CarFit 2017

Fit to drive

Older drivers interested in learning how to be more comfortable and safe in their vehicles visited the CarFit event at the Senior Recreation Center, where students from the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions’ department of occupational therapy led them through a 12-point checklist of their vehicles and recommended adjustments to make the “fit” better and enhance driver safety.
— Greg Hamilton

Sasha Grek, M.D., appointed UF Health Shands chief quality officer

Sasha Grek, M.D., has been appointed chief quality officer for the UF Health Shands hospitals and associated clinical programs. Grek is an assistant professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine in the UF College of Medicine with clinical interests focused on trauma and cardiac critical care. As chief quality officer, Grek will guide organizational efforts to achieve outstanding performance on key quality and safety metrics, integrate and engage residents and other learners in quality and safety work, engage patients and families in quality, help maintain a positive culture of safety and be a catalyst for shared learning. He will promote a unified approach between executive leaders, nursing and operations teams and College of Medicine clinical faculty and residents to achieve quality and safety goals. — Greg Hamilton

UF College of Veterinary Medicine lab wins statewide building group award

The UF College of Veterinary Medicine’s Clinical Skills Laboratory building addition received the top overall state award in the education category of the Florida Chapter of the Design-Build Institute’s annual awards competition. Completed in August 2015, the $4.8 million lab includes integrated sustainability concepts such as reduced energy consumption through energy-efficient lighting and mechanical systems, sourcing of regional and low-impact construction materials with recycled content, and providing outdoor views to over 90 percent of the office and clinical spaces. — Sarah Carey

Gilbert R. Upchurch Jr., M.D., named chair of the UF Department of Surgery

Gilbert R. Upchurch Jr., M.D., has been selected as the new chair of the department of surgery at the University of Florida College of Medicine following a national search. He began his new role on Nov. 1. Upchurch, who also serves as UF’s Edward R. Woodward professor of surgery, has an international reputation as an acclaimed clinician, researcher and educator in the study and treatment of aortic and vascular disease. He is an exemplary teacher, having received many teaching awards over the course of his career. Before joining UF, Upchurch served as the chief of vascular and endovascular surgery in the department of surgery and the medical director of the Heart and Vascular Center at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was also the William H. Muller Jr. professor of surgery, as well as a professor in the department of molecular physiology and biological physics. — Karin Lillis