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Congratulations to 26 Gators in the UF M.D. Class of 2027 on being selected as the newest members of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society!

This distinguished recognition honors those who have demonstrated not only academic excellence but also integrity, compassion, leadership and a steadfast commitment to serving others.

We are so proud of these students and excited to celebrate their accomplishments, character and dedication to the future of medicine.

The students honored are:
Liam Kugler
Chris Lamprecht
Taylor Edwards
Julia Hoffman
Caroline Davidson
Anna Fusco
Chloe DeYoung
Austin Edwards
Ahmet Bilgili
Landon Richardson
Olivia Perdigon
Jessica Shapiro Gemmell
Brandon Climenhage
Aidan Fernandez
Priya Patel Housley
Mackenzie Dyrda
Jordyn Pendarvis
Amin Mirzaie
Gopi Patel
Shruti Kolli
Elena Mariel Encenas
Bruce Steinberg
Kara Holt
Luke Middleton
Rory Cawley
Julian Mark A white graphic with headshots of 13 students against a blue or gray background.

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Congratulations to 30 UF College of Medicine students who were recognized at Honors Convocation for their research, academics, professionalism and humanistic patient care!

See the full list of students honored at our link in bio. #GoGators 🐊🎉 A medical student, left, smiling and holding an award next to a woman in a white and blue floral dress.

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We had so much fun on day three of #UFMedWeek with our Gainesville and @ufcomjax community 🧡💙

Thank you to everyone who tuned in to State of the College, who shared a meal with us at lunch and who celebrated our promoted and tenured faculty tonight. See you again tomorrow! Five students standing at a table with a yellow projector screen behind them.

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Celebrating fall and #UFMedWeek with the best Gators around ☕🍂

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Orange and Brew this morning! Five people holding coffee cups in front of a blue backdrop with Albert and Alberta cutouts.

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Save the date for the third annual UF College of Medicine Week, Sept. 21-25, 2026. 🐊 📅

Events for faculty, staff, students and trainees will be occurring all week. Check out the 🔗 link in our bio for details. Five people eating gelati outdoors.

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kinda chic to be a #FutureGatorMD 🫶

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Meet Jahbari Bowen, a @floridastateuniversity grad and incoming M.D.-Ph.D. student from Dothan, Alabama.

“My curiosity for medicine and medical systems started with the passing of my older brother, Nigel,” he said. “This loss struck my family to its core.”

Nigel fell ill unexpectedly and when his appendix ruptured, he was flown from Dothan to a larger hospital in Birmingham while the rest of the family hurried to make the four-hour drive. But by the time they arrived, Nigel had died.

A few years later, their mother, Sandra, went on to work as a home health aide. Sometimes, Jahbari would tag along and observe.

“Seeing how much her warmth, humor and optimism would cheer her patients up regardless of what they were going through lit a fire in me,” he said. “From that moment, I knew my mother would have been an amazing physician if she had the resources to pursue it, and I wanted to make people feel just like how my mother did.”

Jahbari was also inspired by his time working in a clinic in Maryland, where he cared for patients navigating substance abuse.

“Being able to make sure they know people genuinely care about their well-being when it feels like the world has turned their back on them made me feel the same feelings I felt many years ago watching my mother putting a big ol' smile on her patients' faces,” he said.

Jahbari is also a dedicated researcher with experience in materials science, organic chemistry, genetics and traumatic brain injury evaluation. He will return to the lab with @ufmstp, Florida’s first public @nihgov-designated Medical Scientist Training Program.

“UF's M.D. program focuses on keeping the physician-patient relationship at the center of training,” he said. “This was one of the biggest selling points for me. The other was the Medical Scientist Training Program, which has many great people with amazing personalities and lots of research opportunities!”

To learn more about the M.D.-Ph.D. pathway, head to the link in our bio. #FacesOfUFMed Jahbari Bowen wearing a black suit and standing outdoors in front of an oak tree.

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In June, we celebrated the third annual UF College of Medicine Ph.D. Advancement to Candidacy Ceremony, recognizing an important milestone for 44 of our newest Gator Ph.D. candidates. 👏👏👏

📸 🔗: Learn more about the ceremony and view photos at the link in our bio. Five doctoral students wearing white lab coats and posing for a photo in front of a blue backdrop.

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The UF College of Medicine M.D.-Ph.D. training program has become Florida’s first public institution to earn the milestone Medical Scientist Training Program status, a prestigious honor awarded to fewer than 60 programs nationwide.

MSTP status provides additional funding from @nihgov for larger class sizes and additional activities, creating more pathways for clinician-scientists and strengthening the nation’s future biomedical researchers. Learn more about the designation and the future of our program at the link in our bio. #GoGators Student holds a closed test tube in a science lab.

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“I was convinced I was going to be a professional baseball player until I took high school biology,” said Christopher I. Mederos, a UF M.D.-Ph.D. student who does research in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology. “I knew then I was going to be a doctor. When I joined a research lab during my junior year at FIU studying novel antibiotic targets, I became fascinated with the practice of research to understand bacterial pathogenesis. I came to appreciate the benefits basic science can offer clinical practice. Since then, I have become invested in deepening my understanding of how innate immune functions promote cellular homeostasis, especially within the gut.”

Originally from Hialeah, Florida, Mederos is co-mentored by associate professor Steeve Boulant, Ph.D., and assistant professor Megan Stanifer, Ph.D. His graduate research focuses on exploring the transmission and lifecycle of the human polyomavirus JC virus, a common pathogen estimated to infect 40-70% of the global population. The virus spreads asymptomatically but can reactivate in immunosuppressed patients and cause the fatal disease progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML.

“As there are currently no targeted therapeutics for the JC virus or PML, it is essential to further explore its transmission and cellular lifecycle,” he said. “I hope to develop a translational research program focused on advancing treatments of gastrointestinal tract disease.”

Outside of the lab, Mederos serves as the M.D.-Ph.D. advocate for the UF Medical Graduate Student Organization and the UF representative for the M.D.-Ph.D. Surgical Society.

“The best part of graduate school so far has been the friends I have made along the way,” he said. “UF has such a great collaborative environment where I have been able to make lifelong connections with my peers. I am also glad to have my family’s continued support — and occasional visits — as I progress through many milestones such as this.”

Congratulations to Mederos and all the new UF College of Medicine doctoral candidates recognized tonight! #FacesOfUFMed Doctoral candidate Chris Mederos smiling and standing outside in front of several trees and a walking path. He is wearing a white coat with a blue tie.

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Congratulations to our newest UF College of Medicine doctoral candidates! We’re so proud of you and excited to see what you do and discover next on your Ph.D. journeys. 🐊🔬🥼

#GoGators A group photo of dozens of students wearing white lab coats and standing on a staircase.

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Thanks to a Family Medicine Cares USA grant award, the UF College of Medicine's free, student-run Equal Access Clinic Network was able to purchase new medical equipment for uninsured and underinsured patients in the North Central Florida community.

Along with an electrocardiogram machine, hemoglobin A1C testing supplies and women’s health supplies, the clinics now have two automated external defibrillators, portable devices that can help save the life of someone experiencing cardiac arrest.

Rising fourth-year medical student and Equal Access Clinic Network grants coordinator Brandon Climenhage spearheaded the effort after he and another student cared for a patient experiencing chest pain.

"Volunteering with the Equal Access Clinic Network has been one of the most meaningful parts of my medical school experience," Climenhage said. "It was really meaningful to see the process through from identifying a need as a clinic officer to helping secure resources that directly benefit our patients. This is the kind of work I plan to continue as a physician, and I’m grateful that I had the chance to make an impact in my community as a student."

Kamilah Roca-Datzer, a UF M.D.-Ph.D. student and finance director for the Equal Access Clinic Network, also worked on the grant.

"Each of our four primary care clinics serves a unique patient population in different community locations," she said. "The impact has been felt by both our volunteers, who are better equipped to provide care, and our patients, who benefit from more accessible, high-quality care tailored to their needs." Two medical students in blue scrubs smiling and holding an AED.

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