Florida State University partners with Ascension Sacred Heart Hospitals to expand physician training programs across Northwest Florida
Florida – In a powerful step to address Florida’s growing physician shortage, Florida State University’s College of Medicine and Ascension Sacred Heart Hospitals are officially partnering to expand graduate medical education across Northwest Florida. Beginning July 1, four key residency programs currently based at Ascension Sacred Heart hospitals will come under FSU’s sponsorship, deepening the university’s investment in the future of health care across the state.
The partnership covers internal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology residencies at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, pediatrics at the Studer Family Children’s Hospital, and family medicine at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach. Together, these programs already train 90 residents, and that number is expected to grow in the coming years along with the range of specialties offered.
“With our most recent graduating class, we will have more than 600 physicians practicing or completing residencies across the state, providing critical health care services,” said Dr. Alma Littles, dean of the FSU College of Medicine. “We look to add to these numbers by growing our Graduate Medical Education (GME) program and the impact of FSU Health through partnerships with outstanding health care providers and hospitals such as Ascension Sacred Heart.”
This partnership comes at a time when Florida’s health care infrastructure is under increasing strain. The state’s population is expanding rapidly, particularly in underserved regions, while the number of practicing primary care physicians continues to lag. To address this, the Florida Legislature passed the Live Healthy initiative in March 2024, a set of laws aimed at improving health outcomes by increasing access to care and boosting the physician pipeline. One key component of the legislation includes funding for more medical residency slots, especially in primary care.
Ascension Sacred Heart has already taken steps to take advantage of these new provisions. Because Florida is federally recognized as a state with a primary care shortage, the health system has secured matching funds from the federal government to enhance its residency training programs in this vital area.
“Building collaborative partnerships is essential to enhancing physician workforce development in Florida,” said Bill Boyer, associate dean of GME and the Designated Institutional Official at FSU’s College of Medicine. “Building a medical school and graduate medical education pipeline is not just an investment in our future health care providers, but a commitment to the health and well-being of our communities.”
Boyer also confirmed that this is just the beginning. Future plans include launching new residency programs in emergency medicine and general surgery. The long-term goal is to introduce seven to ten additional residencies and fellowships in collaboration with Ascension Sacred Heart.
Currently, the FSU College of Medicine sponsors 13 residency programs and five fellowships across Florida. Among them is a unique Forensic Pathology Fellowship based in Pensacola through a partnership with the District One Medical Examiner’s Office. These programs help FSU stand out not only for the breadth of its offerings but also for the quality and competitiveness of its graduate medical education. According to a recent study from the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, FSU-sponsored residency programs achieved a 100% match rate for the past five years—a distinction shared by only nine other sponsors statewide.
“This new partnership with Florida State University allows us to expand on our ongoing mission to meet the growing health care needs of this region,” said Sacred Heart Chief Medical Officer Dr. Peter Jennings. “We are excited to add new training programs, as we build on our almost 60-year legacy of training young doctors who graduate from our programs and go on to have long, satisfying careers in our communities, providing care to those we love.”
Perhaps most importantly, the partnership has the potential to make a lasting impact on health care delivery across Florida. A recent study shows that about 75% of physicians who both attend medical school and complete residency in Florida remain in the state to practice. This means that growing GME programs through partnerships like this one is a strategic approach to tackling the physician shortage at its roots—by growing homegrown talent.
As the July 1 transition approaches, excitement is building among faculty, residents, and community leaders alike. This collaboration marks a turning point in medical training in Northwest Florida and could become a model for similar efforts across the state.
With more doctors being trained where they are needed most, and strong academic and clinical partners working together, the future of Florida’s health care workforce looks increasingly promising.
