Dec. 23, 2020 — The UF College of Medicine announced that Shelley Wells Collins, M.D., has been named associate dean for student affairs, a position that serves a pivotal role in the student experience at the UF College of Medicine, from welcoming future Gator MDs at orientation to shepherding them through the residency match process.

A board-certified pediatrician, Collins currently serves as a professor of pediatrics and assistant dean for medical education. She takes an active role in several courses, clerkships and committees revolving around medical education; serves as a faculty adviser to residents; and helps lead residency education at the patient bedside.

Collins received her medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and completed a pediatric residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she served as a chief resident. Prior to joining the UF College of Medicine faculty in 2006, she worked in private practice in Maryland and as a pediatric hospitalist at Children’s National Hospital.

She has taken on numerous roles throughout her 14 years at UF, from working in the critical care division and the UF Health Congenital Heart Center to serving as chief of pediatric hospital medicine and inpatient medical director for UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. Collins was appointed as the associate chief medical officer of UF Health in 2016 and served a stint as interim director of clinical quality for the hospital system in 2017. She has been part of myriad committees focused on operations and patient safety and has received several awards from national organizations, including the Inspirational Physician award from the American Medical Association Women Physician Section in 2017.

Collins succeeds W. Patrick Duff, M.D., a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology who has dedicated more than 30 years of service to the University of Florida — 19 of which have been spent as associate dean for student affairs — shaping the lives of hundreds of students, residents, fellows and even colleagues. Duff has received numerous awards for his service to students, including the Society of Teaching Scholars Lifetime Achievement Award this year. He will continue his academic role in the department and his clinical practice, where he is noted for his compassion and commitment to the well-being of his patients.

The college will work to transition responsibilities to Collins in January and make the final handoff during the 2021 graduation celebrations in May.