May 19, 2026 — The University of Florida College of Medicine congratulates the following students, trainees, faculty and staff 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:

• Li-Ming Su, M.D., the Pete and Carolyn Newsome Endowed Chair of Urologic Oncology and chair of the Department of Urology, has been named to the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons. The oldest urological society in the country, the association comprises leading academic urologists from the United States, Canada and around the world and only allows 75 active members at any given time.
• Michael Haller, M.D., a professor in the Department of Pediatrics and chief of  pediatric endocrinology, has been named the next chair of Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet, or TrialNet, the world’s leading international research network dedicated to the prevention of type 1 diabetes. Haller, who has has served as a principal investigator or co-investigator for numerous T1D studies within and outside TrialNet, has published over 200 manuscripts and more than 20 book chapters. He will serve a five-year term as the TrialNet chair.
• Ibrahim Nassour, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, has been named vice chair of NRG Oncology’s Surgical Oncology Committee. NRG Oncology is a research organization that conducts practice-changing, multi-institutional clinical and translational research. The Surgical Oncology Committee, which Nassour has served on since 2023, is focused on providing expertise on NRG trials that require surgical components in treatments.
• Dina Khalaf, M.D., a clinical associate professor in the Department of Medicine, and College of Pharmacy faculty member Jatinder Lamba, Ph.D., were selected as mentors for the American Society of Hematology Careers in Hematology Advancement Mentorship Program. Mentors provide guidance to pediatric and adult hematology and oncology fellows who are interested in clinical careers in classical and malignant hematology. As part of the yearlong program, Khalaf and Lamba will attend a retreat at the society’s headquarters in the summer and its annual meeting in December.
• The Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association and the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies have named Ji-Hyun Lee, Dr.P.H., a professor of biostastics at the College of Medicine and UF College of Public Health and Health Professions, their 2026 Scientist of the Year.
• Waseem Raja, M.D., an interventional cardiology fellow at the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville, was selected for the American College of Cardiology 2026 Clinical Trials Research: Upping Your Game Program. The yearlong program gives learners the opportunity to advance their skills in clinical trials research. Raja will partake in the structural heart disease track.
• Rene Przkora, M.D., Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, has been honored with the Educational Stewardship & Leadership in Pain Medicine Award by the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. Przkora was recognized for his outstanding leadership, mentorship and commitment to advancing pain medicine education. He was also elected to serve as the chair of the Research Committee of the Association of Pain Program Directors within the Society of Academic Associations of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine.
• Ali Zarrinpar, M.D., Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Surgery, has been named a recipient of the 2026 Basic Science Established Investigator Award from the International Liver Transplantation Society. The prestigious award, designed to honor society members who have made outstanding academic contributions to basic and translational science, recognizes Zarrinpar’s long-established record of bridging the gap between laboratory discovery and patient care. Zarrinpar was also recently named to the board of directors of the Association for Academic Surgery.
• John Hollingsworth, M.D., M.Sc., chief quality officer for UF Health and a faculty member in the Department of Urology, was selected as a new member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. Founded in 1908, the society is one of the nation’s oldest and most distinguished physician-scientist honor societies.
• Janice Taylor, M.D., M.Ed., FACS, FAAP, a professor in the Department of Surgery, received the Philip J. Wolfson Outstanding Teacher Award from the Association for Surgical Education. The award recognizes faculty who play an active role in surgical education and are regarded as exceptional educators by colleagues and learners.
• J. Sego, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, was recently selected as one of 20 winners of the 2026 National Institutes of Health Common Fund Replication Prize for his submission titled “To assess the replicability of published epidemiological models, including stochastic models, by independently re-implementing and simulating them with standardized protocols and shared code.”
• Philip Efron, M.D., FACS, FCCM, the Cracchiolo Family Professor of Surgery and director of the Sepsis and Critical Illness Research Center, was selected as a Master of Critical Care Medicine by the Society of Critical Care Medicine. According to the society, this honor is based on Efron’s achievements as a distinguished leader of international stature, personal character, eminence in clinical practice and outstanding contributions to research and education in critical care.

• Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical society, has awarded the UF Equal Access Clinic Network a $5,000 medical student service leadership progress grant for a project to build and sustain a preventive colorectal cancer screening program.
• Medical student Ahmet Bilgili has been awarded a 2026 Alpha Omega Alpha Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship, totaling $7,000, to support his research titled “A Contemporary Machine Learning Driven Volume–Outcome Analysis of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database.”
• Second-year medical student Anthony Nguyen is among 30 students nationwide selected to participate in the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation’s Family Medicine Leads Emerging Leader Institute. As a participant in the yearlong program, Nguyen will receive a $1,000 scholarship, attend the AAFP FUTURE conference in July, be assigned an AAFP family physician mentor and participate in a leadership project based on his interests.

• Eric Jeng, M.D., M.B.A., FACS, FACC, FCCP, an associate professor in the Department of Surgery, has been named director of the UF Health Aortic Disease Center, bringing extensive expertise in complex cardiovascular and aortic surgery and a vision focused on innovation, collaboration and patient-centered care to the role.
• The UF Research Foundation, or UFRF, has recognized 34 faculty members as 2026 UFRF Professors, including five from the College of Medicine: Paramita Chakrabarty, Ph.D.; Phyllis Hendry, M.D.; Brian Hoh, M.D., M.B.A.; Todd Manini, Ph.D.; and Robert McKenna, Ph.D. Honorees are selected in recognition of a strong track record of research excellence and their work to advance discovery, creativity and innovation across the university.
• Omowonuola Ogundele, M.D., an anesthesiology intern, has been selected for the UF Health LEAD Resident award. LEAD stands for “listens to and values each other’s input, emphasizes to understand and put our patients first, achieves our goals together, and dedicates him/herself to make quality care and attentive service our priority.” Ogundele was recognized by colleagues for her exemplary service in her patient, peer and interprofessional interactions.
• Martina Murphy, M.D., a nationally recognized medical educator and the UF senior associate dean for graduate medical education, has been named senior leader for professional development at the UF Health Cancer Institute. In this role, she will use her extensive experience leading educational initiatives to help support faculty and staff in their pursuit of leadership in the field of cancer research and care.
• Dania Abu-Jubara, D.O., M.B.A., an administrative fellow in the Department of Emergency Medicine, was recognized as the UF Health Housestaff Quality Hero at the UF Health Heroes Recognition and Celebration during Patient Safety Quality Week. This distinction highlights her leadership in patient safety and quality improvement, including her work implementing emergency department clinical pathways aimed at reducing variation, improving throughput and enhancing care reliability.
• John Heinbockel, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, has been appointed medical director for the UF Health Ocala Neighborhood Hospital. In this role, Heinbockel will develop systems for patient flow, optimize preoperative services, ensure compliance with regulatory standards and plan budgets for surgical services.
• Four College of Medicine researchers and members of the UF Health Cancer Institute — Stephanie Staras, Ph.D.; Aline Fares, M.D.; Ye Yang, Ph.D.; and Rui Xiao, Ph.D. — have been awarded pilot funding for research projects to advance the understanding of the development of cancer and how it resists treatment. The new projects will collect preliminary data required to test novel ideas and create a foundation for larger studies.
• This spring, 32 members of the college community, including graduating medical students, residents and faculty, were inducted into the Chapman Chapter of the Gold Humanism Medical Honor Society. Peer-elected members are recognized for demonstrating integrity, compassion and respect.
• Twenty College of Medicine faculty and staff members were honored with division-level 2026 UF Superior Accomplishment Awards this spring. The awards recognize those who go above and beyond to advance the mission of the university and have made an impact on quality of life for students and employees.
• Guoshuai Cai, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, and Megan Stanifer, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, have received 2026 UF Excellence Awards for Assistant Professors. Awarded annually to 10 assistant professors or assistant curators across the university, the honor recognizes researchers whose work represents a high level of quality and impact. Recipients also receive a $5,000 stipend to support research-related expenditures.
• Tarik Benidir, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Urology, has been named clinical lead and co-chair of the UF Health Cancer Institute’s new Cancer & Engineering Working Group. The group aims to build an active, interdisciplinary community at UF by recruiting faculty, trainees and staff whose work intersects with opportunities to engineer solutions to the cancer problems faced by our scientific, clinical and patient communities.