Dec. 13, 2019 — Bruce Mast, M.D., FACS, has been appointed to serve as the UF College of Medicine’s associate dean of regional programs. In this newly created role, Mast, a professor and chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery, will be responsible for developing regional clinical programs as part of the leadership team for the college and UF Health. Mast will continue in his role as chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery.

As part of UF Health’s strategy to expand clinical access and research throughout Florida, as well as to provide new training sites for medical learners, including residents, medical students and PA students, he will work closely with current affiliated medical centers such as Halifax Health in Daytona Beach, the new Halifax Health|UF Health Medical Center of Deltona, and Sacred Heart/Ascension in Pensacola. Emerging opportunities in The Villages, Leesburg and elsewhere will be developed and implemented. Mast will help build a Regional Physician Network that will manage UF Health physician practices located regionally.

Mast will oversee the efficiency of our clinical services in the regional markets and be involved in strategic planning for future program development. He will help develop guidelines and policies focused on patient care quality and safety, patient and family satisfaction, and access. Mast will also ensure that the UF College of Medicine’s patient care mission within its regional network is in harmony with the educational and research missions. He will work closely with Dr. Marvin Dewar, senior associate dean and CEO of UF Health Physicians.

As the Maurice J. Jurkiewicz Professor of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, Mast specializes in breast reconstruction and aesthetic surgery. He is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He earned his medical degree from the Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and he completed his general surgery training at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond and his plastic and reconstructive fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh and the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

As a distinguished member of the UF College of Medicine faculty, Mast has a proven record of scholarly accomplishments, innovative leadership and excellence in administrative responsibilities. He served as interim chair of the department of surgery from October 2016 to November 2017, and interim chief medical officer of UF Health Physicians from January 2018 to February 2019. He has served as chief of the division of plastic and reconstructive surgery since 2010 and also as the program director for the plastic surgery residency training program.

In 2013, Mast was appointed deputy editor-in-chief of the journal Annals in Plastic Surgery. He holds leadership roles in a number of regional and national plastic surgery organizations and is an examiner for the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He was selected as a Plastic Surgery Foundation Visiting Professor for 2018-19 and has won several exemplary teaching awards.

“I appreciate Dr. Mast’s vision for the future of our regional programs, and I believe he has the expertise to effectively articulate that vision to the faculty, residents and students,” said Joseph A. Tyndall, M.D., M.P.H., interim dean of the UF College of Medicine. “I know he will create a collaborative working environment that builds on the College of Medicine’s existing strengths to enhance our regional programs while helping to establish new opportunities.”