APRIL EDITION, VOLUME 2021, NO. 4
ANESTHESIOLOGY ASSOCIATES OF TALLAHASSEE ESTABLISHES SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS AT THE FSU COLLEGE OF MEDICINE By Pam Irwin, CMS Executive Director No one is more aware of the impact of excellent medical education or medical school debt than a physician. That awareness can spur actions to lend a hand to the next generation of physicians. Anesthesiology Associates of Tallahassee (AAoT) is a group of physicians who are paying it forward. Investing in future physicians is in their blood. AAoT has been the primary provider of anesthesia services in Tallahassee since the 1980’s, with members joining the group and staying for decades until retirement. They are deeply rooted in the medical community serving key roles at both local hospitals and most surgery centers. Their families grow up here, and many of their children pass through TCC and FSU and go on to medical careers. Some of their children have returned as second generation physicians or allied health professionals. The physicians of AAoT support medical students by teaching and defraying the cost of medical education. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, as one of the specialty groups at the most significant risk of contracting COVID-19, they are relentless in their support of medical students.
By establishing The Anesthesiology Associates of Tallahassee Scholarship Endowment at the Capital Medical Society Foundation in 2020, they are further investing in the future of medicine. The FSU College of Medicine, established in 2000, was built upon years of dedication and perseverance to prepare future physicians. The need for more physicians in rural areas of Northwest Florida spurred the Florida State University Program in Medical Sciences (PIMS) in the 1970’s. By completing the first year of medical school through this program, students could transfer to the University of Florida in Gainesville to complete their M.D. studies. Drs. Mark Applegate, Mark Cannella, Kevin Draper, James (Michael) Frankland, Greg McLanahan, and Steve Mnookin are either PIMS or FSU College of Medicine graduates. The FSU College of Medicine’s teaching model provides communitybased learning opportunities. Clinical education is provided by outstanding physicians in the community, not in one teaching hospital, but in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, managed-care facilities, managedcare organizations, private clinics, and other outpatient settings. These community physicians are paid a monetary stipend by the
FSU College of Medicine for their time educating medical students. An anesthesia elective has been offered to all seniors each year. Clerkship faculty for the FSU College of Medicine’s Tallahassee Regional Campus has included anesthesiologists from AAoT since 2003, helping to educate the first graduating class in 2005. Anesthesiologists “share” students rotating through Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and Capital Regional Medical Center. The appointments include: Mark Applegate, M.D. Appointment 4/15/2011 Robert Atwater, M.D. Appointment 3/29/2004 Vipul V. Bhimani, M.D. Appointment 11/16/2016 Mark Cannella, M.D. Appointment 1/21/2011 Jesus Diaz, M.D. Appointment 11/10/2016 David Draper, M.D. Appointment 11/20/2007 James Frankland, M.D. Appointment 5/5/2004 John C. Green, M.D. Appointment 11/8/2016 Richard Henry, M.D. Appointment 4/20/2006 Elizabeth Horton, M.D. Appointment 11/9/2016 Nancy Loeffler, M.D. Appointment 11/26/2003 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
CAPITAL MEDICAL SOCIETY 2021 MEETINGS CALENDAR April 20, 2021 Virtual CME (1-Hour) Panel Discussion – Exploring the Long-Term Consequences of a COVID-19 Diagnosis 6:30 pm
May 18, 2021 Virtual CME (1-Hour) Panel Discussion – Bringing it All Together: Expanding the Scope of Type 2 Diabetes Management 6:30 pm CONTINUED ON PAGE 7