Downtown Archives - Office of Development and Alumni Relations

USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Receives Gift Of Tree Of Hippocrates Sapling

Jessica Martinez — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 16:18:24 +0000

Pictured from left to right: Dr. Santo Nicosia, Dr. Charles Lockwood, Dimitrios Sparos, Andrea P. Garancini, and Artemis Saitakis.

Hippocrates, a Greek physician born around 460 BC on the island of Kos, is recognized for being the “father of modern medicine.” According to legend, Hippocrates would mentor medical students underneath the shade of an Oriental plane tree on the island, known today as the Tree of Hippocrates. The professional standards he established for medical ethics lives on at the Morsani College of Medicine today, as each student reads a modern version of the Hippocratic Oath upon receiving their Doctor of Medicine degrees at graduation.

On Friday, Feb. 1, guests from near and far joined USF Health for a special luncheon to honor the gift of a sapling from the Tree of Hippocrates in Kos, Greece to the Morsani College of Medicine. Spearheaded by Dr. Santo Nicosia, a distinguished university professor and past chair of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, the seed will be planted at the new USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in Water Street.

“We are sincerely honored to become one of only 16 other U.S. medical schools to have derivatives of this tree planted on their campuses, as well as the National Library of Medicine at the NIH campus,” said Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine.

Dr. Panos Vasiloudes and his wife Helen sponsored the luncheon. The Vasiloudes family and their medical practice, Academic Alliance in Dermatology, have been great leaders in the community and generous supporters of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

Guests at the event included local officials, such as Dimitrios Sparos, the Tampa Bay Greek Consul General, and the visiting delegation from Greece, who signed a Sister Cities Agreement between Tampa and Heraklion, Crete, Greece, on Jan. 31.

In its new partnership with the University of Crete’s medical school, the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine is already exploring new opportunities to engage with colleagues and friends at the university and will announce formal details very soon.

“It is such an honor for USF Health to be part of this celebration of international friendship as our communities collaborate to build new exchange programs,” concluded Dr. Lockwood, “I think Hippocrates would be smiling down on us as we link the past with the present and Tampa with Greece.”

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Anonymous donor pledges $1 million to new USF medical school building

USF Health Development — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 16:18:24 +0000

USF in Water Street Tampa will become the new home for the Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute.

A local philanthropist anonymously committed $1 million in support of the new USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute building under construction in Water Street Tampa. The donor also serves on the dean’s campaign cabinet to promote the medical college’s upcoming move to the downtown waterfront.

“We are thrilled that this individual has chosen to support our vision not only through his very valuable time and leadership, but also through his personal generosity,” said Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. “This gift will make an important impact in advancing medical education, research and innovative care in the Tampa Bay area and the nation for generations.”

While this is the donor’s first major gift to the University of South Florida, the benefactor has a long history of philanthropic support to education, youth sports, the arts and children’s causes in the Tampa Bay area.

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute will bring medical students, faculty and cardiovascular scientists to the heart of the world’s first WELL-certified city district being planned by Strategic Property Partners. By moving within a mile of its primary teaching hospital and world-class simulation center, USF will attract the brightest future physicians to Tampa Bay and increase federal research dollars to fight heart disease.

The USF: Unstoppable Campaign is a comprehensive fundraising effort by the University of South Florida System to celebrate the energy, vision, and future of one of the country’s most exciting and engaged universities. Our people and programs, our ideas, our research, and our solutions comprise an ambitious plan to enhance healthcare, science, technology, education, business, the arts, and global partnerships.

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Thanks to our Fall 2017 Investing in Discovery event hosts

USF Health Development — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 18:47:01 +0000

USF Health thanks its sponsors for its Fall 2017 Investing in Discovery event hosts: Tomlin St. Cyr Real Estate Services, Dr. Chris Pittman (MD ’88) and Mrs. Karen Pittman (BA ’84, MEd ’89), and Republic Bank.

The Investing in Discovery event series brought together community leaders to learn more about the USF expansion in Water Street Tampa from USF Health deans and directors involved in planning the building. If you would like to sponsor and host an Investing in Discovery event with your network, please contact Arty Giallourakis at (813) 9794-3676 or agiallou@health.usf.edu.

USF Health Heart Institute Director Sam Wickline spoke at a reception at Tomlin St. Cyr Real Estate Services. Pictured: Holly Tomlin, Dr. Wickline, Ali St. Cyr and John Tomlin.

Senior Vice President for USF Health and Morsani College of Medicine Dean Charles Lockwood addressed more than 80 guests at an outdoor reception held across the street from the USF in Water Street Tampa construction site. Dr. Lockwood is pictured above with event hosts Mrs. Karen Pittman and Dr. Chris Pittman.

USF College of Pharmacy Dean Kevin Sneed spoke at a November breakfast in the University Club, hosted by Republic Bank.

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Vasiloudes family, Academic Alliance in Dermatology support downtown building

USF Health Development — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 19:24:16 +0000

Academic Alliance in Dermatology and its founders, Dr. Panos and Helen Vasiloudes, have committed $250,000 to support the new USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute building in Water Street Tampa.

First-year USF MD student Kritos Vasiloudes, left, with his parents, Dr. Panos and Helen Vasiloudes, following the white coat ceremony on Sept. 1.

“USF is a very special place for us, where personal and professional emotions come together,” said Dr. Vasiloudes. “Teaching pediatric dermatology has been the most rewarding experience in my professional life. Now having a son in the USF MD class of 2021 and another son in premedical studies makes the circle a full one.”

With dual board certifications in dermatology and pediatrics, Dr. Vasiloudes has served on the volunteer clinical faculty for the Morsani College of Medicine since 2003. His Academic Alliance in Dermatology practice has 15 locations in the Tampa Bay area.

“Investing in health care and medical education is the most noble and special way to create a legacy and make a difference educationally, socially and scientifically,” Dr. Vasiloudes said. “Medicine is the epitome of human-centered research, science and education for the right cause — humans working for humans out of compassion, empathy and love.”

Panos and Helen Vasiloudes previously supported the faculty chair fund and an educational resources room in the USF Department of Dermatology. Academic Alliance in Dermatology has also philanthropically supported nearly 90 nonprofit organizations in the Tampa Bay area and beyond.

Vasiloudes expressed excitement for the medical school moving closer to Tampa General Hospital, which he expects will help attract the best faculty and students and “catapult the Morsani College of Medicine to a top-tier international destination for medicine.”

“Simply said, Tampa Bay has given back to us everything we have dreamed of. As a very diverse, open-minded, vibrant and safe place, the community has embraced and supported us in creating a nationally acclaimed medical practice,” Vasiloudes said. “It was a very natural choice to support the Morsani College of Medicine in our own hometown.”

The USF: Unstoppable Campaign is a comprehensive fundraising effort by the University of South Florida System to celebrate the energy, vision, and future of one of the country’s most exciting and engaged universities. Our people and programs, our ideas, our research, and our solutions comprise an ambitious plan to enhance healthcare, science, technology, education, business, the arts, and global partnerships.

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New renderings released for USF at Water Street Tampa

USF Health Development — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 13:54:58 +0000

As the countdown continues for the start of construction on the new USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute building in Water Street Tampa, new renderings by HOK have been released by the University of South Florida.

An evening viewpoint from Amalie Arena.

Conceptual rendering of the Florida Blue Health Knowledge Exchange, an advanced medical library resource center.

The view from Amalie Arena by day.

A closer view of the entrance plaza.

Conceptual rendering of an executive-style reading room on the second floor.

Conceptual rendering of the second-floor cafe.

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USF Heart Institute Director Wickline welcomed as first TGH Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine

USF Health Development — Thu, 11 May 2017 20:23:39 +0000

USF President Judy Genshaft, Heart Institute Director and TGH Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine Sam Wickline, TGH Acting President and CEO Steve Short, TGH Board Chair John Brabson, and Senior Vice President and Morsani College of Medicine Dean Charles Lockwood pose alongside two commemorative vases commissioned to honor the occasion.

More than 80 leaders from the University of South Florida, Tampa General Hospital and Tampa Bay business community gathered to celebrate the appointment of Samuel A. Wickline MD as the first TGH Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine.

The event also served to recognize Wickline’s appointment as the founding director of the USF Health Heart Institute, a key component of the new USF expansion of the Morsani College of Medicine into downtown Tampa.

“This event marks an important milestone in the evolution of the USF Health Heart Institute,” said Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. “It is truly great to see our transformative vision for the future of heart health become a reality.”

“Together, with Tampa General, we are creating a world-class cardiovascular medicine and research program that will help bring new therapies to the marketplace to fight the number-1 killer of Americans,” said USF President Judy Genshaft. “This effort includes recruiting critical cardiovascular scientists—such as Dr. Wickline—who are at the forefront of interdisciplinary biomedical research.”

“If ever there was a signature decision for this community, it was the decision to relocate the USF medical school and Heart Institute into the urban core creating a medical/educational cluster that will drive this economy and this city forward for decades to come,” said Mayor Bob Buckhorn. “The impact of that decision will be generational for both USF and the City of Tampa.”

“The more of these faculty chairs we are able to attract, the more we will be able to build this world-class academic medical center,” said John Brabson, chair of the Tampa General Hospital board of directors. “There’s nothing more important than the growing relationship, the strengthening ties, and the bond of trust that’s being developed between Tampa General and USF. If we’ve built all of this while we’ve been a 30-40 minute drive away, imagine what we’ll be able to do when the medical school relocates downtown and we’ll be just a boat ride apart.”

Dr. Wickline outlined his vision for the Heart Institute, listing a number of research opportunities for ending cardiovascular diseases: growing new heart tissue and blood vessels to fight heart failure and atherosclerosis, nanomedicine to provide safer blood clotting therapies, biomedical engineering to open up blood vessels without metal stents, and bioinformatics to predict disease and improve treatment options for patients.

“We want to make a difference in patients’ lives really soon by putting basic science to work,” said Dr. Wickline. “With the energy in Tampa, we’re interested in entrepreneurship that pushes ideas from the bench to the patient’s bedside.”

Mayor Bob Buckhorn praised the USF downtown expansion for creating a generational impact for USF and the City of Tampa.

USF Foundation CEO and Senior Vice President for University Advancement Joel Momberg welcomed Dr. Wickline to USF and encouraged guests to spread the word about the USF Health Heart Institute.

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New exterior renderings for USF Downtown

USF Health Development — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 08:30:15 +0000

The University of South Florida has unveiled preliminary renderings of the future home of its USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in downtown Tampa.

The renderings offer an early look at USF’s newest state-of-the-art facility, which will combine under one roof a medical school to teach the next generation of physicians, and a cardiovascular research institute to pioneer new discoveries for heart health. The $152.6-million building features angles and facets offering unique viewpoints from within and ample windows to allow reflective light into work and learning spaces. Skanska/HOK is the design/build team constructing the new USF facility.

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USF Health Downtown: What’s happening now?

USF Health Development — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 18:19:31 +0000

An interview with Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM
Senior Vice President for USF Health; Dean, Morsani College of Medicine

Q: It has been almost a year since the downtown site was dedicated for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute. What’s happening now?

A: We’re in the process of seeking the final tranche of funding from the state, and we’re continuing to raise private gifts to meet our portion of the cost of the building…hopefully that process will be resolved over the next year or so.

The really exciting part is designing the building. First, we gathered up as much internal expertise as we could to examine the future of medical education, which is changing a lot. We’re creating an environment not only for medical education today, but for 30 years from now. That is — as you can imagine — a daunting challenge.

Q: What does that mean for our medical students?

A: Medical knowledge is doubling every 2-1/2 months, how do you create an environment for teaching students where new information is coming at them at breakneck speed? You can’t memorize the full content of medical knowledge in such a dynamic, changing environment. So our goal is to create a place where students are able to access information just-in-time, allowing them to supplement a solid fund of knowledge.

That dynamic environment will involve fewer lectures — maybe no lectures — and more active small-group learning, simulation, standardized patients, and flipped classrooms. It will be incredibly adaptable, enabling pop-up meetings with students and faculty.

This environment will be increasingly high tech, with holograms and all kinds of things we can’t even begin to contemplate. One area we’re concentrating heavily on is teaching anatomy in this new era. It will involve less traditional teaching and dissection, and more imaging and understanding the anatomy that students will be exposed to — MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds, or for the eventual surgeons, surgical anatomy. So we’re creating a much more practical exposure to anatomy that integrates well with the way we’re now teaching our students, which is organ-based.

Q: What unique building features are being considered for research?

A: We’re creating a lab environment that, again, is being designed not for today, but for the next 30 years, and again, flexibility will be the key. It will have settings where researchers can come together, brainstorm, go back to their workstations, meet formally and informally, and unleash the power of team science.

The third component of the building is faculty offices, again looking 30 years into the future with a much more flexible design. It doesn’t look anything like the offices of today. In a sense, the doc’s office of tomorrow is their cell phone, wherever they are, because they’re going to be in multiple different environments. We’re building a more regional health system. In the ambulatory setting, in the hospital, in the operating room, in radiology, seeing patients, and even home care. Wherever they are, they need to have access to their colleagues, the department, students, research and so forth.

Q: How have you anticipated these changes in medicine for the building design?

A: This is a hyperdynamic environment in education, research and clinical care, and designing a building to facilitate that is an enormous challenge. We’ve received a lot of help from our architectural firm HOK, as well as other deans with new medical school buildings who have shared their thinking. Hopefully we’ll have learned from their mistakes and benefited from their successes. We’re very grateful for the deans of other schools who have invited us to visit.

Q: What has been the most exciting part of this project so far?

A: So where we stand is that we’ve cataloged all of the components that need to be in the building, and we’re working with the architects to design the most attractive, practical and exciting environment we can. Lots of light, lots of views of the water, and what will be a dynamic, exciting urban environment along Channelside and Meridian.

All of this is occurring at the same time that Jeff Vinik’s Strategic Property Partners team is designing a whole city district. It’s really fascinating to see that evolution. He’s brought in some of the best urban designers in the world, some of the best architects, to design a district that is beautiful, functional and exciting, but also has a theme of wellness permeating all aspects of it.

You can’t ask for better for a medical school, right? A wellness district where everybody’s focused on creating as healthy an environment as you can possibly be in…mentally, physically, spiritually, you name it.

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USF Downtown: Creating a future-facing medical education space

USF Health Development — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 16:24:20 +0000

Bryan Bognar, Vice Dean for Educational Affairs, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine

An interview with Dr. Bryan A. Bognar, Vice Dean for Educational Affairs, Morsani College of Medicine

Q: You have been involved in several of the planning committees for the downtown expansion of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute. How is it going?

A: I began my career at USF in 1989, and I have seen our college transform from a community-based medical school into an incredible comprehensive academic medical center. The downtown expansion of MCOM marks another milestone in this transformation. We have certainly made the most of renovating our space at the main USF Health campus, but the ability to design entirely new space in the downtown building provides an unprecedented opportunity to create medical education space of the future. How can you not be excited about that?

Q: What does that look like?

A: I would probably best describe it as agile or flexible. By 2020, medical knowledge is expected to double every 73 days. We are challenged to design space for learning modalities and teaching techniques of the next several decades. There will be discoveries and disruptive technologies — like telemedicine and electronic health records today — that will change the way we teach the everyday practice of medicine.

We are intentionally designing the building for maximum flexibility. There’s not a single space that can’t be combined or divided to create varying sizes and configurations. For example, there will be a 400-seat auditorium with a drop-down wall that will divide the space into two 200-seat rooms. There will a number of small group learning rooms as we more and more move to team-based learning activities. Needless to say, it will be a technology rich environment, facilitating the best in virtual classroom modalities. By designing space that maintains flexibility, we are doing our best to “future-proof” the building.

Q: How will the new downtown building change medical education at USF?

A: We are designing our space with an eye toward future pedagogies. It will be flexible, multiuse, interdisciplinary space that will allow us to move seamlessly from large-group to small-group activities in a matter of minutes. Today’s students desire hands on, active learning with ready access to an array of online resources. Our space must allow us to quickly move from theory to practice, bench to bedside. That is our goal.

The experiential learning lab is one example. Virtual anatomy simulators will help connect foundational anatomy with clinical anatomy through imaging. The space will also be interdisciplinary, with round-robin activities that allow the students to apply concepts of anatomy, physiology, pathology and pharmacology all at once–which is how doctors practice every day. We will integrate these disciplines, so that students can better see how they fit together.

Q: What else excites you about this expansion?

A: One of the concepts that our current educational environment is built around is the collegia — learning communities that are made up students from each class, thus vertically integrating all four years of classes. In our existing space, we haven’t been able to give these collegia a physical home, which in many ways has been a limitation. We’ve examined medical schools across the country, and those that gave their learning communities a physical space described it as a game-changer.

In the new building, we’re going to create 750-sq-ft informal learning spaces — a little nest — that will serve these collegia groups as a home away from home, which is important given how much time they will spend together. It will be a place to collaborate, relax, study, socialize, eat and play.

Q: What types of technology can we expect to see in the new building?

A: By co-locating the building close to CAMLS (USF’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation), we won’t have to replicate the state-of-the-art, high-fidelity simulation and standardized patient space in the new building. The new building will provide lower-cost simulation/task trainers that the students can use on their own, outside of the formal classroom; a sort of practice field to gain confidence and experience.

One amazing technology that we would like to bring to the new building is the ability to live-stream medical procedures into the classroom, which is actually fairly simple technology. Teaching faculty could stream live to a classroom and walk the students through the procedures as they’re doing it (with the patient’s permission, of course). Instead of just one medical student looking over their shoulder in the OR this would allow an entire class to be present. Imagine the experience for a first- or second-year medical student to essentially be in a room with a surgical team, reinforcing the basic science that they’re learning. It makes me want to go back to medical school!

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