Advisory Board
J Patrick O’Leary, MD
Physician, Researcher, Educator, Professor of Surgery
Dr. O'Leary is an emeritus professor of surgery and Executive Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the FIUHWCOM. Dr. O’Leary has a distinguished career as an academic surgeon. He has more than 50 years of clinical experience. Dr. O’Leary obtained his MD at University of Florida in Gansville, FL. He started his surgical residency in 1968 at Gainsville, FL. Ascending in a fast track in a surgical career, he became a professor of surgery and chief of surgery, in 1978, at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. He also practiced and taught surgery in Baylor University, Dallas, TX, and Louisiana State University, New Orleans, LA. He served as Chairman of Surgery and Dean of the medical school at LSU, New Orleans. He still is still is an Emeritus Chairman of Surgery at LSU.
Dr. O’Leary is one of the founding executive deans for Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL. He brought together a core clinical faculty and practice sites for the fledgling FIU College of Medicine.
Dr.O’Leary has played piviotal roles in shaping academic surgery structure in the US. He served as Chairman of Executive Committee Board of Governers and as 1st Vice President of American College of Surgeons. He has held several additional leadership positions with the National Board of Medical Examiners, has served as the president of the Southeastern Surgical Congress, the Association of Program Directors of Surgery and as the first vice president of the Southern Surgical Association.
Dr. O'Leary is a master of art, science and craft of surgery. He has written more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications and is the author of four editions of the Physiologic Basis of Surgery Textbook. He is an authority in the field of surgical gastroenterology. He is active in a number of regional and national professional organizations including Alpha Omega Alpha honor Society. He has been an inspiration for many generations of younger surgeons
Anthony McGoron, PhD
Scientist, Researcher, Educator
Anthony McGoron is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering and Computing at Florida International University (FIU). He received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University and post-doctoral training in the Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Before Joining FIU he was Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati Department of Radiology, Divisions of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Physics. The primary focus of Dr. McGoron is drug delivery and molecular imaging, primarily for cancer, and specifically for the development of multimodal drugs that simultaneously image and provide therapy (Image Guided Drug Delivery and Therapy). He has been developing imaging probes for over 25 years, including Tc-99m for SPECT and I-124 for PET.
While maintaining a productive research program in drug delivery and image guided therapy, Dr. McGoron was instrumental in the development of the academic programs in Biomedical Engineering at FIU. He joined FIU in 1999 into a just formed Biomedical Engineering Institute, which at the time had only a MS and undergraduate minor program. He was a founding member of the Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2002 and led the design and implementation of the BS in BME program and its accreditations in 2005 and 2008, and 2014.
Dr. McGoron is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). He has over 200 journal articles, book chapters and proceeding papers. He has received funding from the NIH, NSF, DOD, AHA, and Fl-DOH as well as numerous companies.
Yuman Fong, MD, FACS
Physician, Scientist, Researcher, Educator, Professor of Surgical Oncology
Dr. Yuman Fong is a graduate of Brown University (BA, Medieval Literature, 1981) and Cornell University Medical College (MD, 1984). After surgical training at the New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center and surgical oncology fellowship at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, he was appointed to the faculty of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. There he served on staff for over 20 years, and held the Murray F. Brennan Chair in Surgery. He is currently the Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the City of Hope Medical Center, and holds the Sangiacomo Chair in Surgical Oncology.
Dr. Fong is best known clinically for his extensive work in the field of liver and pancreatic surgery––especially for pioneering many laparoscopic, robotic and ablative therapies for these cancers. He has assisted in the design and deployment of many novel surgical tools.
Dr. Fong has also been active in biologic bench investigation. His early research was in immune activation during cancer or infection. He was part of the group that discovered tumor necrosis factor and helped established the field of innate immunity. His laboratory focus over the last 15 years has been in the field of gene therapy, designing and studying the use of genetically modified viruses for the killing of cancer. His group was the first to administer recombinant viruses into the blood stream of man as a cancer treatment. His leadership in this field on the national level has included serving as the Chair of the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) of the National Institutes of Health.
He has co-authored over 800 peer reviewed articles and 12 text books. He has served on the editorial boards of 14 journals, and is currently Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Therapy Oncolytics
Yuri Nikiforov, MD, PhD
Physician, Researcher, Educator, Professor of Pathology
Dr. Yuri E. Nikiforov, MD, PhD is Vice-Chair for Molecular Pathology and Director, Division of Molecular and Genomic Pathology at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He is an innovator and a thought leader in thyroid oncology.
Dr. Nikiforov’s clinical interests and expertise include the genetics and pathology of thyroid cancer. He has received international acclaim for his extensive research which includes the discovery of several novel types of chromosomal rearrangements and findings that have linked chromosomal rearrangements in thyroid cancer to exposure to ionizing radiation. These discoveries have been reported in journals including Science, Journal of Clinical Investigations, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. He has developed the Thyroseq molecular and genomic profiling test for evaluation of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer.
Dr. Nikiforov’s current research efforts focus on the identification of novel mutations in thyroid cancer using next-generation sequencing, and the application of current knowledge in molecular genetics of thyroid cancer to the clinical management of patients with thyroid nodules.
Dr. Nikiforov received his medical and doctoral degrees from the Minsk Medical Institute in Belarus. He completed his residency in anatomic pathology at the University of Cincinnati and postdoctoral fellowships in pathology and endocrinology at Brown University and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
He is an author of more than 120 peer-reviewed articles and more than 10 book chapters, and is a senior editor of the popular textbook “Diagnostic Pathology and Molecular Genetics of the Thyroid.” He is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and has received many honors, including the prestigious Van Meter Award from the American Thyroid Association.
Bonnie Reiter- Lehrer
Thyroid Cancer Survivor and Patient Advocate
Bonnie Reiter-Lehrer has over 35-years’ experience in Marketing and Communication in non-profit management. Her specialty is in the areas of branding, crisis communications, project management, collateral development, digital and online marketing as well as special events. She has produced award-winning films and documentaries and nationally recognized public relations programs garnering earned media. As the Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Bonnie leads the organization’s communications and marketing strategy and executes programs and projects that engage a variety of stakeholders and attract positive media attention.
In 2013, Bonnie fought and won a battle with Thyroid Cancer becoming a patient advocate and speaking about her journey with the “Good Cancer.”
Stanley J Goldsmith, MD
Physician, Researcher, Educator, Professor of Nuclear Medicine
Stanley J. Goldsmith, M.D. has been Professor of Radiology and Professor of Medicine at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University since 1995. He served as Division Chief of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology at The New York-Presbyterian Hospital /Weill Cornell Campus and from 1995 through 2012. Prior to these appointments, from 1992-95, Dr. Goldsmith was the Clinical Director of the Nuclear Medicine Service, Attending Radiologist and Member at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City and Professor of Radiology at the Cornell University Medical College.
Dr. Goldsmith completed his undergraduate education at Columbia College, Columbia University and was awarded the B.A. degree in 1958. He received his M.D. degree from the SUNY Downstate Medical Center in 1962.
Dr. Goldsmith was President of the Society of Nuclear Medicine in 1985-86 and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine from 1994-1999. He was a Director of the American Board of Nuclear Medicine from 1990-1996 and served as Treasurer of the Board from 1995-96. He has served as Chairman of Committees and Councils of the Society of Nuclear Medicine including the Government Relations Committee, the Joint SNM-ACNP Government Oversight Committee, the Radioassay Council and served a 2 year term as President of the Therapy Council of the Society of Nuclear Medicine.
Dr. Goldsmith has received numerous awards, including the Distinguished Educator Award from the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Excellence as a Teacher in Radiology from his alma mater the State University of New York Downstate College of Medicine. Dr. Goldsmith is the author of approximately 150 scientific articles, 21 book chapters, 27 invited articles and reviews and over 250 scientific abstracts.
Alejandro Amor Coarasa, PhD
Scientist, Researcher, Educator
Experienced in Molecular Imaging, Radiochemistry, Radiopharmacy and Drug Design. Strong research professional with a Radiochemistry BSc and MSc from Havana, Cuba; and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) focused in Biomedical/Medical Engineering from Florida International University. Performed first as postdoc and later as Instructor of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences in Radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine. Currently Director of Radiochemistry and Radiation Safety Officer at Ratio Therapeutics Inc and Clinical Assistant Professor of Nuclear Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. As Director of Radiochemistry at Ratio Therapeutics Inc Dr. Amor oversees all the company’s radiochemistry/radiopharmacy related operations. This include both in-house operations and guidance and monitoring of CROs’ external work. Dr. Amor is also in charge of operation at a temporary radiochemistry facility currently functioning in Wilmington, MA, while overseeing the construction and equipment procurement of Ratio’s new facility at the Drydock. As Radiation Safety Officer Dr. Amor created and currently manages the Radioactive Material (RAM) License being evaluated by the state of Massachusetts. Dr. Amor directs all Ratio’s radiation safety, hygiene, and management.
Aron Berkman, MD, PhD
Physician-Researcher, Educator, Medical Oncologist
Dr. Berkman is an Associate Professor and founding Chief of Medical Oncology for the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine of the Florida International University. Dr. Berkman graduated with high honors in zoology from the University of Maryland in 1971. He then attended the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine where he earned his M.D. and Ph.D. (Pharmacology) in 1977. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the Baltimore City Hospitals in 1980 and his fellowship in Medical Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center in 1982.
He is board certified in Medical Oncology and Internal Medicine. Following completion of his fellowship, Dr. Berkman continued to serve as Instructor in Oncology at Johns Hopkins where he participated in programs in lymphoma and lung cancer. He has served as an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) hematology committee principal investigator. His early research interests included ribosomal RNA metabolism in leukemia, graft-versus-host disease and immune thrombocytopenia associated with lymphoma. He has participated in clinical trials involving new drug regimens for the treatment of lymphoma and small cell lung cancer. His work has been published in major journals and has been presented at conferences.
In 1983, Dr. Berkman was appointed Chief of Medical Oncology at Harbor Hospital Center in Baltimore where he directed cancer services for twenty years. In that position he created a free standing community cancer center offering all modalities of cancer care and developed multidisciplinary programs in lung cancer and breast cancer. His program incorporated clinical trials through affiliation with ECOG and the pharmaceutical industry. He also was the founding partner of Chesapeake Oncology/Hematology Associates, a large multispecialty group. Dr. Berkman has also served as a local chapter president for the American Cancer Society and as a clinical hospice director.
Dr. Berkman treats all solid tumors and lymphoma. He also has extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of hematologic disorders.
Wu Xiaodong, PhD
Physicist, Researcher, Educator, Professor of Radiology
Dr. Xiaodong Wu received his M.S. in Radiological Sciences and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Miami. Dr. Wu joined the University of Miami in1989 as a faculty member in the Department of Radiation Oncology and became a full Professor of Clinical Radiation Oncology and Director of Medical Physics in 1997. In 2007 he became Senior Medical Physicist and Director of Physics of the Innovative Cancer Institute.
In 2012 he founded the Biophysics Research Institute of America to conduct research with government and industrial funding. Dr. Wu is widely published and is a frequent lecturer in Medical Physics worldwide. He owns seven patents as well as a number of pending patents related to Radiation Therapy and Radiosurgery. He has been a major advocate for particle therapy and is currently the Senior Physics Consultant and the Director of the International Consortium of Shanghai Proton Heavy Ion Center, China. As a Professor, he is actively supervising MS and PhD level Medical Physics students at the Biomedical Engineering Department of the University of Miami as well as at the Fudan University of China.
Bennett Greenspan, MD
Physician, Researcher, Educator, Professor of Nuclear Medicine and Radiology
Bennett S. Greenspan, M.D., MS, FACNM, FACR, professor of radiology at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, in Augusta, GA. He served as 2017-18 president of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI). Prior to his position as professor of radiology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Dr. Greenspan worked at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, N.Y.; University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y.; University of Missouri-Columbia; and Washington University in St. Louis, MO.
Dr. Greenspan holds a Master of Science degree in medical physics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and earned his medical degree at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Greenspan is devoted to teaching clinical nuclear medicine, as well as nuclear medicine physics and radiation safety. His research and scholarly interests include PET/CT imaging in oncology, especially using PET imaging to further characterize malignancies and the effects of low-level radiation. He has been a co-investigator on 11 grants.
Dr.Greenspan is a Fellow of the ACR and the American College of Nuclear Medicine (ACNM). He currently serves on the boards of the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine and the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board. He is past chair of the SNMMI Committee on Councils and served as co-chair of the ACR Nuclear Medicine Procedure Guidelines Committee.
Robert I. Goldfarb, Esq
Attorney
Mr. Goldfarb has over 35 years of legal experience and over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He was President and General Counsel of Accubreak Pharmaceuticals Inc from 2007 until recently when he began his own practice.
Mr. Goldfarb has been and is currently a board member for a number of privately held pharmaceutical companies located in New York and Florida. He obtained his bachelor’s from the University of Connecticut and his J.D. from the University of Florida. He is a member of the Florida Bar.
Stephanie Bruder
Community Outreach and Education Specialist
Ms. Stephanie Bruder holds Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees in Education and Counseling. She spent many years in private practice helping families cope with special needs, educational challenges and incorporating strategies as well as one-to-one coaching into their lives.
She has dedicated her life to public service and to enhancing the lives of children and those most vulnerable facing chronic health issues. Ms. Bruder currently serves as the Mayor of Bay Harbor Islands, Florida.
Stephanie was deeply touched by the ravaging effects of cancer while watching her beloved father fight a difficult battle. She has committed herself to helping to support efforts to finding cures for various cancers through research, community outreach, education, patient advocacy and early detection.
Gabriel Domenech, MD
Physician, Researcher, Educator
Dr. Gabriel Domenech is a Board Certified Medical Oncologist who has practiced in South Florida for more than 15 years. His years of practice have afforded him the expertise to accurately diagnose and treat all types of cancer. Dr. Domenech believes that every cancer patient deserves optimal care in a positive and supportive environment. His mission is to put these beliefs into practice by utilizing the very latest diagnostic and treatment modalities in order to provide each patient with a comprehensive care plan aimed at eradicating or controlling the progression of their cancer.
Manuel Sztejnberg, PhD
Physicist, Researcher, Educator, Professor of Nuclear Physics
