The college is an active partner in multidisciplinary campuswide programs that foster scientific synergy and collaboration and facilitate the “bench to bedside” transfer of therapies. Some of the centers and institutes that tap talent from the health sciences and many other disciplines include:
Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute
The Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of UF is one of the nation’s most comprehensive and diverse neuroscience research centers. Across campus, more than 200 faculty members work on multidisciplinary teams to better understand how the brain works and how various diseases alter brain function.
Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health
The Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases is home to scientists and clinicians at UF Health who are working on neurological disorders that afflict millions of people across the globe. These conditions include Parkinson’s, dystonia and other movement disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, concussion, traumatic brain injury, dystonia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute
The UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute seeks to improve human health by transforming our ability to do science. The UF CTSI provides clinical, laboratory and consulting services to investigators, training opportunities throughout the academic health enterprise, and provides new opportunities to engage Florida’s residents in better health and health care. As one of more than 50 such institutes supported by the National Institutes of Health at leading universities across the country, the UF CTSI creates new opportunities for translating basic research into clinically relevant knowledge and then further translating that knowledge into improved practice across the state and nation.
UF Diabetes Institute
The UF Diabetes Institute serves as the umbrella organization under which diabetes education, research, prevention and treatment are coordinated at UF and the UF academic health center. The Institute is committed to advancing patient care and ultimately finding a cure through innovative treatment, education and pioneering research. The UF Diabetes Institute unites faculty members in the areas of endocrinology, education, epidemiology, patient and physician education, clinical care, health outcomes and policy, behavioral science, rural medicine, and more.
UF Emerging Pathogens Institute
The Emerging Pathogens Institute was created by fusing signature disciplines at UF and creating opportunities for novel scientific interaction. New and re-emerging diseases threaten Florida’s tourism, health and economy, which are particularly vulnerable due to the state’s mild climate and diverse agriculture. Weather patterns, commercial plant imports and annual global visitors all have the potential to unsuspectingly carry pathogens from other countries into our state. The Emerging Pathogens Institute fuses key disciplines to develop outreach, education, and research capabilities designed to preserve Florida’s health and economy, and to prevent or contain new and re-emerging diseases.
UF Genetics Institute
Scientists united under the umbrella of the UF Genetics Institute have been delving into the genetic codes of a host of living things. UF researchers associated with the Powell Gene Therapy Center already are national leaders in studying how to use gene therapy — replacing or altering defective genes with healthy genes to treat diseases such as cystic fibrosis, high blood pressure and Parkinson’s disease.
UF Health Cancer Center
In establishing itself as a leading cancer research and treatment center, the UF Health Cancer Center is coordinating multidisciplinary approaches to provide quality patient care and to develop improved cancer treatment strategies. UF researchers are known for improved diagnostic tests and therapies for cancers of the bone, breast, blood, colon, skin, prostate, bladder, the head and neck, and other malignancies, as well as for inventing the LINAC scalpel, which is used for targeting tightly focused beams of radiation to the site of brain tumors to destroy the malignant tissue.
UF Institute for Child Health Policy
The Institute for Child Health Policy (ICHP) is dedicated to improving the health of children through innovative, interdisciplinary research. Drawing on the strengths of faculty in the College of Medicine and the expertise of affiliate faculty across the University of Florida, the Institute uses rigorous scientific methods to develop and test novel approaches to delivering better health care and preventing disease and injury among children and youth. Our methods include analyzing health data to assess the quality of children’s health care, evaluating the effects of health-related policies on population health and conducting clinical and community-based trials to test the effectiveness of new health care interventions and disease prevention strategies.
UF Institute on Aging
The UF Institute on Aging serves as the major catalyst for developing models and synergisms in aging and geriatric medicine research, education and health care across all colleges and departments at the University of Florida. One of the major goals of geriatric medicine is the prevention and recovery of disabilities in the elderly. Causes of disability in older adults and their prevention and recovery are complex and involve social, economic, environmental, behavioral, genetic, metabolic, biological and co-morbid factors. The research findings of the Institute on Aging will bring better regional and national models of health care, with the aim to improve the health and quality of life of older adults.
UF Research and Academic Center at Lake Nona
The UF Research and Academic Center at Lake Nona brings to the Orlando area vital research on new therapies and cures, increased opportunities for participation in clinical research and enhanced access to professional and graduate pharmacy education. The facility extends UF’s presence into the greater Orlando area through the following colleges, institutes and centers: the College of Pharmacy, the Center for Pharmacometrics and Systems Pharmacology, the Institute for Therapeutic Innovation, the Institute on Aging, and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute.
UF College of Medicine Quality & Patient Safety Initiative
The College of Medicine launched an AI-enhanced Quality and Patient Safety Initiative (QPSi) that will lead the nation in driving innovations to improve the quality of health care delivery, reduce preventable harm, advance knowledge regarding health systems operations and patient care and be a resource for workforce development for the state of Florida.