At UF Health, there are hidden artists among our faculty and staff. We first learned this in 2009, when UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine sent out a call to employee artists to support the vision of using photography taken by staff to decorate the UF Health Shands Cancer Hospital.

Since then, there have been more calls, which have generated thousands of employee art pieces that are displayed throughout our facilities. You’ll see the photos at UF Health Springhill, the UF Health Medical Plaza and many other locations. The art is intended to contribute to the healing environment for patients and hardworking staff.

“We have adopted a culture of the arts here at UF Health because we believe that the arts can be transformative,” said Tina Mullen, AIM director. “Art has a way of shifting a person’s thinking away from stress.”

Although UF Health delivers some of the most advanced health care available, our emphasis is on patients and their overall experience, Mullen added.

“When the patients first walk into the door of our facilities, they should see the beauty as a reflection of the staff and the care that they bring,” she said.

In 2016, AIM spearheaded another call to employee artists, which resulted in 980 entries — 300 individual pieces were selected for use in the UF Health Heart & Vascular and Neuromedicine hospitals. The captivating photographs inspired by our Florida landscape are featured in patient rooms, the Raising Hope at Work Café dining area, patient consult rooms, multipurpose rooms and other areas. They’re printed on wrapped canvas for a modern feel to complement the building design and décor.

Gary Gossman, MPAS, PA-C, UF Health Internal Medicine physician assistant, has considered himself to be an amateur photographer for the last 45 years.

“For a photographer, there is no higher honor than to have your work displayed for others to see,” he said. “It is very gratifying for me to practice medicine here and also contribute artistically as UF Health continues to grow.”