Four outstanding undergraduate students are redefining the boundaries of STEM through their high-impact research — and in doing so, placing the university among the nation’s top producers of Goldwater Scholars.

The prestigious Goldwater Scholarship identifies and supports the nation’s best student researchers in the fields of engineering, mathematics and natural sciences.

This year’s honorees — all expected to graduate next spring — have propelled UCF into an elite tier of research institutions, surpassing several Ivy League institutions and tying for fourth in the nation in total Goldwater Scholars produced alongside Stanford University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago. Their impactful work reflects UCF’s commitment to building a high-level research environment that empowers students to lead projects addressing significant global and scientific challenges.

Supporting Space Exploration

Goldwater Scholar: Keanu Brayman

Major: Mechanical engineering

Ultimate Goal: To develop robotic systems to support human exploration on Mars.

Keanu Brayman’s passion for space began early.

“One of my earliest memories is watching a Space Shuttle streak across the sky from a beach in South Florida,” Brayman says. “I remember being amazed there were people on board and feeling drawn to one day help explore the stars and discover what lies beyond our planet.”

ɫ����, Brayman has refined that dream with the support of faculty and mentors — including Associate Professors Adrienne Dove (physics) and Tarek Elgohary (mechanical and aerospace engineering), and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Engineer Christopher Proctor — as well as through programs like the .

He plans to pursue a doctoral degree in aerospace engineering to support lunar exploration and NASA’s Artemis program, as well as develop robotic systems that can extract resources and build infrastructure to support human exploration on Mars.

Engineering the Brain

Goldwater Scholar: Kyle Coutray

Majors: Computer engineering and biomedical sciences

Ultimate Goal: To research ways to restore communication, movement and cognitive function to the brain through engineering methods.

Kyle Coutray is focused on the intersection of neuroscience and technology.

“I’m interested in building systems that interact directly with the brain,” Coutray says. “In the lab, … [I’m] blending [both majors] into one approach.”

He aims to pursue a doctoral degree in neural engineering to further his research on brain-computer interfaces that translate complex brain activity into useful functions.

A 2026 Order of Pegasus inductee and a Burnett Honors Scholar, Coutray credits his success to disciplined focus and strong mentorship, particularly from Charles N. Millican Professor of Computer Science Joseph LaViola and Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Helen Huang.

Advancing Patient Care

Goldwater Scholar: Varun Nannuri

Major: Molecular and cellular biology

Ultimate Goal: To pursue a career as a physician-scientist.

Varun Nannuri is driven by a desire to understand why people experience different health outcomes and improve care.

“Through my clinical experiences, I have seen how much patients and families rely on physicians during some of the most difficult moments of their lives,” Nannuri says. “My research experiences have shown me that better care depends on asking better questions.”

Nannuri plans to pursue a dual M.D./Ph.D. degree and become a physician-scientist. His ambition earned him recognition as a 2026 Order of Pegasus inductee while also completing his Honors Undergraduate Thesis. Nannuri is also a member of the Burnett Honors College as a Burnett Medical Scholar, a program that offers guaranteed admission to the UCF College of Medicine upon completion.

“UCF has given me opportunities to grow as a student, researcher, leader and future physician,” Nannuri says.

Restoring Human Senses

Goldwater Scholar: Trevor Overton

Majors: Electrical engineering and biomedical sciences

Ultimate Goal: To improve the lives of people with disabilities through advanced robotic prostheses.

Burnett Honors Scholar Trevor Overton’s work centers on neuroengineering and next-generation prosthetics.

“I’ve always had a passion for building things, and I also love reading and watching sci-fi,” Overton says. “When UCF offered me the opportunity to join the MEDD [ … I knew I had to take it.”

UCF’s MEDD program provides scientifically driven students like Overton with a unique opportunity to integrate engineering principles into medicine.

Much like the development of cochlear implants, Overton imagines similar breakthroughs with vision and touch.

“I envision a future where robotic prostheses are so advanced that they could completely replace or enhance the abilities of humans,” Overton says. “It’s not entirely impossible.”

After earning a doctoral degree in electrical engineering with a focus on neuroengineering, he hopes to inspire the next generation — just as his professors inspired him — emphasizing that UCF’s strength lies in professors who actively invest in their students.

A Growing Research Powerhouse

With four 2026 Goldwater Scholarship recipients, UCF continues to strengthen its position as a leader in undergraduate research. The achievement reflects both students’ immense dedication and a university-wide commitment to driving innovation, mentorship and hands-on discovery. As these Knights prepare for the next steps in their academic journeys, they carry forward a shared mission: to turn research into real-world impact.

Students interested in applying for the Goldwater Scholarship or other major national awards should contact the Office of Prestigious Awards at opa@ucf.edu.

Parchment is one of just two nurse leaders in Florida — and the only one from a Florida university — inducted into the 2026 class of fellows. The distinction honors individuals who’ve made sustained contributions to nursing leadership and are influencing the future of healthcare.

With more than two decades in the field, including her recent role as corporate director of nursing strategy implementation at Orlando Health, Parchment has guided two hospitals to Magnet Recognition, an honor for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovation in practice. She’s actively mentored nurses and built systems that help them progress. At one multi-hospital health system, her framework supported 62% of clinical nurse leaders in advancing professionally.

Turning Mentorship Into Momentum

Since 2022, Parchment has mentored graduate students at UCF as an assistant professor in the College of Nursing, helping prepare future nurse leaders.

“In my career, I have learned that continual growth and lifelong learning are essential,” she says. “As our profession continues to evolve, it is crucial that experienced leaders help guide the path forward, navigate new norms and provide support during times of change.”

Filling the Gaps in Leadership Training

Her research — cited nearly 50 times in national and international journals and books — examines professional nursing practice and leadership science, including defining role-specific factors behind workplace bullying among nurse managers and its effects on those in these leadership positions.

One of her most notable contributions is an evidence-based manual for interim nurse managers that addresses a critical gap in leadership training. It equips managers with the skills and resources to lead in complex, demanding environments and has been downloaded nearly 200 times to date. The manual was recognized by the Association for Leadership Science in Nursing as an innovative solution to the nurse manager workforce crisis and adopted by a 357-bed hospital to support its nurse manager transition-to-practice program.

Advancing Nursing at the National Level

Beyond the classroom and research lab, Parchment’s influence extends nationally. She serves as the academic commissioner for the American Nurses Credentialing Center Commission on Magnet Recognition and sits on The Nurses Legacy Institute board. She’s also an active member of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and the Association of Leadership Science in Nursing, where she co-led three funded national research studies on nursing leadership and system science priorities within healthcare leadership.

“I will continue to advocate for the profession, advance nursing leadership [and] nurture future leaders …”

“It is an incredible honor to be recognized by the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, an organization that has encouraged me to seize opportunities and use my voice to inspire transformation across levels of healthcare,” she says. “I will continue to advocate for the profession, advance nursing leadership, nurture future leaders and empower them to excel in today’s challenging healthcare landscape.”

They proclaimed there is no better place than UCF, the closest medical school to Kennedy Space Center, to create a new frontier in healthcare as humans prepare for longer missions to the moon, Mars and beyond.

“You are in a global destination for medical innovation,” Michal Masternak told participants in the Star Nona 2026 event in Lake Nona’s Medical City. An anti-aging and cancer researcher at the UCF College of Medicine, Masternak organized the event as part of the Lake Nona Research Council, which is focused on encouraging interdisciplinary scientific partnerships between industry, academia and healthcare.

Space medicine is one of the council’s priorities. Deep space travel and the commercialization of space bring unique health challenges that science is just beginning to explore. The College of Medicine’s focuses on 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.

Former NASA Administrator and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson told attendees the Artemis voyage’s return to the moon should inspire space medicine experts to make new discoveries.

“We’re in a whole new era, an exciting era, of space exploration that makes this time so special,” Nelson said.

Star Nona’s goal was to bring together experts to understand current research on the health impacts of space travel and what challenges need to be addressed as more professional and commercial space travelers go to the moon and beyond.

The Physical Challenges of Space Flight

Former NASA astronaut Robert Curbeam holds the record for most spacewalks on a single mission. He described how the body feels during launch and splashdown when G-forces are so strong you must remind yourself to breathe. He presented with his former NASA flight surgeon, Smith Johnson, now a faculty member at UCF’s new Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine (CASEEM). The two discussed the important relationship between physicians and space travelers before, during and after a mission.

“I loved being an astronaut and flying space shuttles,” Curbeam says. “The only problem with space travel is that not a lot of people get to do it.”

Your Brain Actually Shifts in Space

Living in space causes the body’s fluids to move up to the head and brain. But symptoms of that condition do more than cause puffy faces. Space travel actually causes the brain to shift. Jogi Pattisapu, of the Hydrocephalus and Neuroscience Institute, said as astronauts go to Mars for years-long missions and settle on the moon, scientists will have to understand how living in space affects brain function and create predictive tests and preventative measures. Eye health will be key, as fluid buildup has caused spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS) in 70% of astronauts on the International Space Station, leading to farsightedness, optic nerve swelling and eyeball flattening.

“What are we going to do if the pilot goes blind 210 million miles from Earth?” he said.

Team Dynamics in Space

Interpersonal communication is key to any team’s success, but how do relationships change for crews in confined spaces and face additional challenges such as sleep deprivation, isolation and differences in rank and roles. Shawn Burke and Stephen Fiore from UCF’s Institute for Simulation and Training have researched team dynamics in space to understand and prevent collaboration failures that can impact mission success.

Their research has also identified the formal and informal roles crew members play in encouraging positive social interactions and teamwork, especially in long-term missions. Missions to Mars may take up to 36 months and include 20-minute communications delays to and from Mission Control. Team dynamics will impact performance, mental health and affect, Burke said, because “you’re stuck with the people you have.”

Conducting Medical Research in Microgravity: Everything’s Upside Down

The weightlessness of space provides a unique research environment for new discoveries in areas including nutrient production, waste treatment, crystallization and biomanufacturing, said Alain Berinstain, director of the Florida Space Institute at UCF.

“Terrestrially, whenever space can make a difference, it’s a great economic driver,” he said.

In space, air doesn’t slow down processes, he explained, so experiments that involve weight, separation, sedimentation, fluid flow and buoyancy change. His advice to researchers considering space as a lab?

“Turn your experiment upside down. Does it still work? If the answer is no, you have a lot of work to do.”

To reduce these challenges, associate professors of health sciences Michael Rovito and Keith Brazendale in UCF’s Department of Health Sciences are conducting a 6-month intervention study, which is funded by the Florida Department of Health Cancer Innovation Fund.

The National Cancer Institute estimates survival rates for testicular cancer are high, as about 10,000 men are diagnosed each year and fewer than 5% die from the disease — underscoring the need to improve quality of life for these patients.

“Our focus is on finding ways to improve the quality of life for these survivors, and to improve their mental, emotional and social health,” says Rovito, who has researched testicular cancer and men’s health for nearly two decades.

A New Approach to Survivorship Care

Previous survivorship programs have often focused on high-intensity exercise, which can be difficult for patients managing recovery, work and family demands. To develop a more sustainable path to recovery, Rovito and Brazendale are testing a uniquely designed intervention in Florida, known as the Physical Activity and Connectivity for Testicular Cancer Survivors (PACT) program.

PACT combines low-impact, remote, physical activity with an online support network to help survivors navigate psychosocial challenges. Participants engage in regular low-intensity physical activity, such as walking or taking the stairs, and track their progress using Fitbit devices. The devices provide real-time feedback, allowing researchers to set weekly goals and offer personalized guidance. This feedback loop helps participants stay engaged while building sustainable habits.

“We’re seeking an intervention they can do for the rest of their lives,” Brazendale says. “We want these healthy supports to become habit.”

Support Beyond Physical Recovery

Connected through Zoom sessions, PACT program participants receive personalized counsel and encouragement from the researchers directly. They also take part in virtual peer-support sessions led by a social worker and a survivor advocate trained in trauma-informed care. Monthly sessions include breathwork, meditation and discussions on common concerns such as fertility, relationship changes and fear of recurrence.

“The online support session provides coping strategies and tools for the participants to use during the day, when they can feel anxious or depressed or overwhelmed,” Rovito says.

Outside of the meetings, researchers stay in touch regularly with individual messages to participants, sending tailored motivational text messages.

“Our hope is that we are providing realistic physical activity changes that are sustainable when the monitoring ends,” says Brazendale. “We want these survivors to have adopted habits and skills that result in them being healthier over the long-term.”

The researchers say they hope to expand the program to other cancer survivor groups and integrate it into broader survivorship care across Florida, while securing additional funding for larger-scale trials.

The Feasibility of the Physical Activity and Connectivity for Testicular Cancer Survivors (PACT) program is supported by a grant from the Florida Department of Health Cancer Innovation Fund grant number 25C33. 

The pivotal investment closes an aggressive and purposeful capital campaign to raise more than $30 million in private funding, which together with $43 million from the State of Florida, has brought UCF’s bold vision of a new home for its College of Nursing to life.

“Purposeful partnerships are what move our people and ideas forward to shape the future,” says UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. “Our mission with this campaign was clear: to address Florida’s nursing shortage head-on by significantly increasing UCF’s capacity to prepare compassionate and highly skilled Knight nurses. Together, with the generous support of state leaders, donors and partners, we are moving healthcare forward by fueling talent and innovation.”

Opened in Fall 2025, the 90,000-square-foot Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion increases access to UCF’s accredited and nationally ranked nursing degree programs. One in four Florida nursing graduates already receive a degree from UCF, more than any other university in the state.

With the opening, UCF will graduate an additional 150 newly licensed eligible nurses annually and directly impact Florida communities. Of the more than 17,000 Knight nurse alumni, 85% live and work in the Sunshine State and nearly 60% remain in Central Florida.

The facility comes at a critical time for the profession and state, which is facing a projected shortage of 37,400 registered nurses by 2035. To meet demand spurred from Florida’s rapidly growing and aging population, an estimated 2,300 RNs are needed to enter the workforce annually.

“We are incredibly grateful to Bank of America Central Florida for their support that will impact generations in Central Florida and beyond,” says College of Nursing Dean Sharon Tucker. “Through philanthropic support and partnerships, UCF has turned a challenge into opportunity — one that improves lives with increased access to a high-quality education and increased collaboration to innovate patient care. Together we are ensuring a healthier future for all.”

In addition to expanding classroom space, the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion dramatically expands space for simulation and immersive technologies to prepare future healthcare providers in the Helene Fuld Health Trust STIM Center. UCF is a global leader in healthcare simulation, and the first in Florida with three global accolades in the innovative field.

With an optimal location in Lake Nona, adjacent to UCF’s College of Medicine and in a hub of industry activity, the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion is fueling greater collaborative research and learning opportunities. UCF students gain hands-on clinical experiences at neighboring healthcare facilities and real-life practice in interdisciplinary care with the new UCF Health Mobile Clinic.

“This building is positively impacting how my peers and I learn, as community support is at the forefront and motivates our studies,” says Raquel Vargas, a current accelerated second degree BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) student at UCF. “In addition, the advanced technology in the simulation center is improving my ability to analyze and anticipate real-life patient scenarios, preparing me for my future clinical practice.”

The capital campaign launched in November 2022 anchored by a generous $10 million gift from Dr. Phillips Charities. Other founding donors of the facility include the Helene Fuld Health Trust, UCF Pegasus Partners AdventHealth, Orlando Health, Nemours Children’s Health and Addition Financial, Zaby and Suree Vyas, and many others.

“Through this grant, the Bank of America is bolstering the backbone of healthcare in one of our nation’s fastest-growing regions,” says Naveed Shujaat, president, Bank of America Central Florida. “Education and healthcare are powerful forces in communities – catalysts that transform lives. This support for the education of future UCF nurses will have an immeasurable impact on the patients and families they serve, especially in Florida.”

During the 2026 Society of Critical Care Medicine Congress, thousands of healthcare professionals gathered to advance patient care and recognize the experts leading the way — including UCF Nursing Associate Professor Brian Peach.

Peach was the only nursing expert in Florida inducted into this year’s class of fellows of the American College of Critical Care Medicine, a prestigious distinction recognizing healthcare leaders who’ve made outstanding contributions to critical care through clinical excellence, program development and scholarly activities.

Improving Patient Outcomes

Peach has dedicated nearly two decades to improving critical care — from the patient bedside as an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse and leader to advancing the field as an educator and researcher.

“… the best patient care and research outcomes are achieved through interdisciplinary teamwork.”

His clinical career spanned three teaching facilities — the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, University of Florida Health Shands Hospital and Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center — where he advanced into leadership roles and collaborated across disciplines to improve patient outcomes and drive quality initiatives, including improving time-sensitive sepsis care to save lives.

“I firmly believe that the best patient care and research outcomes are achieved through interdisciplinary teamwork, where each professional’s expertise enhances the collective effort,” Peach says. “My experiences have reinforced my commitment to fostering collaborations that drive meaningful improvements in healthcare.”

Advancing Education and Science

While his clinical work laid the foundation, Peach recognized a broader purpose: preparing future nurses and advancing the science behind critical care.

At UCF’s College of Nursing, he’s led a critical care course that emphasizes essential concepts through case-based learning that prepare future nurses for real-world practice. He also serves as the college’s Honors Undergraduate Thesis liaison, advising nearly 25 undergraduate and graduate students in independent research in the field.

Nationally, Peach extends his impact through leadership and service. He’s served as a reviewer for multiple critical care publications and collaborates with experts on projects like the next tier of the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s Centers of Excellence program, which will recognize hospitals for excellence in ICU care.

His award-winning research, shared globally through publications and presentations, focuses on improving outcomes for septic patients and, more recently, advancing care for ICU delirium and post-intensive care syndrome (PICS).

Advocating for Intensive Care Survivors

PICS — a syndrome involving new or worsened physical, cognitive and mental health impairments following an ICU admission — affects a significant portion of survivors. Of the more than 5.7 million Americans admitted to ICUs each year, about 70% survive, and it’s estimated that more than half experience lasting impairments.

Peach has become an advocate for critical illness survivors, dedicated to raising awareness and improving care. He currently leads a virtual reality exposure therapy trial for the treatment of PICS in critical illness survivors and frequently speaks on the topic at conferences, healthcare facilities and to the media.

“Helping shed light on the hidden burden carried by ICU survivors — and the gap between survival and true recovery — motivates my work,” he says.

As a member of the PICS Advocacy Network, he was inspired to co-found Orlando’s Walk-4-PICS campaign in 2024. It’s now one of the largest events in a global effort to raise awareness and connect survivors and their families with resources and research opportunities.

“… by allowing researchers to track data nationwide, [the diagnostic code] could help make the case that PICS research warrants greater investment.”

Earlier this month, Peach presented a proposal to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advocating for a PICS ICD-10 diagnostic code. If approved, the code would allow providers to formally diagnose PICS and enable researchers to track its prevalence. A decision is expected by Summer 2026.

“This code has the potential to dramatically influence health policy and research funding,” Peach says. “Millions of people across the U.S. suffering from PICS conditions will officially be able to receive a diagnosis. Furthermore, by allowing researchers to track data nationwide, it could help make the case that PICS research warrants greater investment.”

For Peach, it’s the people behind the statistics that inspire his work. It’s the personal stories of the ICU survivors he meets, the achievements of the students he mentors and the thought leaders he collaborates with to create change.

“I look forward to [continuing] to advance critical care through collaboration and mentorship,” he says, “and to improving care for patients, survivors and their families.”

If you’re a critical illness survivor living with new or worsened physical, cognitive or mental health conditions, you may qualify for one of Peach’s studies.

AdventHealth Endowed Chair in Healthcare Simulation Gregory Welch has made countless contributions to the fields of virtual, augmented and mixed reality as an inventor and researcher, but some of the ones he’s most proud of aren’t documented in patent applications or peer-reviewed publications.

For more than two decades, Welch has extended his passion into purposeful action within and beyond the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Visualization and Graphics Technical Community (VGTC) to empower future generations, foster collaboration and growth, and advance the fields of visualization, computer graphics, and virtual/augmented reality. Through his dedication and leadership, he has made a sustained impact on the global community.

His service includes volunteering at dozens of IEEE VGTC conferences since 2000 and serving as general chair for three international events, each drawing hundreds of attendees.

“… I had the idea to bring VR demonstrations from Florida universities to the conference site, making it a fun evening where [attendees] … could experience VR technology.”

One of the most memorable was the 2013 Virtual Reality Conference in Orlando, which he co-chaired and where he created the Florida Academic VR Showcase (FLAVRS).

“Conferences typically bus attendees to the host institution for demonstrations, but nobody enjoys long bus rides late at night,” Welch says. “With FLAVRS, I had the idea to bring VR demonstrations from Florida universities to the conference site, making it a fun evening where [attendees] could bring their families and experience VR technology.”

Welch, IEEE VR 2013 co-chair, joined University of Florida Professor Benjamin Lok and a group of student volunteers to transform the event ballroom into the makeup of Florida, complete with cities, lakes and well-known landmarks. Twenty-two demonstrations from researchers across the state were arranged by their institutions’ geographic locations.

Attendees received “passports” to collect stamps at each demonstration and earn prizes.

“I still have people tell me that it was the best VR conference event they have ever attended,” Welch says.

Mentoring the VR Researchers of Tomorrow

To further advance the field, Welch serves as an associate editor for two journals and has organized several professional development opportunities for students, researchers and developers, including international research retreats focused on specific topics.

He has also focused on inspiring future generations of virtual reality researchers. One of the contributions he’s most proud of is the creation of the XR Future Faculty Forum, or F3.

“It’s been so rewarding to see the knowledge sharing between generations … and to build a community among future faculty.”

Launched in 2023 with UCF computer science doctoral student Matthew Gottsacker, F3 connects faculty volunteers with graduate students through panels, talks and one-on-one mentoring to prepare future scholars for careers in academia. What began as an idea has grown into an annual event supporting hundreds of participants, with plans to continue expanding. F3 will take place again at the 2026 IEEE VR Conference in Daegu, Korea, where Welch will be honored for his service.

“It’s been so rewarding to see the knowledge sharing between generations, to help reduce fears about research funding and tenure, and to build a community among future faculty,” Welch says. “It’s been so gratifying to see this idea impact real people and expand to other conferences.”

His impact on future generations extends to his work at UCF, where he has advised and mentored dozens of students from undergraduates to postdoctoral scholars.

Driving Discovery in Simulation and Technology

Welch has made sustained contributions to the field through innovative research in virtual/augmented reality, virtual beings, motion tracking display and healthcare technology.

He currently leads the development of the , supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation. VERA, which is the first large-scale system for extended reality research, aims to create a powerful platform for human subjects research and behavioral data collection in VR. IEEE VGTC Virtual Reality Lifetime Achievement awardee and Agere Chair Professor of Computer Science, Carolina Cruz-Neira, is also working on the project, which is a collaboration across multiple universities.

To date, Welch has authored more than 150 publications and his work has contributed to 25 patents. His 1995 Introduction to the Kalman Filter has been cited more than 12,500 times. His patented innovations span a wide range of applications, from projection mapping — like what’s used on Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom — to physical-virtual patient simulators, “smart” wound simulators, sterile field detection mechanisms, directional electrodes for deep brain stimulation, tactile telepresence for isolated patients and spatially explicit auditory cues for enhanced situational awareness.

A Legacy of Service

For his outstanding contributions and career achievements, Welch has earned numerous honors, including being named to the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida. He’s also a fellow of IEEE, a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and a Pegasus Professor — UCF’s highest faculty honor.

“[My] unique blend of analytical and creative thinking [inspires] my work to … create interactive experiences that … solve challenges and help people.”

Welch sees value in real-life events that bring people together. He attributes his dedication to service and success as an innovator to his family and upbringing.

“My mother was a mathematician and computer programmer, and my father was a musician, so I have this unique blend of analytical and creative thinking,” he says. “That has inspired my work to use computer science to create interactive experiences that feel like the real world to solve challenges and help people.”

Welch’s commitment to helping others began long before his noteworthy career, with involvement in service organizations dating back to high school. For him, service is a way of life — not an obligation, but an opportunity to make an impact.

“There is so much that we can and should do to help our communities,” he says. “It takes people to step up, commit and invest time to make things happen. I hope my service and leadership inspire others.”

“Because [Deb German] dared, the UCF College of Medicine is now an engine of talent, research and impact that is shaping healthcare for generations.” — Alexander N. Cartwright, UCF president

German will remain in her roles while UCF conducts a national search for her successor. Following that transition, she will serve for one year as senior advisor for health affairs to the president and provost, supporting continuity during the next phase of growth.

When German arrived at UCF in 2006, the College of Medicine existed only as a bold idea that many questioned. Today, it is a nationally respected medical school and the academic anchor of Orlando’s Lake Nona Medical City.

“When Dr. German came to UCF, many believed building a medical school from the ground up — at a young university, in a brand new medical city — was too ambitious, too complex and too risky. Deb saw possibility where others saw barriers,” says UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. “Because she dared, the UCF College of Medicine is now an engine of talent, research and impact that is shaping healthcare for generations.”

Building a Medical School and a Workforce Pipeline

German arrived at UCF in 2006 as the medical school’s only employee. Her mission: build a medical school that would be the academic foundation of an emerging Medical City and inspire economic development in the community, region and state.

From its inception, the College of Medicine was designed to be research intensive and community connected.

To attract the best and brightest students, German helped secure more than $6.5 million to provide full four-year scholarships and living expenses for every member of the inaugural M.D. class — the first time in U.S. history a medical school fully funded an entire class. She also established the focused inquiry and research experience curriculum, requiring every medical student to conduct original scientific research. UCF medical students frequently achieve 100% residency placement rates.

Recognizing Florida’s growing physician shortage, German expanded graduate medical education in partnership with HCA Healthcare and the Orlando VA Medical Center. What began in 2014 with 17 internal medicine residents has grown to more than 720 residents and fellows training across Florida in high-need specialties including primary care, surgery, psychiatry, geriatrics and endocrinology.

This growth has strengthened Florida’s healthcare workforce at scale.

Advancing Academic Health Sciences

Under German’s leadership, UCF established an Academic Health Sciences Center uniting the colleges of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Professions and Sciences, along with UCF Health Student Health Services.

The Lake Nona Health Sciences Campus now includes the Medical Education Building, a new College of Nursing facility, UCF Lake Nona Hospital, the UCF Lake Nona Cancer Center, and the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences — home to nearly 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students preparing to become tomorrow’s scientific leaders.

In addition, the medical school’s Clinical Trials Division currently has 19 studies investigating new and better treatments for conditions including cancer, allergic asthma and Huntington’s disease.

In 2025, German also led the launch ɫ����’s , leveraging UCF’s proximity to Kennedy Space Center to explore innovations that improve both space health and patient care on Earth.

“When we opened the medical school, we said we wanted to create a program that was locally, nationally and internationally relevant,” German says. “With our new space medicine program, we now can be galactically relevant.”

Expanding Patient Care for the Community

“Watching [UCF’s] growth and our impact on so many people, including my own family, has been both humbling and deeply rewarding.” — Deborah German, College of Medicine founding dean

German also led the creation ɫ���� Health Faculty Physician Practice and the student-run KNIGHTS Clinic in partnership with Grace Medical Home to serve uninsured patients.

Most recently, UCF unveiled a 38-foot Mobile Health Clinic, bringing free, high-quality healthcare directly to communities in need while serving as a hands-on training site for students across disciplines.

“Watching our growth and our impact on so many people, including my own family, has been both humbling and deeply rewarding,” German says. “My goal in coming to UCF was to create the academic anchor of a new Medical City.  That foundation is now fully in place; we have done a good job. Now it is time for new leadership that will take us to new heights.”

Thanks to a new National Institutes of Health grant, a  scientist is investigating a new approach to treat neuropathy without relying on pain pills and anti-depressants.

Assistant Professor Jim Nichols is focused on overlooked mechanisms in the body that may show how the inability to make insulin has “downstream” consequences in other areas, such as how the brain processes and registers sensation in the limbs.

People affected by Type 1 diabetes don’t produce insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar, so patients must inject themselves with insulin to survive.

Before joining UCF, Nichols spent many years looking for new causes of diabetic neuropathy. Nichols theorizes that irregularities in the insulin signaling pathway of peripheral nerves may be the key contributor to diabetic neuropathy. Based on the potential of his early findings, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, which is under the NIH, recently awarded UCF a $747,000 grant to expand that research.

Discovering New Pathways

One of the challenges of living with diabetes is that patients with neuropathy may lose feeling in their extremities and not feel a cut, blister or injury. Those injuries can become infected and even lead to amputation. Such diabetic complications occur more frequently in patients with poor blood sugar control, so Nichols is hoping that his research will find a treatment to regulate and improve neuron signaling that can be used as part of improved blood sugar management.

“We’re diving into an area that’s fresh,” he says. “The research aims we’re going after are based on the insulin signaling pathway, and how the neuropathy evolves due to insulin dysregulation. Ultimately, we’re looking at different ways to alter the insulin signaling pathway to prevent nerve degeneration.”

During the next three years, Nichols and his team will document the behavior of neurons, their signaling systems and surrounding cells to find ways to regulate them to alleviate symptoms of neuropathy.

While approved therapeutics such as opioids and antidepressants can curb those symptoms, Nichols hopes his investigational treatment can become a more viable alternative for diabetic patients.

“We’re trying to find better therapies.” — Assistant Professor Jim Nichols

“There are typical pain therapies out there, although we’re trying to move away from that because diabetic neuropathy isn’t very amenable to the basic treatments that we have,” he says. “We’re trying to find better therapies, and that is our goal.”

Inspired to Learn and Discover

Nichols arrived at UCF in the summer of 2025, and says his goal is to inspire students to pursue bold new research directions. He encourages students to not fear the failures that lead to success.

“One of the things I tell the students is that we fail fast and we fail safe here,” he says. “What that means is that you want to fail as many times as you’re going to fail as fast as possible. You want to get those failures out as fast as possible so that you can learn as fast as possible without having an impact on you or your studies.”

��󾱲��dz������첹�Ծ�������’24�ѳ���completed her master’s degree in biotechnology at UCF after spending nearly five years working in the biomedical field in her home country of Nigeria. Now pursuing a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences, she joined Nichols’ lab because she wants to help patients like her parents, who both suffered from diabetes.

“This is personal to me because my mom was diabetic and she died from complications with it,” Akaniru says. “My dad now is showing signs of peripheral neuropathy. There are treatments for other comorbidities of diabetes, but I think it could go a long way to have something that could really help neuropathic pain better.”

Hollie Hayes ’20 graduated from UCF with her bachelor’s degree in biology and then worked in neuroscience research before joining Nichols’ lab as a manager. During her time at UCF, she worked on research to fight pediatric tumors and still carries that inspiration today.

“It got me really interested in focusing on helping people who are just suffering with chronic, debilitating pain, and especially anything that comes with nerves,” Hayes says. “My focus is, ‘How can I help advance the science and help as many people as possible?’ ”

Researcher Credentials:

Nichols is a graduate of the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine dual degree program where he examined new therapeutics for multiple sclerosis while completing his veterinary training. He then worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at MD Anderson Cancer Center for five years where he explored pathological mechanisms of pain with a focus on diabetic peripheral neuropathy. After joining UCF in 2025, Nichols and his team continue to explore the underlying mechanisms of diabetic neuropathy.

Funding and Disclosure:

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R00DK142197. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Arielle Patterson and Jemual Shaylor ’21, members ɫ����’s M.D. Class of 2026, matched at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Naval Medical Center San Diego, respectively.

Both are recipients of the military’s Health Professions Scholarship, which covers tuition and living expenses for medical students who agree to serve their country for one year for each year of scholarship.

Walter Reed-Bound

Patterson is focused on improving health through physical activity, specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

“As a doctor who is really passionate about fitness and physical medicine and rehabilitation, I want to really inspire the next generation of younger people to live healthier lives, earlier,” she says.

She also wants to expand access to healthcare and encourage more students from medically under resourced communities to enter the field of medicine. Research shows that patients have better outcomes when they feel they can connect to their physician’s personal background.

“There’s a lot of times in medical school where we feel alone, or like the only ones who have gone through this, but so many people have done this before,” she says. “Hopefully I can help bring us a little bit more together.”

Patterson has already begun working toward that goal, serving as director for Region IV of the Student National Medical Association, a student organization committed to improving access to the medical field and building culturally competent and clinically excellent physicians. She helped organize SNMA’s annual regional conference that will be in Orlando, February 20-22, bringing together physicians and medical students from across the southeast United States.

Patterson completed her bachelor’s degree in cellular and molecular biology at Hampton University before joining UCF’s M.D. Class of 2026. She says she chose the UCF medical school for its youth and innovative, team-oriented culture.

Inspired to Serve

Shaylor was inspired to enter military service by former Assistant Professor Jose Borrero, who was a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon during Vietnam before becoming a founding faculty member at UCF. Now retired, Borrero continues to serve as a mentor to UCF medical students.

During medical school, military students have the opportunity to undergo active-duty and officer leadership training at military centers around the country. In April, Shaylor will follow in Borrero’s footsteps to attend flight surgeon training in Norfolk, Virginia.

Specializing in general surgery, Shaylor hopes to eventually become a hand surgeon.

“A hand surgeon is almost a working man’s surgeon. You need your hands to do your job, or almost anything so when you’re able to restore function to any level, it has a major impact on a person’s life,” Shaylor says. “If I can do that, especially in the military where hand injuries are quite common, that would be a calling I would love.”

Shaylor earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in bioengineering from UCF.

The Match Process

Before practicing medicine on their own, M.D. graduates must undergo residency training in their chosen specialty. This graduate medical education training takes three to seven years, depending on the specialty.

During their fourth year, medical students interview with residency programs across the country before ranking their top choices. Residency programs do the same before the National Residency Matching Service analyzes the rankings and matches graduates to GME programs. Most results are revealed on National Match Day, which is March 20 this year. Military programs and some specialties match early.