Prominent Miami physician to lead neurology department at FIU Wertheim College of Medicine

MIAMI – Dr. Jeffrey Horstmyer, a leader in the Miami medical community and a senior attending physician at MercyHospital, has been named founding chairman of the Department of Neurology at Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

“We are proud to add Dr. Horstmyer to our growing list of world class doctors,” said Dr. John Rock, founding dean of the Wertheim College of Medicine. “Dr. Horstmyer is the latest example of the College of Medicine’s efforts to recruit Miami’s best and most community conscious physicians.” 

 Certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Dr. Horstmyer has served the Miami area for more than 20 years.  Since then, he has held a number of leadership positions in the medical and academic community of Miami, including president of the Mercy Hospital medical staff and member of the Board of Trustees at Mercy Hospital, chief of the Division of Neurology at Mercy Hospital, chairman of the Emergency Room Committee at Health South Doctors Hospital, and a member of the Professional Advisory Committee of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in South Florida.  He also is a founding member of the Dade County Stroke Consortium. Horstmyer is a founder and chairman of the MS Centers of Florida Foundation and the founder of the MS Center of Miami. 

“I am proud to be part of this inaugural faculty and work among such distinguished physicians and talented students,” Horstmyer said. “The Wertheim College of Medicine is well on its way to changing the way we teach and practice medicine and I am honored to be part of it.”

After graduating from Emory University Business School and working in real estate development, Horstmyer attended the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and completed internship neurology residency training at JMH/UM, where he was appointed Administrative Chief Resident.  In addition, he completed a fellowship in neuromuscular neurology and electroneurophysiology at the University of Miami.

At FIU, Horstmyer has been chairman of the President’s Council, a member of the FIU Foundation Board of Directors, and a member on the advisory boards for both Biomedical Engineering and the Frost Art Museum.  

For his 10 years of dedication towards procuring a medical school, Horstmyer was awarded the Cal Kovens Distinguished Community Service Medallion. In addition, he has received numerous honors from the community, including awards from the Peñalver Clinic, Camillus House and San Juan Bosco Clinic for providing free neurological care to homeless and indigent patients.

Media Contact: Jean-Paul Renaud, 305-348-2716

-FIU-

About the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine:
The College of Medicine was approved in 2006 by the Florida Board of Governors and the Florida Legislature.  In 2008, it received preliminary accreditation by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education of the AAMC and admitted its first class in August 2009. Among the innovative elements of the FIU College of Medicine is a program called NeighborhoodHELP™, which will send medical students along with their counterparts in social work, nursing and public health, into the community. The FIU College of Medicine is expected to have a multi-billion-dollar economic impact on Miami-Dade County, bringing thousands of jobs to the area and eventually contributing millions to the state coffers every year. For more information visit http://medicine.fiu.edu/

About FIU:
Florida International University was founded in 1965 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, its 17 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. More than 100,000 FIU alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University”. In August 2009, FIU welcomed the inaugural class of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu.