UF&Shands, the University of Florida Academic Health Center, is now University
of Florida Health, university officials announced today.
The new "umbrella" term reflects the health system's strong ties to UF, a key part
of what differentiates the academic health center — with its focus on excellence
in research, teaching and patient care — from its competitors.
The move to UF Health grew out of extensive research conducted over the past year
and represents the next stage in the organization's evolution as one of the nation's
most successful academic health centers. The rebranding effort will help position
the organization more powerfully among peers and competitors as a respected regional
and national health care resource, said David S. Guzick, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice
president for health affairs and president of UF Health.
Broad name recognition will help attract and retain the most talented physicians,
nurses, faculty, staff and students as well as secure research funding. That translates
to better care, better health and better outcomes for patients.
"While our overall name is changing, our focus remains the same: to provide high-quality,
patient-centered care that leads to outstanding outcomes," Guzick said. "We will
continue to build on the teamwork and collaboration that is the foundation for our
strength and success.
"UF Health represents who we are today," he continued. "As an organization that
does everything from leading-edge research to urgent MRIs on people and on horses,
it's essential to unify our teaching, research and clinical care efforts under a
single heading."
The name change does not herald a merger or acquisition between UF and Shands, nor
does it alter day-to-day operations. Both are legally separate organizations whose
governance and leadership structures remain the same. Employees will continue to
be employed either by the university or by Shands. As UF Health is a collaboration
of the UF Health Science Center
and Shands, employees will help support the system's shared vision and goals, which
were first outlined three years ago today when the "Forward Together" strategic
plan was unveiled.
The system's hospitals in Gainesville will retain the Shands name paired with UF
Health. Examples include UF Health Shands
Hospital,
UF Health Shands Children's Hospital and UF Health Shands Rehab Hospital. However, the system's
Jacksonville-based hospital, Shands Jacksonville, will instead adopt a university-centric
moniker (although it will remain a separate private hospital corporation working
in close collaboration with the university).
"In Jacksonville, our hospital will transition to a new name, UF Health Jacksonville,"
said Russ Armistead, chief executive officer for UF Health Jacksonville. "Research
conducted in the fall of 2012 indicated that the hospital's tie to UF has positive
brand recognition in the highly competitive Jacksonville market."
For the most part, the UF health-focused colleges and institutes will retain their
current names, such as the
UF College of Medicine and the UF Institute on Aging. The exception is the UF Shands
Cancer Center, which will evolve to the UF Health Cancer Center. In Gainesville, the faculty
group practice UF Physicians will change to UF Health Physicians.
"Three years ago, we put together a strategic plan that has helped us work together
to better serve our patients and communities," Guzick said. "The UF Health brand
embodies the achievements we have made in that process."
For more information, visit http://forwardtogether.ufhealth.org.