$46.5M
New research awards
$48.5M
Research expenditures
13%
Increase in expenditures over previous fiscal year
127
Number of faculty serving as key personnel on research projects
$10.3M
Awards for projects using artificial intelligence
Top 10
NIH research funding among schools of public health at public universities, according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research
Student benefits of a research-intensive university
University of Florida faculty conducted a record $1.26 billion in research in fiscal year 2024 leading to new discoveries that are improving the lives of Floridians and beyond.
At first glance, the scientific activities of a research university like UF may not seem directly relevant to students pursuing careers in clinical care, public health practice or health care management. But research universities offer undeniable benefits to students in any pathway, from a resource-rich environment to opportunities to contribute to a research project. Here are a few ways an R1 university benefits students in any area of study:
The chance to learn from the faculty who generate the science that informs practice
“Our program emphasizes the linkages between evidence and practice. When a student is situated within the context of a research university, they have access to faculty across multiple disciplines who are creating that evidence,” said Christine Myers, Ph.D., OTR/L, a clinical professor and director of the UF Doctor of Occupational Therapy program.
Opportunities for students well past graduation
“The M.P.H. degree is a practitioner degree and effective practitioners must keep up in their field of study, especially considering the rate of change we see in public health,” says Julia R. Varnes, Ph.D., M.P.H., MCHES, a clinical associate professor and director of the UF Master of Public Health program. “Through interactions with researchers, the student develops a broader network and can create lasting relationships in which the researcher might seek them out in the future for their practitioner expertise, involving them in their practice-based research.”
Tools to be investigators in their own right
“Being at a research university helps students engage in truly evidence-based practice in their future careers,” said Karen Wheeler Hegland, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, an associate professor and director of the UF Master of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders program. “I tell our master’s students that they aren’t technicians; they are clinical scientists whose research is patient evaluation and management. What works for one patient may not work for another, so they are constantly challenged to formulate hypotheses and assess their outcomes for effectiveness.”
As a student in the master’s program in communication sciences and disorders, Valeria Gonzalez Perez, M.A., CCC-SLP, a 2023 graduate, collaborated with faculty on a study of health care utilization disparities among the Deaf community. Their published findings, with Gonzalez Perez as lead author, won the Editor’s Award from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association journal Perspectives. Now a speech-language pathologist in Miami, research continues to play an important role in Gonzalez Perez’s practice.
“I am always applying the latest evidence-based practices to provide the best therapy to my patients,” she said.
–Jill Pease
