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By Jeff Lowenkron, MD

Over the next few weeks, millions of people driving Interstate 275 northbound by downtown Tampa will see a billboard that re-introduces USF Health to the Tampa Bay community as Doctors of USF Health.

This billboard signifies the launch of our campaign to inform patients and families throughout the area that Doctors of USF Health provides them access to the most advanced health care available.

The campaign – sometimes subtle, sometimes not so subtle – will remind everyone we are this region’s only academic medical center, a competitive advantage that benefits patients and the community.

Here’s how academic medicine matters:

• Better outcomes: National studies show that patients tend to fare better at academic medical centers, which typically treat some of the sickest patients and toughest medical cases. Access to that care is through the many USF Health Centers for Advanced Health Care and hospitals that are linked to the Morsani College of Medicine.
• Newest knowledge: Nearly every medicine, treatment and cure we know can trace its origin to an academic medical center. As part of an academic medical center, Doctors of USF Health provides the most current health care available, an advantage few other physician groups can offer.
• More expertise:  Doctors of USF Health has more than 400 highly specialized healthcare professionals who know today what other doctors will read about in the future.

What does being an academic medical center mean?

It means our faculty, residents, students and staff are part of a multi-disciplinary engine providing the best care possible to families throughout central Florida. It means we are part of the pioneering advances in medicine, scientific research, and patient care emanating from USF Health. It means USF Health  plays a vital role in educating tomorrow’s physicians, nurses, pharmacists, researchers, physical therapists, and public health professionals.

The billboard is just part of the campaign that is delivering a consistent message that fits our long-term strategy. Why did we focus on Doctors?  To make it more personalized, to provide more of a connection with patients, and to point out our greatest strength, that as an academic medical center, we make unmatched contributions to the health and well-being of the community.

Our brand identity links to the launch of our newly designed patient care website. The pages offer a more robust format and improved patient-centered interface. It even has a great video of our own  Kira Zwygart, interim chair of Family Medicine, describing perfectly the importance of academic medicine and what our type of center means to patients and families in this community.

As the campaign moves forward, there will be other  tangible signs of strategic marketing to reinforce our message around our competitive advantage, and we’ll share the new components with you as they roll out.

But, for the next few weeks, check out the new billboard at the junction of Interstate 4 and Interstate 275. You’ll see we’re not shy about telling the world the best care is right here.

Dr. Lowenkron is the CEO for Doctors of USF Health

Click on this image and download a PDF file of our internal poster and share.

-Video by Allyn DiVito, USF Health Information Systems