Cardiologist Sandra Chaparro, M.D., has been named director of Advanced Heart Failure at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute.

Dr. Chaparro earned her medical degree at Universidad El Bosque School of Medicine, Bogota, Colombia, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Stanford University School of Medicine. She also completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in the Division of Cardiology at the University of Missouri, as well as a fellowship in the Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH. She has an extensive background in academia, research and clinical practice.
 
Most recently, Dr. Chaparro was associate professor in the Section of Heart Failure and Transplantation at the University of Miami Hospital and Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she was also director of the Heart Failure and Transplant Fellowship Program, the Heart Failure Clinic and the Mechanical Circulatory Support Program.
 
Dr. Chaparro’s broad research experience includes serving as principle investigator and participating in numerous clinical studies on medications, devices and therapies for heart failure and coronary artery disease. She has given many invited presentations at cardiology symposiums and is on the editorial panels of several medical journals. She also has had numerous articles in peer-reviewed medical journals and is a member of national scientific committees of the American Heart Association, the Heart Failure Society of America, and the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation. Furthermore, she is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. Helping to educate the next generation of physicians, Dr. Chaparro has taken an active role in teaching, advising and mentoring fellows and residents.


The Food & Drug Administration granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Baptist Hospital of Miami Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory at Miami Cancer Institute, to perform a new COVID-19 swab tests in-house. The test was developed at Miami Cancer Institute, which is part of Baptist Health.

Identification of COVID-19 patients is critical in order to either self-isolate at home or admit the patient to a specific area of the hospital. This in-house testing allows Miami Cancer Institute to perform a number of tests twice a day and receive results within 24 hours. The lab is able to perform 40 – 80 tests per day with capacity for more in the near future.
 
“Having this test allows us to expand our in-house testing capability, allowing us to make treatment decisions more quickly and quarantine patients appropriately,” said Edwin Gould, M.D., chief of pathology, Miami Cancer Institute. “We were fortunate to have all the highly sophisticated equipment and expertise needed already in-house– making the switch possible in a short timeframe.”
 
As an added layer of safety, the testing process begins in a leased GermFree trailer, which resides behind the Miami Cancer Institute facility and contains ventilated air space and laminar flow hoods. The remainder of testing is performed in the building’s laboratory. The GermFree trailer, which was used as a pharmacy during Miami Cancer Institute’s construction, includes equipment like microbiology hoods that allow for molecular testing of COVID-19.
 


VITAS® Healthcare is the first approved hospice provider to connect to FirstNet- the nationwide broadband network dedicated to public safety. The company’s access to FirstNet enables VITAS employees to use the highly secure and reliable communications tool for patient care and assistance in any circumstance while in the field.

FirstNet is designed to improve communications across public safety entities nationwide, allowing first responders to communicate with one another easily and quickly during everyday situations, big events or emergencies. This capability is integral to solving communications roadblocks that previously have been imposed on public safety agencies and first responders.
 
VITAS was selected to join FirstNet and utilize services because of the support the company provides to hospitals for both patient care and emergency preparedness. VITAS serves as an extended primary user– an organization or agency that could be called on during an emergency response to help support public safety. Eligibility for extended primary user status is rigorously reviewed before service is approved to help ensure that FirstNet’s unique capabilities remain dedicated to first responders and those who support them.
 
“We are honored to join FirstNet and be given the opportunity to serve our patients quickly, efficiently and securely,” said Nick Westfall, President and CEO of VITAS. “We applaud AT&T for the development of this innovative program and dedication to public safety.”
 


Baptist Health South Florida is pleased to announce the appointment of Gary J. Becker, M.D., to the Board of Directors of Baptist Health Medical Group.

A retired interventional radiologist, Dr. Becker is a renowned educator, researcher, author and pioneer in the development of new vascular devices. He is an internationally recognized leader, serving as the Executive Director of the American Board of Radiology for nearly seven years. Dr. Becker served as Board Chair and President of one of the largest medical organizations in the world, the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), receiving its Gold Medal in 2014 after serving eight years on its Board of Directors, with a focus on its scientific portfolio.
 
Dr. Becker has held several key leadership positions at Baptist Health during his career, including Director of Interventional Radiology, Assistant Medical Director, and Medical Director of Clinical Research at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute. Other notable career highlights include working as branch chief of Image Guided Intervention in the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis at the National Cancer Institute as well as professor of the Interventional Section at the University of Arizona.
 
Dr. Becker earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from Indiana University, where he also completed his residency in Diagnostic Radiology and served on the faculty as Professor and Chief of the Vascular Section. 


Lee Health is pleased to announce the newly elected officers of its Board of Directors for 2020.

David F. Collins has been elected as Board Chairman for 2020. A resident of Lee county since 1984, he has been a mortgage banker for more than 29 years and has served as a board member for PACE Center for Girls of Lee County, and as treasurer for the PACE Capital Campaign. In 2018 he served on the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame Committee and serves on the De LaSalle Academy Finance Committee. Graduate of Leadership Lee County Class of 2012.
 
Therese Everly has been elected as Vice Chairman. She is a Registered Respiratory Therapist and licensed Florida Realtor who also serves on the boards of the Lee County Homeless Coalition and Alzheimer’s Association Florida Gulfcoast Chapter. Everly has served as a member of the City of Cape Coral Financial Advisory Board, Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships Board and is a former adjunct professor at Florida Southwestern State College. She has over 30 years of health care and management experience accompanied by a degree in health care administration.
 
Donna Clarke has been elected as Treasurer. She is a former Florida State Representative and has served as an adjunct professor with State College of Florida. Clarke earned a master’s degree in Industrial Management from Georgia Institute of Technology, and has previously owned and operated an environmental consulting firm. She currently is co-president of the Fort Myers Kiwanis Club and has served as vice-chair of the STARS Advisory Board. She has also volunteered as a math tutor at the Pace Center for Girls of Lee County.
 
Diane Champion has been elected as Secretary. Nine-year Board liaison to the Lee Health Volunteers. She was a business owner/manager for 40 years, resident of Lehigh Acres for 41 years. She has served as the Committee Chair for Children’s Activities of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event and is an elected member of the Community Council of Lehigh Acres as well as a volunteer at Southwest Florida International Airport.