Class of 2021
Andrew Miller, MD
I absolutely loved the the time I spent in residency at the University of Florida. Now that I have begun working as an attending with UF Family Medicine, I have come to appreciate the breadth and thoroughness of training provided by the UF Family Medicine Residency. The extra time in outpatient clinic and continuity provided by the mini-block schedule allowed me to easily adapt to the demands of a full clinic schedule. The time spent in focused procedure blocks as well as the ability to integrate procedures into my continuity clinic as a resident allowed me to have confidence to perform these necessary procedures for my patients now. The additional focus of UF Family Medicine on providing dedicated inpatient training as well has allowed me to continue working with the Inpatient service at Shands hospital as we provide care to our patients.
CLASS OF 2020
MRUGA NANAVATI, MD
My residency experience at UF was enriched with exposure to comprehensive family medicine and much much more. The mini-block curriculum fosters growth in both primary care and any interests residents have within various disciplines of medicine. Having full ownership of my patient panel in the clinic allowed me to have continuity of care throughout residency. I also enjoyed our inpatient service which cultivated a culture of teamwork and collaboration with numerous other residents and departments at UF. Managing complex patients with advanced chronic illnesses in the inpatient and outpatient settings led me to explore palliative medicine, where I found my passion. With the support of the program and the palliative medicine division at UF, I matched to a competitive palliative medicine fellowship. Reflecting back on my time at UF, ultimately it is the amazing friendships I made with my residency class that I cherish the most. Having their support was essential in getting through some of the most challenging times of residency, including the start of the pandemic. The opportunities at UF allowed us to pursue and excel in our individual career paths from sports medicine, palliative medicine, to hospitalist and primary care
Class of 2019
Stephen Saenz, DO
I can say with the utmost confidence that my training at the University of Florida-Community Health and Family Medicine thoroughly prepared me for my post-graduate career. The recipe they use is simple, but very effective; combine a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum with a skilled, experienced, adaptive, and warm-hearted faculty. From the first day, residents immediately and continuously get exposure to a wide spectrum of pathologies and real-life circumstances involving medical care to underserved and impoverished populations. UF-Shands Hospital places the residents in a diverse, and highly innovative atmosphere, fostering the collaboration among countless specialties that ultimately leads to a deeper understanding of what it really means to provide complete, and compassionate care. I selected to focus on the Sports Medicine track, and with this came numerous opportunities to develop an early edge on what would become my future specialty in Primary Care Sports Medicine. I am fervidly thankful for UF-CHFM, both for my education and the long-lasting friendships made along the way. Go Gators!
Class 2018
Coty Tino, MD
I can’t believe it’s been two years since I finished residency! After graduation I joined a community private practice with one of my co-residents. The initial transition from resident to attending can be daunting, however the training I received at UF has allowed me to easily adapt to my new role. The variety of rotations I was offered at UF gave me the ability and confidence to see a wide variety of patients and diagnoses in my clinic. It is not uncommon for me to complete a pre-participation sports physical in one room, then perform a complex skin procedure or transition of care visit in the next. Despite working solely in an outpatient setting, my inpatient service rotations gave me the skills I need to not only care for sick patients in clinic but to cultivate working relationships with specialists in our community. As a resident your classmates become more like family than coworkers; luckily five of my seven classmates live within 2 hours and we continue our close nit relationships. Whether we moved on to an outpatient practice, fellowship, or hospital-based medicine – the flexibility and opportunities available at UF prepared us all for successful family medicine careers.
Class of 2016
Jason Konopack, MD MPH
When I began this residency, I did not really have the slightest clue what my practice might become after graduation. I had several interests, and was truly able to explore them in my three years. As graduation neared, I felt prepared for just about anything, and explored everything from a hospitalist position to emergency care to private practice full-spectrum primary care. Even though I may have struggled in narrowing choices, I had great comfort in knowing the foundation this training afforded me. In the end, I was able to find a position that took advantage of what I learned those three years (rural practice under the UF umbrella with a portion of my time teaching on the Residency inpatient service at a tertiary care center). Because of the excellent training at the UF Family Residency program this position very quickly bloomed into a leadership position within our Department (medical directorship) and I was even able to take on a busy role in medical education as a Course Director for the College of Medicine. Absolutely no chance for stagnation or boredom! So far, this has been a truly rewarding career that was made possible by this Program, and I feel lucky to have matched here.
Class of 2013 – OB Area of Concentration
Maryam Phillips MD
Overall my experience at UF Shands was comprehensive! Residency is what you make out of it. You can take the easy path of meeting requirements or you can benefit the richness of academics and hands on experience from sports medicine to gynecology to procedures of all types, that I found every day of Family Medicine residency at UF. A unique trait to UF Family medicine was the ability to focus on different areas of interest. In my experience, I chose women and children. I had the privilege to get extra training in OB and women’s health and fertility and have focused on that in my practice. Third year provides the experience of running the inpatient team and managing a group of residents on the ward while making medical decisions accurately. The greater outpatient load in third year, which is very similar to my outpatient private practice made the transition to the real world easier.
