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Elizabeth Culberson and Sean Kennedy are now double UCF Physician Knights – After graduating from medical school in May, they will do their residency training at UCF-HCA Florida Healthcare’s Emergency Medicine residency in greater Orlando, filling a critical need for emergency room specialists across the state.
“I love the opportunity to help people in need receive high quality care, no matter their station in life,” said Culberson. Added Kennedy: “Becoming a doctor is difficult, but it is worth it because we are doing meaningful work that is truly impacting the lives of our patients.”
The two are among 11 UCF medical school seniors who will be doing their residency training at UCF-HCA Florida Healthcare programs across Florida. Friday was National Match Day, where medical students learn where they will do their graduate medical education (GME) training for the next three to seven years, depending on their specialty. UCF had 119 students go through residency and earned a 100 percent placement rate. The national average is 93.5% this year.
Dr. David Lebowitz leads the Emergency Medicine residency at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital. “Matching two UCF medical students into our Emergency Medicine residency is really special. I had the chance to see them grow as medical students, and now they get to build on that foundation as resident physicians. It’s an incredible full-circle moment. With the region’s rapid growth, the need for skilled emergency physicians is more important than ever, and we’re proud to be part of that effort.”
The UCF-HCA Florida Healthcare GME program is one of the fastest growing in Florida, with programs in Fort Walton Beach, Gainesville, Kissimmee, Ocala, Pensacola, Sanford and Tallahassee. The consortium gained 276 new residents on Friday. By July, it will be training more than 720 physicians at 41 accredited programs across the state. Residency programs are a key to addressing Florida’s physician shortage, as most doctors begin their careers where they did their GME training.
“The UCF-HCA Florida Healthcare GME Consortium is meeting a critical need in training physicians in anticipation of the continued and growing physician shortage in the state,” said Dr. Stephen Cico, UCF’s associate dean of graduate medical education and designated institutional official of the program. “We are excited to welcome so many UCF medical students into our GME programs, especially into fields where they will be filling critical needs within Central and North Florida/the Panhandle, in fields such as Emergency Medicine, Psychiatry, Internal Medicine and Obstetrics-Gynecology.”
Dr. Cheryll Albold, vice president for GME for the consortium and HCA’s North Florida Division, noted the critical need for emergency medicine physicians given the region and state’s growing population and the increasing number of patients seeking care in emergency departments. She said HCA is meeting that need by expanding its number of free-standing emergency departments to improve access to care and reduce wait times. “Our UCF-HCA Florida Healthcare Emergency Medicine residency programs are a key resource to caring for our patients, and we are excited to welcome the two UCF medical students who matched into our EM residency at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital, as well as the other UCF medical students who have chosen to stay within the UCF-HCA family,” she said.
Hiba Nadeem matched into the consortium’s inaugural residency — Internal Medicine at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital, her first choice. “My dad, an internal medicine physician and hospitalist, was my first hero,” she said. “His patients loved him! He was my inspiration to pursue a career in medicine.”
Nadeem did her third-year internal medicine training at Osceola, where she met Dr. Abdo Asmar, who directs that residency program. “I had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Asmar how all the systems of the body work together and I found it to be very fulfilling,” she said. “I am so grateful to have the opportunity to continue working with Dr. Asmar and the UCF faculty.”
Rhea Choudhury matched into OB-GYN at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital in Gainesville. She also did her clerkship training there and said she appreciated the culture, the hospital’s focus on education and the community’s “small town vibe.” She said she is passionate about improving women’s care and their access to high-quality treatment.
Improving access to care, especially in medically underserved areas, is a priority for the UCF-HCA Healthcare Florida consortium. “HCA Florida Ocala Hospital is grateful for our partnership with the UCF College of Medicine that enables these outstanding doctors to continue their healthcare career journey with us,” said Alan Keesee, CEO, whose hospital received an anesthesiology resident from this year’s class at UCF. “As part of HCA Healthcare, the nation’s leader in graduate medical education, our hospital is honored to further the expertise of these doctors in vitally needed disciplines while teaching the highest standards of exceptional, compassionate care. We anticipate many of them will stay in Florida after completing their residencies and continue to serve our communities.”
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- Match 2025 UCF-HCA Graduate Medical Education Consortium