July 27, 2023 — She’s a professor, organization leader and devoted psychiatrist, but if there’s one role Marcy Verduin, M.D. ’00, prides herself on most, it’s being a mother.

Last month, she traveled to Berlin with her son, 18-year-old Maxwell “Max” Verduin, for the 2023 Special Olympics World Games. He competed alongside 14 other Florida athletes and Team USA, bringing home a silver medal in cycling while his biggest fan watched from the stands.

Max, who was born with 14q deletion syndrome  — a rare genetic disorder characterized by impaired development and autism — began competitive cycling in 2021 at age 16 and has competed in the sport ever since. After earning gold medals at state competitions, he received the call of a lifetime in November, when he was invited to participate in the World Games. Gathered at the 1930s Berlin Olympic Stadium, athletes from all over the globe paraded around as attendees celebrated them prior to the start of the Games, which ran from June 17-25.

“It didn’t matter what country they were from or if they were competing against your child,” Marcy Verduin said. “Everybody was cheering for all the athletes, and to watch their faces as they crossed the finish line was amazing.”

Having been diagnosed with a rare bone tumor at age 6 at UF Health Shands Hospital, Verduin has long been fascinated by the art of medicine. When she discovered the field of psychiatry during a clerkships, she developed a passion for forming bonds with patients and helping them receive quality care. After meeting her husband during her time at UF and graduating from the UF College of Medicine in 2000, she completed her psychiatry residency and addiction psychiatry fellowship at The Medical University of South Carolina in 2005.

“The UF College of Medicine taught me everything I know about medicine,” said Marcy Verduin, a native of Satellite Beach. “I had great mentorship and clinical experiences with faculty who really cared about their students’ learning.”

After completing her medical training, Verduin worked as an assistant professor at The Medical University of South Carolina before becoming a founding member of the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, joining the faculty as an associate professor in 2007. She now serves as a professor of psychiatry and the associate dean for students at the Orlando-area medical school and provides consultative services on an outpatient basis.

“I’ve been there since the ground floor, when there was no building,” she said. “The most meaningful part is helping students figure out what kind of physician they want to become.”

In addition to her clinical and academic roles, Verduin also serves as the chair-elect of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Group on Student Affairs and as first vice president of the American College of Psychiatrists, an honorary professional organization she’s been a member of for over a decade.

For Verduin, traveling to Berlin was one of many personal and professional international adventures in the past year. In 2022, she was invited to be a plenary speaker in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, where she spent 16 days teaching mental health topics and served as a chief speaker for Fiji’s World Mental Health Day. Prior to this, she hosted Zoom discussions for people in the Rehoboth Dream Solid Foundation interested in learning about mental health in Nigeria, Southeast Asia, the Philippines and more throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout recent years, Verduin has found that people are becoming more open to discussing mental health problems with less stigma, which has aided in helping them support one another and seek treatment. After her global discussions, she was grateful for the opportunity to make lasting friendships in different regions of the world, where each place offered something different.

In the future, the Verduin family looks forward to hopefully returning to the Special Olympics World Games to watch Max’s hard work pay off once again, perhaps this time in powerlifting.

“The best part of going to the Games is creating friendships with people from all over the world,” Verduin said. “Everybody’s included, applauded, cheered on and encouraged. It has really been amazing.”