Other Centers and Institutes

Research activities at UF Health reflect a depth of purpose by focusing on the translational nature of biomedical research following the continuum from fundamental research to clinical research to patient care.

Academic Health Center and Affiliated Centers and Institutes

Anatomical Board

The Anatomical Board of the State of Florida is a nonprofit state organization responsible for receiving, preparing (embalming), storing and distributing donations of human cadavers used in medical education and research programs throughout the state.

Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD)

The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) provides support and assistance with the goal of optimizing the potential of people with autism and related disabilities.

Center for the Arts in Medicine

The Center for the Arts in Medicine is committed to advancing research, education, and practice in the arts in healthcare, locally and globally.

Center for Smell and Taste

The Center for Smell and Taste is a university-wide center fostering discovery, application and education in the chemical senses

Center of Excellence for Regenerative Health Biotechnology (CERHB)

The Center of Excellence for Regenerative Health Biotechnology (CERHB) was established in 2003. Our mission is to stimulate promising research and facilitate commercialization of technologies that will provide treatments and cures for human diseases, as well as create new companies and high wage jobs for Florida. Our activities encompass education, translational research, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research (ICBR)

The mission of the Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research (ICBR) is to serve as a world-class research support center that provides scientifically knowledgeable, technically superb scientific services to University of Florida faculty, staff, graduate students, and other research partners throughout the state and nation. Founded in 1987, ICBR is dedicated to initiating and supporting the best of front line technology within the ever-changing and wide-ranging scope of the molecular life sciences.

Myology Institute

The UF Myology Institute brings researchers from throughout UF campus, private industry, and other institutions together in a collaborative effort to further the understanding and treatment of neuromuscular diseases. The focus of the Myology Institute will include basic research on skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle, translational work involving cellular and animal models of neuromuscular and cardiovascular diseases.

Nanoscience Institute for Medical and Engineering Technology

The Nanoscience Institute for Medical and Engineering Technology (NIMET) consolidates information about the research and development activities at the University of Florida (UF) in the fields of nanoscale science and nanotechnology (NS&T); and the opportunity to utilize NIMET facilities. Research in NS&T has developed in numerous disciplines and now involves the research of individual faculty, group consortia, multidisciplinary centers, and research facilities that encompass several colleges at the University.

Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence

PRICE is a multi-college Center of Excellence that serves as the professional home for UF scientists, clinicians, and trainees dedicated to improved understanding and treatment of pain. PRICE is affiliated with and supported by the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and receives strong support from the UF Institute on Aging and the UF Health Cancer Center. PRICE provides member investigators with several resources and services in order to facilitate clinical and translational pain research at UF, including assistance with protocol development and assistance with recruitment of research participants.

UF Research and Academic Center at Lake Nona

The UF Research and Academic Center at Lake Nona brings to the Orlando area vital research on new therapies and cures, increased opportunities for participation in clinical research and enhanced access to professional and graduate pharmacy education. The facility extends UF’s presence into the greater Orlando area through the following colleges, institutes and centers: the College of Pharmacy, the Center for Pharmacometrics and Systems Pharmacology, the Institute for Therapeutic Innovation, the Institute on Aging, and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience

The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience is a full-time University of Florida research center for biomedical research and biotechnology located in St. Augustine, Florida.

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Dentistry

Center for Dental Biomaterials

The mission of the Center for Dental Biomaterials is to integrate the research and teaching expertise and the facilities of the Colleges of Dentistry, Medicine, and Engineering at the University of Florida to enhance the development of safe, long lasting, and economical materials to prevent tooth decay and to remineralize, repair or restore demineralized, defective, or damaged tooth structure.

Center for Implant Dentistry

Established in 1999, this interdisciplinary Center for Implant Dentistry coordinates research, educational programs, and diagnosis and treatment related to patients needing dental implants. The center benefits not only students in the doctor of dental medicine degree program, but also residents and faculty from our Health Science Center colleges, and an international audience of dental professionals through continuing education and distance education.

Center for Molecular Microbiology

The Center for Molecular Microbiology (CMM) was established in October of 2000 to formally bring together infectious disease researchers and clinicians from the Colleges of Dentistry, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine in order to function as an interdisciplinary group of collaborating scientists to address the issues of infectious diseases.

Center for Orphaned Autoimmune Disorders

The Center for Orphaned Autoimmune Disorders provides patients with an accurate diagnosis and an individualized treatment plan for their autoimmune disease. A team of experienced physicians from several disciplines and other health care specialists will formulate comprehensive recommendations for managing your condition.

Claude Denson Pepper Center for Research in Oral Health in Aging

The Florida Dental Care Study (FDCS) was a highly successful longitudinal, observational cohort study of oral health and dental care. A great deal was learned from this study. We published 75 peer-reviewed scientific research articles in 30 different journal titles. This study was funded by eight grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Periodontal Disease Research Center

The Periodontal Disease Research Center will identify and characterize the pathogenic virulence mechanisms, bacterial/bacterial interactions, and the host inflammatory and immune responses involved in the initiation, progression, and prevention of periodontal diseases. This information will be used to design or identify potential vaccines, anti-inflammatory agents, antibacterial drugs, and gene-transfer therapeutic approaches to the treatment and prevention of periodontal diseases in children, adults, and the elderly. An active clinical component of the center will provide clinical and technical avenues for the testing and

Southeast Center for Research to Reduce Disparities in Oral Health

Welcome to the Southeast Center for Research to Reduce Disparities in Oral Health, a multi-disciplinary center at the University of Florida College of Dentistry built on strong community partnerships. Led by principal investigator Henrietta Logan, Ph.D., the center aims to reduce disparities in oral health among Florida’s rural populations through research and intervention projects based on the best science available and community participation. Local residents are involved in all phases, from designing research to collecting data to publicizing results and influencing public policy. With the combined forces of community involvement and scientific expertise from researchers across the University of Florida campus, the Center’s goal is to eliminate disparities in head and neck cancer prevention, detection, and survival.

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Medicine

B. J. and Eve Wilder Center for Excellence in Epilepsy Research

This fund was established by B. J. and Eve Wilder in 2003 to support the creation and continued development of the B. J. and Eve Wilder Center for Excellence in Epilepsy Research in the McKnight Brain Institute and nurture as well as encourage the investment and support of the next generation of epilepsy researchers. The Center was created to promote basic research in the neurological disorder of epilepsy.

Brain Injury, Rehabilitation, and Neuroresilience (BRAIN) Center

The mission of the Brain Injury, Rehabilitation, and Neuroresilience (BRAIN) Center is to foster interactions between brain injury clinicians and researchers, harnessing collective strengths across UF to encourage cross-disciplinary collaborations and innovation in the field.

Center for Addiction Research and Education

The Center for Addiction Research and Education provides a comprehensive interdisciplinary environment in the neurosciences leading to specialized research related to the neurobiological consequences of alcohol and drug abuse.

Center for Biomedical Sciences Research & Training

Center for Genetic Epidemiology and Bioinformatics

The Center for Genetic Epidemiology and Bioinformatics‘ mission is to develop, foster, and support innovative, collaborative, and multidisciplinary research and training in genetic epidemiology, translational population genomics, and bioinformatics, with a goal to uncover and understand disease mechanisms underlying human complex diseases and translate research findings to improve health outcomes and prevent diseases.

Center for Epigenetics

The Center for Epigenetics (CEG), and the extensive expertise of its associated faculty, is positioned to influence and enhance UF research programs in an expanding variety of disciplines in the life, health, and social sciences.  The role of the CEG is to support, facilitate, coordinate, and enhance interdisciplinary research and training in epigenetics within the UF College of Medicine (COM) as well as across the UF research and teaching community.

Center for Immunology and Transplantation

The Center for Immunology and Transplantation provides an environment for multidisciplinary approaches to questions in immunology and transplantation. Investigators associated with the CIT bring together biochemical, pharmacological, molecular, biological and clinical expertise to study the immune response and to create novel ways to modify its activity. Current work focuses on the nature of autoimmunity, organ transplantation, the role of the immune system in infectious diseases, as well as on development of therapies that circumvent disease.

Center for Inflammation and Mucosal Immunology

From basic science to clinical trials, research at the Center for Inflammation and Mucosal Immunology focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in uncontrolled inflammation, with the primary goal of identifying unique therapeutic platforms and bio-marker signatures to reduce morbidity and mortality from inflammatory diseases.

Center for NeuroGenetics

The Center for NeuroGenetics (CNG) will integrate molecular, genetic and clinical approaches to define the causes of neurodegenerative disease and develop effective treatment strategies.

Center for OCD, Anxiety & Related Disorders

The Center for OCD, Anxiety, and Related Disorders (COARD) is an interdisciplinary group of researchers and clinicians who conduct clinical and translational research in obsessive compulsive and anxiety disorders at the University of Florida.

Center for Regenerative Medicine

The Center for Regenerative Medicine (UF CRM) coordinates the discovery, development and delivery cycle of regenerative solutions to intractable disease across medical, surgical, and rehabilitation practices.

Center for Research on Perinatal Outcomes

The Center for Research on Perinatal Outcomes, originally called the Center for Research on Women’s Health, was founded at the University of Florida in the late 1990’s to foster interdisciplinary and inter-professional research collaborations in Women’s Health. It was the first Center at the University of Florida not housed in a particular College, but rather encompassed a University wide collection of researchers across many disciplines.

Center for Spirituality and Health

The mission of the Center for Spirituality and Health is to pursue research and provide curriculum at the interface of spirituality and the health sciences. It is designed to promote within UF the rigorous, interdisciplinary study of the human experience of faith, belief and spiritual knowledge in relation to health at the individual, community and global levels.

Center for Structural Biology

The Center for Structural Biology is a research and teaching unit of the University of Florida within the College of Medicine, with a mission to study biological structure in order to gain a greater understanding of the relationship between structure and function. The Center is an integral part of the University of Florida Brain Institute and is jointly developing programs with the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease

The mission of the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease is to discover, develop and evaluate future treatments and diagnostics for degenerative central nervous system conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and other brain neurodegenerative disorders.

Center for Vision Research

Vision research at the University of Florida crosses the boundaries of nine departments in the College of Medicine and six colleges at the University of Florida. Because of this diversity, the Center for Vision Research was established in 1996 to help build a cohesive core of vision researchers.

Child Health Research Institute

The Child Health Research Institute was established in 2006 to provide the environment necessary to focus on and develop a wide variety of unique research concepts and to support pilot research activates of faculty to obtain data necessary to submit research proposals to outside agencies. The institute also supports fellows and residents during their research rotation that is a requirement of their Pediatric and Pediatric Sub-Specialty training programs.

Craniofacial Center

The UF Craniofacial Center is dedicated to the care of individuals with cleft palate and other craniofacial conditions. As a University Center we are very active in clinical service, teaching and research.

The H. James Free Center for Primary Care Education & Innovation

The H. James Free, MD, Center seeks to transform the landscape of primary care by serving as a catalyst for collaboration, education, innovation, and research.

Institute for Therapeutic Innovation

The Institute for Therapeutic Innovation (ITI) has as a mission and focus of developing optimized chemotherapy for medically important Infectious Diseases. In contradistinction to other laboratories, ITI does not focus upon a specific pathogen, but we apply the same therapeutic principles to many different pathogens.

Intelligent Critical Care Center (IC3)

The Intelligent Critical Care Center’s mission is to develop and provide sustainable support and leadership for transformative medical AI research, education, and clinical applications to advance patients’ health in critical and acute care medicine.

Interdisciplinary Center for Musculoskeletal Training and Research

The mission of the Interdisciplinary Center for Musculoskeletal Training and Research (ICMTR) is to promote education and research in the orthopaedic sciences. The goal of the ICMTR is to encourage the interaction of scientists and clinicians regardless of department or college.

Powell Gene Therapy Center

The Powell Gene Therapy Center (PGTC) has been instrumental in the development of newer, safer agents for the delivery of therapeutic genes to patients with genetic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis (CF) and alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency (AAT-D). New programs will extend the use of the harmless virus, called AAV, that is used as a carrier for therapeutic genes to the study of other genetic disorders such as congenital Leber’s amaurosis (CLA), a genetic cause of blindness, and Pompe’s disease, a genetic disease characterized by heart failure and muscular dystrophy

Preston A. Wells Jr. Brain Tumor Therapy Center

The Preston A. Wells, Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy at the University of Florida, co-directed by William A. Friedman, MD and Duane Mitchell, PhD, MD, is a result of a generous $5 million gift from the Fort Lauderdale-based Lillian S. Wells Foundation Inc.

Sepsis and Critical Illness Research Center

The Sepsis and Critical Illness Research Center, the first of its kind in the nation, studies long-term outcomes in patients treated for sepsis in the surgical and trauma intensive care units at UF Health Shands Hospital, with the goal of developing clinical solutions for sepsis as well as illnesses that stem from it and their enduring, dismal effects.

University of Florida Prostate Disease Center

The University of Florida Prostate Disease Center, the only program of its kind in the state of Florida and adjacent states, conducts cutting edge research for the discovery of advanced treatment methods for patients suffering from prostate and urogenital diseases.

William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine

The William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine is a joint initiative of the Colleges of Medicine and Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida. It was created in 1999 by the Board of Regents to honor the memory of Dr. William R. Maples, an internationally recognized pioneer in the field of forensic anthropology.

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Nursing

Florida Blue Center for Health Care Quality

The Florida Blue Center for Health Care Quality brings together experts from a variety of disciplines at UF, including health services administration, nursing, health policy, medicine, pharmacy, public health and sociology, to design and evaluate improved approaches to health care access and delivery. It is housed within the College of Nursing and the College of Public Health and Health Professions.

Center for Palliative Care Research and Education

Led by faculty from the College of Nursing on behalf of the health sciences colleges and welcoming participation from colleges campus-wide, the Center for Palliative Care Research and Education  focuses on research and education to improve palliative care for persons and animals throughout Florida, across the nation, and all around the world. The palliative care philosophy values, respects and supports individual dignity and autonomy, as well as recognizes the need for informed decision making to achieve comfort and relieve stress during and after serious illness.

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Pharmacy

Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development (CNPD3)

The Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development (CNPD3) was established to provide a strong multidisciplinary approach to research involving faculty members in the Department of Pharmaceutics in the College of Pharmacy, the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and the Division of Infectious Disease in the Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and the VA Hospital at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Center for Drug Interaction Research and Education

Drug interactions can be a confusing topic. The Center for Drug Interaction Research and Education, led by the University of Florida, was established in the spring of 2003 to help identify and analyze possible food- and dietary supplement-drug interactions and provide clarification on any resulting effects.

Center for Integrative Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease

The Center for Integrative Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease was created in 1992 by the UFL Board of Regents and Dr. Chris Wilcox. Dr. Wilcox, then Division Chief of Nephrology at the VAMC, was the first Director. When Dr. Wilcox left in 1995 Dr. Ian Phillips took over until he left the University of Florida in 2002 and in July 2004, Dr. Chris Baylis was recruited as Center Director.

Center for Pharmacogenomics

The Center for Pharmacogenomics is part of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida. The center is one of the leading educational institutions in pharmacogenomics research and training of future scientists. The Center collaborates in pharmacogenomics research with other disciplines such as medicine, dentistry and biological sciences at the University of Florida, ensuring innovation in this cutting edge science.

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Public Health and Health Professions

Breathing Research & Therapeutics Center

BREATHE, the only center of its kind, brings together basic researchers, engineers, clinical researchers and practitioners in an effort to better understand respiratory motor control and the translation of new discoveries into therapeutic and rehabilitation strategies that will treat devastating clinical disorders that compromise breathing and other movements, including spinal cord injury and multiple neuromuscular diseases.

Center for Pain Research and Behavioral Health

The Center for Pain Research and Behavioral Health is dedicated to the investigation and understanding of the experience of pain in humans and to educate future scientists and health professionals consistent with the most current knowledge in the area of pain.

Center for Pediatric Psychology and Family Studies

The focus of the Center for Pediatric Psychology and Family Studies is on behavioral health and adjustment in children, youth, and families. Clinical child and pediatric psychologists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and their students work collaboratively on a variety of research activities related to quality of life, adherence to medical treatments, coping with issues associated with chronic illness or injury, and the behavioral and social adjustment of children with both internalizing and externalizing behavior disorders and their families.

Center for Statistics & Quantitative Infectious Diseases

CSQID’s research focuses on prevention and intervention in infectious diseases of global health importance, as well as emerging infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, monkeypox and pandemic influenza. The Center collaborates with international organizations, especially the WHO

Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention

The Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention is devoted to studying the behavior and physiology of human emotion, highlighting emotion’s motivational significance for both attention and response mobilization.

Hearing Research Center

The Hearing Research Center brings together researchers, clinicians, and public health policy professionals interested in issues related to hearing and communication. The center’s missions are two-fold, including the discovery of new fundamental knowledge about hearing, hearing disorders, and the physical and biochemical processes that drive those disorders; and translation/application of those findings with corresponding public health outreach to effectively educate health professionals and public populations.

Institute for Driving, Activity, Participation, and Technology

I-DAPT is strategically aligned to promote research and scholarship across the domains of mobility, activity and participation (MAP). Our mission is to utilize approaches from occupational therapy, rehabilitation science, and public health to access and enhance the MAP of people, communities and populations for their meaningful, productive and autonomous engagement in everyday life.

Southern HIV & Alcohol Research Consortium (SHARC) Center for Translational HIV Research

SHARC Center’s mission is to improve health outcomes and reduce HIV transmission among the diverse range of persons affected by alcohol and HIV in Florida. We seek to accomplish this mission actively supporting interdisciplinary translational research, training, and community engagement. 

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Veterinary Medicine

Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology (HSC)

The Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology serves as the focal point at the University of Florida for activities concerning the effects of chemicals on human and animal health. The Center serves as an interface between basic research and its application for evaluation of human health and environmental risks. This interface includes an educational component to transfer this knowledge to producers, consumers, and regulators. The research and teaching activities of the Center provide a resource for the State of Florida to identify and reduce risks associated with environmental pollution, food contamination, and workplace hazards.

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All University of Florida Centers and Institutes