Lewis Nelson, Dean, Florida Atlantic Schmidt College of Medicine

Lewis Nelson, dean at Florida Atlantic Schmidt College of Medicine, spoke with Invest: about the importance of training new physicians and growing the academic healthcare landscape in Florida. “The most innovative, evidence-based care is provided at an academic medical center, where we are innovating our educational efforts to prepare physicians who will deliver this level of care,” he said.

Reflecting on your first few weeks as dean, what have been your initial observations about the Schmidt College of Medicine’s strengths and opportunities for growth?
I come from a background of well-developed academic medical centers, having spent twenty-three years at New York University School of Medicine and eight years at Rutgers University New Jersey Medical School. Florida Atlantic University offers a refreshingly different experience. Though relatively young compared to more mature medical schools across the country, Florida Atlantic University has established itself as a community-based medical school that provides exceptional education and performs cutting-edge biomedical research.

My primary mission here is to transform the College into the hub of a more conventional academic health system. Florida Atlantic is ready for that transition. There is deep interest in expanding the health system landscape within the college, and the community itself is looking for FAU to represent academic health in the region. So far, it’s been a wonderful transition, with so much positive energy, and I’ve enjoyed learning about what has already been developed in its 14-year history.

How does the Schmidt College of Medicine play a role in addressing South Florida’s most pressing healthcare challenges?
The biggest challenge we face in the region and in the country is a relative shortage of physicians. Between population expansion, medical practices reaching capacity, migration out of the healthcare delivery sector, and the retirement of seasoned practitioners, we no longer have enough physicians to meet community needs.

The College is expanding its student body from the current 80 students annually to closer to 130 over the next several years. This growth requires space, staff, faculty, and funding, which we’ve been fortunate to grow sufficiently up to now. We are simultaneously expanding our graduate medical education offerings in both primary and specialty care. My goal is to create a pipeline where we educate physicians in our medical school, train them in our residencies, and keep them in the region.

We have established strong clinical partnerships with excellent regional hospitals, including the Baptist Health System and the Tenet Health System. Our new partnership with Broward Health in Broward County will significantly expand our footprint, enhancing our capacity to train residents, and provide outstanding care. These relationships enable us to build essential academic infrastructure—including robust clinical departments and specialty divisions—which in turn creates growth opportunities that attract talented physicians and innovative clinical programs to our region.

Drawing on my expertise in emergency medicine, toxicology, and addiction treatment, I plan to address the urgent behavioral health challenges in our community. We’ll develop targeted initiatives for overdose prevention and recovery support, with particular focus on the opioid crisis and reducing self-harm incidents throughout our region. Equally important are our efforts in geriatric medicine, cancer treatment, pharmaceutical development, health economics and policy, and the integration of emerging technology into both healthcare delivery and medical education.
A significant concern for academic medicine nationwide is the uncertain future of federal research funding. Potential reductions in NIH support could disrupt ongoing research programs and discourage talented young researchers from pursuing careers in biomedical investigation, ultimately threatening the pipeline of medical innovation that improves patient care.

Florida Atlantic University has seen a steady increase in research funding. How is this growth elevating the medical school’s national standing, and what new opportunities does it create?
Recently, Florida Atlantic University achieved R1 status in the Carnegie Classifications, placing us among the top five percent of all research universities nationwide. While this prestigious designation reflects university-wide accomplishments, the College of Medicine’s expanding biomedical and clinical research portfolio has been instrumental in this achievement.

Schmidt College of Medicine has earned recognition as a Tier-3 institution in U.S. News & World Report rankings – a remarkable accomplishment for a young institution. This upward trajectory is fueled by our growing National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding portfolio, which continues to expand into new research domains.

Beyond federal funding, we’ve secured substantial support through philanthropy and charitable foundation grants for pioneering work in neuroscience, with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease and amyloid research, addiction medicine, and precision medicine. Our genomics initiatives are especially promising, as they identify genetic factors that influence disease progression and treatment response, enabling more personalized and effective medical interventions.

This research momentum is creating new opportunities for clinical innovation, faculty recruitment, and most importantly, translating scientific discoveries into improved patient care throughout our region.

What is your vision for the future of Florida Atlantic University Schmidt College of Medicine and its role in shaping healthcare in South Florida?
My vision for Florida Atlantic University is to fill a critical gap in Florida’s academic healthcare landscape. When you examine the distribution of academic medical centers across Florida, you’ll notice a significant void between Miami and Jacksonville – with Broward and Palm Beach counties decidedly underserved. We have a tremendous opportunity to establish a robust academic healthcare presence in this region.

My goal is to create a comprehensive academic health system by partnering with regional hospitals and health systems. This approach will integrate cutting-edge research, medical education, clinical training, and evidence-based patient care in one cohesive ecosystem. Expanding our footprint ensures that Floridians receive high-quality healthcare from Florida-based institutions.

This is not just about healthcare quality – it’s also about economic impact. Without strong academic medical centers in our region, skilled healthcare professionals and healthcare dollars flow out of state as patients seek specialized care elsewhere. By developing world-class academic healthcare locally, we keep both patients and healthcare spending in Florida, strengthening our regional economy.

Academic healthcare represents the gold standard in medicine, offering the most innovative and evidence-based approaches to diagnosis and treatment. While community hospitals provide valuable and often more personalized care, academic medical centers offer advanced treatments for complex conditions and access to clinical trials that might not be available elsewhere.

Beyond enhancing individual patient care, we’re committed to improving community wellness and public health. This means continuing to innovate our educational methodologies, expanding our research portfolio in both depth and scope, and serving as a trusted resource for evidence-based healthcare policy throughout the region. Our ultimate goal is to transform healthcare delivery across South Florida through academic excellence, innovation, and community engagement.

How do you see Florida Atlantic University strengthening its influence on healthcare policy and public health initiatives at both the state and national levels in the long term?
Our strategy for expanding Florida Atlantic University’s influence on healthcare policy and public health involves developing expertise in critical areas facing our communities. We are prioritizing neurological disease, substance use disorders, cancer care, and chronic illness – issues that require both innovative research and thoughtful policy solutions.

I plan to leverage my background in addiction medicine, overdose prevention, and harm reduction as a model for how our institution can meaningfully engage with pressing health challenges. I want to see my passion and engagement in overdose and addiction care generalized to multiple areas of healthcare policy and practice. By developing similar depth in other critical health domains, we’ll position Florida Atlantic as a sought-after voice in healthcare policy discussions at both state and national levels.

We remain deeply committed to serving underserved populations as a core part of our mission. We’ll build upon our successful clinical partnerships with Caridad Center and Mission Health while establishing new relationships with federally qualified health clinics across our region. These community partnerships serve two critical functions: they improve immediate access to quality healthcare for vulnerable populations and provide valuable insights into healthcare disparities that help us develop more effective long-term solutions.

We’re also taking deliberate steps to formalize our role in health policy development. The Florida legislature regularly engages with academic medical centers throughout the state, and we are working to ensure Florida Atlantic faculty have prominent seats at those tables where decisions affecting millions of Floridians are made.

Technology will play a crucial role in our future impact. We are investing in AI applications for health delivery and education, recognizing how rapidly these technologies are transforming electronic health records and clinical decision-making. Through collaborations with FAU’s College of Engineering, we are developing innovative technology-driven approaches to healthcare challenges.

A cornerstone of our approach is strengthening interprofessional education through partnerships with FAU’s College of Social Work and Criminal Justice and the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. These collaborative programs prepare healthcare teams that can effectively address complex challenges in community health, substance use disorders, addiction treatment, and geriatric care. By training professionals to work seamlessly across disciplines, we are improving both individual patient outcomes and broader public health measures throughout South Florida.