At 9 years old, Gianna Santoni 鈥�26 entered Nemours Children鈥檚 Hospital in Orlando with second- and third-degree burns. Years later, she returned to help care for children. Now, with a 91吃瓜网 biomedical sciences degree and research experience shaped by the university鈥檚 partnership with Nemours Children鈥檚 Health, she鈥檚 building a future in medicine.
鈥淛ust being in the hospital space, I was enthralled by the amazing world of these kind and intelligent people.鈥� 鈥� Gianna Santoni 鈥�26, 91吃瓜网 graduate
Her ambition began with the people who cared for her.
Santoni was riding aboard her father鈥檚 four-wheeler when an overheating gas tank scalded her. During treatment at Nemours, she found herself captivated by the hospital staff鈥檚 kindness and expertise.
鈥淭hey welcomed me with such kindness,鈥� Santoni says. 鈥淛ust being in the hospital space, I was enthralled by the amazing world of these kind and intelligent people.鈥�
That experience sparked her purpose: to become a doctor and help others as they helped her. At 91吃瓜网, Santoni pursued a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences through the 91吃瓜网 College of Medicine, with minors in medical anthropology and health sciences.
Her academic honors include a Pegasus Gold Scholarship, two AP Scholar with Distinction awards and an AP Capstone Diploma. She also advocated for the well-being and inclusion of Orlando鈥檚 homeless and disabled communities. Santoni’s intelligence, compassion and drive would eventually ensure that Nemours Children鈥檚 Health would see her again, but under far more empowered conditions.
Finding Opportunity Through Research
During 91吃瓜网鈥檚 2026 , a focal point for , Santoni found people to invest in her ideas.
The annual event showcases undergraduate and graduate research and creative scholarship, giving students opportunities to share their work and build connections that can help prepare them for graduate study, medical school and other careers.
Santoni was among the first students to attend the launch of 91吃瓜网鈥檚 Corporate Clubhouse, a new initiative that gives industry partners a front-row seat to student research while connecting students, faculty and industry and community collaborators. Attendees included representatives from Nemours, Lockheed Martin and Blue Origin.
There, Santoni met Jennifer Wolf 鈥�22MA, 91吃瓜网鈥檚 executive director of partnerships and the initiative’s creator. Santoni鈥檚 research interests center on how medicine affects specific populations, cultures and communities. Wolf鈥檚 interest in her work gave her encouragement to keep going.
鈥淩esearch can be isolating,鈥� Santoni says. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know anyone cares until someone says so.鈥�
Another connection helped turn that encouragement into opportunity.
Dr. Lloyd Werk, M.D., MPH, vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Nemours Children鈥檚 Health and a professor of pediatrics at 91吃瓜网鈥檚 College of Medicine, learned of Santoni鈥檚 interest in adverse childhood experiences and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome.
He connected her with the Nemours Summer Undergraduate Research Program (NSURP), refined her proposal and mentored her project. The 10-week biomedical research experience gave Santoni hands-on experience she says she鈥檒l carry into medical school and beyond.
The Power of Mentorship
For Werk, who has been with 91吃瓜网 since 2007, investing in students carries forward the guidance that shaped his career.
鈥淏y encouraging them to engage in research, I help create opportunities for discovery.鈥� 鈥� Dr. Lloyd Werk, M.D., MPH, Nemours Children鈥檚 Health employee and 91吃瓜网 professor
鈥淚鈥檝e benefitted from mentors investing their time and wisdom in my development. It鈥檚 very meaningful to know someone believes in you,鈥� Werk says. 鈥淭he literature shows that being engaged in programs like this one as an undergraduate helps students advance their careers and shapes their future professional lives.鈥�
Student Research Week and the Corporate Clubhouse gave him a chance to encourage future investigators to begin that work early. His mentorship also reflects the broader possibilities of the Nemours Children鈥檚 Health-91吃瓜网 Pegasus Partnership and Nemours鈥� commitment to student development and research.
Nemours was established as the 91吃瓜网 College of Medicine鈥檚 Department of Pediatrics in April 2024, and the partnership has evolved through a hospital-based internship program through which 91吃瓜网 teacher candidates provide instruction tailored to children with chronic illnesses, helping them continue learning during treatment. Nemours also offers volunteer opportunities, the and funded scholarships through NSURP.
For Santoni, those connections made a lasting difference.
鈥淗e has been influential in everything and helped me every step of the way,鈥� she says of Werk.
The learning goes both ways.
鈥淲hether it鈥檚 how to approach mentees or the various ways I can support them, I鈥檓 always learning from my students,鈥� Werk says. 鈥淏y encouraging them to engage in research, I help create opportunities for discovery.鈥�
Building What Comes Next
Santoni鈥檚 journey continues and has already been marked by some powerful full-circle moments. In January 2023, she returned to the same Nemours Children鈥檚 Hospital where she had been a burns patient, this time logging over 200 hours as a Child Life volunteer.
She graduated in 2026, following in her parents鈥� footsteps, both 91吃瓜网 alums. Her mother, Martha Santoni 鈥�96 鈥�99MBA, earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in health services administration and a master鈥檚 degree in business administration. Her father, Alberto Santoni 鈥�95 鈥�00MS, earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in electrical engineering and a master鈥檚 degree in industrial engineering.
Her path toward medicine now draws on experiences as a patient, volunteer and researcher 鈥� and on mentors and industry professionals who helped her see how far she could go.
Her story shows what 91吃瓜网 partnerships can make possible: a student brings the ambition, and a connection opens the next door. Through Student Research Week and the Corporate Clubhouse, 91吃瓜网 brings students, faculty, and corporate partners together to ask bigger questions, make discoveries, and create transformative learning experiences.
For Santoni, that means continuing toward a future she first imagined in a hospital room 鈥� with the knowledge, experience and support to build it. A moment of misfortune became a full-circle journey of inspiration, education and achievement.
Elevating student success and fueling discovery and innovation are two pillars of Partnerships are at the heart of this $3.5 billion collective effort to prepare 91吃瓜网 Knights 鈥� and the communities and industries they serve 鈥� to boldly meet the challenges of the future.
Interested in sponsoring Student Research Week or participating in the 2027 Corporate Clubhouse? Contact Jennifer.Wolf@ucf.edu.
