Sept. 9, 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:

• James Lynch, M.D., a professor in the division of hematology and oncology and the associate dean of medical student admissions, will be inducted into the American Academy of Sciences and Letters this year at the Library of Congress. The American Academy of Sciences and Letters honors outstanding scholarly excellence and intellectual courage in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics and engineering, as well as in the arts and the learned professions.
• Preeti Manavalan, M.D., an assistant professor in the division of infectious diseases and global medicine, was featured by the NIH Fogarty International Center for her innovative global health research addressing hypertension among people living with HIV in Tanzania. During her fellowship, Manavalan screened patients Tanzania, finding that many had limited access to diagnosis and treatment. Her work helped lead to an intervention that achieved 75% blood pressure control among participants in a six-month study and is now being considered for broader implementation in Tanzania. Manavalan is applying lessons learned through her research to improve HIV care in rural Florida.
• Dejana Braithwaite, Ph.D., the division chief for population health sciences in the Department of Surgery and associate director for population sciences at the UF Health Cancer Institute, has been appointed as a standing member of the NIH’s Health Services: Quality and Effectiveness study section in the Center for Scientific Review. With an interdisciplinary background in epidemiology, health services research, cancer control and biomedical informatics, Braithwaite’s work guides healthcare policy decisions and innovative interventions to reduce the burden of cancer and other chronic diseases. She will serve the new study section through June 2028.
• Azra Bihorac, M.D., the senior associate dean for research and R. Glenn Davis Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Surgery, Anesthesiology and Biomedical Engineering, has been elected chair of the NIH’s Clinical Informatics and Digital Health, or CIDH, The study section reviews grant applications focused on developing, validating and implementing computing and informatics tools to improve healthcare delivery.
• Brian Hoh, M.D., M.B.A., the Folke H. Peterson Dean’s Distinguished Professor and dean of the College of Medicine, received the 2026 Ralph G. Dacey Jr. Medal from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons for aoutstanding cerebrovascular research at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery 23rd Annual Meeting. The award recognizes novel, outstanding and continuous contributions to the understanding of cerebrovascular disease.
• Vivian Ibañez, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, has been appointed president elect of the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis.
• Peter Stacpoole, M.D., Ph.D, a professor in the division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, was awarded the 2026 Vanguard Award by the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation in recognition of his decades of dedication and service to the mitochondrial disease community.
• Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery researchers Koji Hosaka, Ph.D, and Zachary Sorrentino, M.D., Ph.D, will be provided grants from the Brain Aneurysm Foundation to fund projects aimed at deepening the understanding of how brain aneurysms form and rupture and advance new approaches to detection, risk assessment and treatment.
• Amalia Cochran, M.D., professor and vice chair of professional development in the Department of Surgery, has been awarded the 2026 Dr. Olga Jonasson Distinguished Member Award from the Association of Women Surgeons. This prestigious award is given each year to an association member who, through outstanding mentorship, enables and encourages women surgeons to realize their personal and professional goals.
• At the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting, resident Abigail Schirmer, M.D., moderated “The Road to Becoming a Successful Anesthesiologist — A Session for Trainees,” and received the organization’s Top Anesthesiology Trainee Award. Amanda Frantz, M.D., an associate professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, served on the panel moderated by Schrimer.
• Abigail Doege, a research administrator I in the Department of Anesthesiology, won the Pam Whitlock Rising Star Award at the National Council of University Research Administrators, or NCURA, Region III meeting. The NCURA advances the research administration profession through education and professional development programs. This award is given to an individual in the early stages of their career who has demonstrated willingness, enthusiasm and dedication to their region.

• Third-year medical student Anthony Nguyen was chosen as one of 30 students selected nationwide to participate in the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation’s Family Medicine Leads, or FM Leads, Emerging Leader Institute, a yearlong program that offers leadership training and experience in one of three leadership tracks: policy and public health, personal and practice or philanthropic and mission-driven.
• Third-year medical student Ahmet Bilgili was awarded the Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship from the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, a testament to his dedication in the lab. The award recognizes the outstanding potential of a medical student and is intended to help foster the next generation of medical researchers. It will provide funding to help Bilgili pursue and present his research on the relationship between volume and outcomes in congenital heart surgery.
• Two medical students, Snigdha Sama and Helena Krogman, were selected for the Top Medical Student award by the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting in June.
• Second-year physician assistant students Jake Kintner and Kyle Manuel have been selected as members of the Area Health Education Center, or AHEC, Scholars Program. The nationally recognized program selects 150 Florida students to join each year, and provides health professional students with learning opportunities focused on building the skills needed to transform primary patient care.  This year marks the first time two UF students in the same class have been awarded an AHEC scholarship at once.

• Duane Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D., the Phyllis Kottler Friedman Professor in the Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery, has been named the next director of the UF Health Cancer Institute. A national leader in cancer research and treatment. Mitchell currently serves as director of the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute, or CTSI, where he has championed initiatives to move promising discoveries from the laboratory to the people who need them most. An M.D.-Ph.D.-trained physician-scientist, Mitchell has built an international reputation for pioneering immunotherapy approaches that harness the body’s immune system to combat cancer. His work has advanced novel cancer vaccines and other immunotherapies, earning national recognition and offering new hope for patients facing some of the most aggressive forms of cancer.
• Four College of Medicine professors have been named distinguished professors at the university, the highest faculty honor at UF, including Azra Bihorac, M.D., M.S., FCCM, FASN, Robert McKenna, Ph.D., Elizabeth Shenkman, Ph.D., and Maurice Swanson, Ph.D..
• Benjamin Jacobs, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, has been promoted to the role of chief quality officer for UF Health Shands. Jacobs will oversee quality and patient safety improvement efforts across UF Health Shands hospital locations in the Greater Gainesville region and lead the Sebastian Ferraro Office of Clinical Quality and Patient Safety. In collaboration with physician, nursing and administrative leaders, he will help advance clinical excellence, improve patient outcomes and strengthen the patient experience across all care settings.
• Hiren Mehta, M.D., a professor in the Department of Medicine, has been named division chief for pulmonary, sleep and critical care after a national search. A recognized leader in interventional pulmonology and thoracic oncology, his appointment reflects his clinical expertise and dedication to advancing patient care and innovation.
• Ibrahim Nassour, M.D., MSCS, has been appointed assistant chair for performance improvement and physician director of quality for the Department of Surgery. Nassour, an assistant professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology, will serve as one of two departmental leaders for quality and patient safety and will work collaboratively with departmental leadership and the UF Health Office of Clinical Quality and Patient Safety to support quality improvement, patient safety, peer review and performance improvement efforts.
• Jason Joseph, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Urology and program director of the department’s resident program, has been named vice chair of education for the Joseph’s accomplishments as program director include lobbying for expanding the program’s residency complement, establishing a robotics boot camp and improving the resident mentorship model.
• Surgery resident Austin Coale, M.D., received the UF Health LEAD Award, given to a resident or fellow in recognition of exemplary service as evidenced in their patient, peer and interprofessional interactions. Coale’s nomination emphasized his empathy, collaborative approach to teamwork and dedication to delivering both quality care and attentive service.