2 | DOCTOR GATOR
Abel Torres, MD
NEW DERMATOLOGY CHAIR APPOINTED
Abel Torres, MD, JD, MBA, has been selected as chair of
the UF College of Medicine department of dermatology
and will begin his new role July 1. An accomplished
clinician, researcher, educator and lawyer, Torres has
spent his career caring for patients with health issues
such as skin cancer; researching complex dermatologic
conditions; training medical students, residents and
fellows; and educating physicians on medical-legal
issues. Torres, who is currently chair of the department
of dermatology and an associate professor of public
health at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine
in Loma Linda, California, also recently served as
president of the American Academy of Dermatology.
By TYLER FRANCISCHINE
Two UF College of Medicine alumni
and faculty members Ryan Nall, MD
’09, and Kimberly Merkel, MD ’08,
were named the 2018 UF College of
Medicine Teachers of the Year. The
pair was recognized during the annual
Celebration of Excellence in Medical
Education reception, held March 14 as
part of Medical Education Week 2018.
Patrick Duff, MD, associate dean
for student affairs and a recipient of
a dozen teaching awards himself,
says Nall and Merkel are shining
examples of UF College of Medicine
graduates who honor their alma
mater by shaping the next generation
of physicians. Nall, named Clinical
Teacher of the Year, serves as an
assistant professor and the assistant
clerkship director in the division of
general internal medicine. Merkel,
named Basic Science Teacher of the
Year, is an assistant professor in the
department of dermatology.
“Both are relatively early in their
careers and have already achieved a
ALUMNUS RECEIVES UF DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
high level of academic excellence,”
Duff says. “In essence, they are the
new generation of teaching stars.”
Kyle Rarey, PhD, received the 2018
Society of Teaching Scholars Lifetime
Achievement Award during the
reception. Medical Education Week
also featured a seminar series with
four speakers who discussed their
visions for creating a culture of
excellence in the next generation of
practitioners. The week began March
12 with a talk from Wiley “Chip” Souba,
MD, former professor of surgery at the
UF College of Medicine and emeritus
dean at the Dartmouth Geisel School
of Medicine, about the behaviors
and attitudes necessary to create a
culture of professionalism in a health
care setting. Grant Harrell, MD ’10,
director of the UF Mobile Outreach
Clinic and an assistant professor in the
department of community health and
family medicine, gave students and
faculty an overview of the evolution of
service learning at UF.
Ryan Nall, MD ’09
Kimberly Merkel, MD ’08
From left, Howard
Freeman, Carolyne
Freeman and Laurel
Freeman. Front, Carolyne's
daughter, Bella Rose
Alan Porter, MD ’71, HS ’74, received the Distinguished Achievement
Award from UF during its fall commencement ceremony held
in December. The award is given to those with “exceptional
achievements in a chosen profession and for demonstrated
leadership.” Porter opened the first free-standing radiation
oncology center in Sarasota, bringing advanced cancer care to a
region that had no hospital-based radiation oncology options.
Over the years, Porter opened four more centers throughout
Sarasota and Charlotte counties. He also was a founding trustee
of Hospice of Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties, ensuring
end-of-life care for those who succumbed to their disease.
From left are Michael L. Good,
MD; Alan Porter, MD '71; and
UF President Kent Fuchs
PHOTO BY SUZANNA MARS
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHY