The Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Foundation has made a $2.5 million gift to Keeping the Promise … The Campaign for Boca Raton Regional Hospital. The Foundation’s gift has helped the campaign raise nearly $170 million toward its $250 million goal.
 
“The Foundation is represented by wonderful long-time friends of Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Jayne Malfitano, Laura Sylvester, and the extended Sylvester family,” said Lincoln Mendez, CEO of Boca Raton Regional Hospital, part of Baptist Health. “We continue to be grateful to them and the family’s gift and each expression of support that they make so selflessly.”
 
The Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Foundation gift will be recognized in the new patient tower with the naming of the Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Gift Shop. The shop is located adjacent to the lobby in the Gloria Drummond Patient Tower, part of a campus redevelopment plan underway.


South Florida giants in higher education and healthcare have joined forces to form an alliance that will advance clinical research and clinical trials in the region. Florida Atlantic University and Memorial Healthcare System in Broward County have formed a “Research Partnership to Advance Clinical Trials” (Research PACT), which combines their expertise and resources in clinical research, clinical trials, basic research and translational biomedical research. Its mission: to develop state-of-the-art research tools and discover new knowledge to benefit patients and lead advances in patient care.

The new research affiliation brings together the scientific expertise of FAU researchers and the clinical expertise of Memorial physicians. The coordinated effort also will leverage the two organizations’ state-of-the-art facilities, as well as proficiency in various areas from cancer to cardiology and biomedical engineering to big data analytics and artificial intelligence.
 
FAU and Memorial will work to develop new drugs, medical devices, software applications, and other novel treatments for diseases and disorders that affect both children and adults. The scope of the agreement, limited to research and research-related education, is designed to enable clinicians and researchers from each institution to more effectively collaborate with their peers and access available resources at each partner institution. The goal of the partnership is to facilitate expanded clinical trials research activity involving both FAU and Memorial researchers. The partnership will involve a multi-disciplinary approach, attracting faculty across FAU’s 10 colleges and will include nurses, social workers and other allied health specialists.


Hundreds of life science industry leaders recently convened virtually to participate in BioFlorida’s annual conference, which addressed trending topics for Florida’s life science industry including rare diseases and medical technology with a special focus on COVID-19.

Among this year’s conference award recipients was Herbert Weissbach, Ph.D., professor emeritus in Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (CMBB), Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry within the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science at FAU’s John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter. Weissbach received BioFlorida’s “Lifetime Achievement Award,” reserved to recognize outstanding leadership in the industry throughout an individual’s career and for significant contributions to industry growth.
 
Weissbach joined FAU in 1997 as distinguished research professor, where he founded and served as director of the CMBB for 20 years. The CMBB continues to grow with Weissbach’s vision to produce a talented workforce to build Florida’s biotech industry. In 2017, he was appointed as distinguished research professor emeritus.


Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center recently honored its employees at its quarterly awards ceremony. Chief of Anesthesiology, Dr. Chin Chen, received the Physician of the Quarter award for his outstanding work for 25 years at the hospital. Outpatient Rehab Office Manager, Tatiana Uriarte, was recognized with the Employee of the Quarter award for always having a caring attitude and creating a positive environment for her co-workers. Nick Gray, RN, was named as the DAISY Award winner for his wonderful care he delivers to patients who are being treated at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center.



Lee Health’s HealthPark Medical Center is among the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals again, joining some of the most elite hospitals in the country for top heart care. The honor marks the fourth consecutive year the hospital has earned a top spot on the list.

IBM Watson Health’s 50 top-performing cardiovascular hospitals represent the very best heart care in the United States. HealthPark Medical Center is one of only six hospitals in Florida to earn the designation and the only one south of Daytona Beach.