Henry Baker, Ph.D., is the Hazel Kitzman Professor and Chair of the department of molecular genetics and microbiology, as well as a professor of surgery. Baker will retire in June from the College of Medicine after serving on faculty for nearly 35 years, 19 of which he spent as department chair.

Baker’s research on the molecular mechanisms governing gene regulation and expression was continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation for more than 30 years, and he has over 125 publications in peer-reviewed journals.

“In my mind the role of a chair is to provide an environment that permits faculty and students to achieve their maximum potential,” said Kenneth I. Berns, M.D., Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the department of molecular genetics and microbiology and a former College of Medicine dean. “Henry has clearly fulfilled this goal while also serving as a senior academic leader in the college,. Under his leadership the department has thrived.”

In her more than three decades with the College of Medicine since joining as a resident, Regina Bussing, M.D., a professor and former chair of the department of psychiatry, has collaborated with other faculty at UF and globally to research mental health services, measure development, pharmaco-epidemiology, psychotherapy intervention and clinical pharmacology trials.

Bussing has also served as reviewer and chair for multiple NIH and CDC study sections and on advisory boards for several organizations, including Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, PCIT International and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

“As the chair of the department, Dr. Bussing’s vision has contributed to significant promotions of the faculty,” said Carol Mathews, M.D., interim chair of the department of psychiatry. “She has provided much needed career mentoring to junior and senior faculty alike and established a formal mentorship program for all our departmental faculty.”

Christopher Forsmark, M.D., is a professor and chief of the division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition, where he has provided expert and compassionate care to patients with GI issues for nearly three decades.

A researcher whose work often intersects with different departments, he has led studies on chronic pancreatic diseases and Type 1 diabetes in acute pancreatitis consortium that have both received funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Forsmark was elected president of the Florida Gastroenterologic Society and the American Pancreatic Association and selected for many leadership positions in the American Gastroenterological Association presidential tract. He previously received the 2015 UF Master Clinician Award and the 2016 Vay Liang & Frisca Go Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Pancreatic Association.

“In this year of the Olympics, Chris is the academic equivalent of the decathlete or perhaps the gymnastics all-around star who has stellar performances on all apparatuses,” said Ellen Zimmermann, M.D., associate dean for faculty development and a professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition. “It is because of his breadth of accomplishments, not his achievements in one domain, that he is an inspiration to me and to my young colleagues.”

Ira Longini Jr., Ph.D., joined the department of biostatistics in 2011 as a professor and is a national leader in the fields of biostatistics, stochastic processes, infectious disease epidemiology and vaccine trials.

In the past 11 years, Longini has been named principal investigator or co-PI on more than 50 grant proposals. He also serves as director of the Center for Statistical and Quantitative Infectious Diseases, a joint program of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and UF, which has played a major role in helping with the control of many infectious disease threats, including Ebola, Zika and COVID-19.

“Despite being incredibly busy, I always found Ira to be very generous with his time,” said Natalie E. Dean, Ph.D., an Emory University faculty member who worked with Longini as a postdoctoral associate at UF from 2015-17. “He pulled me into exciting projects, and I am eternally grateful for how he helped me to jumpstart my career. His enthusiasm for research and for challenging problems was contagious and just what I needed as a junior researcher.”

Tomas Martin, M.D., is a professor of surgery in the division of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, as well as the director of the UF Health Aortic Disease Center.

Martin is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Cardiology and holds memberships in numerous professional organizations, including the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the Florida Society of Thoracic Cardiovascular Surgery. He has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters.

Martin is also active in helping to provide medical and surgical care to people in underserved regions of the world. Through his outreach efforts, he has worked in the Philippines, Haiti, Gabon, Ghana, Cameroon and the Dominican Republic.

“He is a brilliant surgeon who performs lifesaving surgical procedures on patients who are high risk and usually turned down in other centers,” said Juan Aranda Jr., M.D., a professor and division chief of cardiovascular medicine. “He is easily approachable and the ultimate team player for his patients and our institution.”

Frederick Southwick, M.D., has served as a professor of medicine in the department of medicine since 1991 and previously served as chief of the division of infectious diseases and global medicine. He continues to be a strong advocate of patient safety and care quality and a strong proponent of health care system improvement, initiating new programs to enhance physician communication with patients and other health care providers. He also leads a multidisciplinary rounding system to improve efficiency, systems of care, and health care quality and safety.

During his career, Southwick secured several NIH grants as principal investigator and several training grants to mentor others, resulting in more than 65 publications and continuous funding from 1979-2015. He also sits on multiple NIH review committees.

“The fact that he has continued to round on general medicine for over 45 years is nothing short of remarkable,” said Nila S. Radhakrishnan M.D., an associate professor of medicine and chief of hospital medicine. “He has made incredible contributions to clinical care, and he literally walks the walk.”