Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Miami Herald Insert by FIU

Inside Serving Floridians 4 Discovering tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cures 6 Building relationships 10 Delivering Worlds Ahead medical care 12

Cover: Inside the Green Family Foundation NeighborhoodHELPâ&#x201E;˘ Mobile Health Center, patients receive individualized care from interdisciplinary teams of FIU students.

A commitment to medicAl excellence. In 2008 we were proud to become one of the earliest supporters of the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine with a $10 million gift and the establishment of the Benjamin Leon Center for Geriatric Research and Education and the Leon Medical Centers Eminent Scholars Chair in Geriatrics. Today, we are proud to celebrate their many achievements. Our clinical partnership provides the opportunity for second year students at the College of Medicine to do rotations at our seven state of the art medical centers with the Leon Physicians providing them the knowledge and wisdom required to practice Medical Excellence. Leon Medical Centers and the Leon Family salute the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and reaffirm our shared commitment to Medical Excellence.

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Sunday, April 27, 2014 | Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Dear Neighbors

Florida International University Board of Trustees 2013-2014 Albert R. Maury ’96, ’02, Chairperson Michael M. Adler, Vice Chair Mark B. Rosenberg, Secretary Sukrit Agrawal ’89 Cesar L. Alvarez Jose J. Armas Jorge L. Arrizurieta Robert T. Barlick, Jr. Marcelo Claure Mayi de la Vega ’81 Gerald C. Grant, Jr. ’78, ’89 Claudia Puig Faculty Member C. Delano Gray Chair, FIU Faculty Senate

omorrow, Florida International University’s Herbert

country training at prestigious residency programs like those

Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) will graduate its

at Baylor College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve, UCLA,

second class of medical students, and we can truly say it has

University of Miami and Harvard Medical School. Soon, our

taken a community to bring us to this exciting moment.

newest graduates will pack their bags to continue their training

The HWCOM was established in 2006 at a time when the nation

at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Mayo Clinic, Duke, LSU and

was bracing for a critical shortage of physicians. Counting on

other programs. We are delighted that many have chosen to

the unwavering support of our legislators and so many of you,

stay closer to home and are currently or will soon begin their

we set out to transform medical education and the health of this

residencies right here in Florida at Shands Hospital, Jackson

community by creating a 21st century medical education program.

Memorial Hospital, Mt. Sinai Medical Center and Miami

We began by forging alliances with local health care

Children’s among others. This is extremely important because

organizations, forming partnerships and developing programs

studies show that most young doctors end up settling down in

that not only support our medical education curriculum, but also

the city where they perform their residency.

improve the quality of health care available to South Floridians. The signature component of our Doctor of Medicine program

Our clinical enterprise FIU Health is also growing to meet the health care needs of our community. Its newest expansion,

is the Green Family Foundation NeighborhoodHELP™ initiative,

a 36,000-square-foot Ambulatory Care Center, scheduled to

which aims to improve health in medically underserved

open next year at Modesto A. Maidique Campus, will include a

areas of South Florida. The Liaison Committee on Medical

dedicated pediatric ambulatory surgical center.

Education (LCME)—the accrediting body for medical education

The FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine has made it our

programs in the United States and Canada—commends

mission to be one with the community. We hope you will join us

NeighborhoodHELP™ as “a model for providing medical

as we move into the next horizon.

students with the opportunity to experience the interface of societal problems with medical care and to impact community health.” Already we are seeing positive changes in households and communities involved in NeighborhoodHELP™. Our college has grown substantially since we opened our doors in 2009. We now have 363 medical students and an additional 120 students, chosen out of more than 4,000 applicants, will join us in the fall. Plans are also underway to launch a physician assistant program in 2015. Our inaugural class graduates are currently fanned across the

Mark B. Rosenberg President

John Rock, M.D. Founding Dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs Florida International University

Student Member Liane Sippin President, MMC SGA

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Advisory Council Nelson Adams, M.D. Stewart Appelrouth, CPA Carmel J. Barrau, M.D. Sandy Batchelor Stephen Berkman Robert Berrin, Esq. Stewart Davis, M.D. Albert Dotson, Sr. Noreen Gordon-Sablotsky Kim Greene Rodolfo Hernandez, M.D. Larry Kahn Orlando Lopez-Fernandez, M.D. Tamara Meyerson Joel S. Policzer, M.D. Annette Rosenfield, Esq. Albert Tano, M.D. Octavio A. Verdeja, CPA

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine | Sunday, April 27, 2014

Serving Floridians “We can predict with confidence that the FIU College of Medicine will result in more culturally competent doctors in our neighborhoods, doctors who will be educated here and most likely make Florida their home.” —Dr. John Rock, founding dean Miami Herald, 2009

hile our Panthers are all over the country, including at some of the nation’s most prestigious hospitals, many of our graduates have

chosen to serve Floridians and remain local.

30%

of the Class of 2013 graduates landed residencies in Florida

Jacksonville • Mayo Clinic • UF College of Medicine

40%

of the Class of 2014 graduates landed residencies in Florida

More than half of our graduates are entering fields that are currently experiencing critical shortages, such as primary care.

Class of 2013:

Gainesville • UF Shands

52% Chose primary care

Hospital

Obstetrics & Gynecology Psychiatry

Tampa • University of South Florida College of Medicine

Orlando • Florida Hospital St. Petersburg • All Children’s

Family Medicine Pediatrics

Medical Center

3% 6% 9% 9%

Other

Internal Medicine 24%

Hospital Johns Hopkins

Class of 2014:

57% Chose primary care

Boca Raton • FAU Charles E. Schmidt

Obstetrics & Gynecology

College of Medicine

Weston • Cleveland Clinic

Psychiatry

Miami • Jackson Memorial Hospital • Miami Children’s Hospital • Mt. Sinai Medical Center

Family Medicine Pediatrics

7% 9.5% 9.5% Other 11.9% Internal Medicine 19%

Sunday, April 27, 2014 | Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

A snapshot of graduate successes Thomas Capasso, Class of 2014

Elena Rueda de León, Class of 2014

Yilien Alonso ’09, Class of 2014

Hospital: Mt. Sinai Medical Center

Hospital: All Children’s Hospital - Johns Hopkins Medicine

Hospital: Cleveland Clinic Florida

Location: Miami Beach, FL

Location: St. Petersburg, FL

Location: Weston, FL

Specialty: General Surgery

Specialty: Pediatrics

Specialty: Internal Medicine

Important lesson learned in medical school: Seeing every person for who they are. In medicine, you are both a large and small part of a person’s life at the same time. On making an impact: I’m from Coral Springs. I’m the son of a nurse, so I basically grew up in an emergency room. I wanted to do something positive with my life and this was a natural fit.

Important lesson learned in medical school: To be grateful for my patients because they’ll teach me so much more than anything I’ll learn from a medical textbook. I also learned, specifically in pediatrics, that you’re not only treating a child, you’re helping an entire family. On making an impact: Compassion in medicine is not dead. It’s here to stay and will become more pervasive in the future.

Important lesson learned in medical school: To just be myself. On those days I smiled, listened and truly cared, I was the most productive. On making an impact: My family and I arrived here from Cuba on a 17-foot wooden fishing boat on Thanksgiving Day 1993. I was 6 years old. I owe my success to the Miami community; therefore my plan is to impact various aspects of this dynamic community.

Hanadys “Hany” Ale ’08, M.D.

Trine Engerbretsen, M.D., M.S.

Kaiming Wu, M.D.

Class of 2013

Hospital: Miami Children’s Hospital Location: Miami, FL

Hospital: Medical Center of Central Georgia (Mercer School of Medicine)

Hospital: Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Specialty: Pediatrics

Location: Macon, GA

Location: Boston, MA

Specialty: Surgery

Specialty: Radiology

Choosing a specialty: From an early age, I knew that working with ill children was my calling. As a teenager, I volunteered at Miami Children’s Hospital, where I am now, so I feel like I’ve come full circle. On making an impact: Providing quality care as a pediatric allergist/immunologist is a great opportunity to express my most humble gratitude to the country and, specifically, the community that welcomed me.

Choosing a specialty: I became Florida’s first liver transplant recipient at 2 years of age. I’ve had many surgeries. Believe me, the last thing I wanted was to be a surgeon. But during surgery rotation, doctors spoke about my “good hands.” Then I participated in several transplant surgeries over the course of 21 hours. That was it. On making an impact: I hope to pay it forward.

Choosing the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine: One of my pre-med advisors made me aware that they were creating a new medical school that would be like none other. I liked the idea of becoming a part of something as special as a new medical school. How the experience prepared him for his residency: We learned more about how to care for the patient as a whole.

Congratulations

Class of 2014 Now go out and heal, care, comfort.

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine | Sunday, April 27, 2014

Discovering tomorrow’s cures

“We wanted to figure out what research we could do at FIU that wasn’t a duplication of other universities and what would have the greatest impact on our community. We’ve already built some real depth in these areas, and as the college grows, our research will have a larger and larger impact on medical science.” —Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson, founding executive associate dean of academic affairs responsible for research development, Miami Herald, 2009

From ‘lab bench’ to ‘bedside’ To improve human health, scientific discoveries must be translated into clinical practice. This research begins at the “lab bench” with basic research and then progresses

A magnet is positioned at the head. It emits a low-energy DC magnetic field into the body to draw the MENs from the injection site to the brain. Then, an AC magnetic field induces a highly localized electric field through the magnetoelectricity of MENs. This new electric field triggers the release of the drug and guides it to the target.

The HIV virus can “hide” inside the brain in places that are difficult to target with current therapies

to the clinic or patient’s “bedside.” At FIU, our clinical and translational scientists are developing new medical devices, novel drug delivery systems, and new approaches and treatments to life-threatening diseases. FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine clinical researchers from the departments of Neuroscience, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics and Psychiatry are actively collaborating with basic science researchers and engineers from the departments of Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and the School of Integrated Science and Humanity. Together, in FIU’s new state-of-the-art facilities that offer a living-learning collaborative laboratory, these researchers and clinicians are embarking on translational research and innovation focused on health, well-being and societal impact in child mental health, ADHD, HIV/AIDS, cancer, chronic illnesses, neuro-degenerative disorders and other diseases. The work of FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Nearly all of the virus is destroyed by the drug.

professors Madhavan Nair and Sakhrat Khizroev highlights this “lab bench” to “bedside” approach.

The Nano Cure For years, the blood-brain barrier has

Medication, such as AZTTP, is attached to tiny magneto-electric nanoparticles, known as MENs, and injected in to the body. The MENs are then drawn back down the bloodstream by magnetic energy and removed from the body.

stumped scientists and doctors who work with neurological diseases. A natural filter that allows very few substances to pass through to the brain, the blood-brain barrier keeps most medicines from reaching the brain. This means that certain Dr. Sakhrat Khizroev (left) viruses, such as HIV/AIDS, can hide in the brain and and Dr. Madhavan Nair.

continue to harm patients’ health.

But Nair and Khizroev have developed a revolutionary new technique, using magneto-electric nanoparticles, that delivers and directs the anti-HIV drug AZTTP to specific targets in the brain. Currently in lab experiments, this method of delivering life-saving therapy has the potential to help other patients who suffer from neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, meningitis, chronic pain and possibly even cancer.

Sunday, April 27, 2014 | Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Researchers focus on tobacco use

wo Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine scientists received funding from the Florida

Most of these restrictions could be eliminated by using bioactive small molecule compounds with

Department of Health for their research into diseases

relaxin-like properties. The first known series of such

relating to tobacco use, including heart disease.

compounds was recently discovered in Agoulnik’s lab

Heart disease is very prevalent in tobacco users,

in collaboration with Dr. Juan Marugan’s team at the

and smokers have an increased incidence of coronary

National Institutes of Health. The researchers hope

artery disease, a significant cause of heart failure.

that these compounds can be used to develop a novel

Professor Alexander Agoulnik’s project, “Vascular

therapeutic suitable for treatment of heart failure and

effects of relaxin receptor agonists,” is exploring the therapeutic properties of relaxin, a natural peptide normally produced in reproductive organs. It was shown that a recombinant

Dr. Agoulnik is studying compounds that can be used to develop a novel therapeutic suitable for treatment of heart failure and other diseases. Dr. Rosen is exploring a new method of discovering drugs that may prevent arsenic exposure-related cancers.

version of the peptide might

other diseases. Professor Barry Rosen received his award for “Development of highthroughput assays to identify

Dr. Barry Rosen (left), professor in the Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, and Dr. Alexander Agoulnik, professor, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics.

drugs to prevent arsenic carcinogenesis,” which will explore an innovative

Rosen, one of the world’s foremost experts in arsenic-related research, is exploring a new method to

be beneficial in patients with acute heart failure,

approach to discovering drugs that may prevent

discovering drugs that may prevent arsenic exposure-

which affects more than 5 million people in the United

arsenic exposure-related cancers.

related cancers. An understanding of both arsenic

States. However, relaxin peptide used in the clinical

Arsenic, the most pervasive “Group A” human

chemistry and the details of arsenic transport systems

trials has significant drawbacks, including a rapid rate

environmental carcinogen in nature, is omnipresent

is critical to helping alleviate the problems of arsenic

of metabolism, need for intravenous administration,

in our drinking water and food supply. Arsenic is also

toxicity and to designing drugs to treat drug-resistant

and high treatment costs.

found in cigarettes.

microbes and cancer cells.

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine | Sunday, April 27, 2014

Sunday, April 27, 2014 | Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Transforming

medical education and public health The Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine is South Florida’s first public medical school. Welcoming students in 2009, the innovative curriculum, scientific research, outreach to underserved populations and health care services are transforming the future health of our community.

Community Outreach

FIU Health Education

Research College of Medicine researchers are developing breakthroughs in immunopharmacology, environmental toxins, cancer biology, immunology and HIV/AIDS, molecular microbiology and infectious diseases, reproduction and development, psychiatry & behavioral health.

South Florida’s first public medical school will have 480 students by Fall 2014. The centerpiece of the 21st century curriculum is the Green Family Foundation NeighborhoodHELP™ program, which puts students to work with underserved households. Clinical Affiliates: FIU medical students complete clinical rotations at more than 35 hospitals, clinics and health care facilities in South Florida. Residencies: FIU’s College of Medicine has a family medicine residency program at South Florida’s newest hospital, West Kendall Baptist.

FIU physicians provide Worlds Ahead care to patients in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. Offices are located at FIU’s Modesto A. Maidique Campus in west Dade, in South Miami off Sunset, and at Broward Health Medical. To make an appointment at any center, call: 305-FIU-DOCS. FIU Health Ambulatory Care Center: In 2015, FIU will open a new outpatient facility in partnership with Miami-Dade County at FIU’s Modesto A. Maidique Campus. The facility will house a dedicated pediatric ambulatory surgical center in partnership with Miami Children’s Hospital. FIU Embrace: Through this novel program beginning in May at FIU Health, FIU will offer specialized, primary, behavioral and gynecologic care for adults with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

The university provides Worlds Ahead medical care free of charge to underserved communities around South Florida through a number of programs. GFF NeighborhoodHELP™: The College of Medicine’s signature program pairs medical students with local households in need of health services. Mobile Health Center: An extension of GFF NeighborhoodHELP™, the mobile clinic brings primary care and preventive services to households enrolled in the program. 3-D Mobile Mammography: Coming in May, South Florida’s only mobile digital tomosynthesis unit will provide the latest in mammography imaging for members enrolled in NHELP. This 3-D technology will also be made available to patients at FIU Health. FIU Pediatric Clinic: FIU pediatricians provide care to homeless and needy children at the Miami Rescue Mission and as part of a learning experience for our students.

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine | Sunday, April 27, 2014

Sunday, April 27, 2014 | Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Transforming

Community Outreach

FIU Health Education

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine | Sunday, April 27, 2014

Building relationships

“We are building a network of partners that will give our students exposure to a variety of patients. Our goal is to educate well-rounded, culturally aware doctors and at the same time interact with the local community in ways that have a significant impact.” —Dr. J. Patrick O’Leary, founding executive associate dean of clinical affairs, Miami Herald, 2009

n just his third year of medical school, Peter Belin has already interacted with patients in more than 10 hospitals and clinics. This diversity of experience has

afforded Belin the opportunity to learn from people from all walks of life, something the future healer truly appreciates. “We have a huge variety of community partners that we work with, it’s not just one hospital,” says Belin. “That has really enriched our education.” That access extends to the physicians who practice at these health care facilities as well. A large and exceptional community-based faculty, more than several hundred physicians strong, volunteer their time to teach and mentor Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine students. These volunteers play a key role in the health care and academic coalition necessary to train the next generation of physicians who will ultimately practice in our community. In addition to the clinical affiliates listed below, the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine maintains a continuing dialogue with other institutions that will be coming on board in the future.

Health System / Hospitals Baptist Health South Florida Broward Health Cleveland Clinic Florida Coral Gables Hospital Good Samaritan Hialeah Hospital Jackson Health System Leon Medical Centers Memorial Healthcare System Mercy Hospital MetCare

Douglas Portillo, M.D., shown here with third-year medical student Peter Belin at West Kendall Baptist Hospital, is one of hundreds of local physicians who volunteer their time to mentor Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine students.

Miami Children’s Hospital Miami VA Healthcare System Mount Sinai Medical Center

North Shore Medical Center Palmetto General Hospital Riviera Health Resort South Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center

Citrus Health Network Community Health of South Florida Helen B. Bentley Family Health Center House of Hope

Vitas Healthcare Corporation of Florida

Jesse Trice Community Health Center

Westchester General Hospital

Miami Beach Community Health Center

West Kendall Baptist Hospital

Miami Rescue Mission Clinic

North Dade Health Center

Federally Qualified Health Center / Not for Profit Clinics

UHI Communitycare Clinic

Camillus Health Concern

Non-Profit Corporation, Medical Practice Health Information Project, Inc. (HIP)

Care Resource

Pediatric Associates

Borinquen Health Care Center

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine | Sunday, April 27, 2014

FIU Health

Delivering

medical care

hen Aleida Name began looking for a primary

things as easy as possible for patients to get quality,

care physician, she had some prerequisites.

comprehensive health care.”

A doctor she could trust, excellent services, minimal

FIU Health’s main location opened in 2011 at FIU’s

hassles, and most of all, a feeling that the doctor and

Modesto A. Maidique Campus in west Dade. Today FIU

staff cared about her. The West Kendall resident turned

Health serves patients at three locations, including one

to FIU Health, the clinical enterprise of the Herbert

in Broward County.

Wertheim College of Medicine, to fulfill her wish list. “The physicians there are the best you can find,”

FIU Health has access to some of South Florida’s top specialists and providers at leading hospital affiliates

says Name, who is now being cared for by an FIU Health

including Baptist Health South Florida, Broward Health,

primary care physician as well as a specialist. “So are

Cleveland Clinic of Florida, Jackson Health System,

pediatric ambulatory surgical center in partnership with

the nurse assistants. They make it easy in every way.

Memorial Healthcare System, Mercy Hospital, Miami

Miami Children’s Hospital. The ambulatory surgical

“Recently, I had some questions. I told the nurse I

Children’s Hospital and Mount Sinai Medical Center.

center, which will serve as a working classroom to train

wanted to speak with Dr. Carrodeguas directly,” she

Many of the nationally renowned physicians are faculty

medical students, will be staffed by Miami Children’s

continues. “He called me right away.”

with FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

providers, in addition to faculty physicians from the

Excellent medical care and ease of service is the primary mission of FIU Health.

The addition of the FIU Health Ambulatory Care Center at Modesto A. Maidique Campus will further

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Same-day and evening appointments are available

“The philosophy behind FIU Health is to take a more

our ability to treat the community when it opens in

and most medical insurance plans are accepted. Easy

personal approach to patient care and to have as many

2015. Currently under construction, this two-story,

access parking is also available at all locations.

specialties as possible under one roof,” says family

36,000-square-foot facility will allow us to expand the

practitioner Dr. Lester Carrodeguas. “It’s about making

services currently offered, as well as house a dedicated

For more information, call 305-FIU-DOCS (305-348-3627).

Sunday, April 27, 2014 | Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Serving the community FIU Health Patients 13 years and older can be treated by physicians from the following specialties:

FIU Health Sunset

305-FIU-DOCS (305-348-3627)

• Internal Medicine

Services offered at this location include routine physicals and well-care visits, radiology, diagnostic testing (EKGs, X-rays and ultrasound) and laboratory services.

• Dermatology

Patients 13 years and older can be treated by physicians specializing in Cardiology Care.

FIU Health Modesto A. Maidique Campus 885 S.W. 109 Avenue, PG-5, Suite 131

• Family Medicine

305-412-8315

• Endocrinology • Gastroenterology

FIU Health Broward

• Gynecologic Oncology

Broward Medical Center 1600 South Andrews Ave., West Wing, Suite 1090

• Gynecology • Infectious Diseases • Pain Management • Psychiatry • Rheumatology • Travel Medicine

Green Family Foundation NeighborhoodHELP™ and Mobile Health Center Sends interdisciplinary teams of FIU students into South Florida’s most vulnerable communities to track and monitor the health of families, offer health education and provide a distinctly personal touch. http://go.fiu.edu/1439

Center for Children and Families Summer Treatment Program FIU’s Center for Children and Families offers the award-winning Summer Treatment Program for children with ADHD and other behavioral, emotional, and learning problems. http://go.fiu.edu/1438 305-348-0477

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Hospitalist Program at JMH Provides care to hospitalized patients at Jackson Memorial in Miami. In addition, fourth-year medical students do rotations at the hospital. http://go.fiu.edu/143a

9200 Sunset Drive, Bldg. 4

954-523-2727 Patients 13 years and older can be treated by physicians specializing in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health.

FIU/Miami Rescue Mission Pediatric Practice An FIU pediatrician provides care to homeless and needy children at the Miami Rescue Mission clinic. http://www.caringplaceclinic.org/ 305-572-2026

FIU Embrace On May 17, FIU Health will launch a comprehensive and integrated clinical and training program dedicated to providing care to adults with autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders. http://go.fiu.edu/145c 305-FIU-DOCS

FIU Health Ambulatory Care Center Opening in 2015, this facility at Modesto A. Maidique Campus will house a dedicated pediatric ambulatory surgical center in partnership with Miami Children’s Hospital. http://go.fiu.edu/143d 305-FIU-DOCS

FIU Mammography Van The first of its kind in South Florida, this mobile clinic provides 3D mammography. 305-FIU-DOCS

Do you have a child ages 5-12 with ADHD? Stimulant medications (Concerta®, Focalin®, Adderall®, Vyvanse®, etc.) are the most commonly prescribed treatment for children with ADHD with many children taking them daily. However, these medications can stop working as well over time, called “tolerance”. This research study aims to: 1.

see if tolerance happens over a short period of time during the summer, and

see if taking short (weekend) breaks from medication helps to keep the medication working over time.

To be eligible for this study, children must be enrolled in the Summer Treatment Program (STP) at the Center for Children and Families. The STP is an award-winning comprehensive treatment program for children’s behavioral, emotional, and learning problems. All children will have a controlled test of medication during the summer. The study will not cover costs related to the STP. Medication will be provided free of charge. Children will also be followed for the next school year by clinical staff at the Center for Children and Families. Medication adjustments and behavioral consultation will be provided to participating families free of charge during the school year.

To learn more or apply, call the Center for Children and Families at 305-348-0477.

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine | Sunday, April 27, 2014

Medical school program leaves family

healthy, grateful and looking to give back A lma Diaz had lost her job as a secretary and

of the Wertheim College of Medicine and senior vice

already was suffering from depression when

president for medical affairs. “Our approach is to

the direction of a grant program for small businesses. “We are going to see if we can get a little money

her mother passed away. Her health continued to

involve our students in every aspect of a family’s life

for additional equipment that will help us grow our

deteriorate and she grew more concerned about her

that impacts health. Our students gain an intimate

business,” Diaz said.

son’s asthma and hearing loss. But the family had

appreciation for the challenges and the families derive

no health insurance and was barely paying the

some concrete benefits.”

Diaz is so thankful for all the assistance she has received that she has started volunteering for a

bills on income from

community organization

their small commercial

that refers households to

cleaning business.

NeighborhoodHELP™.

That was two years

To date, 787 FIU students

ago. Today, Diaz is feeling

have completed 2,429

great, her son is thriving in

visits to households,

school and High Cleaning

which have benefited 991

Expectations has eight

individuals. The success of

part-time employees.

NeighborhoodHELP™ will soon

A key factor in the

be replicated on a larger scale

turnaround has been

with the addition of a second

the Green Family

Mobile Heath Center and a

Foundation Neighborhood

state-of-the-art mammography

Health Education

van capable of three-

Learning Program

dimensional imaging.

(NeighborhoodHELP™)

“We have found that early

pioneered by the FIU

breast cancer detection is a real

Herbert Wertheim

problem in this community,”

College of Medicine. The

said Dr. Pedro Greer, professor

program targets medically

and chair of the Department

underserved families in

of Humanities, Health, and

North Miami-Dade County

Society, who oversees

with education, support and services that help keep

The NeighborhoodHELP™ team has addressed

them out of the emergency room and on the road to

Diaz’s health issues. Her son received medication

is going to have a positive impact on the dramatic rate

good health.

for his asthma and now that his hearing loss has

of advance stage breast cancer we are seeing in our

improved, Kristopher, 8, is doing well in school.

households.”

The Diaz family is typical of the difference that NeighborhoodHELP™ is making in the households

Even her husband, Joel, who had been very healthy,

that it has worked with since it launched in the fall of

received a checkup.

2010. A study published this month by the Southern

“Joel is in his early 50s so they sent him for a

NeighborhoodHELP™. “The new mammography van

The additional screening tools will be put to work on a larger number of households, through a grant by the Florida Department of Health, that will allow

Medical Journal describes the benefits associated with

colonoscopy and checked his cholesterol,” Diaz said.

professional outreach teams – not students – to visit

increased use of preventive health measures such

“Now he’s on a diet.”

additional homes.

as blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, Pap

But the assistance was not limited to the health care.

smears, mammograms and colonoscopies.

“Every single problem I have shared with the FIU

“Families who do not have health insurance routinely skip simple screening tests that have been shown

team, they did something about,” said Diaz. NeighborhoodHELP™ involves College of Law,

“We have proven that the visits and the personal attention have an impact on the health outcomes of some of our most vulnerable neighbors,” said Rock. “Now it’s time to start expanding and make

to result in better health and reduced visits to the

business, social work and nursing students, as well. The

a difference in the lives of many more members of

emergency room,” said Dr. John Rock, founding dean

team helped Diaz draft a living will and pointed her in

our community.”

Baptist Health and FIU, Together. Celebrating a Healthy Partnership. Congratulations to Florida International Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine on its anniversary and recent milestones, including the graduation of the second class of medical students. Together, FIU and Baptist Health have worked to improve healthcare in South Florida, and recently earned 10-year accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education for the West Kendall Baptist Hospital and FIU Family Medicine Residency program. Strengthened by our world-class teaching physicians and trailblazing technology, we will continue to meet the growing healthcare needs of our community.

Visit BaptistHealth.net A not-for-profit organization committed to our faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence

Congratulations! FIU College of Medicine on your continued commitment to improving the quality of healthcare available in South Florida.

305.438.5330 · t tY 711

8 am to 8 pm · 7 days a week

Plans are insured through UnitedHealthcare® Insurance Company or one of its affiliated companies, a Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in the plan depends on the plan’s contract renewal with Medicare. Y0066_140402_111857 Accepted