DeSantis Appoints Seven to Florida's Board of Medicine
Three new appointments and four reappointments fill seats on the board that licenses Florida physicians. All seven go to the Florida Senate for confirmation.
Governor Ron DeSantis has appointed seven members to the Florida Board of Medicine, announcing three new appointments and four reappointments from Tallahassee. The new appointees are Dr. Andrea Aguilera, Dr. Lisa Kay Mao and Elyse Young. The reappointed members are Dr. Scot Ackerman, Dr. Gobi Balaji, Dr. Mathew Benson and Dr. Hector Vila. All of the appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
The new appointees bring backgrounds in patient care and state policy. Aguilera serves as a pediatrician with the Emergency Resources Group and previously worked for Nicklaus Children's Health System, completing her medical residency at Indiana University Health and earning her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Florida and her bachelor's degree from Florida State University. Mao is a practicing clinical ophthalmologist who has been licensed as a medical doctor in Florida for over 30 years, with a bachelor's degree from Rice University and her Doctor of Medicine from Duke University School of Medicine. Young has 20 years of experience in state government, with a background in budgeting, public finance, legislative analysis and policy development, including state and federal healthcare policy work.
The four reappointments return experienced practitioners to the board. Ackerman is the Medical Director of the Ackerman Cancer Center, serves on the Cancer Connect Collaborative, oversees the Ackerman Cancer Foundation and serves as a board member of WeCare Jacksonville. Balaji is the founder, president, chief executive officer and a physician at Brevard Health Center, and serves on the Health First Foundation board and the University of Central Florida College of Medicine Admissions Committee.
Benson is a pediatric endocrinologist at Nemours Children's Health and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Pediatric Endocrine Society and the Endocrine Society. Vila is the owner and an anesthesiologist at Pediatric Dental Anesthesia Associates, serves as treasurer and a board member of the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists, and is a member of the Florida Medical Association. The Board of Medicine is the state board responsible for the licensure and regulation of physicians in Florida.
