Naval Hospital (NH) Jacksonville’s award-winning Family Medicine (FM) Residency Program, now in its 55th year of continuous accreditation, extends its training with a first-ever program within the Navy. In a collaboration with Northeast Florida University of Florida (UF) Health, residents treat non-military patients, along with program faculty.
“We have had a partnership with Northeast Florida UF Health for years, but starting July 1, we put residents and attendings rotating together as a team,” said Cmdr. Daniel Kuckel, FM resident program director and 2017 graduate of the program. Combining the faculty with the residents allows the faculty to keep their skillset but also allows the faculty to relate the patient care being delivered to the military specific roles these future FM physicians will fill.
According to Kuckel, the purpose behind the interns and residents treating patients at the local hospital is two-fold.

“The residents need to have 750 inpatient encounters, which works out to around five per resident per day. Additionally, they will experience a variety of cases and have experiences that the typical military population doesn’t have,” he said.
To pull off this task, it required Northeast Florida UF Health to create a new service line, which is a specialized unit within a healthcare organization. Kuckel was told the hospital hadn’t done that in a decade but did it for the program in 3-months’ notice.
"Through this partnership, Navy Family Medicine residents bring broad clinical expertise and patient-centered training that directly strengthens the care delivered at UF Health Jacksonville. Their presence expands clinical capacity and enhances collaboration across two of Jacksonville’s core health institutions, elevating the quality and continuity of care for our community," said Dr. Chirag Patel, regional chief medical officer and Northeast Florida vice president UF Health.
Along with the residents, faculty physicians who have a Florida medical license are also treating patients as a part of the program. The military staff wear black scrubs rather than military uniforms. Approval for the program went up to the Navy Surgeon General.
“We are now working with ER doctors and seeing more patients in three months than in previous years, with exception of COVID-19, which was a crisis,” he lamented.
FM 3rd year Resident Lt. Clarence Mai, who is part of the third cohort in this rotation, spoke about having to have difficult conversations about serious medical issues and having interactions with family members.
“The continuity of care extends past the base walls,” Mai said. “I have been surprised to see retirees and others I’ve treated. Military not only look after their own but treat others outside their circle.” Mai will graduate from the program in June 2026, where he will find out his next assignment and is hopeful for something operational.
‘This partnership gets them out of the comfort zone and ready for the next challenge,” said Kuckel.