Feb. 11, 2025 — The University of Florida College of Medicine congratulates the following students, trainees, staff, and faculty who have recently been recognized with awards and achievements that honor their hard work and commitment to advancing scientific discovery, improving medical education, and helping patients:

• Brian Harfe, Ph.D., a College of Medicine professor and an associate provost in the office of the provost, wrote an op-ed published by The Hill on Jan. 26, discussing the role generative artificial intelligence can play in the future of higher education. 
• Arch G. Mainous III, Ph.D., a professor and vice chair of research for the Department of Community Health and Family Medicine, has been selected to receive the 2025 Lynn and Joan Carmichael STFM Recognition Award from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. The award honors Mainous as an internationally known researcher/scholar, as well as an exemplary family medicine educator for more than three decades. The award will be presented during the 2025 STFM Annual Spring Conference in May.
• Todd Brusko, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, has been named director of the UF Diabetes Institute. Brusko, whose lab studies genetic variants contributing to Type 1 diabetes, leads the world-renowned institute that has previously spearheaded novel insights into Type 1 diabetes.
• Thomas Stringer, M.D., a clinical associate professor in the Department of Urology, has been named the 2026 president-elect for the American Urological Association. He previously served as treasurer in the national professional organization.
• Michael Jaffee, M.D., chair of the Department of Neurology, and Josepha Cheong, M.D., a professor in the Department of Psychiatry, have earned leadership positions with the American Board of Psychiatry, a national organization dedicated to establishing and maintaining standards of excellence for psychiatrists and neurologists. Jaffee was named director of neurology, and Cheong was named board chair.
• Terrie Vasilopoulos, Ph.D., an associate professor of anesthesiology and orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine, completed the Medical Education Research Certificate Program, or MERC, awarded by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Vasilopoulos also serves as chief for the division of education research and scholarship under the Department of Anesthesiology. 
• Cheryl McNeil, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry, was named the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions 2024 Outstanding Alumna of the Year. McNeil is a pioneer for research surrounding parent-child interaction therapy and is credited with over 150 published articles and a collection of books, as well as the creation of the first parent-child interaction therapy program in Oklahoma.
• Pediatric urologist Cynthia Sharadin, M.D., has been appointed the associate program director for the UF Urology residency program. 
• Padraic O’Malley, MD, MSc, FRCSC, the division chief of urologic oncology for the Department of Urology, was named Clinical Investigator of the Year by UF Health Cancer Center at its annual Cheers to the New Year Event in January. O’Malley’s research specializes in kidney and bladder cancer, and he is currently running a clinical trial to test a surgical technique designed to remove renal tumors while inflicting minimal damage to the kidney.
• Bently Doonan, M.D., a clinical assistant professor in the division of hemotology/oncology, was named the UF Health Cancer Center Physician of the Year.
• Habibeh Khoshbouei, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Neuroscience, and Malú Gámez Tansey, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience and neurology, each received the College of Medicine office of graduate education’s 2025 Faculty Doctoral Mentor Award, which honors the outstanding, innovative and effective mentoring of doctoral students through their final dissertation.
• Assistant professors Rahma Mkuu, Ph.D., and John Ligon, M.D., were named UF Health Cancer Center Rising Stars during the center’s Cheers to the New Year event in January.

• Second-year medical student Hannah Rogers has been elected as a national student representative for the Association of American Medical Colleges. The Organization of Student Representatives represents medical students nationwide and actively advances the AAMC mission to improve the nation’s health.
• Jeff Valisno, M.D., a College of Medicine doctoral student, was awarded a predoctoral fellowship by the American Heart Association for his project titled “Mechanisms of Endothelial Cell-Mediated Efferocytosis in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Formation.”
• Kristin Ates-Hicks, M.D., a third-year resident in the Department of Ophthalmology, was awarded the AUPO Resident Research Award for her outstanding work in retinal degenerative disease. 
• Doctoral candidate Anna Rushin received the office of graduate education’s 2025 Madelyn Lockhart Award, which recognizes a doctoral candidate who is an outstanding researcher, helps others overcome challenges and contributes to a larger sense of community.
• During the UF Health Cancer Center Research Showcase, several College of Medicine students and researchers received awards.