Spring is finally upon us! This marks one year since the pandemic began, and what a year this has been. It’s hard to believe that we were all learning about this novel coronavirus just one year ago, and how all of our lives have been impacted in this short time.

We are full of excitement, however, as all residents had the opportunity to get their first vaccination dose before the holidays and received both vaccination doses shortly into the new year. Although not out of the COVID woods yet, we are finally beginning to get a taste of normalcy. We are back to in-person conferences, and although we are socially distancing, it is so nice to be back together again.

We’re shuffling the deck here at UF and have several congratulations to make! First and foremost, we would like to give a bittersweet congratulations to Dr. Marie-Carmelle Elie, who will be assuming the role as Chair of Emergency Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Elie has been one of the most gifted educators our department has seen and a favorite among residents for years. Dr. Elie will certainly be missed, and we wish her nothing but success in her new endeavor. Dr. Guiliano De Portu is taking his talents from Assistant Program Director to our new Ultrasound Fellowship Director. Dr. De Portu was the first ultrasound fellow here at UF years ago, and we cannot wait to see what new heights he will take our ultrasound curriculum and fellowship to. Dr. Caroline Srihari will be assuming her new position as Assistant Program Director. Dr. Srihari is incredibly popular among all residents and we cannot think of someone more deserving. And finally, a huge congratulations to our new chiefs: Drs. Borobia, Clifford and Mysore! Our outgoing chiefs, Drs. Fisher, Purcell and Williams did an incredible job navigating our residents through the pandemic and left quite the shoes to fill. We are confident that our new chiefs will step into this role with grace and look forward to their impact on our residency.

We recently had resident simulations in our UF simulation center, which is a fun experience for both residents and faculty. Our simulation lab offers all the bells and whistles to get our residents comfortable with whatever might be thrown at them. Whether it’s ultrasound-compatible mannequins, fiberoptic and difficult intubations, ventilator troubleshooting or virtual reality central lines, there is little that our simulation lab cannot offer. We want to give a shout-out to our simulation staff, who flawlessly execute our cases and always add a little bit of humor. The simulation lab is not the only place we practice, however. We regularly have simulation codes in our pediatric resuscitation bays. These simulations are a great opportunity for residents and staff as it allows us to practice flow and communication during stressful and time-sensitive situations. Simulation here at UF makes us proud and prepares our residents to handle any situation that the emergency department may bring.

Our virtual interview season has ended, and we are happy to announce that all of our PGY-1 spots have been filled. We are so excited to welcome another diverse intern class to the Swamp. We look forward to embracing them into our UF family and are anxiously awaiting their arrival this summer.

Class of 2024 Match List:

Montana Cole, MD
USF Health Morsani College of Medicine

Lauren Dawn, MD
Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport

Matthew Hanley, MD
FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Paula Kreutzer, MD 
FSU College of Medicine – Sarasota Campus

Kendra Maple, MD
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School

Lenexa Morais, MD 
University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine

Michelle Nguyen, MD 
FSU College of Medicine – Sarasota Campus

Chinedum Onyeka, MD 
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University

Aaron Panicker, MD 
Wayne State University School of Medicine

Ridhi Patel, MD 
University of Virginia School of Medicine

Ina Sandeli, DO 
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine

Justin Sauter, DO 
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine

Matthew White, MD 
Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine

Whitney Winslow, MD 
Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU