A Young Medical School Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine Is Delivering on its Promise to South Florida

BOCA RATON, FL (July 21, 2026) — A recent alumni reunion at Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine (CoM) offered a tangible reminder of how physician education and community investment continue to shape South Florida’s healthcare workforce, just ahead of the CoM’s 16th Annual White Coats-4-Care (WC4C) fundraising dinner on August 20.

 

When FAU’s College of Medicine — the first and only medical school in Palm Beach County — opened in 2011, it was created to address a clear regional need: strengthening the physician pipeline serving South Florida while preparing graduates for impactful careers in medicine.

Fifteen years later, more than 100 physicians returned to campus for an Alumni Reunion Weekend — including 34 physicians now serving patients across Florida — for two days of reconnection, mentorship, and reflection. The weekend was not merely a social event; it was evidence of the long-term impact of the College’s mission.

It also highlighted the role of community investment through the College’s annual WC4C initiative. As the CoM prepares for its 16th Annual fundraising dinner on Thursday, August 20, the reunion underscored donors’ return on that investment: students becoming physicians, mentors, researchers, and healthcare leaders serving communities across Florida and beyond.

Built for This — From the Beginning

Florida Atlantic University’s COM was founded with a clear mandate. It was a response to a documented regional need — a healthcare system struggling to keep pace with rapid population growth.

The College graduated its first class in 2015. Last year, those inaugural MedOwls marked their 10th anniversary with the College’s first Alumni Reunion Weekend — a milestone homecoming that established a new tradition. This year’s reunion continued that momentum, welcoming all graduating cohorts and celebrating the five- and ten-year milestones of the classes of 2021 and 2016.

“Every physician who walked back through our doors represents the impact of a college invested in its community,” said Lewis S. Nelson, M.D., dean and chief of health affairs of the COM.

 

The Full Circle Moment

The centerpiece of the reunion was an Alumni–Student Panel, where practicing physicians sat across from students who are now in the same position they once occupied. The exchange was candid and unhurried, covering career paths, practice transitions, evolving healthcare systems, and the realities of maintaining compassion under pressure.

For students, it offered a window into what lies ahead. For alumni, it was a reminder of why they chose medicine — and why returning to share their experience matters.

That connection between alumni and students is central, not incidental, to the College’s mission. The College was built on the premise that medicine is a community endeavor — one that extends beyond graduation through mentorship, engagement, and shared purpose.

Trained Here. Practicing Here. Giving Back Here.

The 34 Florida-based physicians who returned for Reunion Weekend represent something the College’s founders envisioned but could not yet fully measure: a growing network of physicians whose careers reflect the impact of a locally focused medical education. That physician pipeline is also the story at the heart of the College’s 16th Annual WC4C campaign. Through scholarships, educational resources, research support, and community health initiatives, WC4C helps prepare future MedOwls for careers in medicine.

What began as the College’s first formal alumni reunion is becoming a meaningful tradition. “What you see when MedOwl alumni come back is the mission in action,” said Nelson. “These are physicians who trained here, many of whom continue serving here, and who are now investing their time and experience in the students who will follow them. That is exactly what this college was built to do.”

 

Supporting the Next Generation
Invest. Innovate. Champion. Together, We Can Shape the Future of Medicine.

Demonstrating the direct connection between donor support and community health, WC4C has raised $2.7 million since its inception in 2015, supporting 15 incoming classes through student education and research.

The 16th WC4C fundraising dinner will be held Thursday, August 20, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Club at Boca Pointe in Boca Raton. The event will continue to raise scholarship and program support for this year’s incoming class of future physicians and honor long-time CoM advocate June Gelb on her 100th birthday.

Community members and businesses may support WC4C through event participation, sponsorships, scholarships, corporate partnerships, and legacy gifts. To learn more, visit https://www.fau.edu/medicine/white-coats-4-care/. For major giving opportunities, contact Sara Greene at 561-297-2984 or greenes@health.fau.edu. For corporate sponsorship opportunities, contact Haley Barnes at 561-297-2371 or barnesh@health.fau.edu.

About the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine:
Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine is one of approximately 159 accredited medical schools in the U.S. The college was launched in 2010, when the Florida Board of Governors made a landmark decision authorizing FAU to award the M.D. degree. After receiving approval from the Florida legislature and the governor, it became the 134th allopathic medical school in North America. With more than 170 full and part-time faculty and more than 1,400 affiliate faculty, the college matriculates 80 medical students each year and has been nationally recognized for its innovative curriculum. The college offers M.S. (thesis and non-thesis) and Ph.D. programs in biomedical science, along with a certificate in genomics and precision medicine. Taught by top researchers, the curriculum combines innovative coursework with hands-on learning, preparing graduates for careers in medicine, research, industry, and academia. To further Florida Atlantic’s commitment to increase much needed medical residency positions in Palm Beach County and to ensure that the region will continue to have an adequate and well-trained physician workforce, the FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine Consortium for Graduate Medical Education (GME) was formed in fall 2011 with five leading hospitals in Palm Beach County. The consortium currently has five Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited residencies including internal medicine, surgery, emergency medicine, psychiatry, and neurology, and five fellowships in cardiology, hospice and palliative care, geriatrics, vascular surgery, and pulmonary disease and critical care medicine. The college also manages the Florida Atlantic University Medical Group, offering comprehensive primary care, and the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health specializes in integrative pain management, precision therapies, and mental health. 

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University serves more than 32,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses along Florida’s Southeast coast. Recognized as one of only 13 institutions nationwide to achieve three Carnegie Foundation designations – R1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production,” “Opportunity College and University,” and Carnegie Community Engagement Classification – FAU stands at the intersection of academic excellence and social mobility. Ranked among the Top 100 Public Universities by U.S. News & World Report, FAU is also nationally recognized as a Top 25 Best-In-Class College and cited by Washington Monthly as “one of the country’s most effective engines of upward mobility.” To learn more, visit www.fau.edu.