University of Central Florida University of Central Florida

College of Medicine News

COM Reaches Its Scholarship Goal

The UCF College of Medicine's Charter class will be able to pursue — free of charge — their dreams of becoming doctors, thanks to 40 scholarships fully funded by our community. No other medical school in the nation's history has offered full scholarships to an entire class. Unburdened by large debts, our students will be free to dream big and turn those dreams into outstanding medical practice and research.

Read Full Story

Dean Receives Two Community Awards

April 24, 2008, Dean Deborah C. German, M.D. was named the 2008 Central Florida Businesswoman of the Year and 2008 Business Executive, both impressive and prestigious honors awarded at the Orlando Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business celebration.

Read Full Story

Medical City at Lake Nona Update

The College of Medicine's future home, the Medical City at Lake Nona features a million square foot open-air town center, 9,000 residential units, and a life sciences cluster. It will put future doctors in close proximity to world-class partners and will have a $1.4 billion dollar impact on local economy.

Read Full Story

National Committee Grants UCF College of Medicine Preliminary Accreditation

Team Says Aspect of Plan for College has Potential to be National Model

The University of Central Florida’s College of Medicine reached its most significant milestone to date when the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) notified the college that it has been granted preliminary accreditation.

The decision follows a December site visit to Orlando and allows the college to begin recruiting students for classes scheduled to start in 2009.

“This is a truly historic achievement for the University of Central Florida and our community,” UCF President John Hitt said. “We reached this milestone thanks to the dedication of our UCF team and the overwhelming support from our Central Florida community. I look forward to the day when we welcome our first students to the world-class UCF College of Medicine.”

Read Full Story

In Just One Year, UCF Medical College Scholarship Drive Hits Milestone

ORLANDO, Jan. 17, 2008 -- It was a year ago, at an Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce Leadership Retreat, that University of Central Florida Dean Deborah German shared an innovative vision for the up-and-coming College of Medicine.

According to the American Association of Medical Colleges, the program German was about to propose would be the first of its kind. She wanted to raise $6.4 million, which would cover the first 40 students’ tuition, and living expenses for all four years of the medical degree program. It would be a way for the college to make a name for itself and to attract some of the brightest students from around the state and country to the charter class.

Read Full Story

M. D. Anderson – Orlando’s Cancer Research Institute Plans Move to UCF Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona

ORLANDO, Dec. 19, 2007 -- M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando’s Cancer Research Institute (CRI) and the University of Central Florida (UCF) promise to advance cancer research in the region by coming together at UCF’s new Health Sciences campus at Lake Nona.

The agreement with UCF, announced on December 19, allows for 30,000 square feet of space for the CRI on the fifth floor of the new UCF Burnett Biomedical Sciences Building, which is scheduled for completion in 2009. The CRI will pay the university a total of $2.5 million to occupy the building for up to five years while M. D. Anderson – Orlando plans and builds its own research facility which will also be located on UCF grounds.

Read Full Story

UCF College of Medicine Announce Affiliation Agreements with Local Hospitals

ORLANDO, Oct. 23, 2007 – The University of Central Florida’s College of Medicine has signed affiliation agreements with Orlando Regional Healthcare and Florida Hospital. The affiliation agreements will allow medical students to participate in clinical training at Orlando Regional and Florida Hospital campuses. The agreements are an essential requirement for medical school accreditation. Completing this affiliation agreement prior to final submission of the College of Medicine’s accreditation application significantly improves the likelihood that the new medical school will receive approval from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the national accrediting body for medical schools. The college also is pursuing other agreements.

Read Full Story

UCF's Biomedical Sciences Program to Become Part of College of Medicine

The University of Central Florida's Burnett College of Biomedical Sciences and its faculty and staff will become part of the College of Medicine in a transition that will occur later this summer.

The Burnett College of Biomedical Sciences was established in 2004 after Al and Nancy Burnett of Winter Park donated $10 million to help UCF expand its biomedical research and education programs. At the time of the couple’s donation, Al Burnett indicated it was a “necessary step if we’re going to head in the direction of a full-fledged medical school.” Two years later, in 2006, the Florida Board of Governors approved UCF’s request for a medical school.

“The generous gift provided by Al and Nancy Burnett was instrumental in our success in establishing a medical college at UCF,” Provost Terry Hickey said.

Read Full Story

Florida Hospital and UCF Endowment Reaches $1.1 Million Milestone

Together, Florida Hospital and the University of Central Florida (UCF) are making strides in cancer research. The two organizations are proud to announce that their joint endowment has provided more than $1.1 million of local funding for oncology research, thanks in part to the Central Florida community.

“Unfortunately, cancer is a disease that almost everyone can relate to,” said Leslie Aldrich, administrator of the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute. “The partnership between Florida Hospital and UCF benefits not only these two organizations but the community as a whole as we strive to further our research of cancer so that we one day might find a cure.”

The endowment for cancer research was created when Florida Hospital donated $1 million from its annual Gala in 1994 to UCF which was then matched by $750,000 in state funds in 1995. Through the partnership, Florida Hospital and UCF have jointly provided funds for 10 years to support oncology research in the community. To date, funds have been awarded to 65 research projects. The projects range from the study of how microparticles released from cancer cells affect blood clotting to the evaluation of patients’ responses to therapy for fatigue associated with breast cancer.

Read Full Story

UCF Celebrates College of Medicine, Success With Community Partnerships

More than 310 members of the Central Florida community celebrated at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine temporary offices Tuesday.

The university president and college dean invited the community to the open house to celebrate the many partnerships that have led to this point. They also reminded the audience that the process to get accredited as a medical college is a long one and asked the community to stay with them and support them on that journey.

Read Full Story

UCF Nanoparticle Offers Promise for Treating Glaucoma

A unique nanoparticle made in a laboratory at the University of Central Florida is proving promising as a drug delivery device for treating glaucoma, an eye disease that can cause blindness and affects millions of people worldwide.

“The nanoparticle can safely get past the blood-brain barrier making it an effective non-toxic tool for drug delivery,” said Sudipta Seal, an engineering professor with appointments in UCF’s Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center and the Nanoscience Technology Center.

The findings will be published in an article appearing in the June 28 issue of the Journal of Physical Chemistry C.

Read Full Story

UCF College of Medicine and Business Leaders Launch Scholarship Drive

The University of Central Florida College of Medicine and two business leaders today announced a campaign to raise $6.4 million for student scholarships.

College Dean Deborah German came up with the novel approach to grant every admitted College of Medicine student in the inaugural class a guaranteed scholarship. If successful, the scholarships would cover tuition and living expenses for the length of the program, giving students the opportunity to study without worrying about debt. According to the American Association of Medical Colleges, UCF would be the first U.S. school of medicine to make such an offer.

Read Full Story

UCF Medical College Passes First Step in Accrediting Process, Site Visit Granted

The University of Central Florida College of Medicine learned Friday, June 8, that it has been granted a site visit by the national medical school accrediting organization.

The visit was granted based on the college’s preliminary plan submitted to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in April. It is the first major step on the road to opening the medical college in fall 2009.

Read Full Story

UCF Board of Trustees Hears Med School Update

The UCF College of Medicine has submitted its accreditation request and is actively working to hire about two dozen faculty for the first year, college Dean Deborah German told the Board.

Read Full Story

Concrete Poured for First Building at UCF Health Sciences Campus

Workers poured concrete for the foundation of Burnett College
of Biomedical Sciences building on Tuesday, marking a major milestone in the development of the UCF Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona.

Read Full Story


Current Dean’s Newsletter

College of Medicine News Archives

2008

February
National Committee Grants UCF College of Medicine Preliminary Accreditation
Team Says Aspect of Plan for College has Potential to be National Model

(February 6)

January
In Just One Year, UCF Medical College Scholarship Drive Hits Milestone
(January 17)

2007

December
M. D. Anderson – Orlando’s Cancer Research Institute Plans Move to UCF Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona
(December 19)

October
Orlando Regional Healthcare joins UCF College of Medicine in Affiliation Agreement
(October 23)

July
UCF's Biomedical Sciences Program to Become Part of College of Medicine
(July 26)

June
UCF Celebrates College of Medicine, Success With Community Partnerships
(June 27)

UCF Nanoparticle Offers Promise for Treating Glaucoma
(June 25)

UCF College of Medicine and Business Leaders Launch Scholarship Drive
(June 12)

UCF Medical College Passes First Step in Accrediting Process, Site Visit Granted
(June 8)

May
UCF Board of Trustees Hears Med School Update (May 24)

Concrete Poured for First Building at Health Sciences Campus (May 22)

UCF Trustees to Hear Med School Update Thursday (May 22)

April
UCF Switching Physical Therapy to Doctoral Program (April 10)

Trustees Approve Revised Financing Plan for Construction (April 9)

March
UCF Channel Launches Television Program on Health (March 26)

UCF to Host 'Growth of Healthcare' Symposium on March 28 (March 23)

UCF Trustees Plan Funding for Health Sciences Buildings (March 14)

February
UCF to Offer Graduate Program in Clinical, Lifestyle Sciences (Feb. 20)

January
Professor Works with Military Medical Personnel in Miami (Jan. 31)

Molecular Discovery Could Help Drugs Target Unhealthy Cells (Jan. 18)

2006

December
Demand High for UCF Medical Laboratory Science Graduates (Dec. 18)

Nursing School Becomes College to Recognize Growth, Stature (Dec. 5)

November
Med School Leads Way as UCF Raises $356 Million (Nov. 30)

UCF, Florida Hospital Join to Study Lifestyle Medicine (Nov. 7)

October
Deborah German Named Dean of College of Medicine (Oct. 25)

Medical Dean Candidate Meets Faculty, Administrators (Oct. 10)

Medical College Dean Candidate to Return for Interviews (Oct. 3)

September
Committee Interviews Medical College Dean Candidates (Sept. 19)

Symposium: Job Opportunities Limitless With Science Degree (Sept. 11)

State Grants to Encourage Education in Allied Health, Nursing (Sept. 8)

August
Burnham Institute to Build Next to UCF College of Medicine (Aug. 23)

Defense Peptide in Primates May Block Human HIV Transfer (Aug. 9)

July
Professor Developing Teardrop Test for Diabetics (July 28)

Biomedical, Nanoscience Research Fuels Funding Record (July 24)

Center Helps Locals Cope With Growing Autism Cases (July 17)

June
Fruit Flies on Space Shuttle Subjects of Immunity Study (June 27)

May
Governor Signs Bill to Create Medical College, Renew Centers (May 30)

Protein Could Hold Key to Preventing Heart Disease (May 17)

April
Plans for Medical Campus at Lake Nona Begin to Take Shape (April 23)

Research Aims to Help Stroke Victims Avoid Brain Injuries (April 10)

March
State Board of Governors Approves UCF Med School (March 23)

UCF, Scripps Sign Pact to Foster Research Cooperation (March 23)

Health Sciences Major Supports National Need (March 9)

February
Study: Medical College Could Have $6.4 Billion Impact (Feb. 23)

January
Assistive Technology Center to Help Residents with Disabilities (Jan. 18)

2005

December
Study: Effective, Safe Anthrax Vaccine Can Be Grown in Plants (Dec. 19)