Dear classes of 2026 and 2027,

It was so much fun to see you this past week or so. Since you are reacclimating or acclimating for this year, we thought we would do a special newsletter for you to highlight key messages in case you missed them.

If you ever feel overwhelmed don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to cheer you on and lend a hand if you need it.

Warmly,

Drs. DeWaay and Zwygart

Kira Zwygart MD, FAAFP

Associate Dean, Student Affairs

Deborah DeWaay MD, FACP

Associate Dean, UME

A word about volunteering during class time...

We encourage you to volunteer with the various community outreach organizations. It is great to “give back” to your community, and it’s important for your own mental wellbeing. That being said, you cannot do these activities during required class time. Please make sure that you check your mandatory class schedule so that you don’t double-book yourself!

Important Dates for Fall

• SCP Orientation – August 10, 9-11 AM and is Faculty-driven.
• White Coat Ceremony - August 31
• SCP Round Robin – Sept 1, 1-3 PM and is Student-driven.
• MCOM Org Fair - Sept 13
• SCP Focus Selection due – Sept 17 at 11:59 PM (Qualtrics Survey link)
• Homecoming - Oct 8-14
• Gallery of Specialties - Oct 9
• Summer Scholarly Award Experience Orientation – Nov 28, 10:30am-Noon

Building Access

You must have a working badge to get into the building after hours and on weekends. STRONGLY encourage second year students to check and make sure the badge is working during their first week in case you have to go to main campus to get a new badge.

Finding Rooms for Studying

Each week the available study spaces will be publicized on Hubs placed throughout the building, and on the TV monitors. These are reserved in advance for you by Dr. Puckett. Check those to see where you can study each week! 

CAMLS / Student Health

CAMLS SHS location

Room 323

Hours:

Mon 8am-12pm Medical, Gyn

Tue 1pm-5pm Medical, Gyn

Wed 12pm-4pm Psychiatry

Thurs 1pm-5pm Medical, Gyn

Fri 8am-12pm Medical, Gyn

Travel Funding

Interested in attending a conference or presenting at a conference? Need support to make your travels happen? Complete the travel funding survey

Health Insurance

For those who still need to purchase health insurance and would like to take a look at the options provided by the school, please access this link. 

Go to any Pharos printer, swipe your USF ID card to release the print. *Printing via email requires something in the subject line. More information on printing on campus can be found here.

Academic Support Center 

Academic Support Center (known by some as the ASC office), is excited to support new medical students! No matter how prepared you feel about your road to residency, if you want to discuss learning strategy, complete an exam review, or have a conversation about life, adulting, and becoming more efficient in your study routines, we are here for you. Remember...drinking from a water hose is possible... with strategy! 

Dr. Pamela O’Callaghan (center), Dr. Chantae Ciceron (left), and Emily Pernas (right), are excited to support you all on this journey. If you have questions, just #ASK. 

Fall Financial Aid Disbursements Have Begun

Monitor OASIS for important updates and for any refund information.

Financial aid recipients have a tuition late fee assessment deferment until 9/18/23. Any unpaid tuition balances must be paid by this date.

Scholarship Applications Due by Sunday, August 20th 11:59pm

The scholarship application for the 2023-2024 academic year is now open!

Here is the full list of available scholarships for MD students - more than 100 scholarships are available for you to apply to.

Apply today!

Debt Reduction Scholarship Challenge starts September 4th

Participate for your chance to win $500 each month to pay directly towards your federal student loans! *Students with no loan debt can still participate for funds to be applied to future educational expenses

Method for Collecting Tuition and Fees

Your tuition charges will appear in OASIS, the same website where you view your financial aid award. When your tuition has been assessed, you can log in to https://my.usf.edu, click “My Resources” then “OASIS Student.” Once in OASIS, click the middle “Student” tab then the “Tuition & Fees” link. Finally, click “View Account Summary and Pay My Bill.” If you receive financial aid, your aid amount will be applied to your balance. Any remaining funds for cost of living will be disbursed directly to you according to the method you have set up within OASIS. Please keep an eye out for a tuition assessment email closer to the start of your classes. Remember, each cohort is billed on a different date depending on their first day of class in AY 23-24.

In the meantime, please note the following methods for payment. If you have bill pay set up, also note the change in mailing address.

If your balance is not covered by a financial aid award, please utilize one of the following methods:

• eCheck (recommended) – check payments can be made in OASIS by entering the routing and account number from your checking account paper checks. Benefits: There is no additional cost to pay using this method and payments post immediately.
• Credit Card – MasterCard, American Express, and Discover credit card payments can be made in OASIS. A 2.5% convenience fee will be charged.
• Mailed Check/Money Order – Checks and money orders (with student ID included) can be mailed to the address below.  Please allow sufficient time for the checks to be received before the bill due date:

USF Student Payments

PO BOX 946571

ATLANTA, GA 30394-6571

What if I cannot pay by then and do not have an approved tuition deferment/late fee waiver on file?

• You will be assessed a $100 late fee. If you are using financial aid for the entirety of your tuition payment, you automatically have a tuition deferment on file that expires on 9/18/23. 

What happens if I am on a military scholarship?

• If you are on a full military scholarship, the appropriate branch will be billed. If you participate in other partial scholarships such as the Yellow Ribbon or MyCAA programs, please contact me. Please remember that members of the Navy and Army HPSPs will have to pay some fees not covered by their respective scholarships.

What if I have questions about my financial aid?

• Please visit https://health.usf.edu/well/financial-aid and click on your program for helpful information about disbursement dates. If you have a specific question about your financial aid disbursement, you can click the “ServiceNow Email Questions” button at the bottom of the page to send a secure inquiry directly to the USF Health Office of Financial Aid. 

Some of you still have immunization holds on your account that prevent registration and tuition assessment. If you do not see any charges on your account, please reach out to mlcook2@usf.edu.

Financial Aid Fundamentals & Debt Management Canvas course

Check the modules section for detailed financial aid and office contact information under “Ways to Connect”.

Medical Societies & Meetings Resources

Are you looking for Medical Societies & Meetings to present your scholarly work? Check out the High Yield Resources link on the RISE Canvas page. Airtable, a database platform, houses the Medical Societies & Meetings table.  If you need help filtering the table, click here for a helpful guide. It is available only to MCOM utilizing your @usf.edu email address.

What is RISE?

Research, Innovation & Scholarly Endeavors (RISE) is a “one-stop-shop” for all research-related activities as displayed on the Research Project Continuum. RISE promotes and supports students, residents, fellows, and their faculty mentors engaged in research, scholarship, innovation & creative endeavors. We aspire to offer medical students the opportunity to be connected to dynamic research and scholarly mentors from our hospital affiliates and community partners in various fields of inquiry. The office guides and supports students and faculty by providing:

1. High-yield resources for research success
2. Provide study design and biostatistics services and education.
3. Provide protocol design, IRB application submission assistance, manuscript writing / proofreading services, and education.
4. Education and training to acquire success skills, such as verbal and written presentation skills.
5. Assistance with the process of identifying a research mentor and available research project(s).
6. Opportunities to showcase scholarly accomplishments.
7. Networking opportunities.

2023-2024 Parking Information

Click the image above to open the pdf with clickable links. Please note the following highlights:

1. The new monthly limited access pass at the Cumberland garage will be $110
2. The guest daily parking validation rate for Cumberland garage is $8
3. Daily pass bundle packages purchased after 1/31/24 expire 6 calendar months after the purchase date 

MCOM + HI students who purchase a parking pass or bundle from The Car Park are eligible to receive a FREE ‘S’ ($226 value) parking permit for the USF Tampa campus from USF Parking & Transportation Services. Refer to the MCOM + HI Stakeholder Manual for more detailed information (page 17), including how to request the free campus pass.

Medical District Shuttle

The new medical district shuttle provided by TGH is free to anyone with a TGH or USF badge. The District Connect shuttle runs every 35 minutes Mon-Fri 6:45am-5:45pm. The route includes:

• TGH Main Campus (hospital/STC)
• CAMLS
• USF Health Morsani College of Medicine (MDD)
• TGH Rehabilitation Hospital
• TGH Corporate Center

Consider downloading the TGH Shuttle app to stay up-to-date on the route schedule.

Questions? Contact Parking and Transportation Services at (813) 844-2277 or parkingservices@tgh.org.

Welcome Dr. Terry! - New Collegia Faculty Advisor

Dr. Terry received her medical degree from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. She completed her Family Medicine Residency at USF followed by a Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship at the University of South Florida – Morton Plant Mease. After fellowship, she joined USF MCOM Department of Family Medicine in 2021 as an Assistant Professor and serves as one of the team physicians for USF Athletics. Her primary areas of interest are concussion as well as LGBTQ medicine. For fun, Dr. Terry likes to exercise and spend time with her awesome dog, Louise. Dr. Terry is very honored and excited to serve as your new academic advisor, and she looks forward to meeting everyone.

Decorating Collegia Rooms

• Can only use painters' tape or command hooks

All past issues can now be found at the bottom of the Helpful Links page (that is on you QR Code cards)!