Office of graduate education to expand student, trainee resources
UF Medicine to add post-doc development, internship programs for graduate students
David C. Bloom, Ph.D.
Jan. 2, 2025 — The University of Florida College of Medicine’s office of graduate education will soon add new positions and launch new programs that will bring more resources to students.
Graduate studies at the college have nearly tripled in the last eight years, said David C. Bloom, Ph.D., the senior associate dean for graduate education, and the office’s current focus is on building a sustainable program infrastructure that can handle additional growth.
There are currently about 1,250 students enrolled in master’s and doctoral programs at the college, which offers 16 master’s degrees, 15 graduate certificates, and includes seven Ph.D. programs.
New faculty administrators are being recruited and hired to oversee student affairs, the biomedical sciences program — the largest of the doctoral programs, and post-doc development, which Bloom said will enable all trainees to benefit from additional professional development opportunities.
“The graduate students and postdocs are the engines that drive our research labs,” he said. “They provide a lot of creative ideas that drive the direction of the science. We want to leverage our ability to recruit and get the best people here that we can.”
The office of student counseling and development is also collaborating with the office of graduate education to implement a new session on maintaining wellness during graduate student orientation. Additionally, a student advocacy committee will be added to the graduate program, which Bloom said will allow faculty to gain a clear perspective on what students need.
A pilot program is also underway to offer trainees 6-week mini-internships during their studies. Eventually, the office plans to make it possible for every student to gain valuable real-world industry and other biomedical career experiences prior to graduation.
