Yesterday,聽Orlando Health celebrated the opening聽of Orlando Health Strategic Innovations聽located聽within SPRK, the 色花堂鈥檚 innovation building, expanding the health system鈥檚 presence at the center 色花堂鈥檚聽main聽campus.
Designed to accelerate innovation, the Orlando Health Strategic Innovations group connects real clinical and operational challenges with student and academic talent, creating a healthcare environment where ideas are tested, informed by feedback, and continually improved. The space serves as an extension of the system鈥檚 downtown headquarters and is jointly funded by Orlando Health Ventures and the Orlando Health Innovation teams.
Orlando Health鈥檚 presence within SPRK aligns with UCF鈥檚 broader co-location strategy, which brings industry partners onto campus to catalyze innovation through proximity. The approach emphasizes shared space, shared聽challenges聽and shared outcomes to accelerate problem-solving, support experiential聽learning聽and speed the translation of ideas into practice.
The co-location marks the latest milestone in聽Orlando Health鈥檚聽long-standing partnership with UCF.
鈥淏y working side by side at SPRK, we are accelerating innovation and moving real-world healthcare solutions more quickly into the communities we serve.鈥� 聽鈥� Alexander N. Cartwright, UCF president
The鈥疧rlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute鈥痯rovides comprehensive, year-round care for UCF student-athletes, including on-field coverage, primary care sports medicine, and specialized imaging. As a聽Pegasus Partner,聽Orlando Health pledged $5 million toward the聽, which supports nursing internships, scholarships, and hiring, helping to address the state’s nursing shortage. In addition, Orlando Health and UCF collaborate on advanced technology projects聽鈥斅爏uch as the鈥�AI for Medical Surgery system聽鈥斅爅ointly offer specialized residency programs and聽collaborate in聽many聽additional聽ways.
鈥淥rlando Health has been an exceptional partner,聽demonstrating聽what is possible when industry and academia come together with shared聽purpose. This next phase of co-location builds on that foundation,鈥� says UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. 鈥淏y working side by side at SPRK, we are accelerating innovation and moving real-world healthcare solutions more quickly into the communities we serve.鈥�
Healthcare Innovation at the Center of Campus
Located in聽approximately聽2,649聽square feet聽within SPRK, the聽Strategic Innovations group聽was intentionally placed, here,聽to foster continuous collaboration with faculty and students across disciplines.
This co-location enables a new operating model. Orlando Health brings real health system聽challenges聽directly into the academic environment, and interdisciplinary teams of students, faculty,聽and Orlando Health innovators rapidly design, test,聽and refine solutions.
Early collaboration has already begun to generate impact in areas such as cancer research, digital health, creation of AI聽models聽and various orthopedic innovations.
鈥淭he opening of an Orlando Health Strategic Innovations space at UCF represents our shared commitment to advancing healthcare delivery through bold new ideas,鈥� says Jamal Hakim, M.D., chief physician officer, Orlando Health. 鈥淭hrough this partnership, we are creating a collaborative environment where clinicians, researchers, students and industry leaders can generate real-world solutions and drive innovations that will shape the future of how we care for patients.鈥�
Built to Go For Launch
The latest milestone in , this co-location represents UCF’s deep commitment to the ecosystem of support powering our vision for the future.
Through聽a collective effort聽鈥斅燾ombining philanthropy and transformational giving with corporate聽partnerships, research聽commercialization聽and other revenue-generating endeavors聽鈥斅燯CF聽is charting聽a聽bold聽new path forward and building a future the world has only begun to imagine.
鈥淭his co-location with Orlando Health exemplifies the kind of partnership that powers Go for Launch, bringing industry and academia together to create real-world impact,鈥� says Rod Grabowski, UCF vice president for Advancement and Partnership, and CEO of the UCF Foundation. 鈥淏y aligning visionary partners with UCF鈥檚 innovation ecosystem, we are accelerating discovery, expanding opportunity and advancing solutions that improve lives.鈥�
