Here’s why Baycare is expanding access to academic medicine

West Central Florida deserves access to academic medicine. As one of the nation’s largest and fast-growing metro regions, access to the best of special care is paramount to the economic success of our region, as well as the well-being of all. Already, our local physician-patient ratios drag on the national average and demand more to attract, train and maintain physicians for our community. On the other hand, the advances we see in healthcare mean that individuals can live longer. This also means that many of us will need greater access to complex, professional care in later years.

Baycare, the largest provider of healthcare services in the region, is proud to be stepping up to address the needs of the community for higher professional care, based on a long-standing mission to improve all the health we serve. On June 5th, the strategic collaboration with Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine is a nationally recognized academic health system, including Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, expanding access to cutting-edge medical research, world-class physicians, experts and groundbreaking treatments.

This collaboration is the last important part of a collaborative effort to expand community access to academic medicine. Baycare has invested wisely in education and research, positioning the region as a hub for medical innovation and a destination for training doctors of tomorrow.

Our research company has more than doubled the number of clinical research projects and trials participating nationwide since 2019. Baycare also has one of the country’s fastest-growing graduate medical education programs, with 12 Baycare-sponsored programs. Combined with a program sponsored by Baycare Hospitals four universities, Baycare will train nearly 300 residents in 16 programs in the fall of 2025. We expect to have 650 residents by 2029.

As the largest provider in the region with its vast geographic footprint, it is natural for Baycare to make these extraordinary commitments. This community deserves a stronger bridge between clinical care delivery and academic excellence, and Baycare is the best provider in the area.

The collaboration between Baycare and Northwestern Medicine will improve Baycare’s ability to attract, retain and train the next generation of healthcare professionals to meet the growth needs of Western Florida. More education, training, and research ultimately means access to patient professionals and deeper expertise. And that’s why Baycare is here. It helps the health of our community.

For all of us at Baycare, it is an exciting time for all of us who are driven to provide clinical excellence and high quality and compassionate care. We believe that our healthcare ecosystem across our region will benefit as we expand our invitation to healthcare innovation.

Our vision is that, as access to academic medicine continues to grow alongside our area for the next few years, no one in western Florida needs to leave their community to access the best possible clinical interventions near their home.

Stephanie Conners is the president and CEO of Baycare, the largest healthcare service provider in West Central, Florida and a nonprofit academic health system with 16 hospitals and hundreds of other locations.