Department Highlights | Spring 2025 » Department of Pediatrics » College of Medicine

Years of Service Celebration

The following employees were recognized for their dedication and commitment to the department.

Awards & Honors

ACGME Accreditation

We received continued ACGME accreditation of the University of Florida Pediatrics Residency Program and all our Fellowship Programs!

Co-Founder and President Turning Pages

Shemiele Lewis, MS2

UF medical students founded a program called Turning Pages that offers one-on-one reading sessions with Alachua County public school students.

By helping the students with reading comprehension, Gators are not only improving local literacy but also gaining insights into the lives of communities they will serve as physicians.

Learn About Turning Pages

Ashley Holland, MD (PGY2) and Kelly Tran, DO, (PGY-3)

Elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

This honor signifies a lasting commitment to professionalism, leadership, scholarship, research, and community service.

It confers recognition for a physician’s dedication to the profession and art of healing.

Pediatric Medical Education

Michelle Calano

Superior Accomplishment Award for Individual Performance in Office Administration, HR or IT

This award recognizes faculty and staff who have contributed outstanding service, efficiency and/or economy in their work, or created an impact on the quality of life provided to students and employees.

Hospital Medicine

Michele Lossius, M.D.

Received recognition from the Co-Active Training Institute (a world-renowned training program) after completing more than 100 hours in their Accredited Coach Training Program.

Her professional coaching journey continues with a 6-month intensive training program toward becoming a certified executive coach with one of the industry’s most rigorous programs accredited by the International Coaching Federation.

The Women’s and Children’s Hospital Teams

Will once again make a strong showing at the UF Health Patient Safety Quality Week, with 15 accepted posters, which is 30% of the total poster presentations!

Learn About PSQW

General Academic Pediatrics

Reem Wassef, MBBCh

Expert speaker on March 2025 WCJB segment on Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease.

Watch New Segment

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

John Ligon, MD

Named a UF Health Cancer Institute Rising Star of the Year for his outstanding contributions
over the last year.

Leading Article in “Drugs” Journal

“Emerging Immunotherapies for Disease Modification of Type 1 Diabetes” was published as a Leading Article in Drugs in January 2025.

Authors: Timothy Foster, MD, Brittany Bruggeman, MD, and Michael Haller, MD.

Laura Jacobsen, M.D., also contributed to the guidelines.

Read Publication

Pediatrics Obesity Fellowship

The recently launched Department of Pediatrics Obesity Fellowship Training Program is just the second pediatric obesity fellowship in the southeastern U.S. and addresses a growing need for prevention
and treatment.

Angelina Bernier, MD is the Fellowship Program Director and Shivani Berry, MD is the program’s first fellow and will be transitioning to a faculty appointment in our Department of Pediatrics.

Learn About Fellowship

Angelina Bernier, MD and Shivani Berry, MD

Pediatric Endocrinology

Michael Haller, MD

Led an international team of Type 1 diabetes experts to develop new treatment guidelines emphasizing wider screening for the disease among children and adolescents in the general population before symptoms arise.

The guidelines were published in the journal Hormone Research in Paediatrics and issued under the umbrella of the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabete.

Pediatric Endocrinology

Laura Jacobsen, MD

The sole winner of the 2025 College of Medicine Rising Star Researcher Award in Clinical, Data, or Artificial Intelligence Sciences.

UF COM Faculty Wellness Update

Building Lasting Relationships Program

This program offers unique insights into the problems couples face and how they can overcome them to create a happier and more satisfying relationship.

Learn About Program

WIMS & Wellness Faculty Book Club

Are you an Upholder, a Questioner, an Obliger, or a Rebel?

With sharp insight, compelling research, and hilarious examples, The Four Tendencies will help you get happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative.

Pick up our next book selection!
“The Four Tendencies”

Location: Faculty Lounge (M-125 ) or Zoom
Discussion starting April 30 @ 12pm

Open Evidence

All clinicians with an NPI# have free access to Open Evidence, a generative AI resource backed by content from the Mayo Clinic and NEJM

This tool can quickly generate
prior authorization letters and “doctor’s letters,” provide treatment options, calculate risk scores, and more!

Sing up

Clinician Well-Being

Promoting Professional Fulfillment in the Healthcare Setting

Free CME credits available
Flexible, learner-focused curriculum

Lessons are 3-8 minutes each and can be cinoketed whenever convenient

Watch the Preview Video

Clinical Update

Education Update

Recruitment

Thank you to the faculty, resident recruitment team, and the ambassadors for helping with recruitment and interviews.

15 interview days
313 Total candidates (including Child Neurology)
- 226 MDS (72%)
- 52 DOs (17%)
- 35 IMG (11%)

Pediatrics Match Day (March 21^st)

20 excellent candidates
- 15 MDs, 5 DOs (married couple) and 1 IMG
- Matched with applicants from schools already represented in our residency
Three UF med school
One UF Undergrad
One UF peds endocrinology fellow

There is upward trend in applicants to pediatrics

39 of the 250 programs did not fill (there were 66 unfilled programs last year)

From UF medical students:

18 UF students will be pediatricians
Second only to Internal medicine

Incoming Interns

4 Gold Humanism Awards
1 AOA
Average Step scores 250!

Shoutouts

Medical Education

Paola Brana-Rivera, MD

Selected to serve on the Association of Pediatric Program Directors’ Underrepresented in Medicine (UIM) Chief Collective.

Derika Schlueter

Outstanding resident educator Award. Sponsored by the College of Medicine Society of Teaching Scholars

Save the Date

2025 Pediatric Medical Student Research Forum

The 2025 Medical Student Research Forum will be held August 30, 2025 at Disney's Yacht Club Resort.

Research Update

Research Portfolio Summary

Bar chart showing total research award funding by fiscal year — This chart compares UF Pediatrics’ total research award funding across three fiscal years. Funding peaked in 2024 at approximately $23.97 million. In 2025, funding remained strong at $20.79 million, slightly above the 2023 level of $20.14 million.

Breakdown of Research type by Fiscal Year

Table showing breakdown of research funding by type for fiscal years 2023–2025 — This table compares UF Pediatrics’ research funding by category across three fiscal years. In 2025, the largest share came from Extension/Public Service at $9.53 million, followed by Basic Research at $7.04 million and Applied Research at $2.07 million. Developmental Research contributed $1.59 million, while Career Development and Research Training were smaller categories. In 2024, totals were higher overall at $23.97 million, led by Extension/Public Service ($13.45 million) and Basic Research ($6.69 million). In 2023, funding totaled $20.14 million, with Basic Research ($7.01 million) and Extension/Public Service ($8.19 million) as leading categories. The trend shows consistent investment in core research areas with strong support for public service and basic science

Breakdown of Awards Funding by Division

Table showing breakdown of research award funding by division for fiscal years 2023–2025 — This table details UF Pediatrics’ research award funding by division across three fiscal years. In 2025, major contributors included Child Health Research Institute ($1.81M), Cell/Molecular Therapy Division ($2.56M), Child Protection Team ($3.23M), Endocrinology ($1.83M), Genetics ($743K), and Neurology ($2.24M). Other divisions such as Pulmonary ($1.92M) and Powell Gene Therapy Center ($635K) also secured notable funding. In 2024, overall funding was higher, with strong support for Administration ($2.06M), Child Protection Team ($3.26M), and Neurology ($2.09M). In 2023, Child Protection Team ($2.75M) and Cell/Molecular Therapy Division ($2.41M) were among the top-funded divisions. The trend reflects consistent investment across multiple specialties, with certain divisions maintaining leadership in research funding.