UCF College of Medicine

10/07/2026

Meet Dr. Henry Boilini - Military veteran, psychiatrist and preceptor, whose role in educating third-year UCF medical students has left a lasting impact on students, residents, colleagues and the communities he serves.

“Dr. Boilini is very patient and attentive with student presentations, open to questions, and is great at involving the students in the patients’ care. I appreciate that he is open to discussion about medication choices, differentials and even how to practice with consideration of legal and administrative rules. I had a great learning experience with Dr. Boilini.” - a UCF medical student who learned under Dr. Boilini.

Learn more about Dr. Boilini and see what other students say about their experience with him at https://med.ucf.edu/news/meet-our-preceptors-henry-boilini-m-d-medical-city-psychiatry-wellstead-mental-health-clinic-orlando-fl/.

10/02/2026

Exciting new research from our colleagues at UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science that explores targeting unknown molecules known as "dark matter" for biomedical purposes 🔬 💊

Vladimir Boginski has created a new molecular community network that can identify the dark matter of metabolemics.

09/30/2026

Improving healthcare is a constant process. ❤️

HCA Florida West Hospital hosted a resident quality improvement forum, inviting residents from the UCF-HCA GME Consortium to present the projects they've led to champion better healthcare.

Research projects like these help guide healthcare toward a future that delivers faster, safer and better care to patients.

09/29/2026

Last week, our students stepped out of the classroom to support the health of our Central Florida community.

At the 2026 Community Health Summit, UCF College of Medicine students provided basic health screenings and information, empowering individuals to reach their health goals and fostering an interest in medicine in the next generation.

09/28/2026

Our med students are keeping pace with how AI is transforming medicine 📚⚕️🤖

Through the newly formed AI in Medicine Interest Group, students and faculty are invited to come together to learn from each other about responsible AI use, best practices as a study supplement and how AI can enhance research.

M2 students Sophia Velasco and Alejandro De Los Angeles founded the group after seeing there was an urgent need for med students and faculty to keep up with the rapid implementation of AI in medicine. Their first two meetings were earlier this month, where they hosted UCF and industry researchers to talk about their work.

Interested in staying at the forefront of medical AI? Get in touch with the group and learn more about the group below:

https://med.ucf.edu/news/new-ucf-student-group-exploring-ais-role-in-medicine/

09/25/2026

How do tiny molecules in the cells of the brain affect our decisions every day? 🔬

UCF researcher Dr. Cali Calarco’s lab is examining how neurons — nerve cells in the brain — and their molecules change when exposed to ni****ne and other drugs. The goal is to understand how microscopic changes in the brain eventually influence behavioral decisions, including those associated with addiction.

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

Learn more about Dr. Calarco and her research at https://med.ucf.edu/news/ucf-researcher-investigates-mechanisms-of-ni****ne-addiction/.

09/24/2026

This week, the UCF College of Medicine welcomed Dr. Paul Tran to share his insight with our future Physician Knights on how they can better prepare for exams, rotations and their careers beyond.

Thank you Dr. Tran for visiting and to AMSA at UCF COM for organizing the event!

09/23/2026

With the help of AI, we've identified 🔟 potential treatments for a rare nerve tumor 🔍🧠

University of Central Florida Pegasus Professor Dr. Cristina Fernández-Valle, her lab & Sage Bionetworks used AI to sift through about 200 FDA-approved drugs & found 10 that could be repurposed to treat NF2-related schwannomatosis, which affects 1 in 25,000 newborns worldwide.

The $280K project is funded by the Children's Tumor Foundation, as these tumors can develop during childhood, damaging nerves responsible for movement, hearing & balance.

These new drugs of interest will be further tested in hopes of giving patients better & less invasive treatments.

Learn more about the research here:
https://www.ucf.edu/news/ucf-researcher-identifies-10-potential-treatments-for-rare-nerve-tumor-in-children/

09/21/2026

Great healthcare happens when we work together, across disciplines and countries. 🌎

Professors from the UCF College of Nursing and College of Medicine were invited to University Center Dinâmica das Cataratas (UDC) in Brazil for the Interprofessional Health Congress, an event dedicated to teaching healthcare students alongside one another to better prepare them to work together in their careers.

09/15/2026

Dr. Hung Nguyen recently discovered 🆕 genetic pathways that could improve immune response and inform new treatments 🧬🔬

Dr. Nguyen and his team found that specialized white blood cells known as T cells can be redirected to effectively target dozens of diseases by regulating the cell's tRNA - molecules within cells that help build proteins and provide energy.

Learn more about how we're expanding immunology: https://med.ucf.edu/news/ucf-discovery-on-immune-cells-could-illuminate-pathways-to-new-treatments/