June 5, 2025 – Ian Driscoll, M.D., FACS, often said he thought of his own family when treating his patients. How would he want them to be treated? How would he ensure they got the best possible care?

A family man, a military veteran, an educator and an expert physician, Driscoll passed away March 29 after a battle with cancer, leaving deep marks among those who knew him personally and professionally.

An associate professor in the Department of Surgery and the Department of Anesthesiology and the director of the University of Florida Health Shands Burn Center, Driscoll left a legacy of excellence and compassion not only at the UF College of Medicine, but also in the hearts and minds of his patients and colleagues.

“If I had a single word to describe him, it would be understated,” said Amalia Cochran, M.D., a professor of surgery and vice chair of professional development for the Department of Surgery. “He never did anything for personal recognition; his No. 1 priority and focus was on taking care of his patients and his No. 2 priority was taking care of his team. That culture of care really underlies how everything is done in the burn center, and from a clinical standpoint I think that’s the greatest legacy he left at UF.”

Driscoll’s leadership and commitment was on full display in late 2024, when he and his team prepared to complete the process needed to renew its prestigious verification from the American Burn Association.

“As we went into the winter, it was clear to all of us who knew Ian well that his health was deteriorating,” Cochran said, noting that he devoted all his energy to getting the center through the verification process. “I think getting the work done was a source of pride for him, but more than that he wanted to make sure the future of the center was secure.”

On occasions when he did have to take leave, he would tell his team the same thing each time: “I need you to take care of the patients, and I need you to take care of each other.”

By the time of the verification site visit in early February, Driscoll’s health had taken a turn for the worse. As physical exhaustion took its toll, he continued to lead the verification effort.

“It didn’t matter that his health was at a low point,” Cochran said. “He was present. He was involved. He was at the table. And though it was clear that this came at a great personal cost, he participated everywhere and in every way he could.”

The UF Health Shands Burn Center received notice of its successful reverification on March 20, mere days before Driscoll passed away. In a lifetime of service, that designation was his final gift to his team, to his patients and to the institution.

While Driscoll worked tirelessly to guide his team through the American Burn Association verification process, his team worked to nominate him for a College of Medicine award that reflected not only his work but also his professional and personal ideals.

Each year, the David A. Paulus Award for Clinical Excellence is given to a College of Medicine faculty member who embodies the same principles that Paulus himself, an anesthesiologist at UF Health for 35 years, did before his passing in 2012.

“Dave was so inspiring and was a mentor to many of us in anesthesiology,” said Timothy Morey, M.D., chief medical officer for UF Health Shands and senior associate dean of clinical affairs. “The Paulus Award reflects not only his commitment to patients and patient care, but to every member of the care teams he worked with. He was a man of very high integrity and was respected not only by other clinical faculty, but by everybody who worked with him.”

The Paulus awardee is selected by a committee consisting of members of the UF College of Medicine Faculty Council and UF Health clinical leaders, but nominations are written by those who work with the nominees every day.

The letters in Driscoll’s nomination packet tell the story of a physician who changed the lives of everybody around him and of team members preparing themselves for a world without his presence. They tell the story of a physician who embodied clarity and kindness, who exemplified grace and courage and who modeled professionalism and compassion.

“Dr. Ian Driscoll means so much to our staff — including me — our patients and the wider burn care community that every time I sit down and try to write this letter, I become overwhelmed with emotion and trepidation for the future,” wrote an advanced practice provider in the burn unit. “He is a pillar in the burn community, true, but more importantly he is the type of person I want to be. He is the type of person I want my kids to be.”

“When I have to make a tough decision,” wrote a general surgery resident, “I ask myself what Dr. Driscoll would do, and then I try to do that.”

Although Driscoll was nominated and chosen as the Paulus award recipient prior to his death, the ceremony itself took place posthumously. His wife, Jodi, and his daughter, Bridget, accepted the award on his behalf at the 2025 College of Medicine Spring Faculty Assembly April 18.

Driscoll met Jodi in Jacksonville while he was a medical student and she was volunteering in the federal AmeriCorps program.

“Even then, I could tell he was in medicine to serve,” she said. “He always wanted to be in academic medicine; teaching the residents and medical students was another act of service for him.”

“He was the best dad,” Jodi added. “He came home every night for bedtime and bath time, even if he had to go back to the hospital. Even though his role was tough and he put such a high priority on his patients and their care, he was always so present when he was home. I don’t know how he did it.

“How do you explain how wonderful a person is? I don’t know how; I only know he was wonderful.”

Shortly after Driscoll’s death, members of the Department of Surgery created the Ian R. Driscoll, M.D., Surgery Resident Leadership Fund to honor his legacy of education and mentorship for the general surgery residents of UF.

Gilbert R. Upchurch Jr., M.D., the Edward M. Copeland III and Ann & Ira Horowitz Chair of the Department of Surgery, wrote in a letter to the department upon Driscoll’s passing that there are many ways to judge someone’s life after they’re gone: Some look at material wealth, while others look at how many friends they leave behind.

“I tend to think in simpler terms,” he wrote. “The world is better off because Ian Driscoll existed in it, and we are all blessed to have known him. As a Gator most of his life, we hope to see Ian at the big ‘swamp’ in the sky. He will likely be there preparing a spot for us: forever serving to make it better for others.”