Dr. Aditi Dhir Awarded the SebastianStrong Dolphins Cancer Challenge Endowed Chair for Pediatric Cancer Research
This prestigious honor recognizes Dr. Dhir’s dedication to discovering the causes of and cures for childhood cancer.
Front row: Aditi Dhir, M.D.
Aditi Dhir, M.D., a renowned pediatric hematologist/oncologist specializing in the care of children, adolescents and young adults with sarcomas and genetic cancer predisposition, has been awarded the SebastianStrong Dolphins Cancer Challenge Endowed Chair for Pediatric Cancer Research.
The endowed chair was created through a partnership between the SebastianStrong Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to supporting research to discover less toxic, more targeted childhood cancer cures, and the Dolphins Cancer Challenge, the Miami Dolphins’ year-round initiative supporting innovative cancer research and care at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth—University of Miami Health System, the region’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center.
Working to Understand Pediatric Cancer
The chair ceremony, which took place in the Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building, celebrated the promising work Dr. Dhir is doing not just to discover innovative treatments but to understand why cancer happens in the first place.
“My patients are not statistics. They’re children with bright futures ahead of them, so my mission is to help deliver care that is more precise, more equitable and more compassionate for children with cancer,” said Dr. Dhir, clinical assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and director of the Pediatric Cancer Predisposition Clinic at Sylvester. “The research this endowed chair will support gives children and their families hope—hope for a cure, hope for a treatment that is not just an adult hand-me-down and hope for a future free of long-term side effects.”
A Shared Vision for Pediatric Cancer Care
Oscar Ortiz, co-founder and executive director of the SebastianStrong Foundation, shares those same hopes. His son, Sebastian, whom the organization is named after, passed away in 2016 from embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of soft tissue cancer. For 14 months, Sebastian endured four surgeries, more than 30 rounds of chemotherapy and 23 radiation treatments before succumbing to his disease.
At the time of Sebastian’s diagnosis, Ortiz said there was only one treatment protocol for his son. It was more than 40 years old and highly toxic. Ortiz’s last promise to his son was to raise funds to support pediatric oncology research so that another family does not have to face the same tragic outcome.
“There has been very limited innovation in pediatric cancer and these kids, and their families, deserve better,” said Ortiz, adding that, in the last 40-plus years, there have been only seven drugs developed specifically for children with cancer, while there have been hundreds developed for adults. “Physician-scientists like Dr. Dhir, who dedicate themselves to treating children with cancer, step into some of the most complex and emotionally demanding work in medicine. When someone chooses this field, they choose purpose over comfort.”
Ortiz added, “Through this endowed chair, we’re choosing to stand behind that purpose with resources. Resources that will allow Dr. Dhir to continue her critical work creating hope and better futures for these children, because they so desperately need it.”
Joining SebastianStrong in this purpose is the Dolphins Cancer Challenge (DCC), which has raised more than $100 million for cancer research since 2010.
“We are honored to place children affected by cancer at the forefront of this meaningful appointment, together with the SebastianStrong Foundation,” said Javier Sanchez, executive director of the DCC. “This is a win for families across South Florida facing pediatric cancer, and we are deeply grateful to Sylvester for their vision in selecting Dr. Aditi Dhir to lead this important work. The Miami Dolphins are proud to stand behind this effort, reinforcing our commitment to strengthening the community and supporting families in their most challenging moments.”
Improving the Lives of Children Facing Cancer
In recognizing both organizations for their generosity in establishing the endowed chair for Pediatric Cancer Research, Sylvester Director Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., acknowledged the significant role they will play in the future of cancer treatment and care, particularly as it relates to creating gentler treatments and better outcomes for childhood cancer.
“This chair is a commemoration of something truly extraordinary—what happens when vision, philanthropy and scientific talent unite to improve the lives of children facing cancer,” said Dr. Nimer, who is also the Oscar de la Renta Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and executive dean for research at the Miller School. “Dr. Dhir is an active pediatric cancer researcher and very passionate about her work and its impact. We’re thrilled to be able to bestow this honor upon her.”
Glenn Flores, M.D., chair of the Department of Pediatrics, had the privilege of introducing Dr. Dhir.
“Your deep compassion, scientific rigor and unwavering commitment to your patients embody the very missions of our academic medical center and department,” said Dr. Flores, senior associate dean of child health, director of the Batchelor Children’s Research Institute and a professor of pediatrics and public health sciences as well as the George E. Batchelor Endowed Chair in Child Health at the Miller School. “Your research spans genetics, epigenetics and immunotherapy, all fields that are shaping the future of pediatric oncology.”
Before Diagnosis: Making a Cancer Cure Unnecessary
In accepting the endowed chair, Dr. Dhir acknowledged that to truly change outcomes in pediatric oncology, scientists cannot limit themselves to finding better treatments alone. They must also to understand the origins—the inherited risk, early molecular changes, environmental exposures and biological pathways that quietly shape cancer risk long before a diagnosis is made.
“The aim of my research is not only to discover a better cure, but to make the cure unnecessary,” said Dr. Dhir. “This endowed chair represents an investment in moving upstream to the moment before diagnosis, before symptoms, before a child ever has to become a patient.”
During her acceptance, Dr. Dhir spoke of the desire to “make her job disappear” through her research, stating that would be the greatest accomplishment of her life. She reiterated that hope is her driving force.
“I accept this honor with gratitude and with a very specific hope that one day, because of what we build together, there will be fewer children in oncology clinics, fewer families hearing impossible words and fewer lives interrupted before they even begin,” said Dr. Dhir.
Importance of Endowed Chairs
Before formally presenting the chair to Dr. Dhir, Henri R. Ford, M.D., M.H.A., dean and chief academic officer of the Miller School, and Joel H. Samuels, provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at the University of Miami, spoke of the significance of chairs to academic institutions.
“An endowed chair is one of the highest academic honors that the university can bestow on a faculty member,” said Dean Ford. “Ceremonies like this give us great reason to pause and recognize the accomplishments of our outstanding faculty. They work long and arduous hours, researching novel ideas in pursuit of discoveries that will hopefully be translated into clinical interventions to improve the health of humanity and, in the case of Dr. Dhir, the health of children suffering from cancer.”
Provost Samuels expanded on the critical role endowed chairs hold in attracting and retaining top talent.
“For a field like pediatric cancer research, this sustained investment is essential,” he said. “It ensures that promising research continues uninterrupted, that young patients benefit from the latest innovations and that hope remains at the center of everything we do.”
Tags: cancer research, Dean Henri Ford, Dr. Aditi Dhir, Dr. Henri Ford, Dr. Stephen Nimer, endowed chair, pediatric cancer, SebastianStrong, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center