UCF Alum, Physician Gives Undergraduates Unprecedented Experience in Medicine

A UCF alumnus who is a nationally recognized foot and ankle surgeon continues to give back to his alma mater by offering a unique Surgical Internship Program to undergraduates who are aspiring physicians.

Each semester, Gideon Lewis '04's unique internship provides three or four pre-medical students exposure to the operating room alongside community surgeons. Interns don't just stand in the corner and observe. They participate in patient care and research and get a firsthand understanding of surgical procedures and medical pathologies.

Over the past 15 years, Lewis' internship has trained 85 interns and 98% of them have gone on to medical school, at universities including UCF, Case Western, Harvard, Miami and University of Pennsylvania.

"This program was born from a desire to provide students with something I never had - hands-on, immersive exposure to surgical medicine while still in college," says Lewis, who is an affiliated faculty member with the UCF College of Medicine and director of the Foot & Ankle Sports Medicine Institute. "It's incredibly fulfilling to see former interns now thriving as medical students, residents and even practicing physicians."

Deborah German, UCF's vice president for health affairs and founding dean of the College of Medicine, praised Dr. Lewis' commitment to education. "When I came here to build this medical school, I did not know that I would find such generous and talented physicians as we have in our community," she says. "Dr. Lewis is an example of someone who exemplifies the portion of the Hippocratic Oath that says each of us must be committed to training the next generation of doctors."

How the Program Works

The UCF Surgical Internship Program is designed to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world clinical exposure for undergraduate students interested in careers in medicine.

The internship selection process is selective and rigorous. Candidates must have at least a 3.5 grade point average, have taken both Human Anatomy and Human Physiology at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, have a letter of recommendation and participate in an interview with internship leaders. Interns spend at least eight hours a week with Dr. Lewis' team, including time in operating rooms at AdventHealth Winter Park, Downtown Surgery Center, and Foot and Ankle Sports Medicine Institute.

They also gain insights into patient interactions, clinical decision-making, and the humanistic side of healthcare. Participants are mentored by Lewis and a team of experienced providers across multiple specialties. Mentors include community physicians in neuro, vascular, orthopedic, plastic, trauma and general surgery.

"This participation with so many different physicians makes this one of the most unique and sought-after undergraduate medical experiences in the country." - Gideon Lewis '04, alum and physician

"This participation with so many different physicians makes this one of the most unique and sought-after undergraduate medical experiences in the country," Dr. Lewis says.

Mark Chaet has been one of those participating physicians. A pediatric surgeon at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Advent Health Children's Hospital, he is now dean of the Florida State University College of Medicine's Orlando Regional Campus. He says the mentorship program is successful because it involves "incredibly motivated and enthusiastic students who are new to the world of medicine." And as a practicing surgeon, he says the UCF students "really invigorated my love for teaching."

UCF students shadowed Chaet during a variety of pediatric surgical procedures, including hernia repairs, chest reconstruction and removal of benign growths. Many of the treatments were done at the surgery center, allowing students to learn and interact with their physician mentor in a smaller, less intimidating session, he said. They also had the opportunity to see the dynamics of how a pediatric surgical team works with frightened young patients and their families. Chaet says such real world experiences are critical for pre-med students to really understand what it means to be a doctor and to decide if the challenging career is right for them.

"Dr. Lewis's program is unique and one of the best internship experiences I have seen because he allows our UCF students to be immersed in a clinical environment," says Kersten Schroeder, coordinator the UCF's Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences Clinical Internship Program. "Dr. Lewis allows UCF students to work with him and see the collaborative effort it takes with other specialties to help patients on their way to the healing process."

Interns are required to write and present a surgical case study and Chaet says the presentations he saw from UCF undergraduates were comparable to those done by medical students and resident physicians.

Current and past interns often have the opportunity to learn suturing techniques during workshops with Lewis and participate in sessions with representatives from medical device companies, athletics organizations and business leaders. Those who complete the internship have the chance to come back as program administrators. The mission, Lewis says, is to train young people to pay forward their blessings and opportunities.

Students Say Surgical Experience Is Life-Changing

Taylor Duffy '20 and Emily Larson '25 are two of those students.

Duffy is now a second-year M.D. candidate at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He'd never been in an operating room before the internship and said the hand-on surgical workshops and mentoring clarified his dreams and gave him the confidence to pursue them. He hopes to become an anesthesiologist and said he carries with him in medical school the clinical insights, professionalism and leadership skills he learned in the program. He also carries important life lessons.

"Dr. Lewis taught me to take advantage of every opportunity I was given and then use it to lift up others." - Taylor Duffy '20, student

"Dr. Lewis taught me to take advantage of every opportunity I was given," Duffy says, "and then use it to lift up others."

Larson is now an assistant director for the internship, where she has grown her leadership skills as she helps provide important learning experiences for new cohorts of UCF pre-med students. She still remembers meeting with a patient who had multiple questions and worries before surgery. Larson worked closely with the patient, writing down all the information she wanted to know. When the doctor arrived moments before surgery began, the patient said she didn't have any questions or concerns because of Larson's dedicated care.

"The UCF Surgical Internship Program has been invaluable to my pursuit of a career in medicine," she says. "Dr. Lewis' mentorship has inspired me to become a better patient advocate, leader, and future physician."

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