AdventHealth Graduate Medical Education Program Celebrates 50 Years

Founded in 1974 with a family practice residency, AdventHealth’s Graduate Medical Education (GME) program has since grown to encompass 24 accredited programs spanning a range of specialties and celebrates its 50^th anniversary this year. Recent additions include residencies in obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) as well as orthopedic surgery in partnership with Rothman Orthopaedics. In total, more than 1,000 physicians have completed AdventHealth’s GME programs over the past five decades.

“AdventHealth is committed to being both the place where patients receive exceptional care and where physicians are empowered to deliver it,” shares AdventHealth Chief Clinical Officer and Senior Vice President Victor Hererra, MD. “We invest in medical education because world-class care starts with world-class training. Our residents and fellows train alongside expert physicians, using pioneering technology and participating in transformative research.”

Addressing a Growing Physician Shortage

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the U.S. will face a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, and more than a third of currently active physicians could retire within the next decade. In Florida, with its growing and aging population, the physician shortage is projected to reach 18,000 by 2035.

To help bridge that gap, AdventHealth is continuing to expand its GME offerings, particularly in high-demand specialties like critical care, OB/GYN, orthopedics. The goal is to grow from 24 accredited programs and 358 residents today to 33 programs and 467 residents by 2029.

“With a growing population and a nationwide physician shortage, we are actively expanding our residency and fellowship programs to ensure Florida never outgrows its care,” explains Joseph Portoghese, MD, Chief Academic Officer and Designated Institutional Official at AdventHealth. “Our goals are to meet demand, close the gaps and keep care local – all through a mission-driven culture that supports clinical excellence, well-being and innovation.”

Forging New Partnerships

In recent years, AdventHealth’s GME leadership has been developing new partnerships to help achieve its goals. One example is a relationship with Loma Linda Medical School that allows their medical students to complete clinical training at AdventHealth’s Florida hospitals. The aim of this collaboration is to provide a new, direct pipeline of applicants to AdventHealth’s various residency programs.

“We talked about how to grow the physician workforce for our community by providing medical education in medical school and found a great partner in Loma Linda University,” comments AdventHealth Vice President of Medical Education Lee Johnson. “We began by taking two students each year and are now up to 34 with a goal of 100. Our goal is to transition them to our residency programs and grow very special doctors who are not only clinically excellent but care for the whole person, every day, every time.”

Focusing on Whole-Person Care

AdventHealth's whole-person philosophy centers on caring for each person as an individual in body, mind and spirit. This extends to the GME program through the approach to clinical training provided as well as to the residents and fellows directly through dedicated wellness and burnout prevention initiatives.

“We truly care about the whole person,” says Scott Bloom, MD, AdventHealth General Surgery Residency Program Director and Associate Chief Medical Officer for Proceduralists and Surgical Specialists. “Our residents get to learn the technical aspects of surgery in that setting, which is a unique opportunity. We don’t just cut to cure, we treat the whole person and understand how they fit into the family and their community.”

Dr. Portoghese concurs. “Our emphasis on whole-person care makes us special. We believe in teaching our residents not just how to treat patients but how to treat people.”

Learn more about AdventHealth’s commitment and approach to GME or the residency and fellowship programs currently available.