AdventHealth Ocala Chief Medical Officer Appointed to the College of Central Florida District Board of Trustees

Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced the appointment of Dr. Michael Torres to the College of Central Florida District Board of Trustees in Marion County.

“I’ve had the honor of partnering with the leadership at College of Central Florida for the past four years to train and support the education of the next generation of clinicians in this community,” said AdventHealth Ocala Chief Medical Officer Michael Torres, MD, MBA, FABQAURP, FAAPL. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to extend that partnership and serve in this capacity as a member of the Board of Trustees.”

Dr. Torres is the Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of AdventHealth and developed a COVID immunization clinic with community partners to fully immunize 75,000 people in five months. Additionally, Dr. Torres spearheaded AdventHealth Ocala's initiative to achieve the highest rated cardiac care clinic in Florida. Under his leadership, the hospital was the first in the state to attain all five accreditations by the American College of Cardiology.

Dr. Torres is veteran of the United States Air Force. He earned a certificate in military leadership from Air War College, his master’s degree in business administration from Touro University International, and his Doctor of Medicine degree from Spartan Health Sciences University.

Also appointed to the board was Russell Branson. Branson, of Ocala, is the President of SouthState Bank. He is a board member for AdventHealth Ocala Hospital, Marion County Hospital District, and Marion County Public Policy Institute and the Treasurer of the United Way Marion County. Branson earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Florida State University and his master’s degree in banking from Louisiana State University.

These appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.