Research – Proposed
10 Major Research Centers and Institutes

The UF Academic Health Center is a world leader in interdisciplinary research, generating more than 50 percent of UF’s total research awards. Apart from the flurry of research activities in the AHC colleges, ten major health-related research centers and institutes are designed to create synergies and collaborative research opportunities.

Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology

The UF Scripps campus in Jupiter, Florida was founded by Scripps Research, one of the world’s most innovative nonprofit biomedical research organizations. In 2022, the Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation provided $100 million to elevate the stature of UF Scripps as one of the world’s leading forces in biomedical research and to advance the leading-edge work of faculty at the campus in Jupiter, Florida.

This transformational lead investment will launch a 10-year, $1 billion public-private partnership — spearheaded by UF Scripps — that is focused on amplifying fundamental science, driving research that translates profound discoveries from bench to bedside to business, training the next generation of innovators and investigators, and improving the health outcomes and experiences of countless patients and families in Palm Beach County, throughout Florida and across the nation.

UF Health Cancer Center

The mission of the UF Health Cancer Center is to prevent, detect, treat and ultimately cure cancer while addressing the unique challenges of the cancer burden faced by the population we serve. We accomplish this through basic discovery, research innovations in cancer prevention, screening and treatment, while educating and training the next generations of cancer scientists and experts. As North Central Florida’s only state-designated Center of Excellence, we provide leading-edge, patient- and family-centered care. U.S. News & World Report ranks UF Health Shands Hospital as one of the high-performing cancer programs in the nation. Our multidisciplinary cancer programs offer advanced treatment options, such as minimally invasive and robotic surgery, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy — as well as access to clinical trials.

UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Translational research means moving the discoveries that scientists make in the laboratory to the bedside in the form of new drugs, devices and treatment options and ensuring that effective new approaches reach people who need them. The Clinical and Translational Science Institute provides opportunities for people to participate in health research conducted at the university through clinical research studies, programs such as UF HealthStreet and initiatives such as the Citizen Scientist program.

UF Diabetes Institute

The UF Diabetes Institute serves as the umbrella organization under which research, treatment, education and outreach are coordinated at UF and UF Health. Researchers and physicians are working to develop novel treatments and improve care for those with Type 1, Type 2 and gestational disease. Such efforts draw from a wide array of areas, including immunology, genetics, endocrinology, metabolism, pediatrics, biomedical engineering and social sciences. The institute is internationally recognized for its research efforts and provides for statewide diabetes education through collaboration with UF/IFAS Extension in all 67 Florida counties.

UF Emerging Pathogens Institute

The UF Emerging Pathogens Institute provides a world-class research environment to facilitate interdisciplinary study of the emergence and control of human, animal and plant pathogens of concern. The goals are to understand the genetic changes (and evolutionary drivers) that lead to the emergence of new pathogens; to untangle the complex interaction of environmental and host factors that foster transmission within plant, animal and human populations; to train new generations of investigators in emerging diseases, within a unique, interdisciplinary setting; and to disseminate information about emerging pathogens, and their control.

Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida

More than 200 faculty members across 50 UF academic departments are devoted to discovering how the normal brain operates and how to repair the brain amid injury, disease or aging. McKnight Brain Institute investigators and physician-scientists lead research and educational programs to make a difference for those suffering from addiction, brain cancer, chronic pain, neurodegenerative diseases, psychiatric disorders, sensory impairment, spinal cord injury, stroke and traumatic brain injury. They strive to change the understanding of many neurological disorders from untreatable to treatable, incurable to curable and inevitable to preventable.

UF Genetics Institute

The UF Genetics Institute involves more than 220 faculty members representing nine colleges and 51 academic departments. Their research includes fields such as human genetics, bioinformatics, agricultural and plant biology, and evolutionary biology. They also study relevant and pressing issues such as the impact of climate change, health-related genetic mutations and feeding an expanding global population.

UF Institute on Aging

In addition to providing primary care on the UF campus and at UF Health Senior Care – Springhill, as well as care at the retirement community Oak Hammock at the University of Florida, the UF Institute of Aging is changing the way older adults receive care at UF Health Shands Hospital. Geriatricians in the hospital’s trauma unit and the general hospital unit design health care around patients’ unique needs. The institute also trains the next generation of gerontologists and geriatricians using online graduate programs, geriatric fellowships and a robust Junior Scholars program promoting the careers of young scientists. In 2018, the Jacksonville Aging Studies Center, or JAX-ASCENT, opened as a dedicated space for conducting NIH-sponsored clinical and behavioral translational research on aging.

UF Institute for Child Health Policy

The UF Institute for Child Health Policy uses big data analytics and innovative study designs to tackle some of the most challenging child health issues of our time. Researchers work to improve the systems that deliver health care and empower communities and families to prevent problems before they start. They have a special interest in understanding how social stressors such as adverse childhood experiences and food insecurity affect children’s health, and in identifying and reducing health disparities.

Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health

Some of the world’s leading researchers and clinicians work at the Fixel Institute to advance scientific discoveries that lead to breakthroughs in treatment options for patients battling movement disorders such as Parkinson’s, dystonia and ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease); dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body disease; and concussions and traumatic brain injuries. The team provides leading-edge treatments, such as deep brain stimulation and gene therapy, that are transforming patient care. The institute is a cornerstone of the university’s aspiration to help create history’s healthiest generation through precision health, the elimination of health disparities, and the advancements of therapies related to the brain and neuromuscular and mental health.