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Vol. 66, No. 1 2015
Northeast Florida Medicine
With over 400 faculty, as well as 37 clinical sites throughout
Northeast Florida, the University of Florida College of Medicine-
Jacksonville is a leader in the education of health professionals, a
hub for clinical research, and a provider of high-quality patient
care. UF COM-Jacksonville has a rich tradition and history in
education, which includes being home to Florida’s first residency
program. Today, the program has more than 300 residents and
fellows who are trained by UF medical faculty.
The UF COM-Jacksonville Neurology Residency is no
exception to the rich tradition of the University of Florida College
of Medicine-Jacksonville. The program is one of 32 Accreditation
Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited residencies
and fellowship programs offered to students from all regions
of the United States. The program also offers a Council on
Dental Accreditation (CODA). Moreover, the stroke program
at UF Health-Jacksonville has received a 5-star rating for stroke
care from HealthGrades, as well as accreditation by the Joint
Commission as a primary stroke center and the Florida Agency
for Healthcare Administration as a Comprehensive Center.
The UF COM-Jacksonville Neurology Residency program’s
approach to training residents encompasses producing a well-
rounded physician in all facets, be it academic, clinical, research
or community involvement. Along with rotations in a variety
of neurological subspecialties, a strong emphasis is also placed
on individual mentorship and guidance to foster well-trained
and proficient clinicians, who after residency are qualified to
practice neurology in all settings: hospital, private practice or
continuing to clinical/research fellowships.
To accomplish its goal, theNeurology programboasts a diverse
competency-based curriculum with outstanding opportunities
for clinical experience. Residents receive bedside and didactic
instruction from well renowned UF faculty, as well as exposure
to complex neurovascular cases. The program offers residents
the opportunity to be constantly involved in multi-disciplinary
teams consisting of highly trained vascular neurosurgeons,
neuroradiologists, interventional radiologists, emergency
medicine physicians and specialized nurses to provide state-
of-the-art patient care, including acute stroke management.
A commitment to research is another important component
to the program. During residency, residents are expected to
conduct quality improvement projects focusing on advancing
patient care and participating in local, regional, and national
poster presentation. Residents are continually involved in
clinical research and participate, as sub-investigators, in industry
funded and NIH-NINDS funded clinical trials on the latest
developments in stroke prevention and treatment.
The program instills into its residents from day one the
importance of community involvement. Residents have
opportunities to provide classroom education to nurses at
regional meetings of the American Association of Neuroscience
Nurses and at UFHealth-Jacksonville campus forums. Resident
led education of emergency medical services (EMS) occurs
through didactic talks that are conducted at various EMS
command centers and via teleconferenced case management
conferences that link field EMS personnel with stroke clinicians
on our campus. Lastly, but no less important, talks at the
monthly “Stroke Busters” meetings enable residents to educate
stroke survivors about important secondary stroke prevention
strategies. Such opportunities allow residents to connect with
patients and outside providers in the community.
The UF COM-Jacksonville Neurology Residency program
strives to promote excellence in all aspects of clinical neurology
practice and development of the next generation of academic
neurologists. It has been a tremendous opportunity to reside
in Duval County, provide top quality care to patients with
neurological needs, and have the opportunity to be part of the
University of FloridaCollege ofMedicine-Jacksonville family.
v
Residents’ Corner: University of Florida
University of Florida College of Medicine - Jacksonville’s Neurology Residency
By Fahed Saada, MD
University of Florida Health–Jacksonville
Jacksonville, FL. (July 2012)- In-
patient service rounds with Dr. Scott
Silliman (left to right), Dr. Valerie Rundle,
Dr. Fahed Saada, and Dr. Adil Zia
Senior Neurology Residents
from left to right: Fahed Saada, MD,
Ryan Crooks, MD, Adil Zia, MD,
Michael Pizzi, PhD, DO
