University of Florida @ Gainesville

First Impressions: I got my first invite from this program in early January, and there are lots of good things to be said about UF. Shands, its teaching hospital, is ranked 29th in the nation in cancer care, and they have a brand new cancer center that just opened in 2009. It's also somewhat associated with Moffitt Cancer Center, one of the top cancer centers in the nation located in Tampa.

Gainesville has a tiny airport with only 3-4 gates (impossible to get lost); I had to catch a connecting flight in Charlotte to get there. I rented a car for the interview, and as I drove through Gainesville, it was hard to complain about the 70 degree weather and palm trees lining the streets. The hospital was located right beside the undergraduate campus of UF; truly a college town.
Pre-Interview dinner: I met the 2 program directors (who are both very young; if I hadn't seen the PD's face on the website I would have mistaken him for a fellow, and some of the applicants did think he was a fellow) and other applicants at the hospital before we carpooled to an Asian fusion restaurant called Liquid Ginger (or "Liquid G" as one of my interviewers would refer to it). There was a lot of good food on the menu, everything from steak to pad thai. I didn't want to cost the PD too much money, however, and so avoided the ribeye and got a shrimp and scallop dish that was really good. I met another applicant from UTHSC who knew a few people I'd known from undergrad; small world. Dessert was red bean ice cream. It was a nice relaxed dinner, and I didn't feel quite so nervous about the upcoming interview.
Interview Day:
The PDs welcomed us to the program and gave a very informative powerpoint presentation about what UF had to offer. My first interview was at the VA across the street with a head-and-neck specialist who was interested in hearing about a project I was doing on head-and-neck cancer. It was slightly embarrassing when I didn't know what the side effects of cetuximab were (despite it being used in the project), but he didn't make me feel like an idiot. After that we toured the new Cancer Center and the VA, also checking out "Fellow Land" (where the fellows have cubicles and computers). Lunch was with the fellows, and then we walked almost across campus to the outpatient clinics. There was a LOT of walking to be done on this day, and I wasn't wearing the most comfortable shoes either. I ended up going across the street to the VA three times (twice for interviews), and in the afternoon it was hot and humid outside. My second interview went very well, I thought; the attending was interested in topics such as breast cancer, patient-doctor relations, and palliative care, all of which I could talk about for a LONG time. If anything can get me into this program, it was this interview.

I wish I could say that after that interview I was able to fly safely back to Philly, but things didn't happen that way. My flight from Gainesville to Charlotte was delayed 1.5 hrs because of a storm in the Carolinas and Georgia, and even then we flew for 2 hours instead of 1 b/c the pilot made a wide detour to Alabama to avoid the storm. By the time we landed in Charlotte, my flight to Philly had already departed (missed it by less than 30 minutes). Needless to say there were tons of people stranded at the airport because of missed connection flights. I went to the Special Service line and was able to get a seat on the 6:30 a.m. flight back to Philly the following day, but then I hit another problem: lodging. Just about every hotel in the vicinity was completely booked due to people missing their flights, except for a Westin with rooms starting at $319. Since it was midnight anyway, I decided to suck it up and try to get some rest in the airport. In a way I felt like I was on call minus the beeping pager. All I'd had for dinner was Cheerios at Gainesville and all the restaurants were closed; fortunately a Starbucks stayed open just for us and I got a smoothie and muffin to sustain me until morning. With the help of my travel pillow, backpack (for back support) and fleece-lined ski jacket, I managed to get somewhat comfortable in a chair and slept on and off until 4:45 a.m. I boarded the plane at 6 a.m. and was back in Philly by 8 a.m, after which I slept 3 hrs before driving to New York for my next interview.
Overall Impression:
Pros: Really liked this program. Lots of diverse pathology, specialists within each department (breast, lung, colorectal, heme, etc) for focused treatment and care, new cancer center, plenty of research opportunities in either clinical or laboratory settings. 5 fellows a year, PDs friendly and approachable, personalized training with different tracks (i.e. more research electives for those interested in academia, more clinical electives for those interested in clinical practice), strong in both solid tumors and hematology, affordable living in Gainesville, guaranteed good boba drinks in Gainesville (found a Lollicup cafe not far from the hospital). Florida. Sunshine.
Cons: Gainesville is not easily accessible by plane; most major airlines fly to nearby cities Orlando and Jacksonville and people drive to Gainesville from there. Chances of getting in are very slim given UF's history for taking their own residents into their fellowships; both PDs did medical school, residency, and fellowship at UF, and the same could be said for some of their fellows. All that aside I definitely plan to rank this program high.