Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. announced that it recently closed its milestone acquisition of GR Companies, Inc.

With completion of the acquisition of Grassroots, Curaleaf is the world’s largest cannabis company by revenue and the most diversified vertically integrated cannabis company in the United States, the world’s largest cannabis market. The transaction expands Curaleaf’s presence from 18 to 23 states, with the combined company having affiliated operations spanning over 135 dispensary licenses, 88 operational dispensary locations, over 30 processing facilities and 22 cultivation sites with 1.6 million square feet of current cultivation capacity. Curaleaf’s expanded geographic dispensary presence now offers access to medical or adult use Cannabis to more than 192 million people, or roughly two-thirds of the United States population.
 
Completion of the transaction strategically accelerates Curaleaf’s expansion into Illinois and Pennsylvania, which are among the largest and fastest-growing cannabis markets in the United States. Upon close, Curaleaf will hold a leading licensed cannabis presence in state markets including Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, and Vermont.
 
The cultivation and processing assets in Illinois have been transferred and the formal approval to transfer certain retail assets is expected imminently. Maryland operations previously affiliated with Grassroots may be transferred to Curaleaf after expiration of the statutory hold period, subject to regulatory approval and compliance with restrictions on ownership or control of multiple cultivation, processor and dispensary licenses in the State.
 
Upon closing of the transaction, Curaleaf has appointed Mitchell Kahn, co-founder and CEO of Grassroots, to the company’s Board of Directors effective immediately. The appointment of Kahn expands the Curaleaf Board of Directors from five to six members.
 
Kahn co-founded Grassroots Cannabis in 2014 and brings more than 20 years of senior executive experience. He currently serves as Principal and CEO of Frontline Real Estate Partners, for which he is also a Founder, and previously served as President and CEO of Hilco Real Estate. Mr. Kahn is a CPA, as well as an attorney who has formerly practiced real estate law. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, School of Business and Northwestern University, School of Law.


The Florida State University College of Medicine (FSUCOM) Family Medical Residency Program at Lee Health welcomes eight new resident physicians, who started their training on June 22, 2020. The new residents include Dr. Francesca Blazekovic, Dr. Jenna De Francesco, Dr. Thomas Flynn, Dr. Shane Geffe, Dr. Joseph Guernsey, Dr. Gerard Mulles, Dr. Dakin White, and Dr. Luke Wren.
 
The FSU COM Global Health Fellowship Program also welcomes two new fellows:
– Dr. Bradley Green, Global Health Fellow – completed residency in Cleveland, OH
– Dr. Alice Shallcross, Global Health Fellow – completed residency in Milwaukee, WI
 
“We received more than 1,500 applications from U.S. medical students and physicians from all around the world,” says Alfred Gitu, M.D., Program Director of the residency program at Lee Health. “Our program continues to grow and expand with residents who are passionate, compassionate and academically strong. The new class of residents scored in the top 20% in the nation on the United States Medical Licensing Examination, and they are dedicated to caring for the underserved.”
 
 


Cleveland Clinic Florida has opened the Florida Research and Innovation Center in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Established in November 2019, the new center will advance innovative translational research, focused on immuno-oncology and infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

The Florida Research and Innovation Center will be closely integrated with Cleveland Clinic’s new Center for Global and Emerging Pathogens Research established in April 2020, which has brought together some of the world’s top research experts in virology, immunology, genomics, and population health to broaden understanding of emerging pathogens – ranging from the Zika virus to SARS-CoV-2 (which causes COVID-19) – and to expedite critically needed treatments and vaccines. The researchers will also collaborate with drug developers at Lerner Research Institute’s Center for Therapeutics Discovery to more rapidly move discoveries out of the laboratory and into the clinic for patient care.
 
The 107,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art research facility features modern laboratory space, biosafety level 3 facilities for work with infectious agents, and office space for support services on eight acres of land. Cleveland Clinic has recruited a team of renowned scientists to the Florida Research and Innovation Center to launch scientific programs that address both local and international health challenges, including cancer and emerging pathogens. The facility will additionally provide an exceptional training environment for researchers. Philanthropic funding of this research program will support the new center’s efforts to explore new treatments and technology.
 
The Florida Research and Innovation Center will complement and expand research underway at the Florida health system’s five hospitals and the Lerner Research Institute, which is home to 190 laboratories on Cleveland Clinic’s main campus in Cleveland, Ohio. The scientific teams will closely collaborate, tapping into resources at both facilities to develop new treatments for patients around the globe.
 
The Florida Research and Innovation Center is headed by Scientific Director Michaela Gack, Ph.D., who joined Cleveland Clinic Florida in July 2020. Previously, she was a professor in the Department of Microbiology and chair of the Committee on Microbiology at The University of Chicago in Chicago, Ill. Gack, a renowned virologist, has an extensive background in microbiology and infectious disease. Her research focuses on the immune system’s response to viruses, an essential step in developing safe and effective antivirals and vaccines. She has also done extensive research on immune evasion by Dengue, Influenza and Zika viruses.


Dr. Joseph A. Giaimo, DO, FACOI, FCCP, on staff at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, is the new President-Elect of the American Osteopathic Association for the 2020-2021 calendar year.

The organization represents the professional interests of the nation’s more than 145,000 DO’s and osteopathic medical students. In this role, Dr. Giaimo’s responsibilities will include overseeing policymaking processes, secure leadership appointments, and work to implement goals of the AOA’s strategic plan.
 
Dr. Giaimo is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, and sleep medicine. He received his medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and then did his internship at Metropolitan Hospital of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. Dr. Giaimo completed his residency in internal medicine, and his fellowship in pulmonary medicine, at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. 


Good Samaritan Medical Center promotes Sheri Montgomery to the role of chief executive officer (CEO).

Montgomery has over 20 years of healthcare leadership experience with an extensive background in hospital operational, financial and strategic excellence. For the last three years, she served as the group chief financial officer for Delray Medical Center, and the other hospitals making up the Palm Beach Health Network.
 
Over her many years with Tenet Healthcare, Montgomery has proven herself through a variety of leadership roles, including chief financial officer of Delray Medical Center and Coral Gables Hospital. Montgomery also contributed to important strategic initiatives, including the Delray Medical Center campus expansion, which included a four-story patient tower, and expansion of orthopedics and cardiovascular care, as well as other key service lines.
 
Montgomery is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University where she earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree before completing her Master of Business Administration in Finance at Nova Southeastern University.