Jayne S. Malfitano Named Chair of Sylvester’s Board of Governors

President of the Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Foundation and daughter of philanthropist Harcourt M. Sylvester Jr., whose endowment established the cancer center, Malfitano previously served as vice chair of Sylvester’s Board of Governors.

A longtime advocate for South Florida cancer patients, Jayne S. Malfitano is the new chair of the Board of Governors of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine.

“It is truly an honor to take on this leadership role on behalf of Sylvester’s outstanding professional team,” said Malfitano. “Every day, our physicians, nurses, therapists and other health care professionals go the extra mile to deliver compassionate personalized care and support to patients, family members and survivors facing the life-changing challenge of cancer.”

Malfitano has been a member of Sylvester’s Board of Governors since 2001, serving most recently as vice chair. Under the board’s new bylaws, she will serve a maximum term of three years. She succeeded Adam Carlin, managing director at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, who recently retired as chair but continues to serve on the board.

“Our role as the Board of Governors is to help advance Sylvester’s vital mission of leading-edge research, clinical care, education and service as South Florida’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center,” Malfitano said.

Legacy of Service and Philanthropy

Malfitano is the daughter of Harcourt M. Sylvester Jr., whose several multimillion-dollar gifts in the 1980s allowed the University of Miami to open Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center on the medical school campus in 1992. Since then, she has remained steadfast in her commitment to making exceptional cancer care available throughout South Florida, and she calls it an honor and privilege to carry on her father’s legacy.

“It is a great honor to serve with such a caring and productive board, and I look forward to creating a dialogue with our community about our successes and ways to get involved with Sylvester,” she said.

As the president of the Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Foundation, a philanthropic foundation with a commitment to Sylvester for more than three decades, Malfitano is focused on helping Sylvester create a larger impact and broader reach to help those who are underserved or lack access to screening and care. Endowment funds from the foundation, together with funds from The Pap Corps Champions for Cancer Research, have helped establish the Sylvester Game Changer vehicles that provide mobile screening for cancer, as well as open 10 satellite centers. In total, the foundation has given more than $62 million to Sylvester. Most recently, the foundation provided a $5 million gift to Sylvester’s research and clinical services to support survivorship. In addition to her work with the foundation, Malfitano is an active member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees and the UHealth Board of Directors.

“Just over 30 years ago, the Sylvester family gave a gift to our Cancer Center that changed the trajectory of cancer research and care in South Florida ever since. Jayne Sylvester Malfitano has been an incredible advocate for Sylvester and every patient we treat. She has been steadfast in her commitment to carrying on her family’s mission to drive clinical care, prevention and early detection research for all,” said Sylvester Director Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., who is also the Oscar de la Renta Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and executive dean of research at the Miller School. “We are sincerely grateful for her vision, support, partnership and now leadership as chair of Sylvester’s Board of Governors.”

An Active Leader

In her board leadership role, Malfitano has been visiting Sylvester’s 10 satellite locations throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties. “It is so important to bring our world-class services closer to those in need of care,” she said, citing Sylvester’s growing clinical network as well as its Game Changer mobile clinics.

“Wherever I go, I enjoy meeting our wonderful staff members, and feel re-energized after my visits,” Malfitano said. “I appreciate the family-like atmosphere, which goes such a long way toward making our patients feel supported. In addition to hiring and training new community members, we also have the ability to promote within because of the talent we have. That continuity of care makes a big difference to our patients and their families.”

Reflecting on Malfitano’s new role, Susan Dinter, board chair for The Pap Corps Champions for Cancer Research in Deerfield Beach, said, “Jayne has all the qualifications of being a great leader — intelligence, a good listener, a quick learner, open-minded — and is fully committed and dedicated to the success of Sylvester. She has always been willing to take on new challenges and I have no doubt that she will be an exemplary chair. On behalf of the entire membership of The Pap Corps, I congratulate Jayne on this next endeavor in her life.”

Tags: Dr. Stephen D. Nimer, Game Changer, Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Foundation, Jayne S. Malfitano, Susan Dinter, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Pap Corps Champions for Cancer Research