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Elizabeth Lawrence, MD, FAAFP
Program Director, USF-MPM FM Residency Program
We are a three-year unopposed residency program sponsored by the University of South Florida Department of Family Medicine, nestled in the vibrant city of Clearwater. Since the program’s inception in 1998, our mission has been to develop exemplary family physicians possessing the knowledge and skills to humanize medicine and to provide high-quality, science-based, patient centered, cost-effective health care.
In 2009, we added a Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship to enhance our musculoskeletal curriculum and further develop physicians with a calling to serve athletes and active individuals of all ages. In 2013, a Pharmacy Residency with a focus on primary care was created to enhance the pharmacy curriculum and promote collaborative learning between Family Medicine and Pharmacy residents. These additions provide tremendous value to our learners and patients!
Through many avenues, our residency program plays a vital role in the community health of Clearwater and the greater Tampa Bay area. Outpatient care is provided at the Turley Family Health Center, the first residency practice site in the state of Florida to receive Physician Practice Connections® – Patient-Centered Medical Home™ Recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Here, residents, fellows, and faculty nurture the health of the diverse local population from prenatal visits through geriatric care. Our inpatient training occurs within BayCare Health System, chiefly at Morton Plant Hospital, an IBM Watson Health Top 100 Hospital. Morton Plant is a 599-bed waterfront facility and is home to more than fifty specialty areas serving over fifty thousand patients a year.
Our focus on providing residents with the opportunity and support to create their own niches during residency allows for a competitive edge after graduation. Tracks and curricula that address growing trends in medicine such as Telemedicine, Wilderness Medicine, Integrative Medicine, and Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) have made our graduates highly marketable. Over the last two years, ninety percent of residents who applied for fellowships were accepted into their top choice.
Finally, the program engages in continuous process improvement, promoting cutting edge educational and clinical innovation. Our vision is to advance superior healthcare by educating family physicians to provide an exceptional patient-centered experience, by providing leadership to the local medical community, and by gaining national recognition for educational innovation and scholarly activity.
Clinical excellence is what we teach, what we learn, and what we deliver to our patients and our community. We are excited to offer you an opportunity to explore our program as we fulfill our vision of training leaders in Family Medicine who believe in healthcare excellence.
On a personal note, I have served as one of the faculty members since graduating from the residency program in 2004, with various roles over the years including Associate Program Director, Associate Professor at USF, and Medical Director of the Turley Center. I am especially proud of the positive nurturing culture we have created and the wonderful residents and faculty who sustain it!
I look forward to meeting you on your rotation or during your interview!