Kira Zwygart, MD, vice chair of education for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Department of Family Medicine.
Kira Zwygart, MD, started her new role as the vice chair of education in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Department of Family Medicine August 21. In her new role, she will oversee the educational missions of the department for students, residents and faculty.
Karim Hanna, MD, FAAFP, associate professor, chief of the Tampa General Hospital Department of Family Medicine, and program director for the USF/TGH Family Residency Program, said her reputation as an elite physician, educator with wisdom, composure and tactical dedication to fostering a culture of learning will enhance the department’s mission at every level.
“She will inspire new initiatives that will align with our department’s vision for excellence in education,” Dr. Hanna said. “With Dr. Zwygart at the helm, we can expect a focus on developing future leaders in medicine, fostering collaborative learning environments, and ensuring that our faculty and trainees are equipped with the tools they need to excel in their respective fields. She brings training in leadership, and emotional intelligence and is the perfect fit to lead our educational mission.”
Dr. Zwygart is an alum of the MCOM Class of 1998 and has been a faculty member since 2001. Before this new role, she spent 10 years as the associate dean of the MCOM Office of Student Affairs and professor in the Department of Family Medicine. Over that time, she and her team played an integral role in ensuring the well-being of MCOM’s medical students throughout their four-year medical school journey. As a result of her leadership as an educator and physician, she helped develop and graduate more than 1,700 medical school students.
“I believe that the students are at the heart of the operation,” Dr. Zwygart said. “Everything we do is about the student experience and creating tomorrow’s doctors. I’m excited to see the amazing things that are to come, new ideas that will make the student experience even better.”
Dr. Zwygart is succeeded by Christopher Jackson, MD, from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine. He started his new MCOM role Aug 19.
What others are saying about Dr. Zwygart:
“Dr. Zwygart was a remarkable student affairs dean for nearly a decade providing advising, mentorship, and personal counseling to countless students as they navigated their academic and professional development journeys. The success of our students is in large part due to her leadership and dedication. There was much accomplished behind the scenes to support our students and we are truly grateful to have had Dr. Z in this critical role.” Bryan Bognar, MD, MPH, FACP, professor, vice dean for educational affairs and chair of the MCOM Department of Medical Education
“Dr. Z has been a wonderful leader for our team and has cultivated such a warm and welcoming environment within our office community. I’m so grateful to her for serving such a pivotal role in promoting a culture of wellbeing and compassion throughout our college. Personally, she has been an amazing mentor and offered great support as I have come into my role. Dr. Z, you will be dearly missed on our team and we wish you the best in your next exciting journey.” Kabeel Dosani, PhD, MCOM assistant director of wellness in the Office of Student Affairs