Dr. Azra Bihorac, Senior Associate Dean for Research at the University of Florida College of Medicine, has been named Distinguished Professor, one of the highest academic honors the University of Florida bestows. The title recognizes a career defined by scientific rigor, institutional leadership, and a sustained commitment to advancing medicine through research, education, and mentorship.
Dr. Bihorac’s journey spans an accomplished 27-year career in medicine across three countries. She earned her medical degree at the University of Sarajevo School of Medicine and completed nephrology training at Marmara University in Istanbul before joining the University of Florida, where she completed additional residency and fellowship training and earned a Master of Science in clinical research.
A Pioneering Physician-Scientist
As a physician-scientist, Dr. Bihorac has conducted pioneering work in nephrology, critical care, and biomedical artificial intelligence (AI). Over the course of her career, Dr. Bihorac has contributed to numerous international guidelines and developed AI-driven biomarkers for risk stratification in acute kidney injury. Her translational research in critical illness redefined persistent inflammation and critical illness survivorship using systems biology and immunogenomic profiling. Currently, her work is centered on implementing ambient and immersive AI to transform the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment for critically and acutely ill patients. Her scholarship has driven internationally recognized innovations, such as MySurgeryRisk—one of the first machine learning models for real-time surgical risk prediction. Recent work focuses on developing ambient sensing frameworks that power intelligent ICU systems evolving to digital twin models for health care. In recognition of her contributions to science and medicine, Dr. Bihorac was elected to the Association of American Physicians in 2024 and to the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida in 2025.
From Research to Education and Leadership
Since her appointment as Senior Associate Dean for Research in November 2021, Dr. Bihorac has led the College of Medicine Office of Research, the Precision and Intelligent Systems in Medicine Research Partnership (PRISMAP), and the Intelligent Clinical Care (IC3), a multi-disciplinary center focused on providing sustainable support and leadership for transformative medical AI research, education, and clinical applications to advance patients’ health in real-world clinical care. Recently, Dr. Bihorac pioneered the Florida AI for Health Institute: a newly approved institute dedicated to the safe and effective use of AI in medicine and health. Over the course of her successful research program, she has generated $65.6 million in total funding, authored approximately 300 peer-reviewed publications, and amassed more than 25,000 citations.
Focused on training the next generation of clinicians and scientists, she designed and launched Florida’s first graduate program in AI for biomedical and health sciences (AIBHS) and currently leads the $2.56 million NIH-funded AI Passport curriculum. Throughout her career, she has mentored more than 100 trainees and early-stage investigators around the world.
The University of Florida community joins in congratulating Dr. Bihorac on this well-deserved recognition. Her achievements reflect the scientific vision, mentorship, and collaboration she has extended to countless trainees, colleagues, and partners across the university and beyond. The University of Florida is grateful for her leadership and looks forward to celebrating future milestones in the coming years.