We successfully weathered the transition of Family Practice Medical Group, Inc. into the Faculty Group Practice with minimal disruption in the Residency Program, a remarkable accomplishment for all those involved. We were saddened by the decision of the North Broward Hospital District to close our Residency Program in Ft. Lauderdale, and are deeply appreciative of Dr. Silva and the other faculty s dedication and hard work to assure that the residents remaining in the program will finish their residencies with an excellent education in family practice. The Department made the decision to close the Hawthorne clinic and assist Dr. Colasante in establishing a private practice in Hawthorne. Dr. Abernethy decided to leave his University position and enter private practice in Gainesville, although he will continue on part time with us in the hospital and nursing home.
Scholarly activities are on the rise.
During the past year, many members of the Department worked on new research proposals and we recently learned that two substantial projects will be funded in the coming fiscal year. One was an award from The Bureau of Health Professions for a three-year project emphasizing the development of our obstetrical program and quality improvement for clinical care, that will amount to over half a million dollars. Though there were many challenges and changes throughout the year, there were many successes, and the year ended on a positive note financially. I encourage you to look through the annual report to see the details. Support staff from FPMG provided a source of backup help to Shands at UF and remained on call in the office during the storm.