Dean admits student without backing

In a move that breaks with the norms established by medical school accreditors, the dean of the University of Florida's College of Medicine has opted to admit a student from a politically connected family, even though the student didn't have the backing of the Medical Selection Committee.

Dr. Bruce Kone, dean of UF's College of Medicine, says he felt justified in breaking with the committee because the candidate was "exceptional."

"I certainly respected all of the decisions of the admissions committee, up until one," Kone said.

Kone wouldn't name the student, but sources close to the situation identified him as Benjamin Mendelsohn, the son of Dr. Alan Mendelsohn, a Hollywood ophthalmologist and a Republican fundraiser who was a grassroots organizer for Gov. Charlie Crist during his 2006 campaign.

"I can't even comment that there were any political connections that this person had, but I certainly wasn't influenced by any outside forces," Kone said Thursday.

"There was no political influence related to this thing," Kone added in a second interview Thursday night. "There never will be. There never has been. This was an exceptional student, and I wish to God I could even tell you about (the student's) credentials."

Before Kone took over as dean in May 2007, Gov. Crist sent a letter to UF in February 2007 on Mendelsohn's behalf. The letter, addressed to UF's admissions officer and copied to UF President Bernie Machen, urged UF to admit Mendelsohn to the Junior Honors Medical Program, an accelerated seven-year program that combines bachelor's and medical degrees.

"I have known Benjamin and his family for several years and know that Benjamin's affiliation with the University of Florida will mutually enhance the reputation of both Benjamin and the Medical Program," Crist's letter states.

According to Kone, he never saw the letter, which he said was not included in Mendelsohn's file for his current application.

In 2006, the Mendelsohn family gave at least $33,257 to political candidates, 94 percent of which went directly to Republicans, according to the Florida Department of State's Division of Elections. Of that money, $1,682 went to Crist, including a $500 donation from Benjamin Mendelsohn himself.

Alan Mendelsohn is a known fundraiser in the medical community. In 2005, he held a fundraiser in his own home where more than 150 physicians raised more than $100,000 for Crist, according to a news release from the Florida Medical Political Action Committee.

Benjamin Mendelsohn, who attended Northwestern University as an undergraduate, declined to comment for this story, and efforts to reach his father were unsuccessful Thursday.

Kone said he thought he was within his rights to admit a student absent committee support, but the move breaks with procedures described by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which provides accreditation to UF and medical schools throughout the U.S. and Canada.

"The final responsibility for selecting students to be admitted for medical study must reside with a duly constituted faculty committee," according to the accrediting body's standards.

Furthermore, the accreditation standards say "the selection of individual students must not be influenced by any political or financial factors."

Barbara Barzansky, co-secretary of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education at the American Medical Association in Chicago, said the central role of faculty in admissions is well-established in the medical community.

"I think the standard speaks for itself. It expects that there be a faculty decision around admission," she said.

"Deans may be under pressure from groups, alums, sometimes the Legislature, depending on the type of school and the location," she added.

Dr. Craig Tisher, former dean of UF's College of Medicine, said he never broke with Ira Gessner, chairman of the Medical Selection Committee.

"During the five years that I was dean, I did not go against the wishes of the admissions committee," Tisher said. "I let them make the selections, and I relied upon the judgment of the people who were interviewing the students and the chairman of the admissions committee, Dr. Gessner. All I can tell you is I didn't exercise that prerogative (to overrule the committee), if in fact that prerogative exists."

Members of the 53-person Selection Committee who spoke to The Sun describe the process of screening applicants as similar to that of a jury deliberation. After the candidate is interviewed by a small number of committee members, those committee members then give a presentation to a larger committee group about the applicant.

Committee members are then asked to rank the candidate, based on a scale of one to 10 - 10 being the highest - on their assessment of the applicant.

The chairman of the committee uses this feedback to determine admissions.

Kone would not disclose the score Mendelsohn received, and the committee's chairman declined to comment for this story.

UF received 2,783 medical school applications this year, according to the university's admissions office. The class is limited to 135 seats.

Jack Stripling can be reached at 352-374-5064 or Jack.Stripling@gvillesun.com.