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 shares reflections and photos of the pandemic experience over the last year.

The Gator Community Entrepreneurship Initiative seeks to help members of the Gainesville community, and particularly those facing economic or other hardships, in starting and growing a business. It is a joint effort of the UF Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, the City of Gainesville, and the UF Office of Small Business & Vendor Diversity Relations. The year-long initiative has two key components: a training program called the Gator Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs and consulting projects for local disadvantaged entrepreneurs. Sign up online for the next session starting Oct. 1.

UF Health researchers recently became the first to temporarily implant a new device in a patient with congestive heart failure, a procedure that one day could help physicians manage this potentially deadly condition.

Physicians in the UF College of Medicine’s department of urology and division of cardiovascular medicine performed the first-in-human use of the JuxtaFlow® renal negative pressure treatment device in April after enrolling the first patient in a clinical trial to evaluate its safety and effectiveness.

The University of Florida, the city of Gainesville and the Florida Department of Transportation continue to create a safer pedestrian and traffic environment on and around campus. Projects continue to be completed and will continue through the summer and into the fall.

UF College of Medicine students were provided a unique opportunity to learn about human anatomy using an innovative suite of leading-edge medical technologies, including 3D-printed organs and anatomical representations — hearts, brains, aneurism pathologies, limbs and more — and augmented reality, or AR, technology to interact with intricate anatomical models.

Consumer sentiment among Floridians ticked up 1.7 points in April to 83 from March’s revised figure of 81.3. Similarly, national consumer sentiment increased 3.4 points.

“Consumer sentiment dropped at an unprecedented rate in the second quarter of 2020, when it tumbled 26 points between February and April. One year since, consumer confidence remains 19.3 points below pre-pandemic levels, indicating that confidence has recovered at a slow pace,” said Hector H. Sandoval, director of the Economic Analysis Program at UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research.

Scientists and Extension agents at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have published a guide to help consumers plan a vegetable garden with a budget. Available from the UF/IFAS Electronic Data Information Source (EDIS), “Costs and benefits of vegetable gardening” is a free resource designed to meet the public’s demand for information on how to grow produce at home.