We are sad and concerned about Florida’s new daily Covid-19 records and the state possibly pausing its reopening. We are certainly seeing an increase of positive cases throughout our system. To think that we were so hopeful that things would settle down and allow us to have a semi-normal graduation. Alas…

With that said, we did hold a very successful Zoom graduation where well over 100 family members, friends, and alumni joined us virtually to celebrate this milestone. We had a very touching tribute video, which included a multitude of warm messages and wishes for all our residents. We were also extremely proud to celebrate our resident award recipients. Among others, Dr. Anwar Ferdinand received our “Sunshine award,” which is given to the resident who always has a positive outlook, promotes other residents’ wellness and is a delight to have on shift. Dr. Desiree Delgado was the proud recipient of our “Clinical Excellence award” for excellent clinical acumen and caring bedside manners. Lastly, our overall “Resident of the Year award” went to Dr. Timothy Montrief for demonstrating excellence through clinical performance, bedside teaching, mentorship, scholarly activities and exemplary behavior.

Our virtual days are not over. Not only did we take advantage of AliEM’s Bridge to EM modules for our Class of 2023, but most of their orientation was done remotely. Time will tell as to how this will affect our interns’ learning, but it seems to be working well. We also had the privilege of having Dr. David Talan as our Grand Round guest speaker on July 1.

As we congratulate our class of 2020 and wish them the best in their careers, we are invigorated to welcome our new recruits and look forward to another great academic year. The work goes on, but stay safe everyone! ■