Capt. Toone honored for her service
Capt. Kimberly Toone honored as one of the 2017 inductees on the UF College of Medicine’s Wall of Fame
As a young girl, Capt. Kimberly Toone would spend hours outside playing on the family farm in Plant City, Florida. She learned early from her six uncles that if you weren’t just a little bit tough, you’d miss out on the fun.
“When I was very little, my uncles would stand in a circle and toss me to each other,” Toone said. “If I didn’t hit the ground, they would spread out a little further and toss me again. I loved it.”
Toone, a U.S. Navy captain stationed out of Norfolk, Virginia, was back in Gainesville in September for her medical school class reunion and to be honored as one of the 2017 inductees on the UF College of Medicine’s Wall of Fame. She said her loving but rough-and-tumble upbringing helped her navigate medical school and then rise through the ranks in the military.
“My family gave me the perspective that there really are no limits to what you can do,” said Toone, following the unveiling ceremony of her plaque on the Wall of Fame Sept. 15.
Toone, from the class of 1997, shared the honor of 2017 Wall of Fame inductee with Wake Forest School of Medicine professor Dr. Pat Ober from the class of 1974. Since 1991, the UF College of Medicine Wall of Fame award has honored alumni who have made contributions to medicine, education, government and the community.
Karl Patrick Ober, MD '74, (pictured left) and Capt. Kimberly Toone, MD '97, were selected as the 2017 inductees to UF College of Medicine Wall of Fame.
Photo by Jesse S. Jones
From providing medical aid to those affected by the 2016 earthquake in Sewon, Indonesia, to treating sailors aboard aircraft carriers, Toone’s career has been characterized by leadership and ingenuity.
“Medical care at sea is really interesting. Space is limited. There are no specialists. You have to think, ‘how can I care for this patient with what I have on this ship?’” she said. “Being able to take care of Navy sailors, often in wild and wacky places, has been amazing.”
Today, Toone serves as force surgeon for Command, Naval Air Forces Atlantic. She oversees the manning, training and equipment for medical services for all the Navy assets along the Atlantic coast.
Toone, a family medicine doctor with a master’s degree in public health, completed a pediatrics internship at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, a family medicine residency at the Naval Hospital in Jacksonville and an aerospace medicine residency in Pensacola. She said the Wall of Fame induction is a meaningful recognition.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized for the work I’ve done with Navy medicine for sailors and Marines throughout my 20 years of service,” she said. “It’s exceptional that UF recognizes a career such as mine, which is outside the typical realm of clinical or research work.”
