Broward Health Expands Women’s and Pediatric Services Across Broward County

Broward Health is set to expand services for South Florida’s women and children this year with two capital improvement projects nearing completion at Broward Health Coral Springs and Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital.

At Broward Health Coral Springs, renovations will be completed in August 2018 on a $64 million expansion project that will offer four floors of healthcare services to provide greater access to quality, patient-centered care for western Broward County’s growing population. The 110,000-square-foot expansion includes labor and delivery, as well as C-section rooms for expectant mothers on the tower’s first floor, 28 private mother/baby post-partum rooms and a new 10-bed NICU on the second floor, 28 private medical/surgical beds on the third floor and shell space for future clinical services on the fourth floor. The tower will increase Broward Health Coral Springs’ bed capacity from 200 to 250.

The Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital at Broward Health Medical Center is nearing the final stages of a $52 million expansion project, with plans to separate the current 70-bed NICU into two separate floors. The Level II NICU, which will feature 36 private rooms, is expected to be completed in October 2018. Once the Level II NICU is completed, the Level III NICU will be renovated and feature 34 beds in an open ward, with an expected completion date of approximately June 2019. The expansion is partially funded by a $317 million tax-exempt bond offering that the North Broward Hospital District successfully sold in November.

John and Mary Lou Dasburg Announce $1.5 Million Gift to FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

John and Mary Lou Dasburg announced a $1.5 million gift to create an endowed chair in FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM). In recognition of this gift, the university will name the chair as the John and Mary Lou Dasburg Chair in Medicine.

The gift was announced at the college’s biennial fundraising Sapphire Gala. Net proceeds from the event benefit FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine providing medical student scholarships and much needed support for 21st century medical education and training.

“Our Sapphire Gala celebrates the successes and aspirations of our Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, which is focused on educating culturally-sensitive doctors,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “The Dasburg’s generosity will allow us to leverage the expertise of top doctors in their field and help us educate the next generation of medical professionals.”

John A. Rock, the founding dean and senior vice president for Health Affairs, who recently announced his intention to step down from the deanship, will become the first recipient of the John and Mary Lou Dasburg Chair in Medicine.

“Dr. Rock exemplifies the qualities of a great and caring physician,” said John Dasburg, whose daughter, Kathryn, recently graduated from HWCOM. “Our family is proud that the Provost selected Dean Rock to be the first person to hold this chair and look forward to supporting the important work that the college does in educating future doctors and serving the community.”

After the passing of their oldest daughter in a school bus accident in 1988, the Dasburgs committed to supporting education in her name through the Meredyth Anne Dasburg Foundation. Through the foundation and personally, the Dasburgs support the Miami Book Fair's children literacy programs, the Health Information Project, Seraphic Fire, and the New World Symphony. They also have a son, John Peter, a Miami attorney.

The Dasburgs are generous donors and members of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Dean’s Circle. They have supported the Sapphire Gala for several years and this year co-chaired the event. John Dasburg is chairman and CEO of ASTAR Air Cargo. He has held executive positions with Burger King, Northwest Airlines, Marriott Corp., and KPMG.

Dr. Alfred Gitu Named Family Medicine Residency Program Director

Alfred Gitu, M.D., has been named the next program director of The Florida State University College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program at Lee Health. Dr. Gitu has been a faculty member since the program launched in 2012 and has served as associate program director for the past year.

Dr. Gitu is board certified in family medicine. He earned his medical degree from the University of Nairobi in Nairobi, Kenya, and completed a family medicine residency at the Self Regional Healthcare Family Medicine Residency Program in Greenwood, SC.

Tenet Florida Physician Services Welcomes GI Doctor

Afonso Ribeiro, M.D., a gastroenterologist, has opened a Hialeah based practice with Tenet Florida Physician Services.

Prior to joining TFPS, Dr. Ribeiro was Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine in Miami. Dr. Ribeiro was also an Associate Consultant and Instructor of Medicine/Advance Training in Endoscopic Ultrasound in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, MN.

For his education and training, Dr. Ribeiro completed medical school and internal medicine residency at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and an additional internal medicine residency at the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami. Dr. Ribeiro finished a hepatology fellowship at the University Miami School of Medicine, a gastroenterology fellowship at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine and a therapeutic endoscopy fellowship at the University of Toronto, in Toronto, Canada.

Dr. Christine Koehn Joins Palm Healthcare Foundation Board of Trustees

Palm Healthcare Foundation Inc. recently welcomed Dr. Christine Koehn to its Board of Trustees.

Dr. Koehn currently serves as the Executive Director for the Celia Lipton Farris and Victor W. Farris Foundation, where she oversees regional and national grant-making in the areas of education, health, and arts and culture. She has extensive experience in her field with nearly 20 years in primarily leadership roles, including the oversight of programmatic investment at the United Way of Palm Beach County and the Quantum Foundation, as well as research and program evaluation for the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County.

In addition to her role on Palm Healthcare Foundation’s board, Dr. Koehn’s work focuses on issues related to health care access for the underserved, including oral and behavioral health; community health and well-being, including basic and emergency needs support; academic achievement; out-of-school programming; child abuse and neglect prevention and intervention; and arts and culture.

JFK Medical Center Appoints New Chief Medical Officer

JFK Medical Center has named Hamid R. Feiz, M.D., MBA, FHM, as its chief medical officer (CMO).

Dr. Feiz received his undergraduate degree from the University of California Northridge, and his medical degree from Universidad Iberoamericana School of Medicine, Dominican Republic. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL, and the University of Florida-Shands Medical Center in Gainesville, FL. He received his MBA in Healthcare Administration at Florida International University in Miami, Florida.

Prior to accepting this position, Dr. Feiz was the Founding Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program at Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, Chief, Division of Hospital Medicine (Site Medical Director) for Emcare IPS at Aventura Hospital and Medical Center and Westside Regional Hospital.

Previous appointments include Chief Quality Officer and Associate Chief Medical Officer, Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach, Florida; Chief Section of Hospitalist Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Westin, Florida; and Medical Director, Spring Hill Medical Group Primary Care and Urgent Care Center in Gainesville, Florida.

Holy Cross Medical Group Adds Four Physicians

Holy Cross Medical Group has added four new physicians.

Lillian M. DeCosimo, M.D., FACOG, joined the OB/GYN team. She was previously in private practice in Fairfax, VA. Dr. DeCosimo completed her OB/GYN residency training at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, and Providence Hospital, also in Washington, DC, where she completed her internship. She graduated cum laude with her medical degree from Universidad Mundial Dominicana in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where she also graduated with an undergraduate degree in premedical sciences.

Jessica Arias Garau, M.D., FAAPMR, joins Holy Cross from Advanced Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute in Freehold, NJ, where she worked as a private practice physician for several years. Dr. Arias obtained her pain medicine fellowship at Temple University. Dr. Arias completed her internship and residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. She graduated cum-laude with her medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico and received her bachelor’s degree in biology and business at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY.

Semaan (Sam) Georges Kosseifi, M.D., DABSM, was previously on staff at Respiratory, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Associates, medical director of Baptist Sleep Center and on staff at Baptist MD Anderson Lung Cancer Clinic in Jacksonville. Dr. Kosseifi was a fellow in the pulmonary and critical care division at East Tennessee State University, where he also was an assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine. He completed his residency in internal medicine at East Tennessee State University. He was chief resident at Johnson City Medical Center in Tennessee.

Erica Wigdor, D.O. joins Holy Cross Medical Group from Broward Health Medical Center where she completed her residency in internal medicine. She practiced at Broward Health’s Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinic. Dr. Wigdor received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Nova Southeastern University and a bachelor’s degree in exercise sciences from Florida State University.

Dr. Ida Mazza Joins Tenet Florida Cardiovascular Care in West Palm Beach

Tenet Florida Cardiovascular Care (TFCC) welcomes cardiologist Ida Mazza, M.D., to the TFCC multispecialty physician group.

Dr. Mazza completed a fellowship in non-invasive cardiovascular medicine and an internal medicine residency from the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA. Prior to that, her education and training included an internship as a general practitioner focused on obstetrics, pediatrics, internal medicine, surgery and emergency medicine at the Venezuela Institute of Social Security Hospital in Caracas, Venezuela. Dr. Mazza graduated medical school from Universidad Central De Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela.

Prior to joining TFCC, she worked at Grand View-Lehigh Valley Health Services, Buxmont Cardiology Division, and Grand View Hospital in Sellersville, PA. Dr. Mazza also provided cardiology care at the PA Heart & Vascular Group in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Mazza has been practicing medicine since 1992.

American Heart Association Announces 2018-2019 Go Red For Women South Florida Chair

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association is pleased to announce Judy Schaechter, M.D., M.B.A., as the chair of the Greater Miami 2018-2019 Go Red For Women campaign. Dr. Schaechter is the Chair of the Department of Pediatrics for the University of Miami Health System, a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and the George E. Batchelor Endowed Chair in Child Health. She also serves as Chief of Service for Holtz Children’s Hospital for the Jackson Health System.

Dr. Schaechter leads a noted faculty and staff comprised of physicians, scientists, and pediatric specialists across all disciplines, ensuring that children in South Florida and beyond have the opportunity to live full and healthy lives.

Indian River Medical Center Welcomes Urologist R. Carrington Mason, D.O., F.A.C.S.

Dr. R. Carrington Mason recently joined Indian River Medical Center as a board-certified urologist.

Dr. Mason earned his osteopathic degree at Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth, TX. After completing his osteopathic internship at Dallas-Ft. Worth Medical Center in Grand Prairie, TX, he completed his general surgery residency at Methodist Medical Center in Dallas, TX, and his urological surgery residency at Louisiana State University/Ochsner Foundation Hospital and Clinic in New Orleans, LA.

Before joining the staff at Indian River Medical Center, Dr. Mason served as the Medical Director at Texas Urology Associates.

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