A Young Medical School Is Delivering On Its Promise to South Florida

ALUMNI REUNION HIGHLIGHTS THE GROWING IMPACT OF PALM BEACH COUNTY’S ONLY MEDICAL SCHOOL ON HEALTHCARE, RESEARCH AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

When alumni of Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine (CoM) recently returned to campus for a reunion, they brought more than memories. They represented the growing impact of Palm Beach County’s first and only medical school — physicians now caring for patients, mentoring future doctors, and helping strengthen the healthcare workforce across Florida.

As the College prepared for its recent 16th Annual White Coats-4-Care (WC4C) fundraising dinner, the reunion offered a compelling reminder of what sustained investment in medical education can produce: a growing pipeline of physicians, researchers, and healthcare leaders equipped to serve communities throughout the region and beyond.

Building More Than Physicians

When CoM opened in 2011, South Florida faced a challenge familiar to many rapidly growing regions: demand for healthcare services was increasing faster than the physician workforce. Created as Palm Beach County’s first and only medical school, the College was designed to help address that challenge by educating future physicians, advancing research, and strengthening the healthcare ecosystem that supports one of the nation’s fastest-growing populations.

Fifteen years later, the results are increasingly measurable.

Since graduating its first class in 2015, the College has educated more than 732 physicians, helping build a stronger healthcare workforce throughout Florida and across the nation. Approximately 50% of graduates remain in Florida for residency training, while 33% pursue primary care specialties, helping address critical healthcare needs in communities statewide. The College has also expanded its impact through research, community engagement, and healthcare partnerships that contribute to the region’s long-term health and economic vitality.

With 80 new medical students matriculating each year, that pipeline continues to grow. The College also helps expand opportunities for physicians to train locally through graduate medical education programs in partnership with Palm Beach County hospitals — another important component of building and retaining the region’s future healthcare workforce.

A Reunion That Reflects Progress

The recent Alumni Reunion Weekend brought together more than 100 attendees, including 34 physicians currently practicing in Florida. For students, the event offered a firsthand look at the careers they hope to build. For alumni, it provided an opportunity to invest in the next generation through mentorship, guidance, and shared experience.

The centerpiece of the reunion was an Alumni–Student Panel, where practicing physicians sat across from students who now occupy the seats they once filled. Discussions focused on evolving healthcare systems, career pathways, practice transitions, and the importance of maintaining compassion and purpose throughout a medical career.

“Every physician who walked back through our doors represents the impact of a college invested in its community,” said Lewis S. Nelson, M.D., dean and chief of health affairs, FAU CoM.

He added that the event “also reinforced one of the College’s founding principles: medicine is a community endeavor — a full-circle journey in which students become physicians, physicians become mentors, and mentors help shape future generations. That continuum is what strengthens both the College and the communities it serves.”

Innovation Close to Home

Beyond physician education, the College has become an increasingly important contributor to South Florida’s healthcare and research ecosystem. Faculty and students are advancing research in areas such as neuroscience, healthy aging, genomics, and precision medicine, while collaborating with healthcare providers, community organizations, and regional partners to improve patient outcomes and expand access to care.

Today, the College supports 38 faculty researchers and generates approximately $30 million in annual research funding. That work extends into the community through partnerships with 14 affiliated hospitals, clinics and research organizations, along with 23 regional nonprofits. Students are part of that impact too — medical students have contributed more than 2,500 service-learning hours across South Florida communities, putting their training to work beyond the classroom.

Together, these efforts reinforce a broader goal: ensuring South Florida remains a destination for healthcare innovation, clinical excellence, and medical talent.

The Return on Community Investment

That long-term impact is at the heart of the College’s White Coats-4-Care initiative.

Since its inception, WC4C has raised more than $2.7 million, supporting scholarships, student education, research, and community health initiatives. More than 80 students have received direct WC4C scholarships since the program began, representing more than $340,000 in direct student support.

The physicians who returned to campus this year offer a glimpse of that investment realized. They are caring for patients, conducting research, mentoring future physicians, and helping address healthcare needs throughout Florida and beyond.

In many ways, the reunion served as a living demonstration of the WC4C mission: students supported today become tomorrow’s physicians, innovators, researchers, and healthcare leaders.

“What you see when MedOwl alumni come back is the mission in action,” Nelson said. “These are physicians who trained here, many of whom continue serving here, and who are now investing their time and experience in the students who will follow them. That is exactly what this college was built to do.”

Supporting the Next Generation

Invest. Innovate. Champion. Together, We Can Shape the Future of Medicine.

To learn more about the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, its educational programs, research and community initiatives at fau.edu/medicine.