(left to right) President and CEO of Mount Sinai Medical Center Gino Santorio, Dr. Jose Adams, Jonathan Gonzalez, Dr. Ignacio Zabaleta
Doctors and nurses reunite with former preemie patients and their families
MIAMI BEACH, FL , January 16, 2025: Mount Sinai Medical Center will be hosting its Annual Preemie Party, bringing together former premature babies, their parents, and the doctors and nurses who cared for them in the medical center’s Abess Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). This year’s event is themed “Tiaras and Crowns,” and will celebrate the resilience of these tiny patients and their dedicated healthcare professionals from the first months of their lives.
For more than 25 years, the Abess NICU has been a trusted provider of specialized care for infants requiring advanced medical attention. Mount Sinai’s expert neonatologists, including Dr. Jose A. Adams, Chief of the Division of Neonatology, and Dr. Ignacio A. Zabaleta, have a combined 66 years of experience, offering compassionate, state-of-the-art care for newborns. Both doctors will be in attendance to reunite with their former patients.
One of the inspiring stories featured at this year’s Preemie Party is that of Jonathan Gonzalez, who was born prematurely at Mount Sinai in 1993 at just 23 weeks gestational age, and weighing 1 pound, 4 ounces [picture below]. Jonathan faced numerous challenges during his time in the NICU, including blindness, underdeveloped ears, and a need for ventilatory support. He also contracted pneumonia, a kidney infection, anemia, and other complications. However, Jonathan defied the odds during his four months at the medical center under the exceptional care of Dr. Adams and Dr. Zabaleta.
“Thirty-one years ago, survival for a baby born at 23 weeks gestational age was less than 10%,” Dr. Adams adds. “Jonathan had a very slim chance of survival, given his premature birth.”
After recovering in the NICU, Jonathan’s family returned to São Paulo, Brazil, where he grew up. Despite facing early health challenges, Jonathan enjoyed a normal childhood and later made significant strides in the business world. In 2017, he was crowned the champion of Brazil at a Microsoft Excel tournament in Utah. After graduating from college, he transitioned into sports business, securing a role with the NBA in Brazil. Today, Jonathan lives in Miami, where he serves as the Director of Partnerships for Inter Miami CF. He looks forward to expressing his gratitude to Dr. Adams, Dr. Zabaleta, and the NICU staff, as well as offering hope to other families currently in the NICU.
“This year, I had the chance to visit Dr. Adams and Dr. Zabaleta at the hospital, and it was very special,” Jonathan shares. “I was able to visit the babies in the NICU and talk with some of the parents. For me, offering words of hope is my way of giving back and to thank the hospital for taking care of me all those years ago.”
Dr. Adams reflects on the advances in neonatal care that have improved survival rates for premature infants, in recent decades. He highlights key innovations such as ventilatory support, Surfactant therapy (which aids premature babies’ lung development), and oxygen monitors, which continuously measure a baby’s blood oxygen levels. In addition to neonatal care, Mount Sinai also employs cutting-edge technologies that support both mothers and babies during high-risk pregnancies.
“On the maternal side, it became very apparent and very accepted that mothers received critical steroids when they were in threatening preterm labor because it helps the baby’s respiratory health,” he adds. “This is not meant for every single mother, only a select group of mothers who are at threat of preterm labor.”
Awards, Accolades, and Points of Distinction:
- Mount Sinai has been named one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals™ by Healthgrades™ for three years in a row (2023-2025), placing us in the top 2% of hospitals nationwide for clinical excellence. We are also the only hospital in South Florida to be ranked among the top 5% in the nation by Healthgrades™ for five consecutive years (2020-2025).
- Named America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Critical Care, Gastrointestinal Care and Surgery and Pulmonary Care, by Healthgrades™ for four years in a row, (2022-2025).
- Named one of the World’s Best Smart Hospitals in 2025 by Newsweek.
- Named one of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals in 2024 by Newsweek.
- One of only two stroke centers in Miami-Dade County to be designated as a Comprehensive Stroke Center with The Joint Commission; this designation assures patients that the center follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve the outcomes of the most complex stroke cases.
- South Florida’s LARGEST private, nonprofit teaching hospital.
- South Florida’s FIRST Aortic Center, which is now treating nearly 1000 patients.
- The first breast center in South Florida to receive accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers.
About Mount Sinai Medical Center
Founded in 1949, Mount Sinai Medical Center is the largest independent, private, not-for-profit teaching hospital in South Florida. Mount Sinai’s mission is to provide quality health care to a diverse community enhanced through teaching, research, charity care, and financial responsibility. Mount Sinai’s Centers of Excellence combine technology, research, and academics to provide innovative and comprehensive care in cardiology, neuroscience, oncology, urology, and orthopedics. One of the original statutory teaching hospitals in the state of Florida, Mount Sinai is the hospital of choice for those who seek the level of expertise and care that only a teaching hospital can offer. Mount Sinai currently offers nine convenient locations in Miami-Dade County, including three emergency centers, and three specialty care offices in Monroe County. For more information on Mount Sinai Medical Center, visit msmc.com or call 305.674.CARE (2273).
