Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

Advanced Practice Providers gathered at our second annual APP Oncology Symposium to delve into the latest advancements in cancer care, from prevention to survivorship, and explore new professional development opportunities. We were honored to have Olympic gymnast and ovarian cancer survivor Shannon Miller as our keynote speaker. Shannon shared her powerful story of resilience—both as an athlete winning gold and as a cancer survivor—and provided valuable insights on supporting cancer patients and survivors. 🏅 🙌 “We are grateful to Sylvester and UHealth leadership for their constant support of APPs and providing ways for them to continue to build their careers, grow in their professions and thrive in the health care field,” added program director Jessica MacIntyre.

Congratulations, Desert Horse-Grant on being named one of the 48 Chief Transformation Officers to Know by Becker’s Hospital Review! 🙌 This recognition honors Desert and other transformation officers for their dedication to optimizing health care and guiding their institutions through transformative processes that ensure continued success.

Not only was the Barry University accounting professor trying to teach during the COVID pandemic, but he was also diagnosed with bladder and prostate cancer. "I was the healthiest person in the world before that. I exercised and was a pescatarian,” says Michael, Sylvester patient. Initially, Michael was “underdiagnosed,” but a second opinion at Sylvester revealed a more serious condition than previously thought. Despite the daunting news, he persevered. Like many cancer patients, he faced pain and anxiety, but found relief when a nurse practitioner recommended acupuncture, a service offered through our Supportive Care program. Now, Michael is a 68-year-old cancer survivor with a positive prognosis. “I did a two-hour spinning class yesterday, lifted weights today, and have CrossFit tomorrow. I’ve traveled to Spain, Italy, France, and Israel. I’m still going strong.” Read how acupuncture helped Michael throughout his journey: https://loom.ly/SCcNfh0.

Our experts, Jashodeep Datta, MD and Dr. Patricia Jones, are participating in panel discussions at the Africa HepatoPancreatoBiliary Cancer Consortium in Mombasa, Kenya. We're proud of our ongoing efforts to foster global collaborations among researchers, with the goal of advancing health equity and reducing cancer disparities in our communities and beyond. 🌍 🙌 #TeamScience #CancerResearch

Join us for our Annual Oncology Update 2024 with OncLive! Topics will include the latest updates and advances in cancer therapy, including cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and more. Learn more and #register today: https://loom.ly/oDBBu24 🗓️ Saturday, October 19, 2024 ⏰ 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM 📍 Hotel AKA Brickell

As South Florida's only NCI-designated cancer center, Sylvester provides patients with access to the most advanced approaches for preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer.

🚨 Advanced Practice Providers are invited to attend our second annual APP Oncology Symposium to explore the latest approaches in cancer care, from prevention to survivorship, and professional development opportunities. “As cancer care becomes more dynamic and complex, APPs are becoming increasingly integral to the health care system,” said program director Jessica MacIntyre. “Sylvester is committed to providing them with the knowledge and resources needed for the best patient outcomes and support.” 📍 Loews Coral Gables Hotel 🗓️ August 22-23, 2024

A simple, mouthwash-based test has the potential to help physicians predict head and neck cancer recurrence, suggests a new study. First author and Sylvester researcher, Dr. Elizabeth Franzmann shared that the approach may lead to new tests to readily assess the risk for recurrence. 🙌 Initial treatments like surgery and radiation can affect speech, swallowing and appearance, diminishing a patient’s quality of life. The effects can be even worse upon recurrence. “These patients suffer terribly,” said Dr. Franzmann. “The more we can minimize those effects by catching recurrence of the disease early, the better we can mitigate patient morbidity as well as mortality.” Learn how this research finding can potentially to save lives and reduce the need for harsh, invasive treatments: https://loom.ly/P8gnULc.

The Colorectal Cancer Alliance has announced its first cohort of grant recipients, and we're thrilled to congratulate Dr. Kevin Van der Jeught, a Tumor Biology Program researcher at Sylvester, for being among the select five! 🙌 Dr. Van der Jeught received the grant for his study mRNA therapy intratumoral for colorectal cancer patients. “We are being trusted to create new therapies, which solidifies our research, as there are currently limited therapies for people with advanced colorectal cancer. I am excited to start this, and Sylvester’s amazing team-science culture will make working with this grant a worthwhile experience,” shared Dr. Van der Jeught. Learn how team science drives #ClinicalTrials: https://loom.ly/ZwwTg5c. Pictured left to right: Dr. Kevin Van der Jeught and Alberto Sigler.

Thirty fellows graduated from the 2024 National Cancer Institute (NCI) sponsored Summer Undergraduate #Research Fellowship (SURF) program, and according to SURF Director Priyamvada Rai, Ph.D., this year's class was the most competitive ever. 🙌 The 10-week program provides young scholars with laboratory research experience, networking, and mentoring opportunities from top researchers and faculty. SURFers develop into aspiring intellectual leaders in the #biomedical and #health fields through exposure to cutting-edge, wet-bench and computational techniques. Read how SURF builds first-rate research skills: https://loom.ly/pbnTzSE.