Noting his commitment and service as a physician and teacher, the Florida Chapter of the American College of Physicians awarded John Sinnott, MD, FACP, with its 2015 Laureate Award at its annual scientific meeting held Sept. 12 in Tampa.

Dr. Sinnott, professor and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, received the award because of his “long-standing distinguished service to the College, chapter, and community as well upholding the high ideals and professional standards of the College.”

The annual award is presented to a Senior Florida Physician who has “demonstrated through example and conduct, a commitment to excellence in medical care, education, or research and service to the community and the ACP.”

Dr. Sinnott is a fellow in the American College of Physicians. At USF, he is the James Cullison Professor of Medicine, associate dean for USF Medicine International, a professor of global health in the College of Public Health, and a Trustee for the USF Foundation. He is also a Trustee for the Tampa General Hospital Foundation. He has long been active in Florida, acting as senior advisor to the Secretary of Health for Biodefense from 2001 to 2005 and a member of the Citizen Healthcare Planning Team for Governor Crist from 2006 to 2007.

Two USF Health physicians received awards at the recent meeting of the Florida chapter of the American College of Physicians held in September in Tampa.

Lucy Guerra, MD, director of the Division of General Internal Medicine, received the Volunteerism and Community Service Award for her exemplary voluntary service in the area of medicine and commitment to continuing education, particularly her work supervising Tampa Street Medicine for the Homeless and with the BRIDGE indigent care clinic.

And Nikesh Kapadia, MD, a second-year resident physician in the Department of Internal Medicine, received an award for a Clinical Vignette, a report of a medical case that illustrates a new disease entity or an unusual clinical feature of an established disease. Dr. Kapadia presented a case titled “A Little Hiccup.”

Two USF Health faculty members earned 2015 Excellence in Innovation Awards by USF Research and Innovation.

Umesh Jinwal, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Science in the College of Pharmacy, earned the award partly for his research involving discovery of novel drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurological disorders by using rapid and economical cellular and C. elegans (worm) based disease models.

And Yu Chen, associate professor of the Department of Molecular Medicine, earned the award partly because of his patented technology of novel beta-lactamase inhibitors that is helping develop novel antibiotics against bacterial resistance.

The Excellence in Innovation Award, which includes $2,000, recognizes USF faculty for exceptional achievement, during one calendar year, in translational research and/or innovation and its transfer to practice, industrial partnerships, and or commercialization

USF Health’s Richard Lockey, MD,  Distinguished University Health Professor, was recently awarded the World Allergy Organization (WAO) Gold Medal Award  in recognition of his outstanding dedication and exceptional service to WAO, an international alliance of 95 regional and national asthma, allergy and immunology societies.

The recognition  was given at the opening ceremony of the XXIV World Allergy Congress on Oct. 13 in Seoul, Korea.

Dr. Lockey, a professor of medicine, pediatrics and public health, holds the Joy McCann Culverhouse Chair of Allergy and Immunology and directs the Division of Allergy and Immunology at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.  He has served as president of the WAO (2010- 2012), director of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology (1993- 1998), and president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (1992).

He has authored, co-authored or edited more than 700 publications and 36 books or monographs with colleagues and lectured nationally and internationally.

Two  professors from USF Health — John Mayer, DC, PhD, of the School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences and Cindy L. Munro, PhD, of the College of Nursing — were among 13 faculty members across USF awarded the 2015 Outstanding Research Achievement Award.  The achievement recognizes faculty members who have received national and international peer recognition for their research accomplishments in the previous calendar year.

Some members of the USF Health Department of Dermatology show off the Team Award they received at the NPF Tampa Walk.

The USF Health Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery received a Team Award for participation in the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) Walk held Saturday, Oct. 24, at Al Lopez Park in Tampa. The department put together one of the Tampa Walk teams raising more than $1,000, and was also a sponsor for the local walk, which so far has raised more than more than $22,000 to benefit NPF.

Many USF Dermatology employees came out help participants register and to support the walk, an annual event dedicated to finding a cure for psoriatic disease.  Dermatology residents staffed an “Ask the Doctors” booth, answering people’s questions about psoriasis and other skin diseases.

Psoriasis is a chronic, autoimmune disease that appears on the skin. It occurs when the immune system sends out faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle of skin cells. Psoriasis is not contagious. People affected by psoriasis are at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, Crohn’s disease and other inflammatory diseases.

USF dermatology residents staffed an “Ask the Doctors” booth at the walk. 

With promising research that could help improve continued breastfeeding among infants and eliminate filariasis, two USF College of Public Health doctoral students were invited to present their work at the recent annual meeting of the American Public Health Association in Chicago, Ill.

Rema Ramakrishnan, MPH, and Amruta Mhashilkar, MD, CPH, MPH, were two of only 19 students chosen nationally to share their posters during the Delta Omega Student Poster Session of the meeting.

Both Ramakrishnan and Mhashilkar received a $350 cash prize in addition to presenting their work at APHA.

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In recognition of his enduring commitment for providing access to quality health care to the Tampa Bay area’s youngest residents, John Curran, MD, associate vice president for USF Health and senior executive associate dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, was awarded the Frederick A. Reddy, M.D. Memorial Award from the Hillsborough County Medical Association.

The Frederick A. Reddy, MD, Memorial Award was established in 2006 and exemplifies Dr. Reddy’s belief of giving back to society, his dedication to medicine, community service, social justice, and the youth of Tampa Bay.

Dr. Curran receiving the award from Mrs. Maisie Reddy, widow of Dr. Frederick Reddy.

A charter member of the Morsani College of Medicine faculty, Dr. Curran’s leadership has been recognized with the Abraham Jacobi Award of the American Medical Association, a Lifetime Healthcare Hero Award in the Tampa Bay Region, and the March of Dimes Lawton Chiles Perinatal Award.

Dr. Curran practiced as the founding neonatologist at Tampa General Hospital and as the hospital’s Chief of Pediatrics. He is medical director for the Tampa Bay regional Children’s Medical Services programs for children with special health care needs. He is past chair of the District X American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization of 60,000 pediatricians representing Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Puerto Rico.

Dr. Curran has taken active and leadership roles in countless organizations including the Society of Air Force Flight Surgeons (he is a Member Emeritus), Florida Medical Association, American Medical Association, Florida Society of Neonatal-Perinatologists, Hillsborough County Healthy Start, Inc., American Lung Association of Gulf Coast Florida, American Lung Association of Florida, the Tri Agency Council (American Heart Association of Florida, American Lung Association of Florida, and American Cancer Society, Florida Affiliate), March of Dimes, and Florida Department of Health.

In addition, Dr. Curran is the facilitator and a key contact for the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative, a statewide initiative using quality improvement processes in projects to improve Florida’s maternal and infant health outcomes, and a March of Dimes recipient. He participated in a recent Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act grant from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, providing an award of $12 million over five years for children’s services in Florida and Illinois.

Michael Schoenberg, PhD, professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences and associate professor in the Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, was recently named Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology.

Dr. Schoenberg, who joined USF in 2009, begins his five-year term Jan. 1. His research interests include the neuropsychological effects of epilepsy, diagnostic and ecological validity of neuropsychological tests, cognitive and behavioral effects of medications, traumatic brain injury, and rehabilitation following stroke.

The Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology is published by Oxford University Press.

Dennis Kyle, PhD, a Distinguished University Health Professor in the Department of Global Health, USF College of Public Health, was one of six faculty members from USF recently elected 2015 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Dr. Kyle was honored as part of the AAAS Biological Sciences Section for his distinguished contributions and innovations in the field of global health, especially tropical and infectious diseases. His research interests include elucidation of mechanisms of antimalarial drug resistance and discovery of new anti-parasitic drugs for diverse disease including malaria, visceral leishmaniasis, and primary amoebic meningoencephalitis.

Dr. Kyle has more than 175 publications in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, serves on peer review panels for the National Institutes of Health and chaired the Genomics and Discovery Research Steering Committee and the Compound Evaluation Network for the World Health Organization. He is a fellow of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. His laboratory is supported by research funding from National Institutes of Health, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Medicines for Malaria Venture.

After completing a PhD in zoology at Clemson University (1984) and a postdoctoral position at the University of Georgia, he began a 21-year association with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. During this time he led key efforts with the U.S. Army’s Drug and Vaccine Development Programs, eventually serving as deputy director of the Division of Experimental Therapeutics. He also served as the chief, Department of Immunology and Parasitology, at the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS) in Bangkok, Thailand (1991-94) and was a senior scientist in the malaria drug program at the Australian Army Malaria Institute (2002-04).

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USF College of Public Health’s Elizabeth A. Dunn, MPH, CPH, was selected to receive the 2015 Human Rights Award from the Tampa/Hillsborough County Human Rights Council.

Dunn, assistant to the director and adjunct faculty Global Disaster Management, Humanitarian Relief and Homeland Security Department of Global Health in the USF College of Public Health, was among eight honorees for the 2015 Human Rights Award. She was presented with the award at the 42nd Annual Tampa/Hillsborough County Human Rights Awards Breakfast held Dec. 11.

Dunn was nominated for her volunteer work in the community and involving USF undergraduate students by facilitating service-learning courses. She teaches a course called Community Partnerships and Homeland Security, which has service learning at its foundation. Dunn works with multiple community partners volunteering her time to help take the lead on various community projects with 65 COPH students.

 Listen to Elizabeth Dunn talk about the importance of volunteering.

In addition, she was recognized for her volunteer work with the Tampa Bay Refugee Task Force, the refugee mental health subcommittee, the Refugee and Migrant Women’s Initiative (RAMWI), the United Nations Association, the Hillsborough County Local Mitigation Strategy Working Group, Hillsborough County Emergency Management, and the American Red Cross where she volunteers as a First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor, and Disaster Action Team lead.

Dunn “is dedicated to serving vulnerable populations in the Tampa Bay area while striving to inspire students to be more engaged in making a public health impact,” noted the Tampa/Hillsborough County Human Rights Council in its letter informing Dunn of her selection.

“This has been a true honor and a complete surprise that I was nominated, let alone selected to receive this award,” she said. “Everything I do with the students and in the community is because I am passionate about public health, want to set an example for our students and believe that it is important to engage with the community.”

 Listen to Elizabeth Dunn talk about human rights.

Tampa/Hillsborough County Human Rights Council has presented Human Rights Awards since 1973 to recognize individuals or entities who have served the community by championing human rights for all residents.

Dunn joined USF in Dec. 2012. In describing her work as faculty, she is clear about her aim for finding a balance with both allowing each student room to pursue his or her own passion and for guiding the student toward goals and projects that will have impact.

Elizabeth Dunn.

“I try to focus a lot on the service learning to help put into context for them that everything has an impact on our personal home security, be it access to health care, education, shelter, safety,” Dunn said.

 Listen to Elizabeth Dunn share why teaching extends her passion into practice.

Dunn’s undergraduate degree is in economics, which gives her a better understanding for the reality faced by many of the people she is aiming to help. Her pursuit of her master’s degree in public health became a nature next step.

“To understand economic development, there has to be some aspect of a health component there,” she said. “So all this time I had an interest in public health and didn’t even realize it.”

On being selected as a 2015 Human Rights Award recipient, Dunn is quick to recognize others, including the many community partners who provide the service opportunities for her students.

“This award would not be possible without the support of our students, community partners, and faculty in the Department of Global Health,” she said. “It is a wonderful experience to spend extra time giving back and connecting students who are eager to gain experience and practice public health. When you are passionate about something it does not seem like extra work at all.”

Audio and photos by Sandra C. Roa, USF Health Office of Communications.

There is nothing like a great adventure, classic love story or inspiring tale to help distract you from the daily grind. That’s why the folks at USF Health Financial Aid decided to put together the Ultimate Relaxation Movie Night Prize Package for four lucky winners who provided feedback in a recent survey on the services Financial Aid offers.

The students in the Morsani College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Public Health and College of Pharmacy were asked about their experiences working with staff and how the financial aid process could be improved. The response was tremendous with feedback on everything from identifying the best sources of aid to simplifying the application process.

Winners were chosen at random to receive the Ultimate Relaxation Movie Night Prize Package loaded with everything needed for a cinematic experience including popcorn, candies and a very special DVD movie!

The lucky winners are:
Elizabeth Beaty, Morsani College of Medicine
Adriana Molodecki, College of Pharmacy
Alison Oberne, College of Public Health
Brittney Stancil, College of Nursing

Elizabeth Beaty and Adriana Molodecki.

Alison Oberne and Brittney Stancil.

Your opinion is important and USF Health Shared Student Services would like to thank everyone who provided feedback to the Financial Aid team. Our goal is to foster success by providing meaningful experiences that enrich the lives of everyone we serve. We do this by creating a professional learning environment and delivering integrated programs and services that meet student needs, facilitate collaboration and promote USF Health.

Congratulations to our winners and enjoy the show!

By Curt Preisser, USF Health Shared Student Services, The WELL

USF Health retired and emeritus faculty members were among those recognized Nov. 9 at the 2015 USF Faculty Honors and Awards Reception, an event held each year to recognize the successes of USF faculty.

Charles J. Lockwood, MD, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine presented the Retired & Emeritus Faculty Awards recognizing “honorable service to the community” by  Robert Belsole, MD, Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine; Dr. H. James Browlee, MD, Family Medicine; Peter Fabri, MD, Surgery; Allan Goldman, MD, Internal Medicine; Richard Schrot, MD, Family Medicine; William Spellacy, MD  (posthumous), Obstetrics and Gynecology; and Loris Thomas, Nursing.

From left: Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and dean, Morsani College of Medicine with Retired & Emeritus Faculty Award recipient Dr. H. James Brownlee, Family Medicine, and USF President Judy Genshaft.

Dr. Lockwood with Retired & Emeritus Faculty Award recipient Dr. Allan Goldman, Internal Medicine, and President Genshaft.

Other USF Health faculty members recognized at the annual ceremony were Yu Chen, PhD, Molecular Medicine, and Umesh Jinwal, PhD, Pharmaceutical Science — both of whom received the university’s Excellence in Innovation Awards for their exceptional research and innovation.

John Mayer, DC, PhD, School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences, and Cindy Munro, PhD, College of Nursing, were honored for receiving the university’s Faculty Outstanding Research Achievement Awards recognizing national and international peer recognition for their research accomplishments in the previous calendar year.

Prestigious NAI Fellow designation awarded for “prolific spirit of innovation”

Tampa, FL (Dec. 15, 2015) – Orthopedic surgeon G. Douglas Letson, MD, who holds appointments at Moffitt Cancer Center and USF Health, was among four USF faculty members named 2015 Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors.  His expertise includes developing new techniques and designing instruments for minimally invasive reconstructive surgery

Election to NAI Fellow status is a high professional distinction accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.

G. Douglas Letson, MD

Dr. Letson is executive vice president of clinical affairs, physician-in-chief and chair of education at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer & Research Institute, as well as professor of orthopaedics, surgery and radiology at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.  He was previously director of the USF Residency Program in the Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, and continues to serve as site director of the orthopaedic musculoskeletal oncology rotation for USF residents and medical students.

His research and clinical interests include matrix metalloproteinases; novel therapeutic agents to treat sarcoma; limb salvage for bone and soft tissue tumors; as well as sentimental prosthesis, new hinge designs and soft tissue attachment for metallic prosthesis. Dr. Letson collaborated with Stanmore Corporation in England to develop a noninvasive leg-lengthening implant, and he is the only physician in the United States to implant and lengthen the limbs of several children successfully. He is an internationally renowned speaker with multiple national and international presentations. He holds five U.S. patents and is working with several companies to commercialize his medical products. He has presented over 200 lectures around the world on his developments in multiple oncology systems for skeletal reconstruction and surgical techniques in limb salvage surgery.

The academic inventors and innovators elected to the rank of NAI Fellow are named inventors on U.S. patents and were nominated by their peers for outstanding contributions to innovation in areas such as patents and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation.

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Fourth-year medical student Stephanie Hudey presented one of four winning student posters at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Annual Forum in December in Orlando for a co-produced poster presenting data that could help improve patient flow through the USF Health BRIDGE Clinic, thus opening up time to include additional patients and better manage the volunteer health care providers.

Called “Trial and Error: The Challenge of Maximizing Operational Efficiency at a Student-Run Free Clinic,” the poster was also selected as an example of high-impact student work.

“Our poster really helped detail our efforts at the BRIDGE Clinic for improving the quality and efficiency of care we provide our patients,” Hudey said.

In addition to Hudey, authors for the poster include second-year medical student Seth Vanzant, fourth-year medical student Kathryn Dean, and Dr. Eduardo Gonzalez, a faculty physician mentor for the BRIDGE Clinic.

The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Felllows comprise the top 2% of medical and biological engineers in the nation.

Two USF Health Morsani College of Medicine professors — Cesario Bolognan, PhD, and Shyam Mohapatra, PhD — are among the four USF faculty members elected to the 2016 College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).

Dr. Borlongan and Dr. Mohapatra will be be among the 160 new AIMBE Fellows inducted into the medical and biological engineering elite at a ceremony April 4 during the institute’s annual meeting at the National Academy of Sciences Great Hall, Washington, DC.

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Dr. Borlonan,  is a Distinguished Professor of neurosurgery and brain repair and director of the Center of Excellence for Aging & Brain Repair in the Morsani College of Medicine. He was nominated, reviewed and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for “outstanding contributions and international leadership in the advancement of experimental therapies for neurological disorders, especially stroke stem-cell therapy.”

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Dr. Mohapatra is a Distinguished Professor of internal Medicine, pharmaceutical science, molecular medicine, pediatrics, and environmental & occupational health; vice chair of research in the Department of Internal Medicine, director of the USF Nanomedicine Research Center and of the Division of Translational Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine; associate dean for graduate programs, USF College of Pharmacy; member of the USF Institute of Advanced Discovery & Innovation; and principal investigator and research career scientist in research and development at the James A. Haley VA Hospital. He was elected for “outstanding contributions in the field of biomedical nanotechnology and leadership in translational nanomedicine.”

Since 1961, AIMBE’s College of Fellows has lead the way for technological growth and advancement in the fields of medical and biological engineering. Fellows have helped revolutionize medicine and related fields to enhance and extend teh lives of people all over the world.

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Benjamin Groves, a third-year student at the University of South Florida College of Pharmacy, has received the 2016 Florida Pharmacy Association’s Terry Gubbins Student Leadership Scholarship. The prestigious award recognizes Grove’s involvement in FPA and in school and community activities, and his demonstrated commitment to the profession.

USF pharmacy student Benjamin Groves, left, receives the FPA’s Terry Gubbins Student
Leadership Scholarship from Terry Gubbins. 

Groves, originally from Port Orange, Fla., is a member of the FPA Public Affairs Council and previously served on the Organization Affairs Council and as a Florida Legislative Days Health Fair liaison. At the USF College of Pharmacy, he serves as chapter president for the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP), vice president of operations for the Delta Mu Chapter of the Phil Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society, and a student delegate.

Upon graduation Groves plans to pursue a combined, two-year health system/pharmacy administration residency with a master’s degree.

The Terry Gubbins Student Leadership award, established in 2014 by former FPA Chairman of the Board Terry Gubbins, recognizes and celebrates outstanding leadership through school activities as well as community and professional service. The scholarship is given yearly at the Florida Pharmacists Legislative Days in Tallahassee, where the recipient is recognized with a $1,000 check and a plaque.

Fourth-year USF Health otolaryngology resident Isaac Dingle, MD, won second place in the all-state resident research competition at the recent combined meeting of the Florida Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the Florida Society of Facial Plastic Reconstructive Surgery, held in November in Naples, FL.

Dr. Dingle’s presented his project, which is a review of current applications of 3-dimensional printing in the field of otolaryngology.

“We reviewed its use in resident education, facial plastic surgery, airway reconstruction and in mandibular reconstruction following head and neck cancer surgery,” Dr. Dingle said.

In addition to resident research, faculty from the USF Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery take active roles in this annual combined meeting. K. Paul Boyev, MD, associate professor and director of the USF Division of Otology, is currently president of the FSO-HNS and was program chair of the 2015 meeting. And Kathryn Hall, MD, assistant professor in the Division of Facial Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery, is currently president of the Florida Society of Facial Plastic Reconstructive Surgery and program chair for the facial plastic portion of this recent meeting.

Dr. K. Paul Boyev and Dr. Kathryn Hall at this year’s meeting.

Previous presidents of the FSO-HNS have included USF Health’s Thomas V. McCaffrey, MD, PhD, professor and chair of the USF Health Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, and Tapan A. Padhya MD, professor and director of the USF Division of Head and Neck Oncology, as well as co-director of the USF ENT Sleep and Snoring Clinic.

Bryan A. Bognar, MD, MPH, FACP, vice dean for Educational Affairs for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, took an active role in planning and presenting at the inaugural Cancer Survivorship Symposium, held in January in San Francisco.

With colleagues from the inagural Cancer Survivorship Symposium, from left, are Mary Ann Morgan, PhD, FNP-BC, Bryan Bognar, MD, MPH, FACP, Smitha Pabbathi, MD, FACP, Ione Townsend, ARNP, and Jill Van Schaik, ARNP.

The symposium brought together experts from medical oncology and primary care in hopes of providing better coordinated care for survivors, including monitoring late and long-term effects and comorbidities, providing surveillance for recurrence and secondary malignancies, addressing psychosocial aspects of survivorship, improving communication and care coordination, and understanding current research in survivorship care.

Dr. Bognar, professor of internal medicine and previous chief of internal medicine at Moffitt Cancer Center, was on the program planning committee for the symposium, was the co-chair for the session addressing education and training, and presented a lecture titled “Primary Care Physician: Avoiding the “Black Hole” as part of a session called “Multidisciplinary Approach to Survivorship Starts at Diagnosis—Breast Cancer as a Paradigm.”

The two-day symposium attracted a range of health care providers, drawing from internal medicine, family physician, nurse practitioner and oncology specialties.

Student directors of the USF Health BRIDGE Clinic presented nationally – with several of them won recognition for their work – at the annual Society of Student Run Free Clinic Conference (SSRFCC) held in Phoenix in January.

This year’s SSRFCC meeting included more than 500 participants and featured more than 160 posters and 50 oral presentations. Students from across USF Health were among those presenting.

“This year’s event had an unusually high number of students from our USF Health BRIDGE Clinic,” said Katy Dean, fourth-year medical student and the executive student director for the BRIDGE Clinic.

“Every day we work on BRIDGE responsibilities and making sure we care for our patients, but this conference once a year is an opportunity for us to not only demonstrate our successes but also share and learn from other clinics to help us improve,” said Eduardo Gonzalez, MD, FAAFP, associate professor of family medicine and a physician mentor for BRIDGE. “Our USF students have remained very active at these conferences and continue to demonstrate their passion for BRIDGE and their ability to excel.”

The BRIDGE clinic – a nationally recognized, student-run free community clinic – provides primary medical care for more than 800 underserved patients a year from the University Community Area one night a week inside the USF Health Morsani Center for Advanced Health Care. A recent donation of goods, services, office space and personnel by Florida Hospital Tampa allowed for an additional night to run the clinic and helped significantly increase the number of uninsured patients seen through the BRIDGE clinic, expand specialty care and procedures, and cut weeks off the appointment waiting times for new and established patients.

The BRIDGE Clinic is staffed and directed by students from the colleges and schools of medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, public health and social work, as well as student interpreters, and are supervised by USF faculty.

Presenters involved at this year’s SSRFCC meeting included:

Pharmacy

“Pharmacy student peer-to-peer mentoring in a student run free clinic.” Authors: Ellen Bickel, Vanessa Ulloa, Jonathan Santizo, Amy Schwartz, PharmD; John Clark, PharmD, FASHP; Joseph Fierro, PharmD. Received the certificate for scholarly achievement for this poster.

“Descriptive analysis of workflow processes associated with the operation of a student-run free clinic.” Authors: Vanessa Ulloa, Ellen Bickel, Jonathan Santizo, John Clark, PharmD, FASHP; Joseph Fierro, PharmD; Amy Schwartz, PharmD.

“Pharmacy student-directed efforts in improving influenza immunization rates in an underserved population.” Authors: Jonathan Santizo, Ellen Bickel, Vanessa Ulloa, Sonnia Zambrano, John Clark, PharmD, FASHP; Joseph Fierro, PharmD; Amy Schwartz, PharmD.

From left, Sonia Zombrano (pharmacy student), Ellen Bickel, Vanessa Ulloa, Johnathan Santizo (current BRIDGE Pharmacy Directors).

Physical Therapy

Panel: Models of Physical Therapy Clinics and Care: Brittany Davis, SPT, ATC.

“Correlating between Initial Patient Satisfaction and Follow-up attendance in the BRIDGE Physical Therapy Patients.” Authors: Kelly MacDonald, Julian La, Seok Hun Kim, PT, PhD; William S. Quillen, PT, DPT, PhD, FACSM; Rebecca Edgeworth, PT, DPT, OCS.

Kelly MacDonald and Julain La, 2nd year physical therapy students and the current BRIDGE Physical Therapy directors.

“Patient Satisfaction in a Student-run Free Physical Therapy Clinic.” Authors: Brittany Davis, SPT, ATC; Emily Ojea, SPT; Seok Hun Kim, PT, PhD; William S. Quillen, PT, DPT, PhD, FACSM; Rebecca Edgeworth, PT, DPT, OCS.

Brittany Davis, 3rd year DPT student and past BRIDGE Physical Therapy Director.

Medicine

“Specialty-Care Referral Services at the BRIDGE Healthcare Clinic: Where are Patients Being Referred to and What is the Completion Rate for these Requests?” Authors: Douglas Rausch, Johan Vargas, Viktor Flores, Lucy Guerra, MD, Eduardo Gonzalez, MD. Received the certificate for scholarly achievement for this poster.

Douglas Rausch, graduate of medical masters program and BRIDGE volunteer with his winning poster.

“Colon Cancer Screening at USF’s BRIDGE Clinic.” Authors: Luis Perez-Mena, Michael Bilak, Bailee Olliff, Frederick Slone, MD, Eduardo Gonzalez, MD. Received the certificate for scholarly achievement for this poster.

“Analyzing the Efficiency of a Student-Run Free Diabetes Class.” Brian Atkinson, Viktor Flores, Stephanie Hudey, Richard Roetzheim, MD, Eduardo Gonzalez, MD.

“The Challenge of Improving Operational Efficiency at the USF Health BRIDGE Clinic.” Stephanie Hudey, Seth VanZant, Kathryn Dean, Eduardo Gonzalez, MD.

Oral Presentation: Women’s Health at USF’s BRIDGE Clinic: Bailee Olliff, Jewel Brown, Matthew Wollenschlaeger, Kathryn Dean, Lucy Guerra, MD, Eduardo Gonzalez, MD.

Photos courtesy of Katy Dean, fourth-year medical student in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.