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.
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!
General Academic Pediatrics
Reem Wassef, MBBCh
Expert speaker on March 2025 WCJB segment on Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease.
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
John Ligon, MD
Named a UF Health Cancer Center 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.
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.
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.
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!
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
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
Match Day was March 21.
- 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
Breakdown of Research type by Fiscal Year
Breakdown of Awards Funding by Division
Proposals Submitted by Division
