“I’ve always had this curiosity bug,” says Sharon Tucker, dean of 91�Թ���’s College of Nursing. “Since I was a kid, I used to ask all those ‘why’ questions. I was probably terribly annoying, but I wanted to know things.”

One of the first she remembers asking was why her grandmother died of cancer when other grandmothers didn’t. Tucker was 5. She would eventually learn that genetics, environmental factors, age and lifestyle can all play a part. But as a child, she simply wanted to understand why some people got sick and others didn’t.

That question, along with an aunt who was a nurse, led Tucker to nursing.

“Nursing gave me a way to translate my curiosity into service,” she says. By her second year of nursing school, she knew she wanted to pursue research, earn a Ph.D. and teach.

“Dr. Tucker’s research supports our efforts to empower nurses and elevate clinical excellence to deliver compassionate, evidence-based care.” — Kelly Edmondson, Orlando Health’s senior vice president of nursing and patient care services

On Thursday, Oct. 29, Tucker was officially invested as the Orlando Health Endowed Chair in Nursing, recognizing her service to nursing education, evidence-based practice and healthcare innovation. She is the second faculty member to hold the position, which 91�Թ��� Pegasus Partner Orlando Health established in 2009 to support nursing research with a direct impact on patient care — the kind of work Tucker has pursued throughout her career. The investment also positions Tucker to help shape what’s next in nursing education, workforce development and patient care, advancing 91�Թ���’s commitment to preparing the healthcare leaders Florida and the nation will need in the decades ahead.

“Dr. Tucker’s research supports our efforts to empower nurses and elevate clinical excellence to deliver compassionate, evidence-based care,” says Kelly Edmondson, Orlando Health’s senior vice president of nursing and patient care services. “It is an honor to continue to partner with 91�Թ��� to strengthen the nursing workforce and create a healthier future for all.”

The title is new. The curiosity behind it is not. Curiosity drives Tucker’s questions; evidence is how she answers them. Together, they have driven her career and practice defined by wanting to know more about: what it means to care for someone, what it takes to lead well and why it all begins with the self.

‘A Chart Doesn’t Provide the Whole Picture’

Tucker began her career in intensive care at the Mayo Clinic, caring for people during some of the most critical moments of their lives. There, she saw how some health crises were unavoidable, while others could be prevented or improved through healthier behaviors. But changing those behaviors, she learned, was rarely simple. A person’s history, circumstances and support systems all mattered.

She wanted to understand all of it, not just the illness.

In the late 1980s, while working as a nurse counselor at the Sexual Assault Resource Service in Minneapolis, Tucker had an experience that changed how she approached the people in her care.

“Because of her, I learned the importance of seeing things from the patient’s perspective, being open to the reality that there can be more than one truth and understanding each person’s journey is critical to truly helping them.” — Sharon Tucker, Orlando Health Endowed Chair in Nursing

“This patient had endured a lot of adversity and taught me how to help help someone heal,” says Tucker. Because of her, I learned the importance of seeing things from the patient’s perspective, being open to the reality that there can be more than one truth and understanding each person’s journey is critical to truly helping them. That was pivotal for me.”

That lesson stuck.

For nearly 40 years, understanding the world from the other person’s point of view has been Tucker’s guiding philosophy. From the ICU to the dean’s office, Tucker has built a career spanning patient care, research, teaching and leadership, publishing more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, securing more than $40 million in research and training funding, and helping advance evidence-based practice across the profession. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a distinguished fellow of the National Academies of Practice in Nursing.

She is also a board-certified adult psychiatric-mental health clinical nurse specialist and integrative nurse coach — two credentials that reflect her interest in the whole person, not just a diagnosis, and a focus she would also turn on herself.

“I know at the core of who I am that science improves lives,” says Tucker. “Evidence-informed care is really important to me, but I have to apply the evidence we get from research within a patient’s preferences and circumstances. A chart doesn’t provide the whole picture of a patient. It has critical information but what’s missing is often just as important.”

Focusing on what’s missing led Tucker to wonder how prepared future nurses are to enter a field where five nursing roles rank among the 30 most stressful jobs in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. She didn’t guess. In 2009, she and two colleagues developed a self-efficacy assessment now used by more than 4,000 people in over 40 countries to identify learning gaps and strengthen evidence-based practice.

“Developing that scale continues to teach me that capability, context, confidence and culture all matter,” says Tucker. “Today, it informs how I approach education, leadership and implementation science: we must assess where people and organizations are, build the right supports and create conditions where evidence can become routine practice rather than an extra task.”

The question, in other words, is never just what people should know. It’s what they need to put that knowledge into practice.

‘The People Who Show Up Run the World’

After years in hospital leadership, Tucker recognized the same resistance to change she had seen in individual patients. Even when people understand what needs to change, acting on it can be difficult.

“We all want to keep doing what we know, what’s comfortable, especially when we’ve already got enough on our plate or are feeling overwhelmed,” she says.

Tucker knows that feeling herself. In 2007, while balancing hospital leadership, university teaching and raising two young daughters, she began a three-year Robert Wood Johnson Nursing Executive Fellowship. At the time, she was accustomed to translating scientific research into evidence-based bedside care. Sharing her research findings came easily. Sharing her opinions was another matter. The fellowship asked her to do exactly that, and left her with a question: How do we influence meaningful change?

“… I teach all my students, you have to step up to the mic whenever you can and voice your opinion. That’s how we influence change. The people who show up run the world. I think in nursing that’s more important today than ever.” — Sharon Tucker, 91�Թ��� College of Nursing Dean

“That experience taught me to be courageous and to step up to a mic when I didn’t want to,” she says. “It can be uncomfortable, but I teach all my students, you have to step up to the mic whenever you can and voice your opinion. That’s how we influence change. The people who show up run the world. I think in nursing that’s more important today than ever.”

The fellowship, like the patient years ago, pointed Tucker back to individuals. Being good at one thing, she learned, doesn’t mean someone feels prepared for the next. A leader’s job, like a clinician’s, starts with the person, not the task. That means getting curious about the people doing the work: what motivates them, what challenges they face and what support they need to succeed.

Now, in her second year as dean, Tucker is applying that lesson to the next chapter of the College of Nursing. She is asking how artificial intelligence could change both the profession and the way nurses are taught. Her vision for what’s next focuses on what’s always been important — empowering highly skilled and practice-ready nurses, research opportunities that improve care for patients, and the partnerships, like the one with Orlando Health, that make it all possible.

“The evidence, the practitioner and the patient are all important,” she says. “As are continuing to promote a culture of honesty, trust, well-being and professional growth.”

Tucker is equally committed to all of those when it comes to herself. She recently competed a six-month dean development program and led her leadership team through a book club on The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

“When things get challenging, I return to the belief that people can grow, organizations can change and nursing has a powerful role in improving health and well-being,” she says. “That focus helps me stay grounded: Listen carefully, act with integrity, use evidence wisely, and keep the person at the center of the work.”

For Tucker, that person includes herself.

‘Present, Resilient and Always Moving Forward’

Endowed gifts provide permanent support, generating annual resources that strengthen 91�Թ��� year after year. Through , endowments help power student success, groundbreaking research and community impact for generations.

For 20 years, Tucker has journaled and meditated, but her longest-standing practice is more about momentum than stillness. Tucker has been running for 40 years, including competing in several marathons. The miles give her space to think and a chance to test what she believes about herself.

“Running has taught me so much about myself, what I’m capable of, and what I can give to others, mainly because it gives me a chance to have some silent time to think,” she says. “When you’re running, you have to be present, resilient and always moving forward.”

At 5, Tucker wanted to know why. Today, backed by the Orlando Health Endowed Chair and a university committed to shaping the future, she is still asking bold questions, helping launch new ideas, stronger nursing leaders and better outcomes for the patients they serve.

When imaging reveals an abnormality in a kidney — such as cancer or a stone — patients and their physicians face a critical decision for what to do next: Wait? Do an invasive procedure? Or run more tests?

A new 91�Թ��� research project combines artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision and clinical expertise to help physicians make that decision with greater confidence and efficiency.

The project, called Kidney-VLM, is supported by a one-year $974,681 grant from the Florida Department of Health’s Florida Cancer Innovation Fund and is led by Pegah Khosravi, a medical AI expert and College of Medicine associate professor with a joint appointment at 91�Թ���’s College of Engineering and Computer Science.

VLM stands for vision-language model, a trainable AI platform that examines both images and data. The 91�Թ��� system analyzes visual information such as CT scans, while the language component comes from radiology, bloodwork and pathology reports. Bringing together those sources allows the system to provide a more comprehensive look at a patient’s kidney health to support more informed treatment planning. A physician could also ask the system a question and receive a response tied specifically to the patient’s imaging data and pathology.

“Kidney-VLM is designed to connect pieces of a patient’s medical story that may often be reviewed separately,” Khosravi says. “Medical AI should not merely produce an answer. It should provide evidence that allows clinicians to understand, evaluate and appropriately question that answer.”

A Clearer Vision for Patient Care

Khosravi is leading the project through , a collaborative initiative that brings together more than two dozen AI-related faculty members, their students and industry partners across disciplines. AdventHealth, a 91�Թ��� Pegasus Partner, is also partnering on the research.

Trustee Chair of Computer Science , IAI’s director and founding director of 91�Թ���’s Center for Research in Computer Vision, brings decades of experience in computer vision, visual reasoning and machine learning to the project.

He says the new research addresses the challenges of integrating computer vision and medical AI into clinical settings.

“Kidney-VLM advances computer vision by moving beyond isolated detection or classification toward an integrated and clinically interpretable system,” Shah says. “This project offers an opportunity to translate advances in computer vision into a practical tool that may help clinicians characterize kidney tumors more confidently and reduce unnecessary procedures.”

The project exemplifies 91�Թ���’s willingness to foster interdisciplinary research and continue responsibly exploring the potential of AI, he says.

“By bringing AI researchers, physicians, and clinical partners together from the beginning, the project creates a pathway from foundational research to meaningful patient impact,” Shah says. “With 91�Թ���’s strength in computer vision, the College of Medicine’s clinical expertise, and our partnership with AdventHealth, Florida is well positioned to become a national leader in responsible and clinically impactful AI innovation. This is exactly the type of collaboration we seek to foster.”

91�Թ��� computer science researchers Yu Tian and Chen Chen are helping develop the AI architecture. Tian is an assistant professor with joint appointments in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and College of Medicine, while Chen is an associate professor of computer science.

“Success will not be measured only by whether the model achieves a higher accuracy score,” Khosravi says. “We also want to determine whether it performs reliably across various patient groups and clinical settings, whether its explanations are medically sound and whether clinicians can recognize when the system is uncertain. Of course, a clinically useful AI system must be accurate, but it must also be transparent, calibrated and safe.”

Making AI Work in the Clinic

Abdo Asmar, a professor of internal medicine at the College of Medicine and a nephrologist with 91�Թ��� Health Faculty Physician Practice, is guiding the project from the clinical side. He cares for patients who may undergo imaging because of kidney disease, hypertension, kidney stones or another medical issue and then discover they have a renal mass or complex cyst.

“This project is important because it focuses on a very real clinical problem with direct implications for patients: how to make better decisions when kidney tumors or suspicious renal findings are discovered,” Asmar says. “Ultimately, this could help patients avoid unnecessary surgery, reduce healthcare costs and ensure that those with more concerning cancers receive timely evaluation and treatment. To me, this project represents a practical and patient-centered application of AI.”

He stresses that physicians must approach AI as a support, not a replacement, for medical judgment.

“We’re not replacing clinical judgment but strengthening it at the point where decisions are most consequential.” — Abdo Asmar, professor

“We’re not replacing clinical judgment but strengthening it at the point where decisions are most consequential,” he says. “While I am excited about the potential uses of AI in medicine, I remain grounded in the belief that physicians and medical researchers have an obligation to use AI carefully, ethically and always in service of better patient care.”

AdventHealth Research Institute’s Michael McDonald, a urologic oncologist, surgeon and researcher is working with the team to ensure the research remains clinically relevant and scientifically accurate.

He envisions that Kidney-VLM can address existing diagnostic limitations.

“Our ultimate goal is to provide physicians with better information before treatment decisions are made,” McDonald says. “For example, in kidney cancer, one of the major challenges is that imaging can’t always reliably determine whether a renal mass is benign or malignant before surgery, and the final diagnosis may not be known until after the tumor is removed and examined by pathology.”

Kidney-VLM is a focused tool to pinpoint a specific set of medical conditions, but Khosravi and her team are hopeful that the model will provide a foundation for broader advances in medical AI.

“The importance of this project extends beyond a single algorithm or disease,” Khosravi says. “Kidney-VLM provides an opportunity to develop a reproducible framework for trustworthy medical AI that can eventually be adapted to other cancers and clinical challenges.”

Research reported in this article was funded by the State of Florida, Department of Health, Public Health Research, Biomedical Research Program, through the Casey DeSantis Florida Cancer Innovation Fund (grant number 26C36). This content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the State of Florida.

In Orange County, a health educator teaches students in schools and after-school programs how to eat nutritious foods and be more active, helping lower their risk of obesity and chronic disease. In Pennsylvania, infection preventionists work to contain a measles outbreak by isolating affected patients, ensuring healthcare staff use appropriate protective equipment and tracking new cases. In Indonesia, hospital leaders and public health officials mobilize practitioners, establish clean-air sanctuaries and deliver supplies to communities threatened by wildfire smoke.

These are just a few of the many health challenges being addressed and mitigated around the clock.

“We’re training the people who make sure [public health work] never stops. That’s a badge we wear with pride.” — Michael Rovito, 91�Թ��� MPH program director

Public health professionals plan for them every day. Beginning Fall 2027, 91�Թ���’s new Master of Public Health (MPH) program in the College of Health Professions and Sciences will prepare students to prevent disease, respond to emerging threats and lead efforts to build healthier communities in Central Florida and around the world.

“Public health is the work nobody notices until it stops,” says Michael Rovito, director of the program and associate professor of health sciences at 91�Թ���. “We’re training the people who make sure it never stops: the people who keep our communities healthy, who make sure children understand their own bodies and who help cancer survivors live full lives after treatment. That’s a badge we wear with pride.”

Across the nation, public health departments work to prevent disease and injury, contain outbreaks, monitor community health, provide scientific expertise and respond to emergencies. Meeting those demands requires a skilled workforce. A 2021 analysis by the de Beaumont Foundation and the Public Health National Center for Innovations estimated that state and local public health departments needed at least 80,000 additional full-time positions — an increase of nearly 80% — to provide foundational public health services nationwide.

“91�Թ��� has a really comprehensive focus on … making the world healthier and helping individuals be healthier.” — Catherine Bush, interim coordinator for the MPH program’s Health Policy, Planning and Leadership track

91�Թ���’s program will prepare the next generation of public health professionals to meet that need through research, policy, leadership and collaboration with communities. Central Florida provides a unique training ground where students can confront a range of challenges. Florida ranks among the top 20 states for the number of residents age 65 or older, second for projected new cancer diagnoses, fourth for reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases and third for HIV diagnoses.

“91�Թ��� has a really comprehensive focus on health, both in making the world healthier and helping individuals be healthier,” says Catherine Bush, interim coordinator for the program’s Health Policy, Planning and Leadership track and instructor of health management and informatics. “Public health is a really natural fit with something we’re already doing really well and with great success.”

Researchers in the College of Health Professions and Sciences are already addressing many of those challenges, with work spanning health policy, substance use and more. Rovito and 91�Թ��� Associate Professor Keith Brazendale are leading a study to improve the quality of life of testicular cancer survivors. 91�Թ��� Assistant Professor Jacob Bleasdale is studying the health-related needs of older patients living with HIV. 91�Թ��� Assistant Professor Latarsha Chisholm is working to improve end-of-life care for dementia patients.

“There’s a lot of good work to be done here in Central Florida, and 91�Թ��� is uniquely positioned to lead in public health by collaborating with partners on campus and across the region and drawing on our strength as one of the most innovative universities in the nation,” Rovito says.

Built for the work ahead, the program offers two tracks:

• Health promotion and behavioral science: For students who want to work directly with communities to improve access to health resources, reduce chronic disease risk and strengthen well-being.
• Health policy, planning and leadership: For students who want lead public health organizations, influence policy and turn evidence into solutions for complex health challenges.

Applications are open now through May 1 for the Fall 2027 class. The program will be offered primarily in person on 91�Թ���’s main and downtown campuses, with some courses offering a synchronous online option.

For more information, visit .

A one-hour virtual information session about 91�Թ���’s MPH program will be held Tuesday, Dec. 15, from 5 to 6 p.m.

The gift supports the Dean’s Excellence Fund and the S&Z Vyas Charitable Foundation Endowed MD Scholarship, expanding opportunities for future physicians and advancing 91�Թ���’s Go For Launch campaign priorities.

“Dr. Zaby and Suree Vyas understand that excellence in healthcare begins with investing in people,” says Deborah German, dean of the 91�Թ��� College of Medicine. “Their generosity will help talented students pursue their dreams of becoming physicians while providing the resources that allow our college to continue raising the standard of medical education. Their gift embodies the goals of by supporting student success and helping 91�Թ��� maximize excellence for generations to come.”

For 91�Թ��� College of Medicine student Nicole Stevens ’25, donor support helped turn possibility into reality. A mother of three and nontraditional student, Stevens shared how scholarships, mentorship and research opportunities empowered her to pursue medicine and redefine what she believed was possible for herself and her family.

The clock tower stands at the center of 91�Թ���’s Health Sciences Campus and serves as an iconic symbol of the College of Medicine, welcoming students, faculty and visitors while reflecting the importance of time, innovation and excellence in training the next generation of physicians. All those entering the medical education building, where every 91�Թ��� future physician is trained, will see the commitment that the Vyas’ have made to the college, to the healthcare landscape of Florida and to the future generation of healthcare providers.

“One represents the daily work of learning, discovery and growth” says President Alexander N. Cartwright. “The other serves as a bold and enduring presence on the horizon. Together, they reflect the lasting impact the Vyas family is making on 91�Թ��� and the future of healthcare.”

After being forced to leave Uganda in 1972, the newly married couple rebuilt their lives in England before eventually settling in Central Florida, where Vyas established a successful family medicine practice. Their journey shaped a lifelong commitment to expanding opportunity for others, particularly future healthcare professionals.The Suree & Zaby Vyas Foundation was created to invest in the next generation of caregivers by supporting students in 91�Թ���’s College of Medicine and College of Nursing and creating an endowment to provide perpetual scholarship support. Their name is also recognized inside the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion, home of the College of Nursing with the Zaby & Suree Vyas Collaboration Concourse.

Welcome to 91�Թ���’s  anechoic chamber.

Located in the 91�Թ��� Innovative Center, the 217-square-foot chamber is not big by any means — but the impact it will play in understanding and improving hearing certainly is.

“Anechoic chambers are designed to do two things: to keep outside sound outside and to absorb reflected sound inside,” says Pavel Zahorik, professor of communication sciences and disorders. “This allows us to make acoustical measurements that are highly accurate and precise, by limiting background noise and reflected sound.”

Precision is critical in Zahorik’s research.

An expert in hearing devices and technologies, hearing science and psychoacoustics, he’s part of 91�Թ���’s growing , which in just two years ago has attracted some of the nation’s top hearing scientists to the College of Health Professions and Sciences.

In the new chamber, Zahorik will focus on improving hearing aids and listening devices, and learning more about how the shape of our ears and heads impacts how we hear.

Fine-Tuning Tech

Hearing loss is far from rare. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), approximately 15% of American adults — roughly 37.5 million people — report some trouble hearing. Among adults ages 65 to 74, roughly a third have hearing loss in one or both ears.

The effects extend well beyond missed conversations. Untreated hearing loss has been linked to higher rates of depression, increased risks of falls and even a greater likelihood of developing dementia.

By stripping away stray noise, Zahorik can ensure the devices designed to restore hearing are as accurate, effective, and life-changing as possible. To do that, inside of the anechoic chamber, every inch of the walls and ceiling is covered in sound-absorbing foam wedges (that look not unlike oversized monochromatic Monopoly houses) affixed at alternating angels. The floor is a steel mesh grid suspended over a layer of the same wall-to-wall wedges, swallowing stray sound waves before they can ricochet.

Anechoic derives from the Greek words meaning “without echo,” and the chamber delivers just that.

It may seem like overkill, but for manufacturers developing everything from hearing aids and AirPods to car communication systems, antennas and loudspeakers, quality and consistency depend on this level of acoustic control.

In fact, the first anechoic chamber was built to improve high-altitude military communication during World War II. Today, they’re used to test everything from telecommunications and aerodynamics to medical devices, including MRI machines and pacemakers.

The one at 91�Թ��� brings the distinctive designation of being devoted solely to research human health.

For Your Listening Pleasure

According to the NIH, an estimated 28.8 million U.S. adults could benefit from hearing aids. Yet the way we test these devices hasn’t always matched the way we actually use them.

Traditionally, hearing aids are placed inside a testing box fitted with loudspeakers. Researchers measure output and distortion in a controlled environment. It’s accurate — but it’s also artificial.

Ears aren’t boxes.

They have unique curves and angles and sit on heads of different shapes and sizes. Each ridge and contour subtly bends incoming sound before it reaches the eardrum, changing each individual’s response to how they hear.

Inside the anechoic chamber, Zahorik can test [hearing aid] devices the way they’re meant to function: in ears.

Inside the anechoic chamber, Zahorik can test devices the way they’re meant to function: in ears.

Using both mannequins and human participants, he can measure how sound behaves in real anatomical context — how it interacts acoustically with the head and ears before sound information ultimately reaches the brain.

“Everyone’s ears and heads are shaped differently, meaning acoustics are different for different people,” he says. “Understanding how the brain processes that different acoustical information could be really important for improving hearing.”

Zahorik’s longtime collaboration with Sonova — a global manufacturer of hearing aids, cochlear implants and wireless communication systems — builds upon this principle. By capturing cleaner, more realistic measurements, Zahorik hopes to refine how these devices amplify sound for users in everyday environments.

Because hearing isn’t just about volume.

It’s also about space: direction and distance.

It’s how we know a voice is behind us, a siren is blocks away or a friend is calling from across the room.

Zahorik has been fascinated by that puzzle ever since he was an undergraduate. A course on perception introduced him to the psychology of vision, but as a music enthusiast who dabbled in production, he was more interested in sound. His professor connected him with a researcher studying virtual sound simulation, and Zahorik volunteered for a study inside an anechoic chamber.

Blindfolded, he was led into the silent room. He sat there as a speaker emitted sounds and moved around him. His task was to say where he heard the sounds.

He was accurate in identifying direction. Distance, however, was another story.

“For the longest time, I thought I was in this huge space, and that the sounds were quite far away,” he says. “But when they took the blindfold off, I realized the space wasn’t very big at all. It was actually smaller than the chamber we have here.”

Without sight and echoes, the room distorted his sense of scale. That was in the late 1980s, and while technology has advanced dramatically since then, some of our understanding of auditory perception has not.

“We still don’t know, for example, exactly how our brain decodes acoustical information to represent space,” says Zahorik, a self-described sound nerd whose office setup includes state-of-the-art headphones and microphones. “We still don’t know how it is we know sounds are coming from a particular location and distance, and how the acoustical environment can change these perceptions.”

“Think of it like creating a 3D scan — but for sound.” — Pavel Zahorik, 91�Թ��� researcher

The new chamber will eventually help probe those questions. For now, the room has one loudspeaker, but the plan is to install a movable speaker arc that will allow researchers to measure acoustical responses from nearly any position around a listener.

“Think of it like creating a 3D scan — but for sound,” Zahorik says.

And just as 3D imaging has transformed how we see, measure and interact with the physical world, the discoveries made in the quietest place on campus will help transform how we hear — resonating far beyond the chamber’s foam-lined walls.

Through a nearly five-year, $943,000-plus grant from the National Institutes of Health, Calarco’s lab is examining how neurons — nerve cells in the brain — and their molecules change when exposed to nicotine and other drugs. The goal is to understand how microscopic changes in the brain eventually influence behavioral decisions, including those associated with addiction.

“We want to understand what’s really influencing the neuron,” says Calarco, who began work on this project in 2024 as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, before joining 91�Թ��� in January as an assistant professor. “Which component is critical for the neuron function that leads to drug-seeking behavior?”

For this research, Calarco’s lab is focused on the nucleus accumbens, an area of the brain involved in reward, learning and behavior.

“I call it a little computer that integrates a lot of signals that come in relationship to reward learning from a lot of other parts of the brain to guide behavioral choices,” she says.

“We want to understand what’s really influencing the neuron. Which component is critical for the neuron function that leads to drug-seeking behavior?” — Cali Calarco, assistant professor

The nucleus accumbens contains multiple types of brain cells, and Calarco’s research examines how individual cell types respond to nicotine and other drugs. Her lab is particularly interested in mitochondria, the structures within cells that produce the energy they need to function. Recent studies suggest mitochondria may also play an important role in drug-seeking behavior.

“Mitochondria have been underappreciated in neurons previously,” she says. “Neurons are incredibly complex cells that do incredibly complex tasks, both electrically and chemically that require a ton of energy, so we knew they were really important. But mitochondria also influence how neurons communicate with each other. They’re super important for gene transcription and translation and for steroid hormone production.”

By understanding addiction at the molecular level, researchers may ultimately be able to develop better treatments for substance use disorder.

“There aren’t that many substance use disorder treatments, and the ones available only work for a subset of people,” she says. “There is room for improvement in nicotine use disorder therapies, and new pathway targets may provide more effective treatments with fewer side effects.”

Nicotine use has persisted even as the products used to consume it have changed. Calarco compares the trend to a game of whack-a-mole, with new nicotine products gaining popularity as older ones decline. While cigarette smoking has declined, consumers now have access to products such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches placed between the lips and gum. According to data from the FDA and CDC’s 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey, nicotine pouch use nearly quadrupled among U.S. youth and young adults between 2022 and 2025.

While her research is focused on nicotine, Calarco says her findings could have implications for other substances and even social media addiction.

Calarco earned her doctorate in neuroscience from Yale University before conducting postdoctoral research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she studied mitochondria and cocaine-seeking behavior. She joined the 91�Թ��� College of Medicine’s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences in January 2026.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under award number K01DA061048. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. 

What if an existing drug could be repurposed to treat a rare disease?

That’s the question 91�Թ��� researchers are exploring with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) to find a cure for rare nerve tumors that can cause paralysis, hearing and balance loss.

Led by 91�Թ��� College of Medicine Pegasus Professor Cristina Fernández-Valle, the team is investigating whether medications already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for other conditions could be swiftly repurposed to treat schwannoma tumors.

The researchers have narrowed a field of about 200 potential drugs to 10 of interest, with three emerging as the most favorable targets.

Their goal is to find new treatment options for patients with Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2)-related schwannomatosis. The genetic disorder causes benign tumors to develop on nerves throughout the body and head. As the tumors grow, they can damage nerves responsible for movement and sensation, including those needed to hear and balance.

The disease affects about one in 25,000 newborns worldwide, according to the Children’s Tumor Foundation, with symptoms often appearing during adolescence and early adulthood. When diagnosed in children, the disorder can be severe and may require multiple surgeries during puberty to reduce tumor size and prevent further loss of function. The Children’s Tumor Foundation is supporting 91�Թ���’s research with a $280,020 grant.

“The Children’s Tumor Foundation was critical to us because they fund the exploratory research that helps advance science,” Fernández-Valle says. “All of this foundational data is needed to attract the additional support needed to demonstrate a treatment holds real promise.”

Looking for Treatments Beyond Surgery

Schwann cells normally help repair nerves and transmit electrical signals throughout the nervous system. In patients with NF2, however, these cells can form visible tumors that cause chronic pain and neurological issues depending on the affected spinal or cranial nerve.

Current treatments center on surgery and radiation, but removing these tumors can be challenging without damaging critical nerves, including those that affect hearing. Surgery also is not curative, as tumors can regrow.

That’s why the research team is looking beyond surgery to potential drug therapies.

While schwannomas are not cancerous, the researchers believe some cancer-fighting drugs may help patients with NF2.

The research began with an AI model called TxGNN, developed by Marinka Zitnik’s laboratory at Harvard Medical School. The model analyzes data and biological mechanisms across thousands of diseases and FDA-approved drugs to identify potential treatments for a queried disease.

“It essentially generates a map for a disease or condition, like schwannomas, and finds overlaps in targeting similar pathways or related diseases,” says Ethan Hass, a 91�Թ��� College of Medicine M.D./Ph.D. candidate working in the lab.

Researchers at Sage Bionetworks used the TxGNN model to identify about 200 FDA-approved medications that could potentially benefit schwannoma patients. Fernández-Valle’s team then used an innovative imaging system to observe how each drug affected human schwannoma cells.

Using a camera inside a microscope, the team watched how schwannoma cells in a dish reacted to small amounts of each drug. The most promising candidates – medications currently used to treat diseases as varied as lung cancer and acne – stopped tumor cell growth by impacting different cellular mechanisms.

A Step Towards Personalized Treatment

The research continues.

The 91�Թ��� scientists are determining therapeutic doses for the most promising drugs using patient-derived schwannoma cells. They’re also studying how the drugs affect the tumor growth pathways at the RNA level.

Ultimately, the researchers hope their findings will help identify drug combinations tailored to individual patients. Complicated and understudied genetic conditions like NF2-related schwannomatosis often require treatments that address multiple targets, Fernández-Valle says.

“I think this work is encouraging, and I’d say like with many cancers, you need a cocktail of drugs to treat it,” she says. “I think what we’re doing here is helping to identify some of the ingredients you might need to make an effective cocktail.”

From Lab Bench to Patient Bedside

The project also provides 91�Թ��� students with the opportunity to participate in research that can make a real-world impact.

Since joining Fernández-Valle’s lab, Hass says his interest in caring for patients with difficult neurologic conditions has grown.

“As an M.D./Ph.D. student, translation is the magic word for me,” he says. “I absolutely love seeing research that can be brought from the bench to the bedside. I want to be that bridge between patients and research.”

Powerful innovation changes more than technology. Put to work for 91�Թ��� students, it expands what they can learn, discover and achieve.

Across 91�Թ���, innovation takes shape through meaningful experiences. Students navigate patient care through immersive simulations, explore new possibilities for prosthetics, and learn from world-class faculty who bring industry expertise and mentorship into the classroom.

That approach has helped place 91�Թ��� among the nation’s top five most innovative public universities and earn recognition as Florida’s most innovative university for the 10th consecutive year, according to the 2027 Best Colleges rankings released today by U.S. News & World Report.

“We are proud to see 91�Թ��� recognized as Florida’s most innovative university and among the best in the nation for the opportunities we provide our students,” says 91�Թ��� President Alexander N. Cartwright. “Our students work alongside outstanding faculty, contribute to meaningful research and gain experience taking on real problems. We want them to graduate from 91�Թ��� knowing what they are capable of and ready to put that experience to work in our state and beyond.”

The distinction reflects the university’s commitment to elevating how students learn, how discoveries are made and how higher education strengthens the state it serves.

Preparing Talent That Strengthens Florida

For 91�Թ��� nursing students, learning to care for critically ill patients can begin well before they enter a hospital room.

At 91�Թ���’s Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation, Technology, Innovation and Modeling (STIM) Center, a global leader in healthcare simulation education, nursing students build patient care skills in realistic clinical environments.

“[We] continue to evolve the way we teach our nursing students because healthcare and technology are constantly evolving.” — Frances Armstrong, 91�Թ��� clinical assistant professor

Clinical Assistant Professor and Graduate Simulation Coordinator Frances Armstrong recently combined the center’s immersive cave, a virtual ventilator and an artificial intelligence-enhanced platform to create a simulation for acute care nurse practitioner DNP students. The experience brings theory to life, challenging students to apply what they’ve learned as they prepare for the complexities of patient care.

“It’s important for us to continue to evolve the way we teach our nursing students because healthcare and technology are constantly evolving,” Armstrong says. “One of the main ways to do that is by being innovative.”

That impact extends beyond the classroom. 91�Թ��� has educated more than 17,000 Knight nursing alumni to date, with over 80% living and working in Florida. Our undergraduate nursing program also ranks among the top 50 public universities nationally.

When Research Meets the Real World

91�Թ��� also ranks among the nation’s top 15 public universities for Best Undergraduate Teaching and top 10 for public universities for Best Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects — and is the only Florida university recognized in the latter category. Those strengths converge as students work alongside faculty to answer questions without obvious solutions.

More than 2,000 91�Թ��� undergraduate students conduct research each year. For computer science graduate student Eugenio Diaz ’26, that opportunity began as a sophomore through a research event that matches students with faculty experts.

There, he connected with Mohsen Rakhshan, an assistant professor in . Together, they began exploring a question with life-changing potential: Could technology help a prosthetic hand recognize what it touches?

Their project, “Texture Classification Using Neuromorphically Encoded Tactile Sensing Data,” combines AI, neuroscience and engineering to identify textures from tactile data. The technology relies on spiking neural networks, which more closely mimic how biological neurons communicate. The research could eventually help prostheses restore a sense of touch.

“This project showed me how satisfying it can be to take [theoretical] ideas … and turn them into something that addresses a tangible problem.” — Eugenio Diaz ’26, 91�Թ��� student

Diaz helped redesign the data-collection system, train models, analyze results and author a paper now under review.

Progress wasn’t immediate. For months, the models performed little better than random guessing. Guided by Rakhshan, Diaz kept experimenting until accuracy surpassed 80%.

“Mentoring undergraduate students is both teaching and research,” Rakhshan says. “I try to teach students how to think and guide them to find answers to what is known and unknown.”

For Diaz, the breakthrough revealed what his skills could accomplish.

“This project showed me how satisfying it can be to take ideas that are interesting theoretically and turn them into something that addresses a tangible problem,” Diaz says.

Putting More Opportunity Within Reach

Experiences like these have a greater impact when more students can reach them.

91�Թ��� is among the nation’s top 30 public universities for Best Value for In-State Students.

Value goes beyond the cost of a 91�Թ��� degree. It’s reflected in the opportunities students have to learn and collaborate with faculty experts, contribute to hands-on research, work with emerging technology and develop skills that prepare them for graduate study and the workforce.

Together, the rankings reinforce innovation with a clear purpose: creating more possibilities for students to learn, discover and build what’s next.

To see the full list of U.S. News & World Report rankings, visit ucf.edu/academics/us-news-rankings.

That dedication and her passion for research recently earned Kramer the inaugural Dean Deborah C. German, M.D. FIRE (Focused Individualized Research Experience) Impact Award, an honor named after the founding dean of 91�Թ���’s College of Medicine who created the FIRE course, which requires every student to conduct a two-year research project.

German announced earlier this year that she is transitioning from her role and will remain at 91�Թ��� for a year as an advisor to the president and provost on health affairs. FIRE leaders created the award to honor German’s legacy of scientific discovery as part of medical training, an educational component that makes 91�Թ���’s medical school unique nationally.

“I want our students to develop a spirit of inquiry. I want every 91�Թ��� physician not to be afraid to seek answers to medicine’s unanswered questions.” — Deborah German, College of Medicine dean

“I want our students to develop a spirit of inquiry,” German told Kramer as she presented her with the award. “I want every 91�Թ��� physician not to be afraid to seek answers to medicine’s unanswered questions.”

After earning an undergraduate degree the University of South Florida, Kramer decided to attend 91�Թ��� in part because the FIRE course was one reason she came to 91�Թ���.

“I wanted to combine research with clinical care,” she says.

Her FIRE project focused on glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer with a five-year survival rate of only 5% to 7%, according to the Mayo Clinic. Even if surgery, chemotherapy and radiation initially stop the cancer, it usually returns and becomes stronger. Kramer says she wanted to know why.

With support from her FIRE mentor, Kiminobu Sugaya, head of the College of Medicine’s neuroscience research division, she discovered that extracellular vesicles responsible for cell-to-cell communication may influence non-cancer cells to take on cancer-like properties.

The new award goes to the student whose research shows the greatest potential impact to medicine and/or biomedical research. College of Medicine faculty and fellow students chose Kramer for the award during the FIRE Conference.

“It is our privilege to establish this award in honor of Dean German,” say Robert Hines and Lane Coffee, co-directors of the FIRE course. “When establishing this medical school, she realized the importance of rigorous scientific inquiry, and our students have benefited from — and will continue to benefit from — this course within the curriculum.”

He’s an experienced skydiver, private pilot and scuba diver whose hero since childhood has been moon-walker Neil Armstrong. And now Melchor Antuñano is a 91�Թ��� Knight.

After 34 years with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — the longest term for any senior executive in the agency’s history — Antuñano has joined the College of Medicine’s team as a professor, and chief technologist and medical innovation officer. In these roles he’ll help design new procedures and technologies to keep astronauts, pilots and airplane passengers safer and help create a new 91�Թ��� master’s degree in aerospace medicine and a residency program for aerospace medicine physicians. He’ll also teach across 91�Թ��� colleges.

“Being part of this outstanding visionary team gives me the opportunity not only to help advance the field I love, but also to inspire, educate and mentor the next generation of physicians, scientists and innovators.” — Melchor Antuñano, 91�Թ��� aerospace medicine medical innovation officer

Antuñano says a career in aerospace medicine has given him the “opportunity to continually learn, adapt and contribute to a specialty defined by innovation, exploration, and discovery.”

“Joining the 91�Թ��� College of Medicine represents a new and exciting chapter in that journey,” he continues. “Being part of this outstanding visionary team gives me the opportunity not only to help advance the field I love, but also to inspire, educate and mentor the next generation of physicians, scientists and innovators.”

He is the newest leader to join 91�Թ���’s new Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine , a multidisciplinary center includes faculty experts in medicine, engineering, computer science, psychology, arts and educational leadership who will work together to research and develop new technologies for keeping space travelers healthy as well as soldiers on military missions, deep sea explorers, and mountain climbers.

“Dr. Antuñano brings to 91�Թ��� an extraordinary combination of operational experience, scientific leadership, innovation and a lifelong commitment to aerospace medicine,” says Emmanuel Urquieta, vice chair for aerospace medicine and director of CASEEM. “For more than three decades, he helped shape aerospace medicine and safety at the national and international levels. Having someone of his caliber join our team is transformative as we build a comprehensive aerospace medicine program that integrates clinical care, education, research and technology development.”

A Resourceful First Responder Before Medical School

Born in Mexico City, Antuñano had two dreams as a child: to be a doctor and fly airplanes. Before entering medical school at the National Autonomous University of Mexico School of Medicine, he volunteered with the Red Cross and the country’s rescue squad as a paramedic, rescue worker and EMT. He couldn’t afford to buy a red emergency light for his car. So he made one using a pot.

“My parents always instilled in my sisters and me the importance of doing our best, persevering in the face of adversity, planning ahead and learning from our mistakes,” he says. “I learned from my parents the importance of being kind, fair and respectful to everybody.”

He learned about aviation medicine during medical school and volunteered at the Mexican Government’s National Center of Aviation Medicine, where he learned about aviation physiology (including altitude chamber operations), human factors in aircraft accident investigation and pilot medical certification.

Impact Fueled by Taking Initiative

Next came residency. Antuñano says he came to America because the only civilian aerospace medicine residency program was at Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio.

He learned about this program by writing letters to senior U.S. federal government officials — including then President Ronald Reagan — inquiring where to pursue postgraduate training in aviation medicine in the U.S. He was accepted into the residency.

“That opportunity allowed me to pursue my professional dream and meet aerospace medicine physicians from all over the world,” he says.

Antuñano also earned a master’s in aerospace medicine at Wright State. His research was using a portable head cooling system to protect U.S. Air Force personnel from heat exposure. He built his lab in the kitchen of the residents’ lounge. He turned up the heat, then added oil and air heaters to create a thermal chamber. His experimental subjects were his classmates. He earned the Aerospace Medical Association’s Young Investigator Award for his initiative.

After residency, he received a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship from the National Research Council of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine. After that, he was hired as a contract scientist for the school to work on personal cooling technology for individuals wearing nuclear, biological and chemical protective suits.

Antuñano joined the FAA in 1992 and served as manager of the Medical Education Division and the Medical Certification Division at the agency’s Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) in Oklahoma City. The institute is responsible for medically certifying that the nation’s pilots are physically fit to fly, training the physicians who perform the physical exams in the U.S. and in 90 countries worldwide, and conducting safety-related aerospace medicine and human factors research. He became CAMI’s director in 2001 and retired earlier this year as the longest serving director in history.

Steering the Future of Aerospace Medicine at 91�Թ���

“A leader has the responsibility to make more leaders,” he says. “Look for stars in the making — encourage them, support them and help turn them into future leaders.” — Melchor Antuñano, 91�Թ��� aerospace medicine medical innovation officer

As the commercial space industry expands and humans prepare for longer missions to the moon, Mars and beyond, 91�Թ���’s College of Medicine is charting a new frontier in healthcare. The goal: explore how factors such as microgravity, radiation and isolation impact the human body in space and how that knowledge can drive innovation into diagnostics, treatment and disease prevention for patients on Earth.

As part of that effort, the aerospace medicine team is developing courses for students across the university and building a lab that will design, create and test the next generation of medical equipment to keep space travelers healthy. The team just opened the 91�Թ��� Aerospace Medicine Clinic to provide medical certification exams for astronauts and pilots across the region.

Antuñano says he is excited about the future and his role in advancing aerospace medicine research while training the next generation of aerospace physicians.

“A leader has the responsibility to make more leaders,” he says. “Look for stars in the making — encourage them, support them and help turn them into future leaders.”