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Divisions & Centers
CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY
We are pioneers in world-class minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery for both adult and pediatric patients, led by internationally renowned expert Dr. Joseph Lamelas. Read more about our Cardiac surgery program in our Creativity & Innovation feature.
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Cardiac Surgeon Dr. Tomas Salerno (third from left) and trainees.
THORACIC SURGERY
From left: Dr. Nestor Villamizar and Section Chief Dr. Dao Nguyen of Thoracic Surgery
Our Thoracic surgeons, led by Dr. Dao Nguyen, are leaders in cutting edge treatment modalities for all conditions of the chest, from non-surgical therapy for benign chest disease to radical resections of complex tumors. We work closely with medical and radiation oncologists to evaluate patients with cancers of the chest and make recommendations for treatment of complex and challenging cases.
OUTSTANDING CLINICIANS. We are leaders in the field of robotic thoracic surgery, ranked in the Top 10 programs in the southeastern United States and have performed over 1,000 procedures since the initiation of the program in 2012. We are the only center in South Florida offering radical lung-sparing pleurectomy with intrapleural hypothermic chemotherapy perfusion for malignant pleural mesothelioma or intrapleural thymoma metastasis. We spearheaded several quality improvement initiatives at UHealth Tower, including the implementation of a robust care-pathway, the Enhanced Recovery After Thoracic Surgery protocol, which has resulted in a 30% reduction in in-hospital opioid needs and a 60% decrease in post-discharge opioid use.
PASSIONATE EDUCATORS. We focus on imparting both classic and modern surgical skills. A dual console robotic platform allows fellows to personally perform most elements of surgery while receiving immediate feedback about identification of anatomy, surgical judgement and technical skills. Our curriculum allows fellows progressive refinement of surgical skills from simple steps such as intrapleural nerve block to complex dissection of pulmonary artery branches. Fellows have consistently obtained robotics fellowships, allowing credentialing in robotic thoracic surgery upon graduation.
INNOVATIVE RESEARCHERS. In addition to publications related to the novel clinical procedures and database analysis conducted by cardiothoracic fellows, Dr. Dao Nguyen has published articles on tumor markers, tattooing and lymph node mapping. Dr. Nestor Villamizar received several traveling fellowships for robotic surgery team development and career development in robotic esophageal surgery.
MIAMI BURN CENTER
One of the flagship burn treatment facilities in the nation and the only American Burn Association pediatric and adult verified burn center in South Florida, providing high quality care from time of injury through rehabilitation. A clinical team of burn/trauma surgeons, nurse practitioners, nurses, skilled technicians, occupational therapists, social workers, registered dieticians and psychologists treat hundreds of patients each year, with referrals for specialized care of severe burns for patients from all over the state as well as the Caribbean and Latin America.
Expanded care by implementing M22 and Ultra Pulse laser programs, which improve functional outcomes for patients with deep burn scars involving joints, with hopes to expand to all patients with any type of scar or skin discoloration. Results from 20 procedures performed on burn scars showed immediate relief from pain, pruritus and contracture after the first session.
Hosted the International Society of Burn Injury Conference, held in the United States only once every four years. First center in the history of the conference to have surgeons from around the world tour the center facilities. Also hosted the 30th Annual Southern Region Burn Conference, achieving the highest attendance and abstracts submitted in the history of the conference and teaching an advanced burn life support course to attendees. The center’s own research was recognized with five podium presentations and one poster presentation.
Active partners in the South Florida community in the effort to prevent burn injuries, promoting fire safety and awareness prevention programs for children and adults, including a Fire Safety Festival that reaches thousands of participants from Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
Miami Burn Center is an active partner in community events to promote fire safety and prevent burns.
COLON & RECTAL SURGERY
From left: Dr. Vanessa Hui and Dr. Luanne Force performing the first ever transanal total mesorectal excision at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
We provide innovative surgical care and techniques in the area of colon and rectal surgery to improve the quality of life for patients with any condition affecting the colon, small bowel, rectum, or anus. Our physicians specialize in minimally invasive approaches for colon and rectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease using single port laparoscopic surgery as well as robotic procedures, with the busiest program of its kind in South Florida.
OUTSTANDING CLINICIANS. The addition of three faculty and a nurse practitioner over the past three years has helped us meet our goals in patient access and experience, while networking with community doctors and communication with other physicians has helped us increase volumes. Our trans-anal total mesorectal excision program (TaTME) has offered patients with very low rectal cancer the chance to avoid permanent colostomy. Dr. Luanne Force developed a rectal cancer multidisciplinary tumor board, with plans to earn American College of Surgeons accreditation for our program in rectal cancer in 2020.
PASSIONATE EDUCATORS. Our faculty share a passion for creating an exceptional environment for learners at all levels. Division Chief Dr. Laurence R. Sands was the first surgeon to be awarded the Faculty Senate Outstanding Teaching Award, given to one faculty member each year from all schools in the University of Miami system. Our fellowship in Colon & Rectal Surgery is among the most selective in the nation, and we also provide residents a comprehensive training program in lower endoscopy, laparoscopy, robotic surgery, anorectal surgery and complicated intra-abdominal surgery. Since inception the program has trained 18 fellows and is led by Program Director Dr. Floriano Marchetti and Associate Program Director Dr. Nivedh Paluvoi.
INNOVATIVE RESEARCHERS. Dr. Sands and co-investigator Dr. Youngmee Kim of the Department of Psychology currently conduct a 5-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Institute of Health entitled “Health Lifestyle Behavior Intervention for Older Colorectal Cancer Couples.” Dr. Floriano Marchetti leads our participation in Memorial Sloan Kettering’s study of early postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (EPIC) and intraoperative heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for advanced colorectal cancer patients. Drs. Sands and Marchetti have been invited to dozens of visiting professorships and lectureships all over the world.
ENDOCRINE SURGERY
From left: Dr. Josefina C. Farra, Division Chief Dr. John I. Lew, and Dr. Diego Castilla of the Division of Endocrine Surgery
The Endocrine Surgery program is led by Dr. John I. Lew and is one of the nation’s few comprehensive programs focused entirely on benign and malignant endocrine diseases. National and international organizations look to our experts in the development of guidelines and standards of care for the management of endocrine disorders. We serve patients with thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal and neuroendocrine pancreatic diseases nationally and internationally including from the Caribbean, Central and South America.
OUTSTANDING CLINICIANS. We are known both nationally and internationally for the development in the early 1990s of Minimally Invasive or Focused Parathyroidectomy and the use of intraoperative PTH monitoring (IPM), pioneered by George L. Irvin III, MD. With this approach, patients can undergo surgical treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism in an outpatient setting with the highest success rates and minimal complications. We perform many complex thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal procedures and neuroendocrine pancreatic diseases not routinely performed by community surgeons. We are experts in minimally invasive parathyroidectomy using IPM and the “Miami Criterion,” as well as the use of surgeon-performed ultrasound (SUS) for the localization of abnormal parathyroid glands. We continue the tradition of offering leadingedge procedures, with plans to implement a transoral endoscopic vestibular approach (TOETVA) for thyroidectomy. This learning process has involved observation and didactic coursework in Bangkok, Thailand with the pioneer of TOETVA, Angkoon Anuwong, MD.
PASSIONATE EDUCATORS. We play an important role in the education and training of medical students, surgical residents and train one comprehensive endocrine surgery fellow each year in one of the first and most competitive programs of its kind in the nation. In addition to conventional teaching during weekly service didactic/teaching conferences, clinics, ward rounds, and in the operating room, we also implemented technologies for virtual or remote instruction along with human cadaveric and animal simulation laboratory work to enhance the teaching experience for learners.
INNOVATIVE RESEARCHERS. Our location in South Florida has allowed us to accrue data from a large patient population, making our robust patient database for clinical research that has been an invaluable source of published thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal clinical outcomes data, especially for rare diseases and long-term effects.
Fellow Dr. Bryan Whitfield (left) and division faculty perform surgery.
MINIMALLY INVASIVE, LAPAROENDOSCOPIC AND HEPATOBILIARY SURGERY
From left: Dr. Jose Martinez with Dr. Robert Cubas demonstrate the minimally invasive training equipment on which residents receive training.
Founded in 1972 and led by Dr. Jose Martinez and Hepatobiliary Section Chief Dr. Danny Sleeman, we provide care for individuals with a variety of complex upper intestinal problems, including pathologies of the abdomen and intestinal tract, with special expertise in liver, pancreas and biliary surgery.
OUTSTANDING CLINICIANS. Our faculty have decades of experience in laparoendoscopic and hepatobiliary procedures. Since 2018, we have incorporated robotic surgery into our surgical approach for hepatobiliopancreatic, foregut and hernia surgery. We help thousands of patients each year, performing procedures to address abdominal and inguinal hernias, reflux, esophageal motility disorders and pancreatic and hepatobiliary conditions. The City of Homestead, Florida recognized March 20, 2018 as Dr. Joe U. Levi Day, in recognition of this veteran faculty member’s years of service to the community and exemplification of the values of integrity, hard work, responsibility and loyalty.
PASSIONATE EDUCATORS. We train 60 general surgery residents and one laparoscopicendoscopic minimally invasive surgery fellow each year. The objective of the fellowship training program in Laparoendoscopic Surgery is to provide an academically and clinically rigorous training program to give the trainee outstanding skills in advanced training in Laparoscopic Foregut Surgery and Surgical Endoscopy. Fellows participate in a broad range of laparoscopic surgical procedures including fundoplication, esophageal myotomy, splenectomy, adrenalectomy, donor nephrectomy, ventral hernia repair, inguinal hernia repair, cholecystectomy, and bile duct exploration. The service also features an independent Surgical Endoscopy Center where all forms of flexible endoscopy are performed by surgeons. The Division is also home to the Minimally Invasive Surgical Training & Education Center (MISTE), profiled in our Creativity & Innovation feature.
INNOVATIVE RESEARCHERS. Dr. Martinez is a member of the Society of the American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Board of Governors and has served as the Chair of the SAGES Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery committee. Drs. Martinez, Romain and Bowles contributed the chapter on Diagnostic Esophagogastroduodenoscopy to the 2019 SAGES Manual of Flexible Endoscopy. He also presents frequently at national meetings and conferences on subjects including the management of duodenal obstruction and the adoption of transorifice surgery.
BARIATRIC SURGERY
Dr. Nestor De la Cruz-Muñoz (center) of the top-rated bariatric surgery program at UHealth Tower.
Led by Dr. Nestor De la Cruz-Muñoz, we are among the top five percent of bariatric surgery programs in the nation, and one of only two centers in South Florida designated by the American College of Surgeons as a Comprehensive Center with Adolescent Qualifications. We offer mind-and-bodyfocused care before, during and after surgery through a team of surgeons, dieticians, a nurse practitioner, a psychologist and a clinical director, all in the same location.
OUTSTANDING CLINICIANS. Our program at UHealth Tower, a facility of University of Miami Hospital and Clinics, received the Healthgrades® Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award for nine years in a row (2012-2020). UHealth Tower is the only hospital in MiamiDade County to receive this top honor. Dr. De la Cruz-Muñoz developed a novel approach to treating some post-operative bariatric complications. His new technique attracts patients from other centers who have not had success after a surgical complication. We admitted one such patient for 49 days in 2015 after she experienced a life-threatening complication following bariatric surgery at another center. After six months of conservative treatment we surgically revised her initial operation, resulting in a completely successful post-operative course. Years later, she continues to do remarkably well.
PASSIONATE EDUCATORS. Dr. De la Cruz-Muñoz hosts a series of in-person seminars in Miami, Coral Gables and online to bring awareness to the community of obesity and the surgical options available for long-term success. Online education allows us to expand resources to patients outside of South Florida and to those unable to easily ambulate due to their obesity. The program also works closely with surgical residents, providing perioperative learning experiences in bariatric surgery.
INNOVATIVE RESEARCHERS. We presented six papers at the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and received a Paper of Distinction award at Presidential Grand Rounds in 2019.
IMMUNOLOGY AND HISTOCOMPATIBILITY LABORATORY
Images from the Immunology and Histocompatibility Laboratory as faculty and staff conduct research and testing.
A unique combination laboratory of highly specialized professional, educational/informational, research and clinical efforts, supporting the mission of the busiest transplant program in the United States. Provides high quality clinical diagnostic testing and research services that lead to the optimal clinical benefit of transplant patients.
The molecular laboratory implemented high-resolution HLS typing by next generation sequencing (NGS), which, along with the introduction of a liquid handler robot that reduced run time by 50%, significantly increased sample processing capacity and turn-around time while decreasing sequencing costs. The increased capacity allowed for the development and implementation of NGS-based non-HLA tests for genotyping single and multiple genes.
The histology laboratory performs the histology, immunohistology, ultrastructural electron microscopy and in situ hybridization analysis on all experimental and clinical materials. This lab also functions as the preparatory site for several animal and human tissues for use in our studies as well as the archive for residual specimens.
The research and development laboratory performs expression analysis for selected genes important in predicting tolerance and immune function. These low density arrays are used to analyze gene expression in peripheral blood, fresh and paraffin embedded tissues in an effort to predict impeding rejection or tolerance induction. The lab’s development of new techniques aims to provide answers to transplant service clinicians and further their goal of reducing morbidity/mortality associated with human solid organ transplantation.
Highlighting the importance of sophisticated testing facilities, a pediatric patient would have been excluded from the organ transplant program if laboratory scientists had not investigated his inconsistent test results and determined a drug interaction had caused a false positive. The patient is now in the program and awaiting transplant.
ORAL MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY & DENTISTRY
Oral & Maxillofacial surgeon Dr. Yoh Sawatari (center) instructing surgical residents
We are pioneers in cutting-edge procedures for the head and neck, including cancer and reconstructivesurgeries, growth factors and stem-cellpromoted bone regeneration. Led by Dr.Michael Peleg and offering everything fromroutine dental care to trauma managementand access to clinical trials, we are uniquelypositioned to meet the complex needs ofpatients by providing comprehensive servicesin the full-scope of the specialty.
OUTSTANDING CLINICIANS. Our faculty are thego-to physicians in the area for complex andemergent cases, especially those requiringsignificant corrective and reconstructivetreatments. Drs. Leo Dorado and MauricioCosta established an outreach program inthe Dominican Republic, through which theyand dental residents have treated over 1,300impoverished patients in that country.
PASSIONATE EDUCATORS. As avid researchers and developers of new techniques in the specialties, our residencies and fellowships are highly competitive and well-regarded programs. We train 20 dentistry residents, 16 oral & maxillofacial surgery residents and one oral surgery fellow each year. All eligible recent residents and fellows have successfully received certification by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. We strive to expose trainees to the full scope of the specialty, with close involvement in patient management, basic and clinical research and experience in both functional and aesthetic conditions of the maxillofacial areas.
INNOVATIVE RESEARCHERS. Divisional researchfocuses on advanced techniques related totraumatic injury and bone reconstruction,including work on regenerative strategies,tissue engineering, high-energy traumaticmaxillofacial injury and maxillofacial gunshotinjury. Faculty member Dr. Yoh Sawatariwrote the renowned medical textbook SurgicalManagement of Maxillofacial Trauma and hisManagement of Orbito-zygomaticomaxillaryFractures is forthcoming.
Dr. Odile Carro (right) with resident from the General Practice Residency Program.
