Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has been named Researcher of the Year by BioFlorida.

The award recognizes distinguished researchers whose achievements have significantly advanced scientific knowledge while making an impact on innovation and public health.

Nimer, who also is professor of medicine, biochemistry and molecular biology and the Oscar de La Renta Endowed Chair in Cancer Research, has focused his research on adult leukemia. During the past decade, his laboratory has strived to identify novel ways to target leukemia and other blood cancers or make them more susceptible to existing therapies.

He and his lab colleagues are currently collaborating with renowned investigators from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute on a second, five-year grant from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society that supports a broad range of basic and clinical research into blood cancers.