About Miami Cancer Research Center
Welcome to the Miami Cancer Research Center, where we are dedicated to making groundbreaking discoveries in the field of cancer research. Our team of experts is committed to finding new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. We strive to provide hope and support to patients and their families by advancing the understanding of cancer and developing innovative treatment options.
At Miami Cancer Research Center, we are passionate about our mission to improve the lives of those affected by cancer. Our team is comprised of dedicated researchers, scientists, and medical professionals who work tirelessly to push the boundaries of cancer research. With state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technology, we are at the forefront of the fight against cancer.
Meet Our Team
Our team at Miami Cancer Research Center is a diverse group of individuals with a shared commitment to making a difference in the battle against cancer. Each member brings unique expertise and perspective to our collaborative efforts, driving our research forward and bringing hope to the lives of many.
Vision & Mission
Miami Cancer Research Center (MCRC) is a scientific and charitable organization that performs and supports cancer research, organizes educational events and provides support for cancer care at institutional and individual levels. The mission of the MCRC is to take part in the global fight against cancer through research, education and patient care support.
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The objectives of MCRC are to:
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Develop a platform for academic and community physicians to collaborate
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Design and implement institutional research projects, support and coordinate research projects conducted by academic institutions, cancer centers, research foundations, and businesses through research grants and cooperative agreements.
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Conduct research at its institutional laboratories and other collaborating laboratories and clinics.
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Support pilot translational cancer research projects.
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Collaborate with voluntary organizations and other national and international institutions engaged in cancer research and training activities.
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Support education and training in oncology through conferences, career awards, training grants, and fellowships.
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Support a network of community physicians and allied health care professionals involved in the care of cancer patients.
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Collect and disseminate information on cancer.
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Support the construction of laboratories, clinics, and related facilities necessary for cancer research through awards of construction grants.
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Fundraising for cancer research from individuals, corporations, and foundations.
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Scope of Research at Miami Cancer Research Center
Miami Cancer Research Center performs and provides direct support to cancer scientists through fellowships, grants, and awards to perform cancer research. Our primary focus is to support and coordinate translational research that will lead to better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cancer with the ultimate goal of developing novel, targeted techniques for diagnosis and treatment. Miami Cancer Research Center conducts and supports research for diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, training, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients. The types of research and mechanisms of support of research at MCRC include:
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Clinical research with Industry sponsorship/partnership
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Translational/Clinical Research with institutional resources/grants
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Translational/Basic Science research through academic partnerships with shared resources
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Translational research with federal/state/county grants
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Clinical and Translational Research with private foundation support
Board of Directors
Seza A Gulec, MD, FACS
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, Miami Cancer Research Center
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Dr. Seza Gulec is the founding president and the Chief Executive Officer at Miami Cancer Research Center. Dr. Gulec is also the founding Chief of Surgical Oncology and Endocrinology and Director of Surgical Research at Florida International University. He is the Chief of Surgical Oncology at HCA Florida Aventura Hospital.
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Dr. Gulec's areas of clinical expertise include treatment of thyroid and parathyroid diseases, carcinoid and neuroendocrine tumors, melanoma, breast cancer, primary and metastatic liver cancers, and pancreatic cancer. Dr. Gulec is an established researcher in surgical and nuclear oncology fields. The main focus of his research is molecular imaging and targeted radionuclide therapy in solid tumors. His laboratory is actively involved in the development of novel positron Emission tomography (PET) imaging agents, and radioimmuno, radiopeptide and radiomicrosphere therapy strategies which include molecular theranostics and dosimetry.
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Dr. Gulec received his medical degree at Ankara University College of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. He is trained in surgery at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, LA, in nuclear medicine and nuclear oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY, and in surgical oncology at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, CA.
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Dr. Gulec is a Fellow of American College of Surgeons and Fellow of the American College of Nuclear Medicine. He is also member of Society of Surgical Oncology, American Thyroid Association and Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.
J. Paul Perales-Villarroel, MD
Chief Operating Officer, Miami Cancer Research Center
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Dr. Paul Perales is the Chief Operating Officer at Miami Cancer Research Center. He is a board-certified general surgeon, fellowship-trained in Advanced Gastrointestinal, Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Florida.​
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Dr. Perales received his medical degree from Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima - Peru. Completed a Surgery Residency at the same institution and trained in General Surgery at Kendall Regional/Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, in Miami-Florida.​
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Prior to complete his clinical training, Dr. Perales spent 3 years at the University of Pennsylvania and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia embedded in Clinical and Translational Research. His solid research experience, enables him to contribute to MCRC Academic Development.​
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Dr. Perales's interests are gastrointestinal oncology, specifically foregut, hepatobiliary and pancreatic disease, as well as endocrine oncology.
Adriana Duran, RN
Chief Financial Officer, Miami Cancer Research Center
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Adriana Duran is a certified Nurse Practitioner. She serves as the CFO at the MCRC. She has been involved with healthcare operations and research coordination since the inception of Miami Thyroid Oncology Consortium. She has served at different professional levels in the organization.
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Besides her main responsibility as an executive director of finance, Ms. Duran serves as a liaison for the MCRC’s clinician/researcher network and industry partners.
Vice President of Clinical Research, MCRC
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Dr. Eber graduated from the University of Florida with the highest honors in 1996 focusing on Neuroscience and business. He then attended the University of Miami School of Medicine and did his Diagnostic Radiology Residency and Nuclear Medicine Fellowship at the University of Miami/Jackson Health System. He now practices in both the private and academic settings. He is the co-founder of 3T Radiology & Research outpatient imaging centers throughout Florida. He is an Attending Radiologist at Jackson Community Hospital and Larkin Community Hospital in Miami, FL. Dr. Eber has over 30 publications and professional presentations worldwide. Dr. Eber is a past president of the Florida Radiology Society and is an appointed Councilor of the American College of Radiology. In this capacity, he aids in establishing policy for radiology and radiation oncology on the national level.
Daryl Eber, MD
Dahlia Mohammed, MPH
Vice President of Operations, Educational Programs, MCRC
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Dahlia serves as Vice President of Operations at Miami Cancer Research Center. In this role, Dahlia oversees business operations and development, educational programs, and philanthropy. She leads the administration of our annual Miami Thyroid Oncology Symposium, managing industry partnerships, donor support, faculty affairs and attendee support. Dahlia has over seventeen years of progressive experience including fully developing, managing, and directing the operations of multiple clinical and educational units from the ground up, as well as collaborating to build the customer experience arm of a hyper-growth startup organization. She is well-experienced with the full scope of health tech operations and user engagement needs inclusive of program management, strategic partnership building, client success strategy, and data insights. Dahlia received a Master of Public Health with a concentration in health promotion and disease prevention and a Bachelor's in Health Sciences from Florida International University.
Cristina Benites
Vice President of Bioinformatics Research and Development , MCRC
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Sam Angel
Research and Operations Coordinator, MCRC
Advisory Board
J Patrick O’Leary, MD
Physician, Researcher, Educator, Professor of Surgery
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
Yuman Fong, MD, FACS
Physician, Scientist, Researcher, Educator, Professor of Surgical Oncology
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
Robert I. Goldfarb, Esq
Attorney
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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Dr. Manuel Sztejnberg received his Engineering Degree in Medical Physics Engineering from Favaloro University and a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from Purdue University. In 2010, Dr. Sztejnberg joined the National Atomic Energy Commission of Argentina (CNEA) as research and development agent for radiation therapies and, in 2022, became Head of Instrumentation and Radiation Sources Division inside the Boron Neutron Capture Therapy Coordination Department. He also joined Favaloro University in 2013 as a faculty member and became a Director of the Department of Medical Physics in 2019 and Chair of the Medical Physics Engineering Career in 2022.
Research Associates and Fellows
Carlos Fernandez, CNMT
Research Associate, MCRC
Chief Technologist, 3T Imaging and Therapy
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David Ritchie, MD
Research Fellow, MCRC
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Julien Burgos, MD
Research Fellow, MCRC
A Message from Dr. Gulec, CEO & Chairman of the Board
Seza A Gulec, MD, FACS
Welcome to the new Miami Cancer Research Center website. Here you will be able to explore news, research, and educational opportunities to deepen your understanding of the complex world of cancer. I hope that together we will find new ways of meeting the needs of patients, families, and the medical community facing this difficult challenge.
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Our most important learning opportunity will take place in just a few weeks and I invite you to join me at our 4th Annual Thyroid Cancer Symposium, this time in a virtual format due to the difficult times we are going through. Here is a glimpse of the program. Space is limited and I encourage you to register now.
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As I reflect on this symposium, it is worth noting that we have entered a personalized medicine paradigm with molecular theranostics. We are defining cancer oncobiology based on genomic and epigenomic expressions. A clinical catalog for genetic alterations associated with cancer has been created using next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics. The approach to clinical issues, thus, has moved beyond conventional diagnostics and therapeutic interventions. The risk stratification systems based on traditional parameters are challenged, and they are gradually vacating their role to clear molecular markers. More refined classification schemes based on genomics and its phenotypic expressions are being formulated. Genomics with molecular pathology and molecular imaging reflect the true biologic nature of the different cancer types currently defined by conventional morphologic features. The tumor differentiation/de-differentiation, and clinical behavior for each cancer are now being defined by molecular markers, in addition to standard morpho-pathology. The technology is rapidly evolving and incorporated into daily practice.
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The Miami Thyroid Oncology Symposium is a leading-edge forum for the advancement of the science of thyroid cancer diagnosis and treatment in this new paradigm. The program is designed as a two-day symposium. We are indebted to our world-renowned faculty for taking part in this exciting scientific symposium. We hope to fulfill our commitment to furthering the science of thyroid cancer towards the new frontiers.