Mentorship and Scientific Review

We recognize that success in research is closely linked with strong mentorship. Junior researchers require regular, formal and informal meetings with at least one primary mentor, as well as a mentorship team that will guide their career development. The University of Florida benefits from a diverse group of leading researchers representing a variety of fields who are capable of mentoring junior faculty.

Research Mentor Qualifications and Training

A table of potential campus mentors is provided below. This represents only a portion of the robust interdisciplinary pool of available mentors for junior faculty. Mentors will be selected from the larger available pool as needed to create optimal mentoring teams based on research interests and career-development needs of the junior faculty. To serve as a primary mentor, faculty must have a successful track record of research and extramural support, commitment of donated time, and evidence of prior successful training and mentoring. Primary mentors are senior faculty from multiple UF colleges who can provide content expertise and represent numerous centers, institutes, and/or programs within UF. Mentoring teams are comprised of a primary mentor and at least two additional mentors whose expertise complements that of the primary mentor. Mentoring teams will often include developmental mentors, who represent a pipeline of promising early-career faculty who will have an opportunity to serve on mentoring teams but will not serve as the primary mentor. All developmental mentors have valuable research experience and funded research programs but may have limited experience as mentors of junior scientists.

Scientific Review

Members of the mentorship pool and campus leadership will be selected annually to serve on the Scientific Review Group, which will vary annually. The Scientific Review Group will review and score Research Training Academy grant applications and presentations, participate in selection of future Jax Scholars, and will guide educational programs of the Center for Research Training.

Mentor List

Tip: Clicking this icon next to a mentor's name will allow you to search for any of their publications on PubMed!

Name/Degree Rank & Primary Appt. Role Research Interest
Dominick J. Angiolillo, M.D., Ph.D., FACC
Professor of Medicine Primary MentorPlatelet adhesion, cardiovascular disease
Stephen Anton, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Associate Director & Chief of Aging & Geriatric Research Primary MentorObesity, metabolic disease, aging, lifestyle, & botanicals
K.C. Balaji, M.B.B.S. (M.D.), FRCS, MRCS, LRCP
Professor of Urology Primary MentorProstate cancer
Marie L. Crandall, M.D., M.P.H., FACS
Professor of Surgery Primary MentorSurgery, health disparities
Lisa Domenico, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor with UF College of Nursing Dev. MentorNeurocognition, addiction, and the self-concept
Phil Efron, M.D.
Associate Professor of Surgery Primary MentorRole of myeloid suppressor cells after sepsis or trauma in older adults
Primary MentorSepsis, lipid metabolism, inflammation
Roger Fillingim, Ph.D.
Dist. Professor & Director of Community Dentistry & Behavioral Science Primary MentorPain & aging, ethnic differences in pain, pain assessment, osteoarthritis pain
Jennifer N. Fishe, M.D.
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine Dev. MentorAsthma, pre-hospital care, pediatrics
Rosemarie Fernandez, M.D.
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine Primary MentorPatient safety, trauma
Phyllis L. Hendry, M.D., FAAP, FACEP
Professor of Emergency Medicine Primary MentorPain, pediatrics, pre-hospital Care, trauma
Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, Ph.D.
Professor & Chief of Aging & Geriatric Research Primary MentorOxidative stress, mitochondrial biology, autophagy, translational aging research
Todd Manini, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Aging & Geriatric Research Primary MentorAssess muscle morphometry using MRI, geriatric exercise science & skeletal muscle
Robert Mankowski, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Aging & Geriatric Research Dev. MentorCardiovascular dysfunction in aging and disease, sepsis
Primary Mentor Proton therapy in prostate cancer, lymphomas, breast cancer and pediatric malignancies
Arshag D. Mooradian, M.D.
Professor of Medicine Primary MentorEndocrinology, metabolism
Marco Pahor, M.D.
Professor at UF College of Medicine Primary MentorClinical trials, physical activity and pharmacological interventions, mobility
Alexander S. Parker, Ph.D.
Professor of Office of Research Affairs Primary MentorUrology, cancer epidemiology
Thomas Pearson, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Epidemiology Primary MentorCardiovascular disease, lipidology
Mobeen H. Rathore, M.B.B.S. (M.D.), CPE, FACPE, FIDSA, FAAP
Professor of Pediatrics Primary MentorPediatric infectious diseases, virology, Immunology
Nipa R. Shah, M.D.
Professor of Community Health and Family Medicine Primary MentorCommunity health
Sophia S. Sheikh, M.D.
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine Dev. MentorPain, aging, epigenetics
Ronald Shorr, M.D., M.S.
Professor of Epidemiology Primary Mentor Geriatrics, epidemiology