With more than 100 faculty hired at the College of Medicine annually, the human resources and faculty affairs offices are joining forces to develop a comprehensive and inclusive onboarding program and provide tools that will set them up for success for years to come. The partnership has resulted in a suite of onboarding resources for the College of Medicine community, an effort recently developed as part of the people pillar of the strategic plan.

The project’s goal is to build upon the foundation the college already has in its onboarding materials and increase consistency across all 28 departments. The team working on this project has identified four phases for integrating a new employee into the college: preboarding, orientation, initial role development and enhanced performance development.

“We spend a lot of time and energy on recruitment, but many times, that person won’t begin in their role with us for several months,” said project co-champion Joey Goodman, SHRM-SCP, a College of Medicine HR business partner. “One of our first goals for this project was to establish that onboarding begins the day the offer letter is signed. At that point, we want to build upon the work we’ve been doing with recruitment and prepare the new employee and their family to come to the University of Florida and learn more about Gainesville.”

Sometimes, the best way to express appreciation for a valued friend or colleague is with a little something sweet. On the UF College of Medicine’s second annual Gratitude Day Oct. 19, college faculty, staff, students and trainees gifted special-made chocolates molded in the shape of an alligator to peers for whom they are grateful.

The initiative was designed to create and uphold an environment of teamwork and support among team members and to reward the college community for the positive impact they have on the people around them. Share in moments of gift exchange at the link below and see some of the love captured between friends, mentors and co-workers this Gratitude Day.

Using data collected from patients’ vital signs, UF researchers have designed an artificial intelligence system that can accelerate and focus doctors’ decision-making during the crucial, early stages of hospitalization.

The algorithm works by taking torrents of data from six vital signs measured within six hours of hospital admission. It then focuses these data into one of four distinct clusters, giving doctors clearer, timelier and more accurate insight into a patient’s prognosis and likely medical outcomes. Within hours, the system can identify patients who may be at risk of poor outcomes.

“This system has the potential to speed up doctors’ decision-making as well as make it more accurate,” said Azra Bihorac, M.D., senior associate dean for research affairs at the UF College of Medicine and director of UF’s Intelligent Critical Care Center.