Aventura Hospital and Medical Center’s Chief Executive Officer Heather J. Rohan announced the nomination of Phil Fusca, MSW, as Co-Regional Coordinator for the Miami-Dade and Broward County region of the Florida Society of Oncology Social Workers (FSOSW).

Fusca has been the Cancer Care Coordinator for the Aventura Comprehensive Cancer Center since 2001. Prior to joining Aventura Hospital, he worked as a Clinical Social Work Therapist at University Hospital and Medical Center in Tamarac and as a Social Worker III at Florida Medical Center in Ft. Lauderdale. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida State University and a Master of Social Work from Florida International University.



Manny Linares, chief executive officer at North Shore Medical Center, recently announced the appointment of Arnold Pino Jr. as director of radiology.

Pino comes to North Shore Medical Center from Cedars Medical Center where he served as chief technologist.

Pino received his radiation therapy degree from the Hudson Area School of Radiological Technology, an affiliate of Farleigh Dickinson University, in Bayonne, NJ. He earned his CAT certification from Orange County Community College in Middletown, NY.



Nova Southeastern University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-COM) earned two prestigious honors at the 8th Annual NSU Student Life Achievement (Stuey) Awards. Dana Block, a fourth-year student from Hollywood, Florida, was named NSU Student of the Year, and Ross Zafonte, D.O., of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a class of 1985 graduate, was named NSU Alumnus of the Year. The Stuey Awards serve as a celebration of NSU’s best in leadership, scholarship, service, integrity, commitment, involvement, and responsibility.

Block was honored for her outstanding commitment, which she exhibited as soon as she began her medical school experience. In addition to serving as class president during her first year at NSU-COM, she also served as president of the college’s Student Government Association. As a result, she has gained a reputation for being both a popular and prolific student who is always seeking ways to assist the community and provide enhanced educational opportunities for her fellow matriculants.

Although it’s been over two decades since Dr. Zafonte graduated from the inaugural NSU-COM class of 1985, he has never lost touch with the institution that provided him with his entrée into the osteopathic profession. Dr. Zafonte became the first alumnus to participate in NSU-COM’s newly formed academical societies by making a sizable contribution to the worthy cause. “I was happy to give back to the college in this way because it’s a mechanism that allows us to help younger people grow in specific areas of interest and in areas where they need to become more accomplished or develop further thought processes,” he stated. “The future is fraught with all sorts of change, and those students who learn to think dynamically and innovatively are more likely than not to be the ones who succeed.”



Palms West Hospital welcomes Stacey Yuskas Demerski, as the new Administrative Director of Quality.

Stacey was most recently the Director of Quality Management at Boca Community Hospital and is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Nursing at Florida Atlantic University. She obtained her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at The University of Miami and received her diploma of Nursing from Saint Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing in Waterbury, CT.



Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center (PBGMC) recently announced that Sylvain Trepanier, RN, BSN, MSN, has been named Chief Nursing Officer.

Trepanier brings over 18 years experience in nursing. He returns to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, where he once served as Director of Emergency Services, after six years. During that time, Trepanier held several leadership positions, including chief nursing officer and director of nursing administration at North Shore Medical Center in Miami and director of emergency services and the cardiac catheterization lab at St. Lucie Medical Center in Port St. Lucie.