Dear UF COM Faculty and Graduate Students,
It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that I can announce that Gemma Casadesus, Ph.D. will assume the
role of our inaugural Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Affairs effective February 15.
In this new role, Dr. Casadesus will serve all of our COM graduate students including those in our 7 Ph.D. and 15 masters programs. Her office will provide a new emphasis on wellness and well being of our students as
well as helping to foster student success. She will work closely with Dr. Beverly Dede, our students, the program
directors, faculty, and chairs to enhance communication and help our students navigate challenges they may face
during their training and promote their professional development and success.
Dr. Casadesus is a Professor the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Her research interests focus on
understanding how changes in hormone receptor signaling, related to age, lifestyle, sex, or environment, impact
central nervous system function and influence the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Casadesus currently serves as
co-director of the Biomedical Sciences Pharmacology & Therapeutics concentration and brings 10 years of
experience in graduate education and student affairs having served in graduate studies leadership roles in two
different institutions. To this role she brings a strong foundation in student mentoring and student affairs, extensive
experience in student recruitment and engagement, student wellness, and community building. Dr. Casadesus is
passionate about creating a supportive and empowering environment for students, ensuring they have the resources and guidance they need to thrive academically and personally. As Assistant Dean, she plans to leverage her
expertise to enhance the student experience, strengthen the College of Medicine community, and contribute to the
ongoing success of the College and more broadly, the University of Florida.
Creating and filing this position of Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Affairs represents a milestone in the first
Phase of the build out of our Office of Graduate Education infrastructure to better serve our students and our
programs. We are appreciative of the Dean’s support huge support of our graduate students and the opportunity
to provide resources and innovation to our graduate programs with the goal of making them among the best in the
country.
So again, please join me in thanking Gemma for taking on this position and welcoming her to this new role!
Best wishes,
Dave
David C. Bloom, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology
Interim Associate Dean for Graduate Education
Director, Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences
UF College of Medicine