Chen Lin, MD (2015 - 2017)

"It is my great pleasure to work with all the USF faculty but I want to say special thanks to Drs. Lockey and Ledford. I have learned so much from them in taking care of a patient and do not think I could have earned that experience anywhere else. I would not be as good as I am now if I had not chosen the fellowship here.  Many thanks! Wish you all the best and take care."

Nina Ramirez, MD (2000 - 2012)

“It is an honor to call myself an alumnus of USF. With great pride, as program director for the newly revived residents' forum during the annual FAAAIS meeting, I wanted to share with you that 41 residents have signed on for a spectacular conference opportunity. I could not be more proud to be a part of a great state society and help to elevate the visibility of our field to residents in training. I will become President Elect this year and look forward to my tenure as President (I promise not to tweet!). None of this would have been possible if it were not for the privileged education and support that I received at USF. The experience gave me 20 years of my life back! I am forever grateful.”

Jennifer Fergeson, DO (2014 - 2016)

"I feel very privileged to have been able to complete my Allergy and Immunology training under some of the world’s experts in this field. This training program has provided me with a well-rounded clinical experience and the opportunity to publish in various scientific journals. As a new graduate, I feel very prepared for private practice and am looking forward to returning to USF as an attending physician in the Allergy and Immunology VA specialty clinics".

Andrew Bagg, MD (2006 – 2008)

“Very well rounded experience. Good mix of clinic, research, conference time, and presentations. Appreciate the time with experts in the field including Richard Lockey, Dennis Ledford, Roger Fox, and Mark Glaum. Skills and info learned has been very useful the past 3 years. I am now part of a full scale allergy immunology practice doing the routine allergy and asthma plus drug testing and challenges, rhinoscopy, skin biopsy, methacholine challenges, and complex immunology cases. Thank you so much.”

J. Wayne Phillips, MD (1977 – 1979)

“After completing my Internal Medicine residency at USF, I was fortunate enough to be accepted in 1977 as the first fellow of the newly formed and accredited Division of Allergy and Immunology. As the first Chairman, Dr. Bukantz laid a humanitarian foundation that the program carries to this day. Dr. Lockey continues this fine example with his efforts on behalf of AAFA and AAAAI charities. It is with this type of educators that we received a first class experience, rotating through the USF, Tampa General and VA Allergy Clinics, providing consults and inpatient care at Tampa General and the VA Hospital, and seeing patients in a private practice setting. It is simply impossible to express my feelings of good fortune and gratitude in being selected as the first fellow by these world class physicians.”

Sam Gubernick, MD (1991 – 1993)

“I completed my Allergy/Immunology training at USF/ACH in 1993. I am very proud of that and feel my training was second to none. I left training prepared to handle the full spectrum of allergic and immunologic diseases. Not only did the program allow me to develop the necessary clinical skills, it also gave me the opportunity to observe and emulate world class physicians who were able to blend science with the art of medicine and top it off with a large dose of humanity. I would strongly recommend the program to anyone looking for a first class training opportunity.”

Sean McKnight, MD (2002 – 2004)

“Training with Dr. Lockey, Dr. Ledford, Dr. Fox, and their colleagues was a true privilege. The group emphasized the importance of applying science to a challenging and quickly changing medical specialty. ...patient encounters was very helpful in preparing for a rewarding and successful career in medicine.”

Richard Lavi, MD, FAAAAI FAAP (2004 – 2006)

"The trend these days is to conduct real-world studies for asthma therapeutics. I believe the training at USF gave me as close to real-world experience as was appropriate for my level of training. I am forever thankful and grateful for the experiences my fellowship at USF provided."

Tom Chacko, MD (2005 – 2007)

“I am very proud of my training in Allergy/Immunology at USF in Tampa. Now at almost 4 years out, I am still very happy I chose the USF program for my training. I felt we had excellent clinical training and I was very well prepared to practice in the outside world. USF also prepared me to be truly interested in Allergy/Immunology and set myself up to be involved in the Academy (AAAAI) and a life long scholar in the field. At times the fellowship was hard, but I would not trade it for any other training. I am thankful to my attendings as well as my other colleagues at USF, and again I am very proud to be a graduate of USF A/I Training Program.”

Steven Cole, MD (2005 – 2007)

"Upon completion of my fellowship at USF, I started my own practice almost 5 years ago. The training that I received there not only prepared me for seeing patients with a variety allergic disorders, but also allowed me to observe a top-notch clinic run by world class physicians. I felt so well-prepared after my training, that it was rare that I would come across a case in my own practice that I hadn't already been faced with several times during fellowship. The faculty at USF are truly inspiring in their ability to merge the world of academics with clinical practice. The faculty there possess the rare combination of academic curiosity along with practical clinical reasoning. I am very fortunate to have learned from their examples and am thankful that I chose Florida to learn about this specialty."

Efren Rael, MD (2008 – 2010)

"I was fortunate enough to have interviews for fellowship positions around the country. After meeting with Drs Lockey, Fox, Ledford and Glaum at USF it became very clear that USF was the program I wanted (and hoped) to conduct my fellowship training. The program is run in a very organized and well managed fashion. The faculty deliver a high level of training. Fellows are well supported in the beginning of the program but then as time progresses are given more responsibility. During my fellowship I was able to attend both state and national conferences which enriched my training. I was also very grateful for the assistance and guidance given to me when it came time for me to start my career at the completion of fellowship. I am very grateful for the opportunity to train at USF Health, I would highly recommend this fellowship program."

Peter Ricketti, DO (2017-2018)

My name is Dr. Peter Ricketti, and I am a current physician and president of a multispecialty medical practice at Mercer Allergy and Pulmonary Associates, LLC in Trenton, New Jersey. I was a former fellow-in-training who graduated from the Divisions of Allergy and Immunology and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The Division of Allergy and Immunology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine is unparalleled compared to other allergy/immunology fellowship programs across the country. What drew me the most to this program was the ability to learn from three past presidents of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. The knowledge and experience I gained from this fellowship program transcended and helped pave my career as a physician. This program is unique in that it allows the fellows-in-training to not only learn about and practice allergy/immunology in an academic setting, but also as a clinician in their respective private practice. This experience allows the fellows-in-training the ability to collaborate with pharmaceutical companies and gain invaluable information for prescribing various medications and biologic agents in patients who suffer from severe asthma, allergic and immunologic diseases.  I also gained invaluable experience working in the University of South Florida Division of Allergy and Immunology Clinical Research Unit in cutting edge clinical trials. By participating in clinical trials during my fellowship, this helped foster my career as a clinical scientist, and I plan to start running clinical trials in our private practice. As a rhinologist, one of the greatest tools that I took with me to my current profession is proficiency in performing flexible rhinolaryngoscopies. We learned during our training that it is an underused, cost-effective, safe and convenient procedure that offers several benefits over existing imaging techniques and may facilitate a complete and detailed evaluation of the nasopharyngeal tract. At the Department of Veterans Affairs James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, we had a clinic that was designated strictly for rhinolaryngoscopy training two days per month along with a separate, annual symposium update in Allergy and Immunology and hands-on rhinolaryngoscopy workshop. This extensive rhinolaryngoscopy training piqued my interest in diagnosis and management of upper airway disorders and prompted me to do an additional one-year fellowship in the Division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine where I continued to utilize this procedure in my training. Once I began working in private practice in 2018, I purchased a flexible rhinoscope and video tower and now perform multiple rhinolaryngoscopy procedures each day to help assist in diagnosis and management of various upper airway disorders. I feel that based on these past experiences along with countless others, the Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine is one of the most prestigious allergy/immunology fellowship programs in the country and will help facilitate and shape the careers for individuals who plan on becoming faculty members in academic centers or work in the private sector.