Staff >>
A resource for news media and the general
public, as well as for faculty and staff, the Office
of Communications is the official source of general
information, media relations, publications, advertising,
and marketing communications for the School of Medicine.
Christine Morris
Associate Vice President for Communications
Christine Morris joined the School of Medicine as
executive director of media relations in September
2001. She worked in the newsroom of The Miami Herald for 19 years, in a number of editing positions and
most recently as medical writer. After graduating
from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree
in journalism and political science, she worked as
a reporter and editor at The Courier-Journal in Louisville,
Kentucky. Her responsibilities include coordinating
all communications and marketing activities for the
School of Medicine, including basic science departments,
clinical departments, centers, institutes, and hospitals.
Areas of concentration and expertise include media
relations, employee communications, publications,
development communications, marketing, speechwriting,
issues management, crisis communications, brand management,
and advertising.
Phone: 305-243-3249
Email: cmorris@med.miami.edu
Jeanne Antol Krull
Executive Director of Medical Communications
Jeanne Antol Krull joined the University in March
of 2001, after spending 22 years in television news.
Her years in television were spent mainly as a producer
and in news management, while her final five years
were spent in health and medical producing at NBC6 in Miami. Working on the other side of the fence,
she now helps members of the media access doctors
and experts for their stories. Her television career
started in Pennsylvania in 1979, the same year she
graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia
with a degree in Radio-Television and Film. She made
the move to Miami in 1984.
Phone: 305-243-4853
Email: jkrull@med.miami.edu
Omar Montejo
Director of Media Relations
Omar Montejo manages media relations and public
relations for the Department of Pediatrics and subspecialties
such as Genetics. He promotes clinical and research
activities at the Mailman Center for Child Development
and the Batchelor Children’s Research Institute
and often works with Jackson Memorial Hospital on
stories and news conferences involving high profile
pediatric cases. He joined the University in 1996.
Prior to UM, Omar handled media relations for Miami
Children’s Hospital, where he was spokesman
for 11 years. He also worked for the news media,
as producer for an all-news radio station in Miami,
where he won numerous awards from the Associated
Press Miami bureau.
Phone: 305-243-5654
Email: omontejo@miami.edu
Lisa Worley
Director of Media Relations
Lisa handles media relations requests, and writes about different medical specialties at the School of Medicine, with a special focus on the work being done at the UM/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. She joined the Office of Communications in August of 2007, after spending 18 years in television news, most of it at WFOR, CBS4 in Miami. Lisa was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Communication Studies.
Phone: 305-243-5184
Email: lworley2@med.miami.edu
Dwayne Campbell
Director of Medical Publications
Dwayne Campbell joined the Office of Communications in May 2007 after working in journalism, most recently as a feature writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Before the Inquirer, he spent four years in Florida as a reporter for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Dwayne graduated from Temple University’s School of Communications and Theater with a degree in journalism.
Phone: 305-243-2557
Email: dcampbell2@med.miami.edu
Blair Walker
Director of Advancement Communications
Originally from Baltimore, Blair S. Walker is a University of Maryland graduate who has worked as a journalist with New York Newsday, USA Today and The Associated Press, among other news organizations. A motorsports enthusiast who has raced cars professionally, Blair published a South Florida healthcare newspaper prior to joining the Miller School of Medicine’s Office of Communications.
Phone: 305-243-9929
Phone: 305-243-9478 (Tuesday and Thursday)
E-mail: bwalker@med.miami.edu
Jenny Prather
Manager of Medical Communications
Jenny Prather joined the Office of Communications at the University in March of 2007. She graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a Bachelor of Arts degree in public relations and advertising. After moving to Miami, she earned her behavior analyst license while working with dually-diagnosed developmentally disabled adults. A Marketing Executive position was later accepted with a local firm, where she managed accounts with Miami-Dade County, Citibank and the U.S. military. Jenny is the editor of the newsletters MED and e-Update, directs photo shoots for Miami Medicine magazine, and performs a variety of other tasks including managing the School of Medicine Web site and providing editorial and design support.
Phone: 305-243-6018
E-mail: jprather@med.miami.edu
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Office of Marketing and Communications
Judy B. Hayden
Director of Marketing and Communications
Judy B. Hayden joined UM/Sylvester in November 2001.
She has spent her entire career in planning and marketing,
working in consumer products for 12 years and then
transferring into health care in 1987. Her experience
in health care is broad, including manager and director
roles in a community hospital; The Detroit Medical
Center, a seven-hospital academic medical center
in Detroit, Michigan; OhioHealth, a multihospital
health care system in Columbus, Ohio; and the Michigan
Peer Review Organization, where she served as director
of business development. Judy has considerable experience
in the entire continuum of marketing, including strategic
planning and business development. She holds both
bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Business
Administration, from the University of Michigan and
Grand Valley State University, respectively.
Phone: 305-243-5182
Email: jhayden@med.miami.edu
Sandra Pérez Rhyneer
Associate Director, Marketing & Communications
Sandra Pérez Rhyneer joined UM/Sylvester in December 2005 as Associate Director of Marketing & Communications. With a diverse background in health care and non-profit communications, Sandra previously served as Communications Director for the largest regional chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation based in Seattle. She also held positions in New York with Hill & Knowlton and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide where she managed national and international public relations campaigns for pharmaceutical companies including Johnson & Johnson and Hoffmann-LaRoche. She began her career at the University of Miami School of Medicine, promoting a research and social services center for substance-exposed children. At UM/Sylvester, Sandra is responsible for the development and production of collateral including the center’s Website, and managing the advertising campaign. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from Florida International University, and pursued graduate studies at the University of Miami School of Communications.
Phone: 305-243-1481
E-mail: SRhyneer@med.miami.edu
Carthy Thomas
Manager, Community Relations
Carthy Thomas most recently served the University
of Miami as the partnership program coordinator for
the Coastal Cancer Information Service (CIS) in the
Virgin Islands. She holds a B.S. degree in telecommunications,
public relations, and broadcasting and has six years
of progressively responsible, related experience.
Carthy brings with her a strong working relationships
with the CIS team, a wealth of knowledge about cancer,
and demonstrated success working with partners such
as the American Cancer Society in the Virgin Islands.
In her current position, Carthy coordinates UM/Sylvester's "Ask
the Experts" partnership with CBS-4, along with
other education and outreach activities.
Phone: 305-243-4071
E-mail: cthomas2@med.miami.ed
Rose McCullagh
Staff Associate
Phone: 305-243-4302
Email: rmccullagh@med.miami.edu
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Office of Marketing and Public Relations
Marla Bercuson
Executive Director
Marla Bercuson is responsible for Bascom Palmer
Eye Institute’s communication, public relations,
and advertising programs. Bercuson was formerly the
director of marketing and communications at Fairchild
Tropical Garden and director of commerce and professions
for the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. She also
served as executive director of the Coconut Grove
Arts Festival which was continually rated the “#1
Arts Festival in the United States” during
her tenure. Bercuson received her Bachelor of Science
in Business Administration, cum laude, from the University
of Florida.
Phone: 305-326-6190
Email: mbercuson@med.miami.edu
Cynthia Birch
Associate Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Phone: 305-326-6190
Email: cbirch@med.miami.edu
Janice Keilly
Staff Associate
Phone: 305-326-6190
Email: jkeilly@med.miami.edu
Batchelor Children’s Research Institute
Omar Montejo
Director of Media Relations
Omar Montejo manages media relations and public
relations for the Department of Pediatrics and subspecialties
such as Genetics. He promotes clinical and research
activities at the Mailman Center for Child Development
and the Batchelor Children’s Research Institute
and often works with Jackson Memorial Hospital on
stories and news conferences involving high profile
pediatric cases. He joined the University in 1996.
Prior to UM, Omar handled media relations for Miami
Children’s Hospital, where he was spokesman
for 11 years. He also worked for the news media,
as producer for an all-news radio station in Miami,
where he won numerous awards from the Associated
Press Miami bureau.
Phone: 305-243-5654
Email: omontejo@med.miami.edu
Diabetes Research Institute Office of Public Affairs
Mitra Zehtab, M.D.
Chief Operating Officer
Mitra Zehtab has more than 17 years experience
in communications, including teaching, print reporting,
marketing communications, and technical writing.
With UM for more than eight years, she served as
director of media relations for the medical school
before working at the Diabetes Research Institute
as director of communications. A Cornell graduate,
Zehtab has a strong track record of local, national,
and international placements in public relations
and currently oversees strategic communications for
the Diabetes Research Institute. Her areas of expertise
include diabetes, cellular therapies, tissue engineering,
cellular transplantation, and stem cells.
Phone: 305-243-3899
Email: mzehtab@med.miami.edu
Aimee Siegel-Harris
Development Coordinator
Phone: 305-243-3899
Email: asiegel@med.miami.edu
Gary Kleiman
Executive Director Medical Development
Sabrina Boulazreg
Administrative Assistant
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
Communications, Media Relations, and Corporate Relations Office
Stephanie Sayfie-Aagaard
Director of Corporate Relations and Communications
Stephanie Sayfie-Aagaard creates and develops national
and local marketing campaigns to raise funds for
The Miami Project. She strategically plans and executes
all promotions, special events, and corporate relations
campaigns for the project by cultivating corporations
using her strong community and nationwide ties as
the society columnist for The Miami Herald. Stephanie
writes the weekly “Steph Sez” column.
Before joining the team at The Miami Project, she
worked as the special events/public relations advancement
director of the University of Miami Department of
Pediatrics. Prior to her time at UM, she was best
known for her South Florida entertainment television
show, “Steph Sez” which aired for four
years where she interviewed celebrities from Tiger
Woods to George Clooney to Mikhail Gorbachev. She
served as host, producer, editor, and writer, and
even owned the production company. Stephanie is a
native of Miami, Florida, who graduated with a broadcast
journalism/communications degree from Boston College.
She has been at UM for more than three years.
Phone: 305-243-4656
Email: saagaard@miamiproject.med.miami.edu
Scott Roy
Director of Communications
Scott Roy works for the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, the world's largest spinal cord injury research center. He majored in public relations and political science at the University of Miami and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. Before joining The Miami Project he spent time with public relations firms Burson-Marsteller and Pearson-McGuire Associates in Miami. Scott handles the day-to-day public relations duties for The Miami Project and the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, the national fundraising arm of The Miami Project.
Phone: 305-243-8939
Email: sroy@miami.edu
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