Affiliation formed to train residents

Sacred Heart and UF Health form affiliation to train residents

In March, officials at Sacred Heart Health System and the UF College of Medicine announced a collaboration to operate physician residency programs in Pensacola to train medical school graduates specializing in pediatrics as well as in obstetrics and gynecology.

“The partnership between UF and Sacred Heart helps us train the physicians needed to care for the citizens of our state and especially our local communities such as Pensacola, and it combines the best attributes of university-based and community-based residency training into a single program,” said Michael Good, M.D., UF College of Medicine dean.

The residency training program builds on the existing relationship between UF Health and Sacred Heart Health, according to UF Health Shands CEO Ed Jimenez.

“We have a long tradition of working with Sacred Heart Health System to improve residents’ access to high-quality clinical care and service,” Jimenez said. “This is a continuation of our positive teamwork and collaboration.”

Sacred Heart has operated residency programs in pediatrics as well as OB-GYN since the 1970s. Its pediatric residency program currently includes   26 physicians in a three-year education and training program, while the OB-GYN residency program has enrolled 15 physicians in a four-year program. Under the new agreement, the residents and the board-certified physicians who serve as program faculty will be employed by UF.

The agreement sets the stage for further collaboration between the two organizations that can extend UF experts’ medical expertise and the research experience of UF to northwest Florida.