About Us

Vision

To be the preferred health care provider for University of Florida students as a nationally recognized leader in the collegiate health specialty.

Mission

The mission of the University of Florida Student Health Care Center (SHCC) is to help every student achieve optimal health in the pursuit of personal and academic success. All activities and programs of the SHCC operate to assure a nonjudgmental environment and sensitivity to individuals with disabilities and those representing diverse cultural, racial, religious, gender or sexual orientation groups.

AAAHC

AAAHC accreditation

AAAHC, or the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc., is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1979 to assist ambulatory health care organizations in improving the quality of care provided to patients. Accreditation by the AAAHC means that the University of Florida Student Health Care Center has undergone a thorough, independent survey of its policies and practices against nationally-recognized Standards. Learn more at www.aaahc.org.

 

History

The SHCC has been meeting the health care needs of UF students since 1906, when first UF president Andrew Sledd hired Dr. Edward Rawson Flint, for whom Flint-Keene Hall is partially named, as professor of chemistry with the stipulation he also serve as university physician for a stipend of $200 a year. Flint saw his first student on the Gainesville campus on October 16, 1906. Until 1911, Flint saw patients in his office or at their bedsides in Buckman Hall. In 1911, the Infirmary was established as a six-bed unit on the fourth floor of Thomas Hall.

The first section of today’s Infirmary Building opened on June 24, 1931, as a part of the new Student Health Services division, initially offering inpatient services including surgery to a population of 3,000 students. North and south wings were added in 1947 to accommodate the influx of students following World War II, with the south wing housing a dormitory for the nurses who staffed the center.

Over the years, the SHCC has gradually evolved into an outpatient clinic, and a number of structural changes have taken place to help create much-needed space for serving the growing student population. The third floor attic in the south wing was finished and converted into a mental health unit during the 1970s. The west wing, housing the pharmacy and clinical offices, was added in 1975. And in February 1994, a complete renovation of the Infirmary Building was completed at cost of $4.6 million. Yon Hall space was added in 1997. In 2010, Student Mental Health Services moved to a consolidated facility providing counseling, mental health and psychiatry services under one roof, the Counseling and Wellness Center. GatorWell Health Promotion Services also moved to this facility the same year. (While Psychiatry continues to report directly to the SHCC, general counseling and health promotion services are now part of the Division of Student Affairs.)

Gareth Kerr Memorial Scholarship

The Gareth Kerr Memorial Scholarship was created by the Student Health Care Center in memory of University of Florida engineering student Gareth Kerr. Kerr made significant contributions to the SHCC, giving quietly and unselfishly of his time, energy and vision to ensure that quality health services were accessible to all UF students. Prior to his passing in April 2006, Kerr served on what is now the Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC) and was also an active member of both the Student Health Outreach Team (SHOT).

Past Winners

  • 2021: Angelique Ramirez
  • 2020: Phoebe Brocke
  • 2019: Isabella Orgel
  • 2018: Joseph Monir
  • 2017: Tatiana Paz
  • 2016: Brittany Schambow
  • 2015: Adaobi Ugochukwu
  • 2014: Charisse Ahmed
  • 2013: Shannon Pringle
  • 2012: Daniel Alvarez
  • 2011: Belinda Smith
  • 2010: Elizabeth Stein
  • 2009: Adam Mecca
  • 2008: Shilpa Gogna
  • 2007 (first year): Chad Hubsher