A new neurology residency program, based at Osceola Regional Medical Center, has received initial accreditation and is seeking immediate applicants. The program is part of the UCF College of Medicine and Hospital Corporation of America Graduate Medical Education Consortium. Neurology represents the 11th UCF-HCA residency program in Florida and the sixth to receive accreditation in the past year as the consortium seeks to address the state’s physician shortage.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approved the program for 16 trainees who will train for four years. It will be directed by Dr. Elias A. Giraldo, a graduate of Major National University of San Marcos School of Medicine in Lima, Peru. He completed residencies in Neurosurgery in Lima, Peru and Neurology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington, VT. Dr. Giraldo completed his training with a fellowship in Vascular Neurology and Neurocritical Care at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.
“Many future neurologists and their patients will be served by this effort,” said Dr. Deborah German, UCF vice president for medical affairs and founding dean of the UCF College of Medicine. “Residency programs are part of the promise that was made to this community and an important element in a medical school that will anchor a Medical City. If we have more residencies, we’ll have more trained doctors in our community because many doctors practice where they complete their residency programs.”
Neurology residents should expect to benefit from Osceola Regional’s busy inpatient service, Level II trauma center and comprehensive stroke center. Residents will also train at the Orlando VA Medical Center and Nemours Children’s Hospital in Medical City as well as the medical school.
“Educating tomorrow’s physicians is a key priority for HCA’s North Florida Division, and as the nation’s leading hospital network, we are proud to dedicate our resources and expertise to the task,” said Joel Jeffries, M.D., vice president of graduate medical education. “Together with UCF, we are committed to providing our residents with an exceptional training and mentorship experience at Osceola Regional Medical Center.”
The UCF-HCA consortium expects to add 580+ residencies and fellowships in Florida by 2020. The two entities are also partnering to build a proposed community-based teaching hospital at the medical school’s Lake Nona campus.
The Neurology Residency program is seeking immediate applicants for the 2017-2018 year. The program has four positions available. Qualified applicants will be selected for residency interviews.
For more information about the UCF/HCA GME Consortium Neurology Residency Program, please visit https://med.ucf.edu/. Medical students interested in applying to the new program can apply through ERAS. For more information, please contact Lorraine Manning, Program Coordinator at Osceola Regional Medical Center, at lorraine.manning@hcahealthcare.com or 407.518.2751.