UF in the Community

Office of Community Relations

UF Government and Community Relations

Monday, December 21, 2020

Across the University of Florida, our 16 colleges, numerous institutes and health care facilities embrace our shared mission of outreach and service to improve and enrich our community, nation and the world. UF in the Community spotlights the impact of UF in our region.

Although UF has students and employees throughout the state, North Central Florida is home to much of our faculty and staff and to our 50,000+ students. Like all area residents, we want a vibrant, safe, healthy and equitable place in which to live and thrive. Here are some of the ways in which we are enhancing our shared community.

UF Health researcher answers questions about the COVID-19 vaccines

The leading COVID-19 vaccines aren’t anything like the polio vaccination your grandparents received — or even the flu shot you got this fall. A look under the hood unveils a remarkable advancement in medicine.

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UF Health among first in world to use novel diaphragmatic pacer to help COVID-19 patients breathe

UF Health is the first in the Southeast to implant a novel diaphragmatic neurostimulator in a coronavirus patient requiring a ventilator. This is the third instance of this here in the United States.

Ali Ataya, M.D., an assistant professor within the UF College of Medicine’s division of pulmonary, critical care & sleep medicine explains: “Although there are some diaphragmatic pacers already available, they are all surgically placed, and not feasible to use in this population,” Ataya said. “But this uses a temporary central line, like any that the patient would get, so it is much less invasive and easily performed at bedside.”

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UF Center for Public Issues Education COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall with Director of the UF Emerging Pathogens Institute.

UF Center for Public Issues Education presents a COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall with Dr. Glenn Morris – Director of the UF Emerging Pathogens Institute. Tune in on January 26^th at 1:00pm to hear the latest updates on COVID-19 transmission and vaccines.

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UF Bureau for Economic and Business Research (BEBR) presents the Consumer Sentiment report for December 2020

Consumer confidence among Floridians ticked up 1.1 points in December though consumer sentiment ends 2020 far below the levels recorded before the coronavirus pandemic.

Floridians’ opinions about current economic conditions were mixed. Views of personal financial situations now compared with a year ago decreased, while opinions as to whether now is a good time to buy a major household item like an appliance increased.

Men, people younger than age 60, and people with annual income above $50,000 expressed less-favorable views while women, people age 60 and older, and people with annual income under $50,000 expressed more-favorable views. Outlooks about expected economic conditions were also mixed.

UF Health Shands has special intern program for Eastside High School students

UF Health Shands and Eastside High School have created a successful internship program for students in the EHS Medical Skill Program. These internships are in a wide variety of hospital positions. They learn new skills and increase their employability after high school.

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UF Health and the University Athletic Association partner to provide a real-world internship experience for UF athletes

17 student-athletes participated in the third annual UF Health/UAA internship program. The 2020 version, though, had to be tweaked, with a push to the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So instead of a summer internship — normally the offseason for all sports — these Gators pulled double-duty during the fall semester, balancing academics and interning, and in some instances also had to mix in their athletic responsibilities and competition.

UF IFAS research will help astronauts grow their own food in space

The UF/IFAS Settles Lab identifies crops and growth systems that are suitable for space flight and provide biological life support to astronauts.

Spirulina, algae packed with protein and hailed as a superfood, will make a six-month trip to space in 2021 to test its suitability as a bountiful and nutritious crop for astronauts on long-term space missions.