Jim Duke called them their “Dunkin’ discussions.” Most Friday mornings, Duke, an Ocala orthopaedic surgeon and 1985 UF College of Medicine graduate, would appear at Michael Good’s UF Health office armed with a cup of black coffee for each of them. For years, the two would talk over the matters of the day — mostly centered around how the UF College of Medicine’s alumni could help the dean take the medical school to new heights as one of the premier medical education programs in the country.

“We would close the door and discuss everything from fundraising to student admissions to patient safety,” Duke said. “Mike truly listened to what the alumni of this college had to say. He gave us a voice in plotting its future.”

It was during one of those caffeine-fueled discussions in 2017 that Good said — or maybe conjectured aloud — that 10 years as dean was a good run, and perhaps he’d step down in a year to teach a class or take a sabbatical.

In August, after a decade leading the UF College of Medicine, Good did leave his post as dean — but not to teach one day a week or to write his memoir. The University of Utah recruited Good to lead its sprawling, multibillion-dollar health system. He was named senior vice president of health sciences, CEO of University of Utah Health and executive dean of its School of Medicine in June.

“Life takes many twists and turns, some anticipated and some not,” Good said. “It’s always difficult to select a new trail when the current one has been so fulfilling.”

The UF College of Medicine has experienced remarkable growth and achievements over the last 10 years under the leadership of Good and David S. Guzick, MD, PhD, who stepped down as senior vice president of health affairs at UF and president of UF Health in July. The college revised its medical education curriculum to focus on active, team-based learning, built an impressive new building to align with the modern principles of teaching and learning, made significant improvements in quality of care and patient safety, realized extraordinary clinical growth, and increased its annual research awards from the National Institutes of Health from $61 million to $102 million. Medical student outcomes have been strong, with nearly 30 percent of UF medical student graduates placing into residency training programs associated with a Top 10 medical school. Initiatives to advance the diversity of the student body have been successful.

“I don’t think he envisioned leaving UF,” Duke said. “While a lot of us were sad, we are glad for Mike, for his family and for the University of Utah. They could not have chosen a better person.”

During a farewell reception held for Good and his wife, Danette, Aug. 8 in the George T. Harrell, MD, Medical Education Building, interim dean Joseph A. Tyndall, MD, MPH, called Good’s leadership transformative.

“Under the leadership of Dr. Good, the UF College of Medicine has advanced excellence in all of our missions,” said Tyndall, who is also chair of the department of emergency medicine. “I look forward to continuing this journey, working with our exceptional faculty and staff as well as our department chairs and leaders at the college and UF Health to ensure that we continue to excel in research and education and that we translate all these efforts into touching the lives of our patients and the communities within which they live.”