Program Director Message
Welcome to the University of Central Florida/HCA Florida Healthcare (Greater Orlando/Osceola) Emergency Medicine Residency Program
Our mission is to train exceptional emergency physicians who provide compassionate, high-quality, patient-centered care to all individuals, dedicated to saving lives and positively impacting the health of our communities.
We are proud to be part of the UCF/HCA Healthcare GME Consortium, with our primary training site at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital. As one of the busiest emergency departments in Central Florida, our residents gain exposure to a high-acuity, diverse patient population in an unopposed, education-focused environment. You’ll be challenged, supported, and empowered to grow into the physician you’ve always aspired to be.
Our program is built on the foundation of MAGIC—
Mentorship, Advocacy, Grit, Innovation, and Community. These values guide everything we do, from bedside care to the way we support each other as colleagues and friends. We believe in building a culture where residents feel they belong, have autonomy in their learning, grow in competence, and find deep meaning in the work they do.
You’ll train in a forward-thinking academic community that embraces adult learning principles: flipped classrooms, immersive simulation, small group sessions, and personalized faculty mentorship. With a smaller residency class, your voice matters here—and your experience is intentionally shaped around your growth, well-being, and future goals.
In August 2018, we lost our beloved founding Program Director, Dr. Bethany Ballinger, after a courageous battle with an illness. Dr. Ballinger’s legacy continues to shape who we are today. As she once said:
“Emergency Medicine is a calling. It is demanding and not for the faint hearted. It requires long hours and extreme dedication. ER will disturb your sleep and challenge your principles. It will draw on every drop of compassion you have and then still ask for more… Although we rarely see our patients again, some linger in our memories forever… It’s a serious business but paradoxically one that also needs a healthy sense of humor!”
We are proud to carry that spirit forward, blending clinical excellence with compassion, curiosity, and community.
Thank you for considering our program. We hope you’ll find that the MAGIC here is real—and we would be honored to meet you.
David Lebowitz, MD, FACEP
Program Director
Watch our Residency Video!
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