Alma B Littles M.D.
Dean
Job Description
As dean of the College of Medicine, Alma Littles, M.D. is responsible for both administrative and academic affairs. She may delegate certain tasks to others, but she is ultimately responsible for fulfilling the mission of the College of Medicine and providing a quality medical education for its students. She answers directly to the university president and the provost.
Biosketch
Alma B. Littles, M.D., was named dean of the Florida State University College of Medicine on July 1, 2024, after serving as interim dean since February 2023. She had served as senior associate dean for medical education and academic affairs since 2003. As the chief academic officer, she led the college’s accreditation efforts, the development and evolution of its curriculum, and the expansion of its community-based education model, which differs from the vast majority of medical schools. After joining the faculty in 2002, shortly after the College of Medicine’s creation, she became the founding chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health. She remains a full professor there.
Littles graduated from the University of Florida College of Medicine in 1986 and the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, now Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH), Family Medicine Residency Program in 1989.She served as chief resident and was the recipient of the Parke-Davis Teacher Development Award for Family Practice Residents from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). She has been involved in medical education since she opened her rural practice in neighboring Gadsden County the same year, precepting medical students and residents. She joined the faculty of the Family Practice Residency Program at TMH in 1996 and became director in 1999. In 1997, she was honored with the Director's Award as an outstanding faculty member.
Littles is a leader in organized medicine at both the state and national levels.She is an FAFP former president and was Florida Family Physician of the Year in 1993. She is also a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), where she was named a Fellow in 1998; the American Medical Association (AMA); Florida Medical Association (FMA); Capital Medical Society (CMS); and Florida Alliance for Health Professions Diversity. She was the 2016-17 chair of the TMH board of directors.
Littles was named one of the 25 Women You Need to Know in Tallahassee in 2010 and in 2014 was identified by Black Health Magazine as one of the country's Top 15 Most Influential African American Medical Educators. She also received the 2014 Outstanding Physician of the Year Award from Capital Medical Society. She received the Director’s Award for Outstanding Faculty and was honored with the 2019 American Medical Women’s Association's Elizabeth Blackwell Award.
A longtime patient advocate, Littles has always recognized the importance of being a part of and giving back to the community. She has an interest in promoting student and physician wellness and addressing ways to prevent burnout. She serves on the Wellness Committees of the CMS and FAFP, and she chaired the FMA’s Wellness Committee in 2019-20. She also served as vice chair of Florida’s Physicians Workforce Advisory Council (chaired by Florida's surgeon general) for eight years and is a contributing author of the textbook Contemporary Challenges in Medical Education , published in 2019. She served previously as chair of the AMA’s Academic Physicians Section and as delegate to the AMA from the Academic Physicians Section. She is the vice president of the FMA board of directors and also the vice chair of the Council of Florida Medical School Deans. She continues to advocate for quality health care for citizens in rural communities and fully understands the need to recruit students from rural and other underserved populations to pursue the medical profession. Littles' mission is to inspire doctors and other clinicians to practice in areas where people are most in need of health care, particularly in rural areas and in the area of primary care and preventive medicine.
On a personal note, she serves as secretary of Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church in Quincy, Fla. She is married to Gentle Littles III and they have one son, Gentle Germaine Littles.
Education
B.S., University of Florida, Chemistry, 1982
M.D., University of Florida College of Medicine, 1986
Tallahassee Memorial Family Practice Residency Program, 1986-89
Faculty Development in Family Medicine Fellowship, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1999
National Institute for Program Director Development Fellowship, American Academy of Family Physicians, Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors, 2001
Service
American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
- Member, Robert Graham Center Advisory Board, 2003-2023
- Chair, Scientific Program Committee, 2000-2001
- Chair, Annual Scientific Assembly, Atlanta, Georgia, September 2001
- Member, Scientific Program Committee, 1998-2002
- Member, Minority Health Affairs Committee, 1990-1993
- Co-Convenor, Policy Conference, 1992-1993
American Medical Association (AMA)
- Delegate, Academic Physicians Section, 2020-present
- Alternate Delegate, 2018-2020
- Member, Council on Meidical Education and GME Subcommittee, 2018-2023
- Immediate Past Chair, Academic Physicians Section, 2017-2017
- Chair, Academic Physicians Section, 2015-2016
- Chair-elect, Academic Physicians Section Governing Council, 2014-2015
- Member, Academic Physicians Section Governing Council, 2012-present
- Representative, Academic Physicians Section, 2003-present
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
- Medical Education Senior Leaders Group, 2019-present
- Member, New and Developing Medical Schools Consortium, 2009-2013
American Medical Women's Association (AMWA)
Capital Medical Society (CMS)
- President, 1996
- Board of Directors, 1993-1996
Council of Florida Medical School Deans (CFMSD)
- Vice Chair, 2023-present
- Co-chair, Graduate Medical Education Workgroup, 2010-2023
- Member, Undergraduate Workgroup, 2010-present
- Member, Disaster Preparedness Committee, 2008-present
- Member, Physician Workforce Committee, 2008-present
Florida Academy of Family Physicians (FAFP)
- Delegate, American Academy of Family Physicians, 2000-2020
- Chair, Bylaws Committee, 2000-2001
- Chairman, Board of Directors, 2000-2001
- President, 1999-2000
- President-elect, 1998-1999
- Vice President, 1997-1998
- Secretary/Treasurer, 1996-1997
- Board of Directors, 1991-1996
- Committee Memberships:
Chair, Disaster Preparedness Committee, 2007-2010
Chair, Membership and Outreach Committee, 1997-1998
Member, Continuing Medical Education Committee (CPD), 1997-present
Member, Finance Committee, 1997-1998
Chair, Finance Committee, 1996-1998
Chair, Continuing Medical Education Committee, 1996-1997
Chair, Membership Committee,1989-1994
Chair, Graduate Medical Education Committee,1992-1993
Member, Scientific Program Committee, 1992-1996
Representative, AAFP Family Medicine Congressional Conference, 2006
Representative, AAFP Policy Conference on Women, Minority, and New Physicians, 1990-1993
Representative, AAFP Leadership Conference, 1989-1991
President, Florida Academy of Family Practice Residents Association, 1988-1989
Florida Academy of Family Physicians Foundation (FAFPF)
- Board of Trustees, 1990-1996, 2007-2010, 2016-2023
- Vice President, 1994-1996, 2016-2023
- Secretary/Treasurer, 1993-1994
Florida Department of Health (DOH) Physicians Workforce Advisory Council
- Member, 2015-2019
- Vice Chair, 2017-2019
Florida Medical Association
- Vice President, 2024
- Secretary, 2002-2024
- Chair, Council on Medical Education, Science and Public Health, 2015-2022
- Member, Executive Search Committee, 2021-2022
- Vice Chair, Council on Medical Education and Science, 2012-2015
- Member, Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, 2019-present
- Member, Wellness Committee, 2018-2023
- Chair, Wellness Committee, 2018-2019
- Member, Task Force on Uninsured, Underinsured and Health Disparities, 2006-2008
- Chair, Workgroup on Health Disparities, 2007-2008
- Member, Task Force on Disaster Preparedness, 2006-2012
- Member, Board of Governors – 2006 – 2007
- Co-Chair, Council on Public Health
- Member, Membership Committee, Public Relations Committee, Council on Medical Education
- Vice Chair, Committee on Finance and Appropriations
National Board of Medical Examiners
- Advisory Committee for Medical School Programs, 2013-present
State of Florida Correctional Medical Authority
- Member, 2009-2012
State of Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA)
- Physicians Data Technical Workgroup – Comprehensive Health Information System (CHIS) Advisory Council, 2006-2008
- Family Medicine Resident Recruitment and Retention Committee
Chair, 2001-2012 Member, 1995-2012
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
State University System of Florida Board of GovernorsSpecial consultant to Health Initiatives Committee, 2013-2016
World Organization of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians (WONCA)
Member, Scientific Program Committee, Durban, South Africa, 2001
Honors/Awards
Family Doctor of the Year Award, Florida Academy of Family Physicians, 1993
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, New Faculty Development Award,1997
TMH Family Medicine Residency Program Director’s Award for Outstanding Faculty,1999
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, New Faculty Development Award,1997
Young Leader Award, Florida Academy of Family Physicians,1991
Memberships
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Medical Association
American Medical Women's Association
Capital Medical Society
Florida Academy of Family Physicians
Florida Medical Association
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
World Organization of Family Physicians
Publications
Marcus, E.N.; Mai, C.; Brown, S.; Littles, A.; St. Onge, J. "Residency program planning for hurricanes and beyond: lessons learned from three Florida Institutions," Journal of Graduate Medical Education . 2024. Accepted April 16, 2024; in press.
Kroker-Bode, C.A., Rust, G., Jones-Ince, I., Littles, A., Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine poster abstract, “Hands-On Training in Public Health,” for Academic Internal Medicine Week, April 2022.
St. Onge J., Davey D., Levine R., Littles A. "Speaking With One Voice in Florida: A GME Statewide Collaboration," Perspectives, the Journal of Graduate Medical Education ; 12(2), 135-137. April 2020.
Nagoshi Y., Hahn P., Littles A. "The Secret in the Care of the Learner," a chapter in Contemporary Challenges in Medical Education: From Theory to Practice . Zaidi Z., Beyth R., Rosenberg E., editors. University Press of Florida, pp. 146-162. 2019.
Fogarty, J.P., Littles, A.B.,Romrell, L.J., Watson, R.D., and Hurt, M.M. "Florida State University College of Medicine: From Ideas to Outcomes," Academic Medicine . 87(12):1699-704.doi:10.1097/ACM.0b013e318271b8b4. December 2012.
Hurt, M.M. and Littles, A. "The Price of Changing the Status Quo," Academic Medicine 84 (2):151. 2009
Other Scholarly Activities:
Principal Investigator, Higher Education & Health Care Innovation in FloridaBoard of Governors, Florida Department of Education, 2013-2015
Co-Investigator, Developing a Diverse Health Professions Workforce in FloridaHealth Equity Research Institute (HERI) Education Core, 2013 - 2015
Principal Investigator, Chronic Illness Care Curriculum Enhancement Grant, Association of American Medical Colleges, 2006-2007
Principal Investigator, ALLHAT: Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial, National Institutes of Health, 2000-2002.
As dean of the College of Medicine, Alma Littles, M.D. is responsible for both administrative and academic affairs. She may delegate certain tasks to others, but she is ultimately responsible for fulfilling the mission of the College of Medicine and providing a quality medical education for its students. She answers directly to the university president and the provost.
Alma B. Littles, M.D., was named dean of the Florida State University College of Medicine on July 1, 2024, after serving as interim dean since February 2023. She had served as senior associate dean for medical education and academic affairs since 2003. As the chief academic officer, she led the college’s accreditation efforts, the development and evolution of its curriculum, and the expansion of its community-based education model, which differs from the vast majority of medical schools. After joining the faculty in 2002, shortly after the College of Medicine’s creation, she became the founding chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health. She remains a full professor there.
Littles graduated from the University of Florida College of Medicine in 1986 and the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, now Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH), Family Medicine Residency Program in 1989.She served as chief resident and was the recipient of the Parke-Davis Teacher Development Award for Family Practice Residents from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). She has been involved in medical education since she opened her rural practice in neighboring Gadsden County the same year, precepting medical students and residents. She joined the faculty of the Family Practice Residency Program at TMH in 1996 and became director in 1999. In 1997, she was honored with the Director's Award as an outstanding faculty member.
Littles is a leader in organized medicine at both the state and national levels.She is an FAFP former president and was Florida Family Physician of the Year in 1993. She is also a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), where she was named a Fellow in 1998; the American Medical Association (AMA); Florida Medical Association (FMA); Capital Medical Society (CMS); and Florida Alliance for Health Professions Diversity. She was the 2016-17 chair of the TMH board of directors.
Littles was named one of the 25 Women You Need to Know in Tallahassee in 2010 and in 2014 was identified by Black Health Magazine as one of the country's Top 15 Most Influential African American Medical Educators. She also received the 2014 Outstanding Physician of the Year Award from Capital Medical Society. She received the Director’s Award for Outstanding Faculty and was honored with the 2019 American Medical Women’s Association's Elizabeth Blackwell Award.
A longtime patient advocate, Littles has always recognized the importance of being a part of and giving back to the community. She has an interest in promoting student and physician wellness and addressing ways to prevent burnout. She serves on the Wellness Committees of the CMS and FAFP, and she chaired the FMA’s Wellness Committee in 2019-20. She also served as vice chair of Florida’s Physicians Workforce Advisory Council (chaired by Florida's surgeon general) for eight years and is a contributing author of the textbook Contemporary Challenges in Medical Education , published in 2019. She served previously as chair of the AMA’s Academic Physicians Section and as delegate to the AMA from the Academic Physicians Section. She is the vice president of the FMA board of directors and also the vice chair of the Council of Florida Medical School Deans. She continues to advocate for quality health care for citizens in rural communities and fully understands the need to recruit students from rural and other underserved populations to pursue the medical profession. Littles' mission is to inspire doctors and other clinicians to practice in areas where people are most in need of health care, particularly in rural areas and in the area of primary care and preventive medicine.
On a personal note, she serves as secretary of Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church in Quincy, Fla. She is married to Gentle Littles III and they have one son, Gentle Germaine Littles.
B.S., University of Florida, Chemistry, 1982
M.D., University of Florida College of Medicine, 1986
Tallahassee Memorial Family Practice Residency Program, 1986-89
Faculty Development in Family Medicine Fellowship, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1999
National Institute for Program Director Development Fellowship, American Academy of Family Physicians, Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors, 2001
American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
- Member, Robert Graham Center Advisory Board, 2003-2023
- Chair, Scientific Program Committee, 2000-2001
- Chair, Annual Scientific Assembly, Atlanta, Georgia, September 2001
- Member, Scientific Program Committee, 1998-2002
- Member, Minority Health Affairs Committee, 1990-1993
- Co-Convenor, Policy Conference, 1992-1993
American Medical Association (AMA)
- Delegate, Academic Physicians Section, 2020-present
- Alternate Delegate, 2018-2020
- Member, Council on Meidical Education and GME Subcommittee, 2018-2023
- Immediate Past Chair, Academic Physicians Section, 2017-2017
- Chair, Academic Physicians Section, 2015-2016
- Chair-elect, Academic Physicians Section Governing Council, 2014-2015
- Member, Academic Physicians Section Governing Council, 2012-present
- Representative, Academic Physicians Section, 2003-present
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
- Medical Education Senior Leaders Group, 2019-present
- Member, New and Developing Medical Schools Consortium, 2009-2013
American Medical Women's Association (AMWA)
Capital Medical Society (CMS)
- President, 1996
- Board of Directors, 1993-1996
Council of Florida Medical School Deans (CFMSD)
- Vice Chair, 2023-present
- Co-chair, Graduate Medical Education Workgroup, 2010-2023
- Member, Undergraduate Workgroup, 2010-present
- Member, Disaster Preparedness Committee, 2008-present
- Member, Physician Workforce Committee, 2008-present
Florida Academy of Family Physicians (FAFP)
- Delegate, American Academy of Family Physicians, 2000-2020
- Chair, Bylaws Committee, 2000-2001
- Chairman, Board of Directors, 2000-2001
- President, 1999-2000
- President-elect, 1998-1999
- Vice President, 1997-1998
- Secretary/Treasurer, 1996-1997
- Board of Directors, 1991-1996
- Committee Memberships:
Chair, Disaster Preparedness Committee, 2007-2010
Chair, Membership and Outreach Committee, 1997-1998
Member, Continuing Medical Education Committee (CPD), 1997-present
Member, Finance Committee, 1997-1998
Chair, Finance Committee, 1996-1998
Chair, Continuing Medical Education Committee, 1996-1997
Chair, Membership Committee,1989-1994
Chair, Graduate Medical Education Committee,1992-1993
Member, Scientific Program Committee, 1992-1996
Representative, AAFP Family Medicine Congressional Conference, 2006
Representative, AAFP Policy Conference on Women, Minority, and New Physicians, 1990-1993
Representative, AAFP Leadership Conference, 1989-1991
President, Florida Academy of Family Practice Residents Association, 1988-1989
Florida Academy of Family Physicians Foundation (FAFPF)
- Board of Trustees, 1990-1996, 2007-2010, 2016-2023
- Vice President, 1994-1996, 2016-2023
- Secretary/Treasurer, 1993-1994
Florida Department of Health (DOH) Physicians Workforce Advisory Council
- Member, 2015-2019
- Vice Chair, 2017-2019
Florida Medical Association
- Vice President, 2024
- Secretary, 2002-2024
- Chair, Council on Medical Education, Science and Public Health, 2015-2022
- Member, Executive Search Committee, 2021-2022
- Vice Chair, Council on Medical Education and Science, 2012-2015
- Member, Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, 2019-present
- Member, Wellness Committee, 2018-2023
- Chair, Wellness Committee, 2018-2019
- Member, Task Force on Uninsured, Underinsured and Health Disparities, 2006-2008
- Chair, Workgroup on Health Disparities, 2007-2008
- Member, Task Force on Disaster Preparedness, 2006-2012
- Member, Board of Governors – 2006 – 2007
- Co-Chair, Council on Public Health
- Member, Membership Committee, Public Relations Committee, Council on Medical Education
- Vice Chair, Committee on Finance and Appropriations
National Board of Medical Examiners
- Advisory Committee for Medical School Programs, 2013-present
State of Florida Correctional Medical Authority
- Member, 2009-2012
State of Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA)
- Physicians Data Technical Workgroup – Comprehensive Health Information System (CHIS) Advisory Council, 2006-2008
- Family Medicine Resident Recruitment and Retention Committee
Chair, 2001-2012 Member, 1995-2012
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
State University System of Florida Board of GovernorsSpecial consultant to Health Initiatives Committee, 2013-2016
World Organization of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians (WONCA)
Member, Scientific Program Committee, Durban, South Africa, 2001
Family Doctor of the Year Award, Florida Academy of Family Physicians, 1993
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, New Faculty Development Award,1997
TMH Family Medicine Residency Program Director’s Award for Outstanding Faculty,1999
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, New Faculty Development Award,1997
Young Leader Award, Florida Academy of Family Physicians,1991
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Medical Association
American Medical Women's Association
Capital Medical Society
Florida Academy of Family Physicians
Florida Medical Association
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
World Organization of Family Physicians
Marcus, E.N.; Mai, C.; Brown, S.; Littles, A.; St. Onge, J. "Residency program planning for hurricanes and beyond: lessons learned from three Florida Institutions," Journal of Graduate Medical Education . 2024. Accepted April 16, 2024; in press.
Kroker-Bode, C.A., Rust, G., Jones-Ince, I., Littles, A., Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine poster abstract, “Hands-On Training in Public Health,” for Academic Internal Medicine Week, April 2022.
St. Onge J., Davey D., Levine R., Littles A. "Speaking With One Voice in Florida: A GME Statewide Collaboration," Perspectives, the Journal of Graduate Medical Education ; 12(2), 135-137. April 2020.
Nagoshi Y., Hahn P., Littles A. "The Secret in the Care of the Learner," a chapter in Contemporary Challenges in Medical Education: From Theory to Practice . Zaidi Z., Beyth R., Rosenberg E., editors. University Press of Florida, pp. 146-162. 2019.
Fogarty, J.P., Littles, A.B.,Romrell, L.J., Watson, R.D., and Hurt, M.M. "Florida State University College of Medicine: From Ideas to Outcomes," Academic Medicine . 87(12):1699-704.doi:10.1097/ACM.0b013e318271b8b4. December 2012.
Hurt, M.M. and Littles, A. "The Price of Changing the Status Quo," Academic Medicine 84 (2):151. 2009
Other Scholarly Activities:
Principal Investigator, Higher Education & Health Care Innovation in FloridaBoard of Governors, Florida Department of Education, 2013-2015
Co-Investigator, Developing a Diverse Health Professions Workforce in FloridaHealth Equity Research Institute (HERI) Education Core, 2013 - 2015
Principal Investigator, Chronic Illness Care Curriculum Enhancement Grant, Association of American Medical Colleges, 2006-2007
Principal Investigator, ALLHAT: Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial, National Institutes of Health, 2000-2002.