More than 300 UF Medicine alumni, friends return to celebrate Alumni Weekend 2024
Alumni raised funds for incoming students and toured new facilities on campus
Oct. 30, 2024 — Whether you attended medical school five, 25, or 50 years ago, the experience of attending lectures or participating in the anatomy lab and memories of late-night studying among friends are still strong for Gator graduates.
During this year’s Alumni Weekend celebration, held Oct. 18-19, University of Florida College of Medicine alumni and friends returned to meet students, peek at the latest tools and technologies on campus, connect with old friends, and cheer on the Florida Gators during the Homecoming game against the Kentucky Wildcats.
“It was very powerful to be reunited with my classmates and helped me to reflect on the years that have passed,” said Daniel Topping, M.D. ’99, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, who attended Alumni Weekend for the first time this year. “I look forward to the next one, and I have connected with several of my classmates whom I plan to stay in touch with more often.”
Alumni Weekend 2024 highlights:
- More than 300 Medicine alumni and friends attended events, with the Class of 2014 having the most attendees.
- Attendees returned to The Swamp from across the nation and globe, traveling from as far away as Hawaii and Costa Rica to attend events, including a scholarship lunch, class dinner, football tailgating, and a tour of facilities.
- Alumni raised enough money to fund 139 stethoscopes, which will be gifted to next year’s incoming medical school class.
- The Class of 1994 had the highest participation in reunion philanthropic giving, with the classes of 1969 and 1984 closely behind them.
- Michael Tuchman, M.D. ’74, endowed a new student scholarship in honor of his 50th reunion.
- Jeffrey Levenson, M.D. ’84, and residency alumnus Lee Ellis, M.D., were inducted into the UF College of Medicine Wall of Fame.
At a dinner celebrating alumni classes with milestone anniversaries, College of Medicine interim Dean Jennifer Hunt, M.D., M.Ed., shared her excitement about attending her first Alumni Weekend at the college.
“When I imagine the future success of our students as they graduate and become members of our most honored Gator Nation, my hope for them is that they follow in the footsteps of all our incredible alumni in this room,” she said.
Speakers at the dinner also included Class of 2026 medical student Javier Mariscal, who shared the story of how physicians from Baptist Hospital in Miami saved his and his mother’s life when he was born prematurely. Health teams continued to shape the early years of his life as they addressed complications arising from premature birth.
“I eventually came to see them all as real-life superheroes,” he said.
Now an aspiring physician, Mariscal acknowledged the Gators who came before him for creating a legacy of patient-centered care and commitment to future physicians.
“Thank you for coming back to your med school home,” he said. “Thank you for your generosity. And most importantly, thank you for the legacy you’ve built — one we are honored to carry forward. Because of you, we are empowered to dream bigger, work harder, and someday, to stand where you stand now, helping the next generation as you have helped us.”
View event photos
Photos by Nate Guidry