Students in the , with support from the American Association of Venezuelan Engineers (AAVE), are producing 3D-printed orthopedic devices — including splints, neck braces and animal immobilizers — for people and pets injured in the disaster.

The initiative, called Bracing Venezuela, began after BMES leaders contacted Greco Pinzón, president of AAVE. Pinzon’s dad, who has been volunteering in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, connected the students with physicians on the ground who identified the types of orthopedic devices most urgently needed.

“… before we knew it, we had a campuswide humanitarian project taking shape.”

“From there, everything snowballed,� says Jannah Barakat, a mechanical engineering major and president of BMES. “We started test printing, organizing volunteers, building a print tracker, reaching out to other student organizations, and before we knew it, we had a campuswide humanitarian project taking shape.�

Since launching the effort, BMES has produced more than 350 devices that have been shipped to clinicians in Venezuela. Smaller items, such as finger and wrist splints, take only a few hours to print and are manufactured flat so they can be easily transported. Once they arrive, clinicians soften the material with hot water and mold each device to fit each patient. Larger devices, such as neck braces and animal leg braces, are printed in multiple sizes and can take up to 10 hours to complete. With volunteers printing from across Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and beyond, multiple devices can be produced simultaneously.

Bracing Venezuela has received support from Mohsen Rakhshan, an assistant professor in and BMES faculty advisor, who opened his lab’s 3D printer for the project. While many volunteers are engineering students, faculty members, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ alumni and 3D-printing hobbyists have also come forward to help.

“One of the coolest things about this project has been watching people from so many different backgrounds come together around one goal,â€� Barakat says. “Whether you’re printing a brace, packing a box, donating supplies or simply helping us spread the word, every contribution helps get these devices into the hands of the people and animals who need them.â€�

“I hope this initiative becomes a model for how engineering students can quickly mobilize to respond to humanitarian needs.”

Those interested in joining the initiative don’t need to own a 3D printer. BMES supplies filament to volunteers who have printers, while others can still make an impact by donating materials, connecting the organization with additional volunteers or helping spread the word.

For Barakat, Bracing Venezuela demonstrates what’s possible when engineering students come together for a greater good.

“I hope this initiative becomes a model for how engineering students can quickly mobilize to respond to humanitarian needs,â€� she says. “Whether it’s supporting communities after natural disasters, helping [less fortunate] populations locally or partnering with organizations in other countries, I’d love to continue using engineering as a way to make healthcare more [widely available] wherever it’s needed.â€�

To join the Bracing Venezuela initiative, email Jannah.barakat@ucf.edu.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ has the most inductees among universities in Florida in the 2026 American Academy of Nursing Class of Fellows, which includes influential healthcare leaders from across the U.S. and around the world. The induction ceremony will be held on Oct. 10, 2026, during the organization’s annual Health Policy Conference in Washington, D.C.

Fellows are selected through a rigorous nomination and review process, and recognized for substantial contributions to improving health outcomes. With the new cohort, the American Academy of Nursing will have more than 3,600 fellows worldwide dedicated to advancing nursing leadership, innovation and science.

The four new inductees, whose collective works have advanced care across the lifespan from pediatrics to older adults, will join 11 fellows of the American Academy of Nursing on faculty at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s College of Nursing.

Jean Davis ’19PhD

Nursing Associate Professor Jean Davis is advancing public health through her interdisciplinary scholarly work. By working with a collaborative team of public health, psychology, kinesiology and artificial intelligence experts, she has developed and continually improved upon a physical activity habit-forming intervention that tailors cues for movement and optimizes responses to ultimately improve outcomes. This intervention is improving health for veterans and pregnant women, and influencing providers, educators and health systems. Davis is also dedicated to advancing nursing science through active mentorship of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ nursing students and early career scholars.

Jacqueline LaManna ’13±Ê³ó¶Ù

For more than three decades, Family Nurse Practitioner and Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program Director Jacqueline LaManna ’13±Ê³ó¶Ù has made substantial contributions to advancing diabetes care and self-management education as a provider, educator and researcher. Her scholarly works have been cited more than 250 times and are included in the American Diabetes Association Standards of Care in Diabetes shaping care for pregnant women. In addition, LaManna has helped establish national frameworks for telehealth education for nurse practitioner graduate students that have been accessed more than 4,000 times.

Kimberly Navarro

Lecturer Kimberly Navarro is a certified nurse midwife and board-certified women’s health nurse practitioner who has pioneered community health initiatives to increase healthcare access and improve quality of care for children, adolescents, and pregnant women in the U.S., Guatemala, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. As program director of the Hispanic serving healthcare professionals graduate certificate at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, Navarro has increased access to the program, strengthened curriculum, and mentored future healthcare professionals. In addition to her faculty appointment Navarro maintains a clinical practice as founder and president of a technology-driven midwifery-led birth center in Orlando.

Kaitlyn Rechenberg

Associate Professor Kaitlyn Rechenberg is advancing standards of behavioral healthcare for children and adolescents living with complex chronic medical conditions through design and implementation of technology-driven interventions. She pioneered the development and validation of the first precision instrument to differentiate diabetes-specific anxiety symptoms from general anxiety symptoms. She also created a mobile health application to deliver tailored mindfulness training to adolescents living with diabetes. Her scholarly work has been cited in seminal position statements by both the American Diabetes Association and International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes and has been cited nearly 800 times across 26 countries.

After years of research and development led by experts at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½Â in collaboration with researchers from universities across the U.S. and in Europe, the Virtual Experience Research Accelerator (VERA) has reached two major milestones: powering its first full-scale study to address one of virtual reality’s most persistent barriers to adoption and awarding its first use grant to enhance immersive learning and information across industries.

VERA, a platform funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, is the first, large-scale system for extended reality human subjects research and designed to advance the speed, scale and scope of immersive research. The platform enables immersive researchers to design, deploy, and manage virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) studies with remote participants therefore significantly improving the quality of the science, while reducing costs, lowering logistical barriers and expanding participant reach.

“No one has built anything like VERA before,� says Pegasus Professor Gregory Welch, lead principal investigator on VERA. “The team was really starting from scratch to create this national platform, integrating AI technologies and establishing policies and procedures that will produce methodologically rigorous behavioral data.�

“We’re excited for VERA to now start to run in an open beta mode and reach these two firsts,� Welch continues.

Accelerating Understanding of Cybersickness

For its first major large-scale study leveraging remote participants, VERA is helping researchers address one of the most persistent challenges in virtual reality: cybersickness.

Cybersickness occurs when symptoms such as nausea, dizziness and discomfort are caused by a mismatch between visual motion in a headset and the user’s physical motion. Associate Professor of Computer Science Gerd Bruder, who is an affiliate researcher in the Institute of Simulation and Training, is leading the research study in collaboration with other Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ researchers and external partners.

“Understanding who is susceptible to cybersickness is critical to improving VR accessibility, making VR more comfortable for all users and enabling broader adoption across research, education and industry,� Bruder says.

Early data collection highlights the powerful capabilities of the VERA platform to accelerate VR research at an unprecedented scale.

In just 15 cumulative days, VERA had more than 250 participants complete the full study protocol. In comparison, the original in-lab study collected data from just 30 participants and in traditional VR research settings, studies with hundreds of participants often require several months to complete.

For the study, each participant experiences a controlled VR rollercoaster ride on their own headset and provides sickness ratings at periodic intervals, a pre- and post- exposure questionnaire, an in-VR visual acuity assessment, and continuous head-tracking data. Each session is completed in approximately 30 minutes at home.

“The sectors where VERA can make an impact are expansive, from healthcare to workforce training to accessibility to learning.�

Enrollment is ongoing with a target of 2,000 participants. Preliminary analyses already suggest meaningful individual differences in how quickly and severely participants experience cybersickness.

“VERA was built to study problems like this with a combination of speed, scale and experimental complexity not previously possible,� Welch says. “The sectors where VERA can make an impact are expansive, from healthcare to workforce training to accessibility to learning.�

Groundbreaking Immersive Learning Project

For the first project selected in its Use Grant program, VERA is supporting innovative research to study how different immersive technologies engage learners in different ways. The study will help inform how to leverage emerging technologies in education, cultural institutions, public engagement and more.

The grant was awarded to the San José State University School of Information Library Technology Integration Lab in Silicon Valley and New Media Learning, one of the largest providers of virtual reality programming in public libraries.

The project will support a collaborative virtual reality research environment integrated with VERA with participants from across the U.S. in public libraries, universities and other sites.

Researchers will collect behavioral and interaction data including attention patterns, object interaction, navigation pathways, movement, clicks, engagement metrics, and time-on-task, supplemented by surveys and participant feedback. The resulting research environment will serve a scalable prototype for future applications to make immersive learning experiences more accessible to communities worldwide.

A distinguishing feature of the project is the active involvement of San José State University undergraduate and graduate students from the School of Information who will work alongside faculty researchers and technology partners to gain hands-on experience.

“Being selected as the first VERA Use Grant recipient is both an honor and an extraordinary opportunity,� says Anthony S. Chow, professor in the San José State University School of Information and founder of the Library Technology Integration Lab. “Through this collaboration, we hope to generate research that helps libraries, educators, museums and community organizations leverage virtual reality to address some of society’s most important challenges while creating meaningful research opportunities for students.�

“We are excited to welcome San José State University and New Media Learning as the first recipients of a VERA Use Grant,� Welch says. “Their expertise in libraries, immersive learning, public engagement and emerging technologies makes them ideal partners for demonstrating how VERA can accelerate impactful XR research. We believe this collaboration will help establish new models for studying learning, engagement, and information behavior in immersive environments.�

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ College of Medicine Associate Professor Claudia Andl, a throat and oral cancer researcher, is investigating how a simple probiotic could treat and prevent both conditions..

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ College of Medicine Associate Professor Claudia Andl, a throat and oral cancer researcher, is investigating how a simple probiotic could treat and prevent both conditions. The research is funded by a one-year, more than $380,000 grant from the Florida Department of Health’s Florida Cancer Innovation Fund.

Probiotics are live microorganisms — usually bacteria or yeasts — that support and strengthen health by increasing the body’s population of healthy cells. Many people take probiotics to improve gut health and digestion. Andl’s research is focused on using a healthy bacteria called Lactobacillus spp. to treat esophageal damage caused by acid reflux and improve the microbial environment in the esophagus to reduce the risk of cancer.

In patients with acid reflux — as well as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a chronic and more severe form of the digestive condition — stomach acid burns through the lining of the esophagus, causing inflammation and DNA damage to surrounding cells. Over time, those cellular changes can create a condition called Barrett’s esophagus, which increases the risk for esophageal cancer. In addition, when the throat’s bacterial environment becomes dominated by stomach acids and salts, healthy bacteria struggle to survive. Harmful bacteria take their place, causing further cell damage and inflammation that increases cancer risk. Introducing Lactobacillus spp. into disease models has solved both issues.

“We all talk about how important it is to eat yogurt or drink kombucha so that we maintain a healthy bacterial residence in all your organs. And it’s the same in the esophagus.�

“The reintroduction of beneficial bacteria works two-fold,� Andl says. “It restores a normal environment again, but also these Lactobacilli are known to suppress inflammation and repair the DNA damage.�

“We all talk about how important it is to eat yogurt or drink kombucha so that we maintain a healthy bacterial residence in all your organs,� Andl continues. “And it’s the same in the esophagus.�

Early results have shown a reduction in Barrett’s esophagus, and if cancer develops at all, it occurs much later than in models not treated with the probiotic.

Andl says she hopes her research will inform new therapies and provide more information on how to keep the body’s microbial balance healthy to fight disease. She notes this is especially important as data also shows Barett’s esophagus and esophageal cancer are increasing in patients under ages 60-70, the average age for these patient populations.

“We aim to improve outcomes for the large number of reflux patients at risk for cancer,� Andl says. “Playing a role in that would be incredibly rewarding.�

Andl joined Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in 2016 after receiving her Ph.D. in cell biology from the University Duisburg-Essen in Germany and conducting postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania.

This research is sponsored by the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund and the Florida Department of Health.

Dinender Singla, professor and head of the College of Medicine’s Division of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Sciences, developed a system that turns exosomes — vesicles that cells secrete to communicate with one another — into delivery vehicles for medical treatments.

This innovative technology, for which Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is seeking patent protection, places therapeutics inside exosomes and coats them with cell-specific markers that direct them to an exact area of the body to deliver the drug.

“I call these smart tiny bubbles,� Singla says. “Millions of people have heart disease, and they take multiple drugs in extremely high doses. But we have no way to be certain these drugs are getting to where they need to go. We need innovative technologies to get treatments exactly where they need to go to cure the problem.�

How the Therapy Works

This discovery is part of Singla’s work to provide therapies to treat and prevent heart disease, including heart damage caused by cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and targeted radiation to the chest. That heart damage seems to be caused by inflammatory factors that treatments use to kill cancer cells. Technology developed by Singla encapsulates anti-inflammatory heart treatments in exosomes and then delivers the drug to the exact area of heart damage.

“They can treat cancer and protect the heart.â€� — Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Professor Dinender Singla

As part of this research, Singla’s team also developed technologies to deliver cancer-killing drugs inside exosomes. They chose triple-negative breast cancer for their research, the deadliest form of the disease, with a 77%–78% five-year survival rate. In the lab, the therapy showed significant promise in killing cancer cells – at much lower doses that are used in chemotherapy – while also protecting the heart. So the exosome therapy could help cancer patients without the severe side effects of chemotherapy.

“These therapies can work hand-in-hand,� Singla said. “They can treat cancer and protect the heart.�

Financial Investment is Key for Drug Development

The next step will be manufacturing the therapy for clinical use and advancing into FDA clinical trials for heart disease and cancer treatment. To help accelerate that path, Singla partnered with Orlando investor and Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ donor Chakri Toleti, a healthcare technology entrepreneur focused on building category-defining businesses through AI and agentic platforms, biomedical innovation and ambient intelligence including most recently care.ai, which was acquired by Stryker in 2024.

Through his innovation fund, TCapital, Toleti backs transformative technologies designed to improve healthcare delivery and reduce human suffering at scale. Together, Singla and Toleti invested in and formed Exomic to fund continued research, clinical development, and commercialization of the technology.

“This was an opportunity to do something truly innovative in cancer and cardiovascular treatment.â€� — Chakri Toleti, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ donor

Toleti says his passion for advancing cancer research is deeply personal after losing his father to the disease.

“This was an opportunity to do something truly innovative in cancer and cardiovascular treatment,� he says. “Dr. Singla’s work represents a fundamental shift toward new biomedical platforms not only in how targeted therapies are delivered in the human body, but in how we think about treatment and healing itself.�

Such public-private partnerships are one of the goals of , which drives innovation, enterprise, and collaboration across disciplines.

“Dr. Singla’s groundbreaking exosome delivery system perfectly exemplifies how university innovation translates into significant, life-saving benefits for society,� says Winston V. Schoenfeld, vice president for research and innovation. “As demonstrated by the creation of Exomic, industry partnership is essential for driving such pioneering technologies towards successful translation and real-world clinical use.�

The effort is also providing exciting learning opportunities for College of Medicine graduate students. Jonatas De Mendonca Rolando ’23MS ’26PhD earned his Ph.D. in biomedical sciences earlier this month. He is staying at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ as a post-doctoral researcher to continue creating the exosome therapy.

He helped develop protocols and procedures for the delicate technology and saw its impact in the lab. He’s excited to have a financial supporter who can help take the therapy from lab to, he hopes, patients.

“It’s been amazing to part of a high-tech project and see leadership in science,� he says. “I am very excited for my future.�

Researcher Background

Singla is the AdventHealth Endowed Chair of Cardiovascular Sciences at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences and is a faculty fellow with the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Office of Research. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Punjabi University, Patiala, India, and his Ph.D. from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and has continually been funded by the American Heart Association and/or the National Institutes of Health since 2004.

About TCapital

TCapital is an AI, Frontier Tech and Life Sciences innovation fund investing in category-defining platforms and infrastructure. Founded by healthcare technology entrepreneur Chakri Toleti, T-Capital invests in companies shaping the future of treatment, care, and biomedical innovation. For more information, visit TCapital.com.

“The residency accelerates clinical reasoning by three to five years, making [residents] more competitive candidates for the best jobs.” — Meredith Chaput, research coordinator and liaison for the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and Orlando Health sports physical therapy  residency program

“We look for people who thrive on rigor,� says Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Meredith Chaput, the residency’s research coordinator and liaison. The payoff is priceless. “The residency accelerates clinical reasoning by three to five years, making them more competitive candidates for the best jobs.�

Chaput’s sport-specific expertise, along with that of four of her colleagues in the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Division of Physical Therapy who serve as didactic and clinical mentors, is an instant draw to the program. So, too, are Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s research labs, partnerships and the opportunity to teach students in the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ doctor of physical therapy program.

The residents are equally drawn to the opportunity to advance their skills alongside a seasoned clinical team at Orlando Health. They take on a caseload of sports and orthopedic patients, providing specialized care ranging from post-surgical rehabilitation to elite-level performance optimization, tapping into advanced rehabilitation technology to improve athlete recovery. Nearly 2 million people every year suffer sports-related injuries and receive treatment in emergency departments, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

With all of this in place, professionals are being prepared, two at a time, through a specialized 12-month program, to join the select group of 169 board-certified sports clinical specialist physical therapists in Florida. It’s a coveted residency and one designed to develop healthcare providers to better aid athletes of all levels. Central Florida is a premier sports destination, featuring a mix of professional franchises, elite collegiate athletics, large high schools and massive amateur complexes.

“When we started this program in 2020, our mission initially aimed to strengthen the rehabilitation services provided to the local sports-based community within Central Florida by producing highly trained and skilled sports physical therapists,� says Philip Agostinelli, residency program coordinator and rehab clinical operations manager with Orlando Health Sports Medicine and Rehab Center.  “Now, currently, in our sixth cohort of residents, that mission evolved to encompass the needs of athletes on a national scale, with multiple past graduates working in professional or semi-professional sports across the country.�

The Tireless Protege: Alvaro Zapata

Long days do not faze Alvaro Zapata, even as they turn into 60-hour weeks. To him, they’re part of the allure of the residency program.

“I ask myself, ‘When would I have this kind of opportunity again?’ and the answer is never,� Zapata says. “The program opens doors that would otherwise not be open.�

“I’m gaining all the knowledge I could possibly need to eventually be at the top of my profession.� — Alvaro Zapata

Since entering the program last August, Zapata has stretched his aptitude alongside clinicians at Orlando Health and Jewett Orthopedic. He’s worked with athletes in high schools and at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and accessed the inner circles of Orlando’s two professional soccer teams.

As Zapata puts it, “I’m gaining all the knowledge I could possibly need to eventually be at the top of my profession.�

Zapata was poised to climb the ladder with his Doctor of Physical Therapy from Boston University when he heard about Chaput heading up the residency program at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. He knew of her published research and presentations to global audiences.

“She’s a big reason I wanted this residency so badly,� Zapata says.

Here, he has had the opportunity to collaborate with Chaput and progress research on the “visual-cognitive control-to-chaos continuum� in rehab, a model for which Chaput is one of the original creators. After ACL reconstruction surgery, patients often develop inhibitions within the brain that limit the coordination of knee movement. Instead of movement in competition being instinctive, athletes are often consciously aware of deficiencies that were once automatic.

“If you can’t trust your knee, then you can’t get back to the top of your game,� Zapata says. “Rehab is typically done in a controlled setting. The real sports environment is chaotic. We’re finding ways to challenge people the day after surgery, so inhibitions don’t set in.�

This means “visual-cognitive� challenges are added to rehab in the very early stages. For example, the physical therapists might have the patient look for colored lights on a screen. Red means squeeze the right leg. Blue means squeeze the left leg. Yellow means squeeze both.

The visual-cognitive control-to-chaos continuum calls for therapists to gradually make exercises more complex for the patient, from simple, controlled movements to more unpredictable, game-like situations. The goal is to better prepare patients to safely return to sports by training both the body and the brain.

“We want athletes to react instead of thinking first,� Zapata says. “It could be a game changer.�

The Team Player: Tsianna Barnwell

At noon on a Monday, Tsianna Barnwell leaves Jewett Orthopedic Clinic, where she’s been broadening her skills since 7 a.m. She’ll now drive to a local high school to work with athletes across a range of sports. Barnwell thrives in the residency program because no two days are the same. She might work with the Orlando Pride or Orlando City, provide expertise for USA Track or binge on insights at Orlando Health.

Some people call the program challenging. Barnwell calls it “incredible.�

“I’m getting the best of all worlds,� she says. She even immerses herself in the world of Orlando Ballet, calling it “another unique experience to add to my toolbox.�

Barnwell takes her toolbox into the Cognition, Neuroplasticity and Sarcopenia Lab, where she and Chaput are advancing research, which they recently presented in Athens, Greece, at the Isokinetic Conference. It started with a question Barnwell had from her days as a Division I soccer player: Why are female athletes two to six times more likely to suffer knee injuries than men? Through her sports residency, she’s discovered that females are more likely to be weaker in their hamstring muscles. Studying these anatomical and physiological differences can inform impactful changes in rehab, recovery and injury prevention, she notes.

“With this residency under my belt, my opportunities will be almost endless.” — Tsianna Barnwell

Barnwell knows firsthand what it’s like to suffer a torn ACL. She’s also known “the team� as her home away from home since leaving Qatar as an 18-year-old to study and play soccer at St. Bonaventure University. Ultimately, she wants to be part of a team again, perhaps as the director of rehabilitation for a professional women’s soccer team. That’s her preference, but when the residency ends, she’ll be prepared to work with any team — even a ballet company, Cirque du Soleil or the rehab team at Orlando Health.

“I’m fortunate to gain such a breadth of knowledge,� Barnwell says. “With this residency under my belt, my opportunities will be almost endless.�

The Empowered Graduate: Jeremy Wydra ’18 ’22DPT

Jeremy Wydra ’18 ’22DPT is where Zapata and Barnwell will soon be: residency complete, now pursuing a path to find more effective ways to help athletes and performers recover and raise the bar.

“That’s the great outcome for me: variety,â€� says Wydra, who finished the residency program in 2024 and is now practicing clinically, and working toward his doctorate in kinesiology at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, where he is collecting data on the recovery and return to performance after ACL reconstruction.

Wydra worked his way through Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, first envisioning a career in mechanical engineering and ultimately earning a bachelor’s in health sciences. Along the way, he decided he wanted a people-facing profession and shadowed at a clinic, where he noticed physical therapists conversing with patients throughout treatment sessions, often for more than an hour. He saw it as personalized healthcare that he could optimize with physics and innovation.

After finishing his doctorate in physical therapy at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, Wydra landed in a dream situation in Maryland, practicing as both a strength and conditioning coach and a physical therapist within sports performance centers. It begs the question: Why return for the residency?

“I wanted to work with mentors who would push me to be better,� says Wydra.

Unlike Zapata and Barnwell, Wydra had little soccer experience. Gaining it became part of the push he desired.

“… the value of the residency for me: having access to such diversified people and environments.” — Jeremy Wydra ’18 ’22DPT

“During my second week in the residency, I stepped into the Orlando City Academy training room to work with high-level athletes,� he says. “I also helped on the sidelines and talked with the medical staff about team-centered communication with coaches and players. That was the value of the residency for me: having access to such diversified people and environments.�

Wydra sees himself taking full advantage of the variety still in front of him, perhaps as a physical therapist and sports scientist, reforming best practices and helping others be their best.

“That’s what my mentors in the residency have done for me: made me a better person and professional,� he says. “I wouldn’t trade those 12 months for the world.�

Designed to accelerate innovation, the Orlando Health Strategic Innovations group connects real clinical and operational challenges with student and academic talent, creating a healthcare environment where ideas are tested, informed by feedback, and continually improved. The space serves as an extension of the system’s downtown headquarters and is jointly funded by Orlando Health Ventures and the Orlando Health Innovation teams.

Orlando Health’s presence within SPRK aligns with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s broader co-location strategy, which brings industry partners onto campus to catalyze innovation through proximity. The approach emphasizes shared space, shared challenges and shared outcomes to accelerate problem-solving, support experiential learning and speed the translation of ideas into practice.

The co-location marks the latest milestone in Orlando Health’s long-standing partnership with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.

“By working side by side at SPRK, we are accelerating innovation and moving real-world healthcare solutions more quickly into the communities we serve.â€�  — Alexander N. Cartwright, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ president

The Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute provides comprehensive, year-round care for Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ student-athletes, including on-field coverage, primary care sports medicine, and specialized imaging. As a Pegasus Partner, Orlando Health pledged $5 million toward the , which supports nursing internships, scholarships, and hiring, helping to address the state’s nursing shortage. In addition, Orlando Health and Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ collaborate on advanced technology projects — such as the AI for Medical Surgery system — jointly offer specialized residency programs and collaborate in many additional ways.

“Orlando Health has been an exceptional partner, demonstrating what is possible when industry and academia come together with shared purpose. This next phase of co-location builds on that foundation,â€� says Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ President Alexander N. Cartwright. “By working side by side at SPRK, we are accelerating innovation and moving real-world healthcare solutions more quickly into the communities we serve.â€�

Healthcare Innovation at the Center of Campus

Located in approximately 2,649 square feet within SPRK, the Strategic Innovations group was intentionally placed, here, to foster continuous collaboration with faculty and students across disciplines.

This co-location enables a new operating model. Orlando Health brings real health system challenges directly into the academic environment, and interdisciplinary teams of students, faculty, and Orlando Health innovators rapidly design, test, and refine solutions.

Early collaboration has already begun to generate impact in areas such as cancer research, digital health, creation of AI models and various orthopedic innovations.

“The opening of an Orlando Health Strategic Innovations space at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ represents our shared commitment to advancing healthcare delivery through bold new ideas,â€� says Jamal Hakim, M.D., chief physician officer, Orlando Health. “Through this partnership, we are creating a collaborative environment where clinicians, researchers, students and industry leaders can generate real-world solutions and drive innovations that will shape the future of how we care for patients.â€�

Built to Go For Launch

The latest milestone in , this co-location represents Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s deep commitment to the ecosystem of support powering our vision for the future.

Through a collective effort — combining philanthropy and transformational giving with corporate partnerships, research commercialization and other revenue-generating endeavors — Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½Â is charting a bold new path forward and building a future the world has only begun to imagine.

“This co-location with Orlando Health exemplifies the kind of partnership that powers Go for Launch, bringing industry and academia together to create real-world impact,â€� says Rod Grabowski, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ vice president for Advancement and Partnership, and CEO of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Foundation. “By aligning visionary partners with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s innovation ecosystem, we are accelerating discovery, expanding opportunity and advancing solutions that improve lives.â€�

Four outstanding undergraduate students are redefining the boundaries of STEM through their high-impact research — and in doing so, placing the university among the nation’s top producers of Goldwater Scholars.

The prestigious Goldwater Scholarship identifies and supports the nation’s best student researchers in the fields of engineering, mathematics and natural sciences.

This year’s honorees — all expected to graduate next spring — have propelled Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ into an elite tier of research institutions, surpassing several Ivy League institutions and tying for fourth in the nation in total Goldwater Scholars produced alongside Stanford University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago. Their impactful work reflects Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s commitment to building a high-level research environment that empowers students to lead projects addressing significant global and scientific challenges.

Supporting Space Exploration

Goldwater Scholar: Keanu Brayman

Major: Mechanical engineering

Ultimate Goal: To develop robotic systems to support human exploration on Mars.

Keanu Brayman’s passion for space began early.

“One of my earliest memories is watching a Space Shuttle streak across the sky from a beach in South Florida,� Brayman says. “I remember being amazed there were people on board and feeling drawn to one day help explore the stars and discover what lies beyond our planet.�

At Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, Brayman has refined that dream with the support of faculty and mentors — including Department of Physics Chair and Professor Adrienne Dove, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Tarek Elgohary and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Engineer Christopher Proctor — as well as through programs like the .

He plans to pursue a doctoral degree in aerospace engineering to support lunar exploration and NASA’s Artemis program, as well as develop robotic systems that can extract resources and build infrastructure to support human exploration on Mars.

Engineering the Brain

Goldwater Scholar: Kyle Coutray

Majors: Computer engineering and biomedical sciences

Ultimate Goal: To research ways to restore communication, movement and cognitive function to the brain through engineering methods.

Kyle Coutray is focused on the intersection of neuroscience and technology.

“I’m interested in building systems that interact directly with the brain,� Coutray says. “In the lab, … [I’m] blending [both majors] into one approach.�

He aims to pursue a doctoral degree in neural engineering to further his research on brain-computer interfaces that translate complex brain activity into useful functions.

A 2026 Order of Pegasus inductee and a Burnett Honors Scholar, Coutray credits his success to disciplined focus and strong mentorship, particularly from Charles N. Millican Professor of Computer Science Joseph LaViola and Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Helen Huang.

Advancing Patient Care

Goldwater Scholar: Varun Nannuri

Major: Molecular and cellular biology

Ultimate Goal: To pursue a career as a physician-scientist.

Varun Nannuri is driven by a desire to understand why people experience different health outcomes and improve care.

“Through my clinical experiences, I have seen how much patients and families rely on physicians during some of the most difficult moments of their lives,” Nannuri says. “My research experiences have shown me that better care depends on asking better questions.”

Nannuri plans to pursue a dual M.D./Ph.D. degree and become a physician-scientist. His ambition earned him recognition as a 2026 Order of Pegasus inductee while also completing his Honors Undergraduate Thesis. Nannuri is also a member of the Burnett Honors College as a Burnett Medical Scholar, a program that offers guaranteed admission to the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ College of Medicine upon completion.

“Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ has given me opportunities to grow as a student, researcher, leader and future physician,â€� Nannuri says.

Restoring Human Senses

Goldwater Scholar: Trevor Overton

Majors: Electrical engineering and biomedical sciences

Ultimate Goal: To improve the lives of people with disabilities through advanced robotic prostheses.

Burnett Honors Scholar Trevor Overton’s work centers on neuroengineering and next-generation prosthetics.

“I’ve always had a passion for building things, and I also love reading and watching sci-fi,â€� Overton says. “When Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ offered me the opportunity to join the MEDD [ … I knew I had to take it.â€�

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s MEDD program provides scientifically driven students like Overton with a unique opportunity to integrate engineering principles into medicine.

Much like the development of cochlear implants, Overton imagines similar breakthroughs with vision and touch.

“I envision a future where robotic prostheses are so advanced that they could completely replace or enhance the abilities of humans,� Overton says. “It’s not entirely impossible.�

After earning a doctoral degree in electrical engineering with a focus on neuroengineering, he hopes to inspire the next generation — just as his professors inspired him — emphasizing that Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s strength lies in professors who actively invest in their students.

A Growing Research Powerhouse

With four 2026 Goldwater Scholarship recipients, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ continues to strengthen its position as a leader in undergraduate research. The achievement reflects both students’ immense dedication and a university-wide commitment to driving innovation, mentorship and hands-on discovery. As these Knights prepare for the next steps in their academic journeys, they carry forward a shared mission: to turn research into real-world impact.

Students interested in applying for the Goldwater Scholarship or other major national awards should contact the Office of Prestigious Awards at opa@ucf.edu.

Parchment is one of just two nurse leaders in Florida — and the only one from a Florida university — inducted into the 2026 class of fellows. The distinction honors individuals who’ve made sustained contributions to nursing leadership and are influencing the future of healthcare.

With more than two decades in the field, including her recent role as corporate director of nursing strategy implementation at Orlando Health, Parchment has guided two hospitals to Magnet Recognition, an honor for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovation in practice. She’s actively mentored nurses and built systems that help them progress. At one multi-hospital health system, her framework supported 62% of clinical nurse leaders in advancing professionally.

Turning Mentorship Into Momentum

Since 2022, Parchment has mentored graduate students at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ as an assistant professor in the College of Nursing, helping prepare future nurse leaders.

“In my career, I have learned that continual growth and lifelong learning are essential,� she says. “As our profession continues to evolve, it is crucial that experienced leaders help guide the path forward, navigate new norms and provide support during times of change.�

Filling the Gaps in Leadership Training

Her research — cited nearly 50 times in national and international journals and books — examines professional nursing practice and leadership science, including defining role-specific factors behind workplace bullying among nurse managers and its effects on those in these leadership positions.

One of her most notable contributions is an evidence-based manual for interim nurse managers that addresses a critical gap in leadership training. It equips managers with the skills and resources to lead in complex, demanding environments and has been downloaded nearly 200 times to date. The manual was recognized by the Association for Leadership Science in Nursing as an innovative solution to the nurse manager workforce crisis and adopted by a 357-bed hospital to support its nurse manager transition-to-practice program.

Advancing Nursing at the National Level

Beyond the classroom and research lab, Parchment’s influence extends nationally. She serves as the academic commissioner for the American Nurses Credentialing Center Commission on Magnet Recognition and sits on The Nurses Legacy Institute board. She’s also an active member of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and the Association of Leadership Science in Nursing, where she co-led three funded national research studies on nursing leadership and system science priorities within healthcare leadership.

“I will continue to advocate for the profession, advance nursing leadership [and] nurture future leaders …”

“It is an incredible honor to be recognized by the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, an organization that has encouraged me to seize opportunities and use my voice to inspire transformation across levels of healthcare,� she says. “I will continue to advocate for the profession, advance nursing leadership, nurture future leaders and empower them to excel in today’s challenging healthcare landscape.�

They proclaimed there is no better place than Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, the closest medical school to Kennedy Space Center, to create a new frontier in healthcare as humans prepare for longer missions to the moon, Mars and beyond.

“You are in a global destination for medical innovation,â€� Michal Masternak told participants in the Star Nona 2026 event in Lake Nona’s Medical City. An anti-aging and cancer researcher at the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ College of Medicine, Masternak organized the event as part of the Lake Nona Research Council, which is focused on encouraging interdisciplinary scientific partnerships between industry, academia and healthcare.

Space medicine is one of the council’s priorities. Deep space travel and the commercialization of space bring unique health challenges that science is just beginning to explore. The College of Medicine’s focuses on how factors such as microgravity, radiation and isolation impact the human body in space and how that knowledge can drive innovation into diagnostics, treatment and disease prevention for patients on Earth.

Former NASA Administrator and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson told attendees the Artemis voyage’s return to the moon should inspire space medicine experts to make new discoveries.

“We’re in a whole new era, an exciting era, of space exploration that makes this time so special,� Nelson said.

Star Nona’s goal was to bring together experts to understand current research on the health impacts of space travel and what challenges need to be addressed as more professional and commercial space travelers go to the moon and beyond.

The Physical Challenges of Space Flight

Former NASA astronaut Robert Curbeam holds the record for most spacewalks on a single mission. He described how the body feels during launch and splashdown when G-forces are so strong you must remind yourself to breathe. He presented with his former NASA flight surgeon, Smith Johnson, now a faculty member at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s new Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine (CASEEM). The two discussed the important relationship between physicians and space travelers before, during and after a mission.

“I loved being an astronaut and flying space shuttles,� Curbeam says. “The only problem with space travel is that not a lot of people get to do it.�

Your Brain Actually Shifts in Space

Living in space causes the body’s fluids to move up to the head and brain. But symptoms of that condition do more than cause puffy faces. Space travel actually causes the brain to shift. Jogi Pattisapu, of the Hydrocephalus and Neuroscience Institute, said as astronauts go to Mars for years-long missions and settle on the moon, scientists will have to understand how living in space affects brain function and create predictive tests and preventative measures. Eye health will be key, as fluid buildup has caused spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS) in 70% of astronauts on the International Space Station, leading to farsightedness, optic nerve swelling and eyeball flattening.

“What are we going to do if the pilot goes blind 210 million miles from Earth?� he said.

Team Dynamics in Space

Interpersonal communication is key to any team’s success, but how do relationships change for crews in confined spaces and face additional challenges such as sleep deprivation, isolation and differences in rank and roles. Shawn Burke and Stephen Fiore from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Institute for Simulation and Training have researched team dynamics in space to understand and prevent collaboration failures that can impact mission success.

Their research has also identified the formal and informal roles crew members play in encouraging positive social interactions and teamwork, especially in long-term missions. Missions to Mars may take up to 36 months and include 20-minute communications delays to and from Mission Control. Team dynamics will impact performance, mental health and affect, Burke said, because “you’re stuck with the people you have.�

Conducting Medical Research in Microgravity: Everything’s Upside Down

The weightlessness of space provides a unique research environment for new discoveries in areas including nutrient production, waste treatment, crystallization and biomanufacturing, said Alain Berinstain, director of the Florida Space Institute at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.

“Terrestrially, whenever space can make a difference, it’s a great economic driver,â€� he said.

In space, air doesn’t slow down processes, he explained, so experiments that involve weight, separation, sedimentation, fluid flow and buoyancy change. His advice to researchers considering space as a lab?

“Turn your experiment upside down. Does it still work? If the answer is no, you have a lot of work to do.�