HCA Florida Healthcare and UCF announce new fellowships and residency option

Orlando, FL — The UCF College of Medicine/HCA Florida Healthcare Graduate Medical Education Consortium today announced the first fellowship in gastroenterology at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital. Additionally, the UCF College of Medicine/HCA Florida Healthcare GME Consortium announced a new fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital and a new residency program in internal medicine at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital.

The new programs recently received accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and are seeking applicants to begin training. With the additions, the UCF-HCA Florida Healthcare Graduate Medical Education Consortium has 38 accredited programs from the Panhandle to Orlando, making it one of the fastest growing in the state. By July, the consortium will have at least 600 physicians in training in high-need specialties that include primary care, surgery, OB-GYN, psychiatry, endocrinology, emergency medicine and geriatrics.

“We are excited to see our strong partnership through the UCF College of Medicine/HCA Florida Healthcare Graduate Medical Education Consortium continue to grow in supporting the next generation of physicians in a range of much-needed specialties,” said Monique Butler, M.D., MBA, chief medical officer for HCA Healthcare’s North Florida Division. “Through a broad range of clinical experience and academic support services such as research and curriculum development, we hope to inspire our residents’ passion to care for and improve human life.”

Dr. Stephen Cico, UCF’s associate dean for graduate medical education and the Consortium’s designated institutional official, said the programs will help improve patients’ access to care and address the state’s physician shortage.

“The internal medicine residency will fill the great need in Florida for access to primary care physicians, especially in the Panhandle,” Dr. Cico said. “HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital and clinics will care for some of those who have the hardest time accessing medical care. The GI fellowship will provide patients in Greater Orlando with additional access to GI physicians and procedures such as colonoscopies while also providing care for GI emergencies.”

The internal medicine residency will accept 12 physicians a year for its three-year program – training 36 doctors when at full complement – and will participate in this year’s National Match Day on March 15. The GI fellowship will accept two physicians a year who have completed their internal medicine residency training for its three-year program for a total of six at full complement. The REI fellowship will take one fellow a year for three years following a four-year OB/GYN residency.

Dr. Amanda Finley will lead the internal medicine residency. She completed medical school at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and then did residency training at Magnolia Regional Health Center in Mississippi, where she was chief resident and stayed to serve as faculty. She was founding program director and designated institutional official at Henry County Medical Center in Tennessee, where she worked with the Health Resources Service Administration to create a rural residency program.

“Our commitment to creating a healthy and innovative learning environment makes our new residency an amazing place to train,” Dr. Finley said. “Our goal is to ensure that residents achieve clinical excellence in a supportive family environment where we focus on giving and receiving feedback that takes our professional performance to the highest level.”

Dr. Vinay Katukuri will lead the GI fellowship. He completed his medical education in India and then pursued residency training at Wayne State University in Michigan. He completed his gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Michigan, followed by an advanced endoscopy fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He served as interventional faculty at Henry Ford Health System and taught residents and fellows, including those specializing in advanced endoscopy. While at Henry Ford Health System, he was chosen to participate in the inaugural fellowship program for entrepreneurs in digital health. Dr. Katukuri then relocated to Florida, where he established his own practice.

“In addition to meeting the community's need for gastroenterology services, the new fellowship training program aims to improve access to colon cancer prevention, which is crucial given the rising incidence of colon cancer,” Dr. Katukuri said.

The REI fellowship is just the third such training program in the state and the 52rd in the nation. It is also HCA Healthcare’s first such program. With its location at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital, it is the nation’s first community-based program outside of a major urban area. Because most REI programs are located in large cities, many patients must travel long distances to see a specialist. Fellows will gain their clinical experience at The IVF Center a leading reproductive clinic with locations across Central Florida. A unique aspect of REI training programs is the required extensive research experience. The Consortium’s new program will incorporate metabolic researchers from the College of Medicine’s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, clinical researchers from Nemours Children’s Health, and physician-scientists from The IVF Center.

Laurel Stadtmauer, M.D., Ph.D., of The IVF Center, will serve as program director. "We are thrilled to be granted accreditation for our REI Fellowship program and to be among the top programs around the country,” Dr. Stadtmauer said. “This will allow us to further our mission of excellence in patient care, education, and research in reproductive medicine."

In Florida, HCA Healthcare is home to the largest teaching hospital system. With more than 2,326 residents and fellows in 153 programs at 26 hospitals, HCA Florida Healthcare trains the most new doctors in Florida.