AdventHealth Tampa Launches Graduate Medical Education Program

TAMPA, FL — AdventHealth has been approved by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education to institute a Graduate Medical Education Internal Medicine Residency program at the health system’s largest hospital in Tampa Bay, AdventHealth Tampa.

The GME residency program will allow medical graduates from around the world to achieve clinical expertise under the leadership of renowned physicians and surgeons leading the way in their specialties.

“We have an opportunity to have great influence on the next generation of physicians,” said Dr. Douglas Ross, vice president and chief medical officer, AdventHealth Tampa. “GME programs provide a multitude of opportunities for the residents and the community including helping bridge the gap in the current provider shortage across the country. We are excited to move forward with our plans to invest in tomorrow’s physicians who will provide high-quality, exceptional care to all the communities they will serve.”

According to the American Association of Medical College, there is a predicted physician shortfall that could reach 139,000 by the year 2033. Dr. Aftab Ahmad, founding program director for the internal medicine residency program at AdventHealth Tampa is eager to begin the work to help close the gap.

“This is a critical milestone in supporting future physicians in their growth,” said Ahmad. “We are surrounded by some of the brightest minds in research and clinical care, and to have the opportunity to share our knowledge and experience to ensure the future of health care will be in expert hands, is just the beginning of how we plan to impact not only future physicians but also the communities we serve and the nation at large, for years to come.”

AdventHealth Tampa offers medical expertise ranging from primary to quaternary levels of care, including advanced heart and vascular care, innovative neurology and neurosurgery care, leading-edge digestive health, as well as renowned robotic and minimally invasive surgeries, world-class infant and pediatric care, and an active research institute where researchers are powering tomorrow’s cures.

Residents in the AdventHealth Tampa Internal Medicine program will rotate through several hospital departments under the supervision of board-certified AdventHealth physicians at AdventHealth Tampa and AdventHealth Medical Group practices in Tampa. AdventHealth Tampa will enroll its first residents in the internal medicine program in July 2023 and plans to launch OB/ GYN and general surgery residency programs but also, cardiology, and gastroenterology fellowship programs in the years to follow. The hospital will have more than 100 residents by 2028, making it a designated statutory teaching hospital.

The GME program at AdventHealth Tampa is part of a larger strategy to broaden residency opportunities across the west coast of Florida. AdventHealth Sebring previously launched a family medicine GME and most recently began its internal medicine GME program.

This press release was produced by AdventHealth. The views expressed here are the author's own.