Philanthropy News
Do what you love and love what you do. If
mama’s not happy, nobody’s happy. If you don’t
think about it, you won’t diagnose it. Don’t let
the perfect be the enemy of the good.
These are just a few of the mantras Patricia
McFall Calhoun, MD ’89, keeps in a list on her
phone to call upon in any situation, whether
she’s getting through a difficult day, sharing
advice with her five sons, educating students or
treating patients as a family medicine physician.
“They just come out when I talk,” she says. “I
think it comes from my dad. He used to say
these things we called ‘Pat McFall-isms.’”
Thanks to a passion for medicine and a bit
of inspiration from her mantras, Calhoun
has dedicated the last 26 years to caring for
her community at Baptist Primary Care in
Jacksonville. From teaching future health
care providers to hosting dinners for medical
students, the UF College of Medicine graduate
has spent countless hours giving back to the
next generation at her alma mater.
“I was blessed to receive scholarships in
medical school and I wanted to give back, but
I’m in family medicine and I have five boys,” she
says. “We’re all in different seasons of our lives,
but whatever season you’re in, you can always
give back in some way.”
With a planned gift of a $100,000 life insurance
commitment, Calhoun joined the Legacy
Challenge and established the Patricia McFall
Calhoun, MD, Endowed Scholarship Fund,
which will support UF medical students with
financial need, particularly those interested in
family medicine.
“Most importantly, I hope the scholarship will
go to someone who will learn to give back and
keep that circle going,” Calhoun says. “I chose
this type of gift because it was something I
was able to do, it’s sustainable and it creates a
heritage where my kids and grandkids could
potentially run into somebody down the road
who was touched by this scholarship.”
Through mentorship and philanthropy, she
hopes to inspire future physicians to pursue
primary care, a field she fell in love with during
her medical school rotations.
More than a quarter of a century since
completing her residency in the same
community where she raised her children, she
still finds joy in the continuity of care she can
provide for her patients.
“At the end of the day or decade, it’s not about
paying back your student loans or making a lot
of money,” she says. “It’s going to work every
day and wondering if it’s really work. It’s about
following your passion.”
Inspiring future physicians
Patricia McFall Calhoun, MD ’89,
establishes a planned gift to support
UF College of Medicine students.
BY STYLIANA RESVANIS
“I hope the scholarship
will go to someone who
will learn to give back
and keep that circle
going.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. PATRICIA MCFALL CALHOUN
— PATRICIA MCFALL CALHOUN, MD ’89
W I N T E R 2019 | 39