Florida International University (FIU) College of Nursing & Health Sciences (CNHS) and Florida Memorial University will strike an historic accord targeted at increasing diversity in the nursing workforce.

These two leading South Florida minority-serving institutions will finalize an agreement at the 2008 Minority Health Disparities Summit in Tampa to partner on programs – including a dual-degree Bachelor of Science in Biology & Nursing degree – for honors students at Florida Memorial University. This academic collaboration represents the inaugural project of the Florida Alliance for Health Professions Diversity (FAHPD) – an alliance of 12 institutions, including Florida state and private universities and stakeholder organizations, formed in 2007 to help develop higher education partnerships specifically to foster diversity in the health professions.

“At FIU, we have always prided ourselves in our strong commitment to diversity and the need to infuse every facet of our nursing education curriculum with cultural competence and sensitivity,” said Divina Grossman, PhD, RN, ARNP, FAAN – Dean of FIU CNHS. “This is an exciting time for students and faculty at both universities. Together, we are embarking on a project that will not only impact the ethnic make-up of our health care system, but undoubtedly increase the quality of care provided to the minority populations that are underserved by the current system. Increasing the number of nurses from underrepresented minority groups is a key strategy for addressing health disparities,” she continued.

“This collaboration between FIU and Florida Memorial University is a perfect inaugural project for the FAHPD,” said Dr. Rose Mary Stiffin, Ph.D., Florida Memorial’s Dean of the School of Health & Natural Sciences. “The fact that we are talking about a partnership between a top Hispanic-serving institution and an historically black university illustrates and solidifies the union of Dr. Louis Sullivan and the Sullivan Commission to make diversity in the health care industry a top priority,” said Dean Stiffin.



Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP announced that Rosy Lopez, Senior Marketing Manager, has been unanimously elected to serve on the Board of Directors for United HomeCare Services, Inc. (UHCS).

Drawing on over twenty years of experience in marketing, Rosy will provide UHCS with marketing and fundraising support to increase visibility and awareness of elder and disabled adult health care programs in the South Florida community.



Columbia Hospital has acquired a new digital mammography system that enables its physicians to detect and diagnose with confidence breast cancer in patients. The innovative digital system provides outstanding image quality and clear, highly detailed images of the breast. Columbia Hospital’s new Senographe DS full-field digital mammography system from GE Healthcare is the most modern mammography equipment available to patients today.

Now Columbia Hospital physicians and their patients have a new and powerful tool in the detection and fight against breast cancer,” said Valerie A. Jackson, Chief Executive Officer. “This new, all-digital system is revolutionizing breast care by providing our patients with state-of-the art mammograms that are faster, easier and more comfortable than ever before, while providing our physicians with highly detailed images to use in the diagnosis.”



Hialeah Hospital proudly announces that Dorinda Segovia, the Director of Pharmacy, was awarded the Jean Lamberti Mentorship Award at the 2008 Florida Pharmacy Association (FPA) meeting. The award, sponsored by the FPA, was established to recognize those who take an active role in mentoring pharmacist candidates and is named in honor of long-time FPA member Jean Lamberti, for her work with pharmacy students.



Florida Medical Center announced that it has named Dan M. Westphal, M.D., MBA, FCCP, as Chief Medical Officer of the Fort Lauderdale-based medical and surgical hospital.

Prior to joining Florida Medical Center, Westphal was the Medical Director of Clinical Effectiveness and for the past year served as Chief Medical Officer at the Boca Raton Community Hospital. Dr. Westphal also previously served as the Chief Medical Officer for North Broward Medical Center and formerly was in a private practice specializing in Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Disorders Medicine.