MD - PhD Training Program » College of Medicine

MD – PhD scholar receives national AMA honor

Martin Wegman, was one of 20 medical students, residents and young physicians in the country who recently received the 2013 Medical Student Leadership Award from the American Medical Association. He is now in his third year of the M.D.-Ph.D. program…

UF College of Medicine MD Phd class of 2013

Double Agent, Triple Threat

Team Science

4th year medical student Stephanie Yarnell and her PhD mentor, Dr. Andrew Kane, Associate Professor – Department of Environmental & Global Health

MD-PhD Training Program

Center for Simulation Safety and Advanced Learning Technologies

Mission Statement

The University of Florida appreciates your interest in its training program. While the College of Medicine is a part of the major scientific expansion in the transfer of new knowledge taking place, the MD-PhD Training Program is at the interface of discovery and development where we are transcending individual disciplines for the "team science" paradigm. Here, enthusiastic and interactive researchers, creative minds and cutting-edge technology work together to apply and advance science. The goal of the MD-PhD Training Program is to enable scholars to obtain the best training in their intended research areas, while working closely with an outstanding faculty. Preparation of our scholars here to become future leaders will create individuals capable of making significant contributions to the challenge of 21st Century health care.

UF Innovations through Translational Science

A drink that bred an industry

In a basement lab in 1965, a University of Florida nephrologist and three of his research fellows worked through the night trying to get the sodium and glucose mixture just right.

The midnight science had started off with a simple enough question: Why did athletes lose so much weight on the field? And how did it affect their performance?After collecting samples from football players on the 1965 UF football team, Dr. Robert Cade and his three fellows made a startling observation: Athletes were losing electrolytes and their blood sugar was dropping significantly during the course of a game.

According Cade’s calculations, his basement-brewed concoction would hydrate athletes, meanwhile increasing the body’s rate of absorption to restore electrolytes lost during sports and activity. Add in a little lemon juice for taste and a little drink known as Gatorade was born. Armed with Gatorade, the 1966 football team went 8-2 and observant reporters took note of the beverage in players’ cups. By 1967, Gatorade had gone commercial and was on NFL sidelines. Gatorade spawned a multimillion-dollar sports beverage industry and has become a staple for parents and pediatricians, too, by helping to keep sick children hydrated. Since its invention in 1965, UF has received more than $150 million in royalties from Gatorade, and these dollars have helped fund numerous initiatives within the UF College of Medicine.

Read about more Innovations here...