Florida Atlantic University and Broward Health on Monday announced a partnership agreement that will provide academic medicine to Broward County, and opportunities to collaborate in the areas of education, clinical training and practice, health services administration and research.

The groundbreaking partnership was announced by Shane Strum, president and CEO of Broward Health, during its State of the System address recognizing the system’s 85^th anniversary.

As part of the collaboration, FAU and Broward Health plan to explore opportunities for joint research and scholarship at the student and faculty level, community engagement, fundraising opportunities, and integrating academic medicine, first within the setting of the system’s safety-net hospital. Safety-net practices are defined by the Institute of Medicine as “those providers that organize and deliver a significant level of health care and other needed services to uninsured, Medicaid and other vulnerable patients."

“Florida Atlantic University and Broward Health share a common vision and purpose of providing high-quality and compassionate medical care, stellar education, and lifesaving research close to home,” said Brad Levine, chair, FAU Board of Trustees. “This collaboration makes us part of a vital network in Broward County that connects us with a partner that will enable us to care for our community.”

Students in health sciences enrolled at FAU will have access to physicians and clinical facilities within Broward Health thanks to this agreement. 

“We welcome opportunities for collaboration to expand our health care network, provide lifesaving medical services, and importantly, train the next generation of physicians who will serve our communities with compassion, integrity and highly skilled care,” said Strum. “As the first statutory teaching hospital in Broward County, partnerships like this one ensure we continue to build the skilled physician workforce our region needs while meeting the health care needs of our communities today.”

Established in 1938, Broward Health is one of the 10 largest public health care systems in the United States. A nationally recognized health system in South Florida, Broward Health boasts two trauma centers and virtually every health specialty, offering compassionate, personalized care across its four hospitals and more than 50 health centers and physician practices. As a leader in advanced health care for more than 85 years, Broward Health has a robust graduate education program and international services.

“FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine is a medical school of the community and for the community," said Julie Pilitsis, M.D., Ph.D., dean and vice president for medical affairs, FAU Schmidt College of Medicine. “We are very excited to join forces with our partners at Broward Health to put academic medicine at the forefront of our community. With an emphasis on teamwork and collaboration, together with our partners, we will address the needs of our community and enhance our workforce in health-related fields.”

The Schmidt College of Medicine has been independent since 2011, and prides itself on training doctors for the community. Together with the FAU Health Network – including all 10 colleges at FAU – the medical school works to ensure the workforce of tomorrow and cutting-edge technology and innovation. 

FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine has already made valuable contributions to the physician workforce, which has dynamically impacted and diversified the care of its communities. An average of 50 percent of the medical school’s graduated medical residents and fellows stay on to practice in Florida.  

Florida is expected to be short nearly 18,000 physicians by the year 2035. Only 13.1 percent of physicians in Florida are 39 years old or younger, whereas 38.4 percent are 60 and older. Thus, the workforce shortage will likely be exacerbated by a high retirement rate and low incoming rate of new physicians.

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