JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Mayo Clinic in Florida and Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville announced today a 10-year extension of their three-decade collaboration to improve healthcare in the region and train future generations of physicians and healthcare workers. The collaboration will continue to focus on medical training, research and clinical care, specifically in pediatrics, where there are significant shortages of pediatricians in Florida and the U.S.
"We are committed to creating the healthiest generations of children and our partnership with Mayo helps to achieve that goal," says Michael Erhard, M.D., North Florida region president, Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville. "Mayo Clinic has been a fantastic partner to Nemours and we look forward to continuing to work together."
Mayo Clinic and Nemours have agreed to expand educational programs for staff, residents, fellows, students and other healthcare professionals; explore opportunities to advance cooperative programs of clinical and basic science research at both institutions; and explore future opportunities to collaborate. The two Jacksonville healthcare institutions first began their collaboration in 1993.
"We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Nemours," says Kent Thielen, M.D., CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida. "Our unwavering commitment to improving patient care, conducting groundbreaking research and fostering education will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the future of healthcare."
Mayo Clinic residents, fellows and staff obtain much-needed specialty training at Nemours, including medical rotations to obtain valuable hands-on experience in various subspecialties of pediatrics. This training is crucial in the wake of a significant shortage of pediatricians in Florida and the U.S. Florida is below the national average, with just 83 pediatricians for every 100,000 children, according to the American Board of Pediatrics. Across the U.S., physicians in many pediatric subspecialties are in short supply, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. This means children and families face challenges in accessing timely healthcare, including traveling long distances to get care, waiting weeks or months to get an appointment, going without care, or getting care from healthcare professionals who have less specialty training.
"This relationship has been critical for the development and expansion of the education programs at Mayo Clinic. Our medical school and many of our residency and fellowship programs would not have been possible without the training and mentorship efforts of our Nemours colleagues," says Gerardo Colon-Otero, M.D., vice dean, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. "In addition, the stem cell transplant and CAR-T cell therapy programs have been strengthened as a single Mayo Clinic-Nemours clinical and research program. We look forward to future collaborations for the benefit of the Jacksonville community."
Another benefit of the collaboration is that Nemours clinical and research staff may be considered for appointment to the faculty of Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.
"This announcement underscores the value and importance of partnerships between two academic institutions, aligned by a common mission to further the health of future generations of children through medical education partnership," says Raj Sheth, M.D. designated institutional official, Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville.
