- College of Medicine Faculty News
Two College of Medicine leaders are featured in the UCF Center for Success of Women Faculty Women’s History month series. The series features 31 UCF women faculty – one for each day of March – who have made invaluable contributions to the university and the wider community.
The series, which appears on the Center for Success of Women Faculty website, featured Dr. Caridad Hernandez, associate professor of medicine and medical education, and Jeanette Schreiber, associate vice president for medical affairs and chief legal officer at the College of Medicine.
Caridad Hernandez
As associate professor of medicine, Dr. Hernandez’s primary responsibilities center on teaching medical students doctor-patient communication skills, as well as physical examination and diagnostic skills. She joined the College of Medicine in 2011 and has since served as the Director of the Practice of Medicine course She also serves as vice-chair of the M.D. Program Curriculum Committee.
Dr. Hernandez received her M.D from University of California, did an internal medicine residency at the Yale- New Haven Hospital and a faculty development fellowship at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
What is your favorite UCF memory?
My favorite memory is Match Day each year- that’s the day when students who are about to graduate from med school learn where they will be doing their residency training. I get to teach the students on the first day of formal classes and get to know many of them very well, so it’s really special to see them learn where they will be starting their medical careers.
If you could change one thing at UCF, what would it be?
I would make medical education free. Currently, students are graduating with an average debt of nearly $200,000. I believe more would choose careers in primary care and more would choose to work in underserved communities if they weren’t graduating with what is essentially a mortgage.
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with your colleagues?
We are always learning and sometimes it’s really important to stop and reflect on what we’re doing.
If UCF was going to name something in your honor, what would you like it to be and why?
A child care center –although I do not have children of my own, I have come to appreciate that this is one of the major things that affects the quality of life of many of our medical students, residents, and young faculty and staff.
If you could have lunch with anyone at UCF (who you do not normally eat lunch with), who would you choose and why?
There are a lot of amazing people at UCF that I would enjoy meeting. It would be especially exciting to meet with a UCF alumnus, Albert Manero, who is now the executive director of Limbitless Solutions. I am so impressed by the team he has assembled and by their work. They highlight the fact that you can impact the lives of people through many different fields.
Who at UCF would you like to thank for your success?
I work with an incredible group of colleagues and their support has been invaluable. I especially want to thank our UCF COM dean, Dr. German, and my chairman, Dr. Ed Ross. They have been incredibly supportive of the direction I’ve taken in my career- and have allowed me to focus on medical education.
Name and describe a teacher or researcher from your past who truly inspired you and why.
I have been fortunate to have had many excellent and inspiring teachers throughout my career but the teacher who had the greatest impact on my life was my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Medina. She was the first person who truly believed in me and told me I could achieve my goals.
What undergraduate or graduate class/program/experience inspired you the most and why?
My residency training experience was the most important formative experience in my life- again, I had wonderful teachers who helped me develop as a physician.
What is your favorite restaurant or food?
We live in a city where we can easily enjoy a variety of cuisines- I especially enjoy restaurants that feature farm to table ingredients.
What is your favorite movie, book or music?
I love The Sound of Music – always end up watching it over the holidays. I love to read and enjoy reading a number of authors- most recently I have been reading Louise Penny, Jussi Adler-Olsen, and Jacqueline Winspear.
What is your favorite vacation destination?
I love visiting the U.S. Virgin Islands- especially St. John.
Jeanette Schreiber
As part of the College of Medicine leadership team and the General Counsel’s office, Schreiber facilitates strategic and business initiatives and oversees the College’s legal and related services. She joined the College of Medicine in 2008.
Schreiber graduated cum laude with a JD from Harvard Law School. She also has a master’s in social work from Florida State University, and a BA from Emory University.
What is your favorite UCF memory?
Opening Day in 2009 at the College of Medicine, when the university and community celebrated achieving the dream of having a UCF medical school and welcomed the first class of medical students.
If you could change one thing at UCF, what would it be?
Fast forward to a fully developed academic health sciences center at Lake Nona including a teaching hospital and continuum of other clinical facilities with integrated educational and research programs, including many specialties and disciplines in medicine, nursing, public health and other UCF health sciences, and bringing a new level of medical care to the community.
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with your colleagues?
Reach out and partner with your colleagues and recognize the great diversity of talent and expertise across UCF faculty and staff.
If UCF was going to name something in your honor, what would you like it to be and why?
A Center that develops multi-disciplinary, collaborative, sustainable programs that improve the health and well being of our communities. This would engage collective expertise, build community relationships and informational resources, provide research opportunities and engage and train students through service learning.
If you could have lunch with anyone at UCF (who you do not normally eat lunch with), who would you choose and why?
Martha Hitt. As UCF’s enduring first lady and accomplice to an amazing President, she makes a major contribution and would have great perspectives on UCF – and our strengths and opportunities.
Who at UCF would you like to thank for your success?
My two bosses Scott Cole and Deborah German for allowing me the flexibility to serve and grow in many different directions.
Name and describe a teacher or researcher from your past who truly inspired you and why.
Dr. Delores Aldridge, now Emeritus Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Emory University, a sociologist, clinical social worker, and civil right activist http://aas.emory.edu/home/people/emeritus/aldridge-delores.html. She was inspirational in early discussions of cross cultural studies and social determinants of health, and she introduced me to inner city community health clinics in Atlanta.
What undergraduate or graduate class/program/experience inspired you the most and why?
My thesis project at Harvard Law School, which analyzed the earliest models of Medicaid HMOs, their legal and regulatory structure and their cycle of launch to failure. This was my first look at the complexities of building financially sustainable health care plans that serve all.
What is your favorite restaurant or food?
Ethos Vegan Kitchen in Winter Park. Generally the challenge of making healthy food taste great.
What is your favorite movie, book or music?
Book: currently Comfortable With Uncertainty: Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion by Pema Chodron. Movies: Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Avatar.
What is your favorite vacation destination?
Beaches, most especially St Augustine, FL, and Cape Cod, MA.
Visit Center for Success of Women Faculty to view the ongoing series.