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The Division of Hematology/Oncology provides medical oncologic and hematologic services to Jackson Memorial Hospital, UM/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Miami Veterans Administration Hospital. The division sees over five thousand newly referred cancer patients per year and a large variety of patients with hematologic illnesses as well. The unique and diverse population base provides unparalleled training and research opportunities. To make an appointment contact us at 305-243-4909.

The UM/Sylvester Comprehensive Center is advised by a distinguished External Advisory Board, who have visited annually since 2001 and last visited in November of 2006 and reviewed our on-going progress and plans. We continue to build upon excellent programs that are already in place, expanding our portfolio of clinical trials, and developing new multidisciplinary initiatives and site-disease groups which extend across departmental lines. The years 1999-2007 have seen steady increases in National Cancer Institute funding for research within the center as well as the addition of the significant new research space including newly remodeled floors at the Batchelor Building, as well as research administrative space in the Fox and PAP buildings.  A new multi-story laboratory pavilion is under construction and slated for completion in early 2009, allowing further expansion of research efforts.

UM/Sylvester  organizes its oncologic services into site-specific multidisciplinary oncology groups, which meet regularly to coordinate patient care, protocol development, and translate research efforts across our three major institutions. Site-specific clinics in head and neck oncology, lung oncology, hematologic malignancies, breast cancers and other specific disease groups have also been introduced both in Jackson Memorial out-patient clinic and at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer center. These site-specific disease groups function across departmental lines to provide state-of-the-art care and conduct innovative clinical research.

The division ranks have recently been expanded considerably with new recruits from outside institutions into key areas while we maintain an already stellar core of clinicians and investigators. A description of all our current faculty with their interests can be found in this web site. Several of our recent new key recruits are profiled below.

Many divisional faculty are also integrated into the dynamic and expanding scientific efforts of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (SCCC).  These efforts involve approximately 100 core faculty members organized into four multidisciplinary programs, Viral Oncology (VO). Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy (TII), Molecular Targets and Developmental Therapeutics (MTDT) and Bio-behavorial Oncology and Cancer Epidemiology (BOCE).  Each of the programs has expanded considerably in recent years, linking basic scientists, clinicians and epidemiologists in collaborative translational efforts.  These efforts have resulted in a markedly enhanced research profile for the SCCC, and within the Division of Hematology/Oncology in particular, and continue to increase in quality and scope.

Breast cancer:

Joyce M. Slingerland, M.D., Ph.D. joined our faculty from the University of Toronto/Sunnybrook to head research efforts in breast cancer and also to serve as director of the newly constituted Braman Breast Cancer Institute, a multidisciplinary translational research institute devoted to advancing research in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for breast cancer. Dr Slingerland is a recognized authority on cell cycle regulation in relation to breast cancer, with particular emphasis on the p27 cell cycle regulator. She has a major laboratory effort, and has continued to recruit key individuals to increase expertise in the areas of molecular pathology, epidemiology, and clinical trials in breast cancer.

Stefan Gluck, M.D. recently joined us in 2003 from the University of Calgary. He is a nationally recognized authority in the area of breast cancer and translational research and now heads clinical efforts within the Braman Breast Cancer Institute.  Dr. Gluck has played a major role in divisional outreach efforts.

Mark Daniel Pegram, M.D.  joined the faculty from UCLA in August 2007. Dr Pegram is well known as a world class breast cancer expert and has played a major role in the development of novel therapeutics for breast cancer. His most prominent contribution was in the development of trastuzumab for HER2 positive breast cancer. He remains extremely active in the development of other novel antibody and chemotherapy combinations therapies for this malignancy. He will play a major role in the further clinical development breast cancer research at UM and in the early testing of novel patients with breast and other solid tumors.

Marc Lippman, M.D. has joined UM as our new Chairman of Medicine in April 2007. He previously occupied this position at the University of Michigan and was a former section chief at the National Cancer Institute and former director of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University. Dr Lippman is considered a world expert in breast cancer authoring one of the important treatise of this subject used as a reference for many in the field. More so he has contributed enormously to the basic understanding of estrogen receptor biology providing hope that more effective therapies might some day be available.   Serving as a Senior Advisor to Jerry Goodwin, MD, Director of the UM/Sylvester Cancer Center, Lippman has accelerated recruitment efforts both within and outside the Division.

Hematological malignancies:

Izidore Lossos, M.D. is a lymphoma expert from Hebrew University and Stanford University, who worked with the renowned Ron Levy in the identification of novel prognostic factors using cDNA arrays.  Dr. Lossos arrived in 2003, and now is Director of UM/SCCC Lymphoma Program. Lossos has identified six novel genes as key prognostic factors in large cell lymphoma including Bcl-6, and a newly recognized gene related to germinal center development called H-gal. He is also an active clinician and has recently developed a unique protocol for mantle cell lymphoma, with very encouraging initial results.

Denise Pereira, M.D. joined our faculty after serving at the National Institute of Cancer Institute of Brazil. She acquired extensive training in hematologic malignancy and bone marrow transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota and Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. She is presently author of a number of clinical protocols dealing with hematological malignancy and has developed a large patient following reflecting her generous character and abundant clinical wisdom.

Maricer Escalon, M.D. has recently matriculated from MD Anderson. Her research is focused on T cell lymphomas and has been a leader in expanding high quality lymphoma care to the underserved population at JMH.

William Harrington Jr., M.D. has been on faculty for nearly two decades but continues to play key role in hematology at UM. He has developed one of the nation’s preeminent   viral oncology programs in the world with particular focus on AIDS related lymphomas. Recently he has expanded his efforts in Brazil where new therapeutic and diagnostic NIH funded clinical research projects are underway.   His research has provided key insights into the pathogenesis of HTLV1, EBV and HIV related lymphomas that have been translated into new therapies.  His fruitful publication record both in clinical and basic research and the success in securing peer reviewed funding is testimony to these efforts.  Glen Barber, Ph.D., co-leader of the Viral Oncology Program, has recently been named the scientific director of the cancer center. His lab is focused on innate immunity, viral oncolysis and mechanisms of interferon signaling. His work is particularly relevant to cancers in immunodeficient patients and he has published novel findings that reveal how oncogenic viruses may subvert the immune system.   J.C. Ramos, M.D. is a recently recruited junior faculty member who has received a prestigious Damon Runyon award for his efforts in elucidating  mechanisms of interferon resistance in a particularly virulent form of viral cancer.

Bone marrow/stem cell transplant:

Our center has served as a tertiary referral center for autologous and allogeneic transplants for 20 years. The transplant program is presently under expansion. Mark Goodman, M.D., an outstanding clinician and educator, is interim director. An effort is underway to recruit a permanent director with national credentials both in laboratory science and in cutting edge clinical research. This will complement the already major effort that exists at UM in mesenchymal stem cell research and solid organ transplant. These programs will make UM unique in being able to offer transplants options across a range of disease states while focusing common resources on transplant immunology, rejection and new approaches to tissue regeneration.    A dedicated transplant ward in the Jackson Memorial Hospital and provides unique training opportunities for fellows and residents. Plans are underway to expand this effort both in physical dimension and in research acumen.

GU malignancy:

Rakesh Singal, M.D. now heads our effort in GU malignancy including prostate, bladder and kidney. His research involves transcriptional regulation in prostate and other genitourinary cancers as well as gene regulation by methylation. His efforts have recently led to development of novel clinical trials in prostate cancer, and uncovered new mechanisms of drug resistance.

Jaime Merchan, M.D. recently arrived from the Mayo clinic and was previously an instructor at Harvard. His laboratory and clinical research has focused on renal cell cancer and angiogenesis.  He also has an extensive publication record and is presently investigating the biology of tumor progression as it relates to the role of plasminogen activators, biomarkers in advanced renal cancer and development of new clinical paradigms for various malignancies . He sees patients with both genitourinary and gastrointestinal malignancy.

Lung cancer:

Jorge E. Gomez, M.D. recently joined our staff Memorial Sloan-Ketting where he provided clinical expertise in the treatment of lung cancer. His clinical research   has focused on unique chemotherapy combinations and novel biological agents in combination with more traditional chemotherapy.

Gastrointestinal malignancy:

Caio Rocha-Lima, M.D. has recently been recruited from the Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. He spearheads our divisional efforts in Phase I drug development, as well as gastrointestinal malignancies with an emphasis on pancreatic and other hepatobiliary neoplasms.
Together with Jaime Merchan MD (see above for GU) Rocha-Lima established a Phase I drug development program in 2005, at UM/Sylvester.  At present, over 14 new protocols are active, and the program serves as an important outlet for the UM/Sylvester Molecular Targets and Drug Development multi-disciplinary research program.

Geriatric Malignancy:

Pearl Hyun Seo, M.D. recently joined our staff from Duke University where she focused her activity in the emerging field of geriatric oncology.  Dr Seo has provided insight into the unique manner in which cancer can affect the elderly. By understanding and studying these differences she is positioning our cancer center to provide more appropriate, effective and less toxic therapy to our senior citizens. Her research has provided large epidemiologic data base that positions this field move on further.

Fellowship Program:

The fellowship Program is headed by Pasquale Benedetto, M.D., an outstanding clinical-educator with special expertise in solid tumors, especially GU malignancies and sarcoma management.

Fellows in the division hail from a variety of premier North American institutions, as well as the Latin American Training Program under the direction of William J. Harrington Jr. The program recruits talented individuals from selected Latin American medical schools for training in the United States. Fellows within the division are afforded an extraordinary clinical training experience as well as ample opportunities for bench and translational research. Fellows are able to pursue research with faculty both within and outside the division.  Many trainees have gone on to pursuing academic careers at outstanding American and Latin American Medical Schools, including Moffitt Cancer Center, Washington University at St. Louis, and Tulane University to name a few.

Over the years many of our fellows have received ASCO awards for their productive research efforts and a number of gone on to other major universities with flourishing careers. We are proud of our fellows' legacy and continue to improve our program. Recent additions include the addition of oncology faculty to see indigent patients so as to lessen the clinical load on fellows, the implementation of disease specific clinics over seen by faculty experts in these fields,  the development of fellowship pathways geared toward research for those  fellows with focused career goals, the implementation of didactic conferences to supplement the already abundant formal tumor boards/case discussion forums, and the integration of faculty research forums into the fellowship program.

A Core Curriculum for Oncology Fellows has been developed in the SCC and is being taught across multi-disciplinary lines to oncology trainees from Hematology-Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Gynecologic Oncology and Surgical Oncology by a multi-disciplinary team.

Hematologic Research at UM/Sylvester
As we work to integrate Jackson Memorial Hospital patients into ongoing trials, Clinical Research Services has worked to facilitate screening and successful shepherding of patients through complex protocols, and to assure that the many options available to patients at UM/Sylvester are also available to our Jackson patients. The division continues to define a stellar tradition of outstanding research in hematologic non malignant diseases as well. This includes extensive research into vascular biology as well as hemostasis/thrombosis research. Several faculty in the division are well known for efforts in this area including Yeon Ahn, M.D., a leader in understanding platelet physiology and biology. Ahn continues an extensive clinical, translational and bench research effort in the biology of endothelial and platelet micro particles. Numerous trainees have been involved in this effort, which continues to expand through generous allocation of funds from the Coulter Foundation. John Byrnes, M.D., is well known for his own research into the treatment and pathogenesis of TTP, and is the originator of the use of plasmapheresis as a means of dealing with this devastating illness, a major clinical advance. The institution is famous for the elucidation of pathogeneses of autoimmune thrombocytopenia by the former division chief William J. Harrington Sr. in hematology and research into this disorder continues by both Ahn and Eric Lian, M.D. Lian is also recognized for his recent contribution to the understanding of the pathogeneses of the hemolytic uremic syndrome and TTP, and the role of the Von Willebrand’s Factor protease. Thomas Harrington, M.D., continues to maintain an active clinic with emphasis on vascular and thrombosis disorders including Hemophilia A/B, Sickle Cell Anemia as well as other hemoglobinopathies. William Awad, M.D., a senior member of the division is internationally recognized for his research into the biology and pathogenesis of the Porphyrias. Hence, ample opportunities for investigation into platelet biology, disorders of hemostasis and thrombosis, and benign hematologic disorders are available to trainees within the division and the institution.

UM/Sylvester and the Division of Hematology/Oncology has made excellent progress in recent years, and these comments serve to highlight a few of our outstanding achievements. Under the leadership of Jarrard Goodwin, and with the full support of our trustees and dedicated philanthropists in the community, we have embarked on an ambitious program of scientific and clinical expansion that will continue transform UM/Sylvester into one of the premiere cancer centers in the nation. This program of expansion and refinement will positively impact the care delivered to our patients, and the cancer community in Miami as a whole and the quality of our training experience.