the AAMC’s objectives for cultural competency, Smith spent hundreds of hours reviewing the entire MCOM curriculum, and will continue to do so on an annual basis, highlighting places where the objectives were not being met to the highest level. These findings were then presented to the curriculum committee who make the final decision about changes to curriculum and if approved, provide recommendations for moving forward. In addition, Smith provided feedback to faculty about where there may be bias within the didactics. “It’s been really refreshing to have faculty embrace this and leadership like Dr. Lockwood, support this,” Smith said. Students also have the ability to provide real-time feedback to Smith and her team via an anonymous survey. “What we’re really trying to do is not have any judgement attached to the feedback,” Dr. DeWaay said. “We’re trying to create a method for our faculty who are teaching, to deal with their unconscious bias in a safe environment.”

USF College of Public Health Dean Donna Petersen, participating in the 2019 poverty simulation along with other USF Health deans, faculty, staff and students. Pre-Covid Photo.

MCOM is also in the process of partnering with Wake Forest University in North Carolina to create curriculum that can be used at both universities in order to maximize resources and reach more people. This material will become a curricular thread integrated across all four years of medical school which USF MCOM calls Humanism in Action. Smith quoted Bryan Bognar, MD, MPH, vice dean of MCOM educational affairs, when she explained that the important part of this effort is to make sure that they’re “baking things in” and that the curriculum is “not an à la cart menu.” The curriculum teaches students the communication skills necessary to elicit the values of their patients and then integrate those values into the patient’s medical plan. “It’s physically impossible in four years to teach students every single nuance about all the ways a human being or population can be different,” Dr. DeWaay said. “It’s far more important to teach the attitude that they need, the skills to illicit the information from the patient and the skills to keep up on the literature, so that they have the tools that they need moving forward, to take care of any patient that’s in front of them.” According to Smith, the objective is to teach students not to assume anything about their patient, not to project their own values onto the patient and not to deviate from what is fact or what is in the evidence. Janet Roman, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program in the USF Health College of Nursing (CON), added that it’s not just about what question is asked, but about how it is asked. The way a question is worded can be loaded with an assumption and be offensive to the patient. “If you ask me, “Do I have access to healthy food?” now you’re assuming that I don’t,” Dr. Roman said. “If you ask me, “Where do I get my groceries?” then that gives you the answer.”

A taskforce is also being formed to include faculty and students who will help build and implement this new Humanism in Action curriculum and be a resource to faculty for recommendations or feedback on revamping lectures, small groups and activities. One component of change cultivated by the COVID-19 pandemic is the acceptance of virtual guest speakers and virtual learning by students and educators. This will allow for a more diverse representation of speakers to be a part of the courses as well as private, small group activities that can foster more vulnerable discussions. “These beliefs have to be socially unwoven through intentional, meaningful conversations and interactions with depth and the goal is to give students that opportunity,” Smith said. “I’m just planting seeds. I may never see the tree, but I must believe that the possibility is there.”

In January 2020, MCOM earned recognition from the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Medical Society for their dedication to diversity and understanding in various patient populations. The medical school was one of two medical schools in Florida to receive an Award for Excellence in Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Medical Education and Patient Care. The award recognizes medical schools, and their associated AOA chapters, that demonstrate exemplary leadership, innovation, and engagement in fostering an inclusive culture that transforms the ideas of inclusion, diversity and equity into successful programs that support student, staff and faculty diversity in service to the community.

After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, students pleaded for a call to action for faster implementation of changes to the curriculum. “The morbidity and mortality that social determinants of health, systemic racism, and health care disparities have cost people living in this country, far surpasses the toll COVID will take, and yet we’re not tackling it with the same resources,” Dr. DeWaay said. “With COVID hitting, it shows us on a local, regional and national level, what we’re capable of doing when we’re really worried about something.” Fueled by the same passion as the students who have championed these efforts from the very beginning, Smith and Dr. DeWaay returned to the curriculum committee and presented a 15-point, call to action. The committee mandated the plan in June 2020.

Dr. Deborah DeWaay (center), associate dean of undergraduate medical education for USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, with medical students. Pre-Covid Photo.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is increasing evidence that Black, Indigenous and Latinx communities are suffering disproportionately from COVID-19. This is the kind of information that can spark a myth about minorities if the root of the cause is misunderstood. Black Americans are infected with COVID-19 at nearly three times the rate of white Americans and are twice as likely to die from the virus, according to a report from the National Urban League based on data from Johns Hopkins University. This is not because of any biological differences between the two groups, but instead, social determinants of health and systemic racism. This is evident in the report which shows that Blacks are more likely to have preexisting conditions that predispose them to COVID-19 infection, less likely to have health insurance, and more likely to work in jobs that do not accommodate remote work. “Your zip code may be the biggest determinate of your health outcome more than anything else,” Kevin Sneed, PharmD, dean of the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy (TCOP), said.

Understanding these social determinants of health is instrumental in dispelling myths and providing patient-centered care and is another key component of USF Health education. Social determinants of health are conditions in the places where people live, learn, work and play that affects a wide range of health and quality-of life-risks and outcomes. Factors can include a person’s education, financial literacy, discrimination, and access to healthy food and safe places to exercise. Students in the USF Health College of Nursing learn about disease processes such as heart failure, hypertension and diabetes, and at the same time, “we want to point out to students which populations are disproportionately affected and then give them that background on why, so that we can help close that health disparity gap,” Dr. Roman said.

According to Dr. Sneed, one of the most meaningful courses offered at the Taneja College of Pharmacy, one that has been a requirement for first-years ever since the inaugural class of 2011, is the introduction to public health course. The course was developed by the USF Health College of Public Health (COPH), continues to have input from their faculty, and mainly focuses on social determinants of health. “You spotlight that in a course and then when you give the demographics of what that means for these various communities, it really does help broaden the expanse of how people view communities of color and why we do things like Bridge Clinic and Tampa Bay Street Medicine,” Dr. Sneed said. “We’re going to have to push to a different level of comfort, maybe even discomfort for many people in order for it to really take hold.”

A pharmacist has a unique place in the community. “Not everybody has a physician or has health insurance, but anybody can go to CVS and say, “my child has a fever,” Tricia Penniecook, MD, MPH, vice dean for education and faculty affairs for COPH, said. The patient benefits if the pharmacist has a public health world view and can help make decisions that are best for the patient’s situation.

USF College of Pharmacy Dean Kevin Sneed, PharmD, and Tricia Penniecook, MD, MPH, vice dean for education, participating in a Voices in Leadership panel discussion during USF Health Multicultural Week in 2019. Pre-Covid photo.

While colleges of medicine, nursing and pharmacy focus on helping patients where they are downstream, sick that day, public health looks upstream and tries to address what has happened to bring them to that point. Instead of individual-based care, public health professionals look at the care of groups of people in the population and find and fill gaps in their access to health care or the conditions for people to be healthy. That’s why interprofessional education is a critical part of USF Health because both kinds of roles are important. “As part of the discipline of public health, you’re supposed to take care of those who are at a disadvantage,” Dr. Penniecook, said. “The structures and systems in this country have put certain populations immediately at a disadvantage just because of that’s who they are when they are born.”

An integral part of every accredited college of public health in the United States is making sure that students learn about health inequities that are based on disparities. At USF Health’s COPH, students not only have courses specifically on health inequities, but the topic is addressed in every public health course from the undergraduate to the graduate level. Having this thread at every level means that students learn what the basis of those health inequities are, what they look like and how to address them no matter where their career takes them. According to Dr. Penniecook, this means that if the student is going to be working in the community, they’ve learned about community education and teaching people about self-advocacy in the healthcare system; if the student is going to be working within the system, they’ve learned about how to measure and address health inequities; or if the student is going to have a leadership role, they’ve learned about being proactive in looking for ways to solve the health inequities such as policy development.

Prior to COVID-19, COPH started working on an academic master plan. Dr. Penniecook, described an academic master plan as a road map within the strategic initiatives of the institution, that tells you what you need to do academically to get to your goals. In response to the murder of George Floyd, Dr. Penniecook asked Donna Petersen, ScD, MHS, CPH, dean of the USF Health COPH, if they could integrate structural racism into the academic master plan. Just like MCOM’s Dr. Bognar was previously quoted as saying that these changes have to be “baked in” the curriculum, Dr. Penniecook wanted these efforts to combat structural racism to be more strategic and woven into everything they do and who they are, so that it’s more likely to stick. A variety of work groups will be formed to include faculty, staff and students to look at admissions, curriculum, teaching methods, educational spaces and recruitment, and then make recommendations to the college structure. While this master plan is a work in progress and was paused when COVID-19 first hit, Dr. Petersen has already impacted and set the tone for the two freshman courses she teaches as a part of the Master of Public Health program. She has always had a required summer reading list, but this past summer, the entire list was equipped with books on structural racism. In addition, different aspects of structural racism have been the topic of several of the College’s townhall meetings, some lead by students, as well as episodes of the Activist Lab’s Activist Lab on the Road podcast.

An interprofessional student team across the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing and Public Health, and the School of Physical Therapy, at the 2018 USF Health Research Day. Pre-Covid Photo.

The curriculum used to educate our future health care professionals is only one piece of the puzzle. The faculty who teach it are the other. “Student exposure to those from impoverished backgrounds may occur for the first time when they are in medical school,” Haywood Brown, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, associate dean of diversity for USF MCOM, and vice president for institutional equity for the University of South Florida System, said. “They don’t get that in the classroom because there is so few, diverse faculty teaching the curriculum.” According to a board diversity statement from the American Council on Education (ACE), diversity in university student bodies, faculties and staff, enriches the educational experience, promotes personal growth and a health society, strengthens communities and the workplace, and enhances America’s economic competitiveness. “If you do not have a diverse workforce, the patients don’t benefit as much because you’re learning from each other,” Dr. Brown said.

In November 2020, the USF Health College of Nursing appointed Usha Menon, PhD, RN, FAAN, as the new dean after serving as interim dean of the College since February of that year. According to Dr. Roman, under this new leadership, one of the College’s initiatives is to increase the diversity, equity and inclusion not only in the curriculum, but also in the student, faculty and staff populations. As a part of this initiative, Dr. Menon realigned her senior administrators which included creating a director of diversity role, now filled by Ivonne Hernandez, PhD, RN, IBCLC, assistant professor at the USF CON. “What we are developing now, before we even start recruiting, is a way to retain,” Dr. Roman said. “We are nurse scientists, and we treat our patients and our students by the evidence. We are doing the same thing with diversity, equity and inclusion, and what our data shows is that when we have persons of color, they don’t stay.” CON’s strategic goals include increasing the diversity of research faculty by 35% and of clinical faculty by 10%, by 2023. One retention method coming soon is a mentoring program.

According to Dr. Roman, CON is not making these changes just to check off a box for diversity on a list of requirements. “The College of Nursing is doing a 360,” Dr. Roman said. “We’re changing everything. We are doing the right thing for all people and it’ll be a complete culture change.” A healthy and safe culture and work environment will also help retain high quality, diverse faculty. “We have to reiterate that incivility is not tolerated, and micro and macro aggressions are not tolerated,” Dr. Roman said. “We also have to bring to the forefront what already exists in the University processes for what to do if you feel violated and not to suffer in silence.”

Even outside of the university classrooms, USF Health students are coming together to fight racial disparities in the healthcare system. In August 2020, MCOM became an official chapter of the national White Coats 4 Black Lives. Open to all USF Health students, the goal of the organization is to safeguard the lives and well-being of patients through the elimination of racism. To accomplish this goal, WC4BL and the USF Health chapter look to foster dialogue on racism as a public health concern, end racial discrimination in medical care, and prepare future physicians to be advocates for racial justice. “It’s everyone’s responsibility, but it’s only a priority to some,” Smith said. “For those who make it their priority, we want to give them tools to learn how to engage in these spaces that make it safe for them and make it safe for the other person to have these kinds of courageous conversations. Equipping the next generation of thought leaders so they can change the thoughts out there.”

Since the launch of the COVID Confirmed (COCO) Clinic in early April, over 4,700 patients with COVID-19 have been given virtual follow-up services after being discharged from the hospital. Not only has this virtual outpatient clinic helped patients on their road to full recovery and often kept them from being readmitted to the hospital, it also provided resident physicians and senior medical, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, PharmD, social work and behavioral health students, with a place to complete their clinical rotations. In mid-March, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) issued new guidance for medical student clinical rotations during the coronavirus which stated that it, “strongly supports medical schools pausing all student clinical rotations, effective immediately, until at least March 31,” due to concerns about the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and to give time for appropriate educational strategies and alternative clinical experiences to be developed and implemented.

Volunteers and trainees played vital roles within the clinic which included conducting regular welfare checks, offering support and discussing any symptoms that haven’t been resolved. Social work and behavioral health students were not originally part of the COCO Clinic when it first launched, but the team quickly realized that COVID-19 and quarantine could severely impact a patient’s mental health and so the interprofessional team expanded. The medical, social, and mental health assessments screened for depression, anxiety and substance abuse, and if a patient answered “yes” to any of the questions, they were offered resources or referrals to support. According to Asa Oxner, MD, FACP, COCO Clinic operations director, one patient agreed to being referred to the mental health team of COCO and a real suicide attempt was mitigated.

In addition to regular follow-up assessments, nurse practitioner students were in charge of monitoring the dashboard that displays the oxygen levels and heart rates of high-risk patients who were wearing a special device on their wrist.

A patient wearing one of the COCO Clinic’s monitors. Photo by CBS affiliate, 10 Tampa Bay, from their, “COVID-19 Telehealth Clinic Getting Overloaded with Tampa Bay Patients” video.

“Volunteering with the clinic has been a unique educational experience. The clinic administrators do a great job of turning every opportunity into a teaching moment,” said Joshua Mizels, Morsani College of Medicine fourth-year medical student and past clinic volunteer. “My classmates who all volunteer have had the opportunity to keep interacting with patients, giving us the opportunity to learn more about what they are going through during this pandemic.  The experience from this opportunity has been invaluable toward my medical education. ”

Lucy Guerra, MD, MPH, FACP, and Asa Oxner, MD, FACP, co-coordinators of the COCO Clinic, along with Elimarys Perez-Colon, MD, medical director, Christine Jennings, RN, nurse manager, and Rachelle Idziak, MD, data manager, led the effort to get the clinic up and running and play a pivotal role in helping the community. For their dedicated efforts, the doctors received a USF Health Culture Coin from Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Mark Mosely.

Dr. Asa Oxner (left) and Lucy Guerra (right), COCO Clinic co-coordinators, were presented with USF Health culture coins by Dr. Mark Moseley, USF Health chief medical officer, for leading efforts to get the virtual clinic up and running.

“We have been successful in offering close follow up to patients keeping them out of the hospital when able, monitor patient’s vital signs remotely to identify patients at higher risk, safely linking patients to care and offering education and reassurance to patients with COVID19 in the Hillsborough county,” said Dr. Elimarys Perez-Colon, assistant professor of medicine, vice chief of medicine at Tampa General Hospital, and medical director of the COVID-19 Confirmed Clinic. “The data collected will assist our department of health to better understand the distribution and epidemiology of COVID19 in our county. This effort wouldn’t have been successful without the assistance and compassionate care offered by our trainees.” In the first three months, over 150 trainees played a part in the care of patients.

The COCO Clinic has been the talk of the town, featured in news stories by ABC Action News, Baynews 9, 10 Tampa Bay, among others.

After the success of the virtual clinic for COVID-19 patients, clinic leaders began working with partners at Tampa General Hospital and the Florida Department of Health to make the clinic a permanent resource for the community. As of November 12th, the COCO Clinic transitioned management of the clinic to TGH and became the TGH Transitional Care Center. “This transition will allow the clinic to continue operating and provide excellent care to our patients impacted by COVID-19, while allowing USF Quality and Clinical Operations Department staff who have been assisting the COCO clinic to return to their normal non-COVID duties,” said Dr. Moseley. “The clinic will continue to provide hours to our medical, pharmacy, and nurse practitioner students and our teaching attendings will continue to support the clinic. TGH has also been able to hire several RNs and Mas, who have been training in the current clinic and will be able to facilitate a smooth transition.” An emphasis will be put on taking care of COVID-19 ‘long haulers,’ virus survivors who continue to have side effects weeks, or months, after surviving the coronavirus. Caring for these patients will also help conduct research into the little known long term effects of COVID-19. Beyond COVID-19, the clinic can continue to help patients using the same monitoring and staffing model, but for serious chronic diseases such as heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).