A legacy of inspiration

Nov. 14, 2024 — It was Halloween night, and a crowd huddled together in the George T. Harrell, M.D., Medical Education Building learning studio. The students were holding back smiles, waiting in anticipation as footsteps approached. 

University of Florida College of Medicine professor Kyle E. Rarey, Ph.D., didn’t know what lurked behind the doors as he walked over. Expecting to meet with Shelley Collins, M.D., FAAP, the senior associate dean for undergraduate medical education and a professor of pediatrics, he was confused when he glimpsed dozens of students through the glass.  

When he entered the room, applause erupted as students cheered to mark Rarey’s 40th anniversary of teaching anatomy at UF. 

“I’m humbled,” he said. “I love what I do. How do you say thank you to students? It’s because of them and who they dream of becoming that I get to do this. It’s unbelievable that the time has gone this quickly.” 

When Rarey first heard UF needed an anatomist in 1984, he was researching the mechanisms of hearing loss and teaching at the University of Michigan Medical School. He applied and moved across the country to Gainesville, Florida, to continue his work in the Sunshine State. Four decades later, he is one of UF’s most beloved educators and mentors, leaving generations of students with the skills to succeed in medicine and the cherished mantra “stroke, stroke, kick, kick around each buoy of life,” a lesson in perspective and perseverance born from Rarey’s experience running two dozen marathons and experience as an Ironman distance triathlete. 

“It took less than a full lecture for me to feel like Dr. Rarey was someone I have known my whole life,” said first-year physician assistant student and class of 2026 president Landon Taylor. “He has the unique ability to display immense care for his students while also effectively motivating and instructing them. As a student who moved from the other side of the country, Dr. Rarey helped UF feel like home within my first few days of class. He is someone I immediately felt comfortable approaching with questions, concerns, and life or career advice. Our entire PA class felt privileged to have Dr. Rarey as one of our anatomy instructors.” 

As a token of appreciation to Rarey for helping to keep them afloat during their first semester, students in the PA class of 2026 presented him with a life vest signed by each class member. 

 “Thanks to him, we continue to ‘stroke, stroke, kick, kick,’ no matter how rough the waves of life get,” Taylor said. 

In addition to the life vest, Rarey keeps bright orange buoys on his office walls to remind students that they too can keep going and succeed. He views his role as that of a coach and often reads students motivational poems, parables, and folktales like “The Little Engine That Could,” and the story of two frogs fallen into a bucket of cream, where one frog feels overwhelmed and stops swimming, but the other frogs keeps kicking until it churns the cream into butter and hops out. 

In recognition of his exceptional impact on students since 1984, Rarey has received numerous teaching honors from the university and even had a student excellence award established in his name by the UF College of Medicine class of 2020. He is an 11-time recipient of the Golden Apple Teaching Award in recognition of his basic science course, a nine-time College of Medicine Basic Science Teacher of the Year honoree, and a five-time recipient of the College of Medicine Teacher of the Year award. 

Many College of Medicine alumni shared their favorite memories with Rarey for his 40th anniversary celebration. 

“Dr. Rarey’s impact cannot really be captured,” said Shireen Madani Sims, M.D. ’01, a professor and interim chair of the UF Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and associate dean for student affairs. “Speak to anyone who graduated from the UF College of Medicine during his tenure, and they may not remember many of their teachers, but they will all remember Dr. Rarey.” 

Madani is one of Rarey’s former students-turned-colleagues, and she fondly recalls his help during difficult dissections in the lab.  

“If we had trouble finding a structure, Dr. Rarey would reliably sweep in with his gold-handled scissors, and with a few adjustments, would present the structure beautifully within minutes!” she said. “And then he would convince you that you set him up for success by doing such a great initial dissection.”  

Heather Harrell, M.D. ’95, FACP, associate dean of medical education and a professor of medicine at UF, is another of Rarey’s pupils now teaching at the college. She credits Rarey with helping medical school feel more manageable through creative and engaging hands-on learning activities. 

“I remember Dr. Rarey making the start of medical school fun and less scary,” she said. “He had us bring colored pencils to class, and we would color in anatomy pictures as he walked us through it.” 

Breann Garbas, DHSc, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA, an associate professor and the William Hall Chair in the UF College of Medicine School of Physician Assistant Studies, said Rarey is not just a talented professor but also a supportive colleague who allowed her to sit in on a didactic lecture when she first joined the PA school’s faculty and was interested in learning more about anatomy. 

“I found myself wishing he had been my professor,” she said. “Even years into my professional life, I was learning again. He is beyond kind and teaches with empathy and compassion. It has been my genuine honor to know and work with Kyle Rarey.”