Members of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (FIU Medicine) MD Class of 2016 returned to campus for their 10-year reunion, reconnecting with classmates and raising a record-setting gift in memory of two classmates and to support future physicians.
The class gathered in the Panther Commons student lounge, sharing hugs, memories and life updates. In true Miami style, cafecito shots were passed around before heading out for the campus tour.
See photos from the MD Class of 2016 reunion.
Dr. Beatriz Collada, a pediatrician in private practice in Nashville, said reconnecting felt natural, even after a decade apart.
“It felt like not a lot has changed, which is really nice because a lot has changed in medicine,” said Collada. “It’s great to see that they’ve found levity in other things and are enjoying being nerds in their specialties, getting back to hobbies and experiencing parenthood.”
With her fourth child due in just weeks, Dr. Christina Angel, a hospitalist and internal medicine residency program director in St. Petersburg, made the trip back to campus to celebrate the milestone with her classmates.
“I love my class,” she said. “To get to know their stories while we were in school, watching them graduate, and now see them be complete bosses in their careers, it gets really emotional because you know they are doing great work outside of our bubble.”
Honoring classmates through record-setting gift
Through the college’s Reunion Class Gift tradition, the Class of 2016 honored the memory of Dr. Hanns Frimpong and Dr. Kelsey Musgrove, two classmates who have passed away but remain an important part of the class’s history.
Frimpong and Musgrove both pursued careers in surgery. Through the Medical Alumni Fund, the class is supporting travel scholarships for medical students attending surgical conferences.
They have raised more than $14,000, surpassing the original $3,000 goal and setting a record for the largest reunion class gift in the college’s history.
The gift honors their late classmates while reflecting the class’s lasting connection to FIU Medicine and its commitment to ensuring future physicians have the support they need to succeed.
Exploring what’s new
The tour showed alumni how FIU Medicine has changed since they were students.
They saw modern, active-learning classrooms that replaced auditorium-style rooms, the new medical library and the anatomy lab, which underwent a $5 million renovation in 2024. They also explored the expanded simulation center, which now features standardized patient suites, manikins representing patients at every stage of life and virtual reality equipment.
“It’s dramatically different,” said Angel. “The number of resources available to students is insane compared to when we were here.”
Dr. Sean Hernandez, a hospitalist and clinical informaticist in North Carolina, also praised the college’s investment in technology and student learning.
“I love how they are keeping pace with technology,” he said. “There has been a lot of effort to give these students a holistic experience and they are doing a really good job of trying to stay with the times or even stay ahead.”
Hernandez made a quick trip to campus for the reunion, returning home the same day. He said the trip was well worth it.
“It’s beautiful,” he said of seeing his classmates again after a decade. “There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears in the study halls, but also a lot of warmth and love and beautiful memories. I loved seeing everybody.”
At the end of the tour, alumni reconnected with faculty and staff who had taught and mentored them.
The reunion continued the next day at Peacock Park in Coconut Grove, where alumni and their families spent time together before gathering for dinner.