A love for pickleball turned UCF medical student Isaac Soloveychik into a medical researcher who discovered that physical activity outdoors improves mental health more than exercising inside.
Soloveychik was one of 120 future Physician Knights who presented their research at the 2025 FIRE (Focused Individualized Research Experience) conference. UCF is one of the few medical schools in the nation that requires all students to do a two-year scientific research project. The goal, says Dr. Deborah German, vice president for health affairs and dean, is to create doctors who have a “spirit of inquiry” that is always looking to advance medical knowledge. “Research is the currency of progress,” she says.
The conference featured poster and oral presentations on a variety of topics, such as using AI to better diagnose and manage diseases, improving critical reasoning in medical students, and ways to improve care for patients with conditions including cancer, schizophrenia, Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and high blood pressure. Because of the FIRE course and the college’s research focus, many UCF medical students present and publish their scientific discoveries before ever graduating from medical school.
Outdoor Exercise and Positive Mental Health
Soloveychik said he became interested in exercise and mental health when his parents moved to Village Walk in Lake Nona and his dad became “obsessed” with pickleball. The two play often and he wondered, did group activities provide more mental health benefits than exercising alone because of the social connections involved? So he analyzed data from the Lake Nona Life Project – an extensive health survey of people who live, work and engage in activities in Lake Nona. The scientific project, led by Dr. Eric Schrimshaw, chair of Population Health Sciences at the College of Medicine, in collaboration with the Lake Nona Institute, is designed to identify community health needs and offer solutions to make Lake Nona healthier. Participants answer survey questions about their health, including how much and where they exercise, their social interactions, work habits and levels of depression and anxiety.
Soloveychik analyzed survey data from more than 350 participants and found that while group exercise was not associated with reduced depression as originally expected, outdoor activities – whether done in groups or individually – were positive for mental health. “Getting outside, a change of scenery, being in the sun and listening to the birds provides mental health benefits,” he said. Unsurprisingly, those who reported no exercise of any kind reported greater depression.