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UF MSTP

@ufmstp

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The University of Florida’s Medical Scientist Training Program 🐊🩺

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Albert and Alberta stopped by the @ufphhp Fall for All yesterday, and some of our scholars got a little check-up! 🩺🐊

#MSTP #UFCOM #UF by @ufmstp

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Say hello to the newest members of the UF MSTP family! ✨🐊🩺

Please join us in welcoming our 2026 cohort! We’re so excited to have these incredible future physician-scientists on board and can’t wait to see all they’ll accomplish.

Be sure to check out our story (and highlights!) to get to know some of our new scholars🤩

#UFMSTP #UFCOM by @ufmstp

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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. by @ufmstp

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3 months ago

Making waves in the community! 🌊 Last weekend, rising GS2 Gita Lakshminarayanan volunteered at a Special Olympics Swim Meet!

#MSTP #UFCOM #specialolympicsflorida by @ufmstp

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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. by @ufmstp

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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. by @ufmstp

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4 months ago

Newest double gator docs unlocked 🐊🩺🎓

Congratulations to our graduating MD/PhD students! Your dedication to both medicine and research has brought you to this incredible milestone, and we can’t wait to watch you thrive in residency and beyond ✨

#UFCOM #MDPhD by @ufmstp

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5 months ago

Congratulations to our newest PhD graduates! 🎓🥼✨

After years of research, discovery, and hard work, they’re officially beginning the next chapter as they start clinical rotations 🩺 Keep an eye out because you might just spot one of them roaming around the hospital! 👀

#MDPhD #UFCOM by @ufmstp

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Our last monthly meeting was spent celebrating our soon-to-be MD/PhD graduates! 🎓🐊🥼

Only 8 more days until these grads officially become double gator docs!

#MDPhD #UFCOM by @ufmstp

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Congratulations to our 2024 cohort on celebrating their White Coat Ceremony this weekend! 🥼🤩🩺 A huge milestone and a testament to all your hard work during didactics.

Next up…. PhD 🧫🔬💭

#MDPhD #UFCOM by @ufmstp

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Jack Figg, a third-year UF medical student and spring 2026 Ph.D. graduate who crossed the stage this morning, was selected as a recipient of the U.S. Public Health Service Physicians Professional Advisory Committee Excellence in Public Health Award. Congratulations, Figg! 🎓🐊

Learn more about the award and his story at the link in our bio. #GoGators #UFgrad An image of UF College of Medicine student Jack Figg wearing a gray suit and orange and blue striped tie. by @ufmstp

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