Department of Medicine Chairman
Chairman - Edward R. Block, M.D.
The teaching, research and patient care programs of the Department of Medicine are conducted primarily in the inpatient and outpatient facilities of Shands Hospital, the principal teaching hospital of the University of Florida College of Medicine, and the Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). The intimate physical proximity of the VAMC to Shands Hospital and the University of Florida College of Medicine has facilitated the complete integration of educational, research and patient care programs for medical students, house staff, fellows and faculty of the department. The Department of Medicine includes its ten academic divisions, the Program in Computer Sciences and the University of Florida's Training Program for Physician Assistants.
The College of Medicine graduated its first class of medical students in 1960.The importance of internal medicine in the founding of the college is reflected by the first two appointments in the college. George Harrell, M.D., an internist, was the founding dean. His first appointment was Samuel Martin, M.D., who served as chairman of the Department of Medicine from 1956 until he was appointed provost of the University of Florida Health Science Center, a position he held until 1969. Richard Schmidt, M.D., was chairman of the Department of Medicine from 1964 to 1966, when Leighton E. Cluff, M.D., assumed the position, which he held until 1976 when he was appointed vice president and later president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. James E. McGuigan, M.D., served as Chairman of the Department from 1976 to 1997. Phillip P. Toskes, M.D., was appointed Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine in 1997. He served as chairman from 1997 to 2002.
The present chairman, Edward R. Block, M.D., is Distinguished Professor of Medicine. He has been a member of the faculty of the Department of Medicine since 1975. During his years as a faculty member, Dr. Block has been a pioneer in the field of lung endothelial cell biology and defined and characterized the metabolic functions of these cells. His work led to a complete re-evaluation of the role of pulmonary endothelial cells in the maintenance of lung function and to a new understanding of how endothelial cell injury contributes to the acute and chronic manifestations and pathophysiology of lung disease.
In recognition of Dr. Block’s excellence in research, in 1994 he was named the William F. White Career Investigator of the American Lung Association of Florida, in 1997 he was the recipient of the University of Florida College of Medicine Faculty Research Prize in Clinical Science, in 1998 he was awarded the highly prestigious M.E.R.I.T. Award from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, in 1999 he was the recipient of the William S. Middleton Award from the Department of Veterans Affairs for outstanding research, and in 2000 he was named a University of Florida Research Foundation Professor.
In addition to his international reputation in pulmonary medicine and biology, Dr. Block has been quite active in regional and national organizations relating to pulmonary and critical care medicine. He is a past President of the Florida Thoracic Society and a past President of the American Thoracic Society. He is a recipient of the Leadership Award in 2002 from the American Thoracic Society, and he has received numerous awards for his contributions to pulmonary and critical care medicine. Dr. Block is also on the editorial board of the American Journal of Physiology; Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology and of Experimental Lung Research. He is the author of more than 150 peer-reviewed original scientific articles and numerous chapters.
The dedication and success of the faculty of the department in their teaching, research and patient care activities have permitted the development of an outstanding house staff training program in internal medicine. During the past 25 years, the department faculty has received a majority of the outstanding teaching awards from the graduating classes and from the entire student body of the College of Medicine. In addition, house staff members of the department have received most of the outstanding teaching awards extended by students of the College of Medicine.
Currently, the department has six endowed chairs and six endowed professorships among its 183 faculty members. The faculty members of the Department of Medicine continue their commitment to the conduct of a truly outstanding teaching program for our medicine residents. The success of their efforts and certainly those of the medicine residents is reflected by their performance in subsequent phases of their careers and by the results of internal medicine certification examinations, which place the medicine residency program of the University of Florida in the top tier of all university training programs in the United States.
The faculty members are sensitive to the educational, personal and professional needs and aspirations of individuals planning and developing careers in internal medicine. Knowledgeable and responsive as teachers, counselors and friends, the members of the faculty represent outstanding role models through their active participation in patient care, teaching and research.
Edward R. Block, M.D.
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