Sylvester Honors Outstanding Faculty Members and Trainees
A cadre of exceptional researchers received awards to commemorate contributions to cancer research and education.
Nine outstanding faculty members and trainees at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, were recognized at the 2024 annual retreat for their contributions to research and education.
“These ‘Grammy Awards’ reflect our team’s deep commitment to making new scientific and clinical discoveries, serving our diverse population base and training the next generation of cancer researchers,” said Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., director of Sylvester, Oscar de la Renta Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and executive dean for research at the Miller School.
Dr. Nimer presented the following 2024 Outstanding Faculty Awards:
Outstanding Clinical Researcher of the Year: Macarena de la Fuente, M.D.
Sylvester’s associate professor and chief of the Neuro-Oncology Division focuses her clinical and research efforts on diffuse gliomas. She oversees a rich neuro-oncology clinical trial portfolio, including multicenter investigator-initiated studies, pharma-sponsored trials and cooperative group studies.
Her team contributed to developing the first regulatory approval of an IDH inhibitor for glioma. Dr. de la Fuente is also director of the Neuro-Oncology Fellowship Program, co-director of Sylvester Brain Tumor Institute and co-chair of the Neuro-Oncology Site Disease Group. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Society for Neuro-Oncology.
Outstanding Population Sciences Researcher of the Year: Patricia Moreno, Ph.D.
The assistant professor of public health sciences and psychology, lead for Sylvester’s evidence-based Survivorship and Supportive Care program and member of the Cancer Control Program is a licensed clinical psychologist whose research aims to improve the quality of life for patients and survivors, ensuring that every person lives as well as possible beyond a cancer diagnosis.
Dr. Moreno has received grants from the National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society, V Foundation and John Templeton Foundation. She also has experience providing evidence-based care to English- and Spanish-speaking cancer patients and survivors across three National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers.
Outstanding Basic/Translational Researcher of the Year: Justin Taylor, M.D.
An associate professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology, Dr. Taylor is a member of Sylvester’s Translational and Clinical Oncology Program and translational lead for the Leukemia Site Disease Group. Dr. Taylor completed his residency in internal medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and his hematology/oncology fellowship and postdoctoral training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Since joining Sylvester, he has published high-impact research articles as senior author on Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance in the New England Journal of Medicine and Science. He is the principal investigator on two active NIH grants.
Outstanding Mentor of the Year for Junior Faculty: David Lombard, M.D., Ph.D.
A professor and vice chair for clinical and translational research in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dr. Lombard is a co-leader of Sylvester’s Cancer Epigenetics Program, site disease group physician and co-leader of the sarcoma oncology service line.
Dr. Lombard is a physician-scientist whose work focuses on the interrelationships between metabolism, cancer and aging. His work has been continuously funded by the NIH, Department of Defense and various foundations for 20 years. Dr. Lombard strongly believes that experienced investigators must mentor and support junior scientists, and some of his former mentees are now independent NIH-funded investigators.
Outstanding Mentor of the Year for Trainees: Erietta Stelekati, Ph.D.
An assistant professor of microbiology and immunology and member of Sylvester’s Cancer Epigenetics Program, Dr. Stelekati’s laboratory research focuses on the role of non-coding RNAs in regulating T-cell differentiation and immune responses to chronic pathogens and cancer.
Dr. Stelekati is committed to training graduate students and serving as a thesis advisor for students focusing on immunology and cancer biology. She received a bachelor of science from Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece, and a Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Kiel, Germany. She completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania.
Outstanding Teacher of the Year: Estelamari Rodriguez, M.D., M.P.H.
The assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology leads the Sylvester Thoracic Working Group, a peer mentoring group of students, trainees and junior faculty interested in lung cancer and health disparities research. Dr. Rodriguez is dedicated to mentoring undergraduate and graduate students and improving opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities, and she serves as Sylvester’s assistant director of diversity, equity and inclusion and associate director for community outreach. In her clinical practice, Dr. Rodriguez sees patients with thoracic malignancies and is an investigator in the Sylvester Experimental Therapeutics Clinic.
Antonio Iavarone, M.D., Sylvester deputy director, presented the 2024 Outstanding Trainee Awards.
Outstanding Basic/Translational Early-Stage Researcher of the Year: Xiaomin Cai, Ph.D.
A postdoctoral associate in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, Dr. Cai completed her medical degree at Nanjing Medical University and earned her Ph.D. through pioneering research in a joint graduate program between Nanjing Medical University and Nanjing University. At Sylvester, she is leading two research projects exploring the roles and interactions of the biophysical tumor microenvironment and genetic lesions in liver cancer and sarcomas, focusing on Hippo signaling and mechanical stress.
Outstanding Population Sciences Early-Stage Researcher of the Year: Sara Fleszar-Pavlović, Ph.D.
An associate scientist and research director for Sylvester’s Biopsychosocial Mechanisms and Health Outcomes program, Dr. Fleszar-Pavlović holds a Ph.D. in health psychology from University of California, Merced. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship as part of Sylvester’s Cancer Control Training in Disparities and Equity Program under the mentorship of Frank J. Penedo, Ph.D.
Her research focuses on developing eHealth-based supportive care interventions to reduce the impact of cancer treatment on frailty and other age-related impairments in older populations.
Outstanding Clinical Early-Stage Researcher of the Year: Brandon Rose, M.D., M.P.H.
An internal medicine resident (PGY3) at the Miller School, Jackson Memorial Hospital and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Dr. Rose earned his M.D./M.P.H. at the Miller School, where he still serves on the admissions committee. He is applying to a hematology/oncology fellowship.
Dr. Rose specializes in clinical data pipelines and R computer programming and is passionate about precision oncology, disparities research and quality improvement. He has led numerous projects with sarcoma, thoracic oncology, neuroendocrine tumors and Sylvester’s groundbreaking Firefighter Cancer Initiative.
Tags: cancer research, Dr. Brandon Rose, Dr. David Lombard, Dr. Erietta Stelekati, Dr. Estelamari Rodriguez, Dr. Justin Taylor, Dr. Macarena de la Fuente, Dr. Patricia Moreno, Dr. Sara Fleszar-Pavlovic, Dr. Xiaomin Cai, Outstanding Faculty Awards, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center