The new institute is among few nationwide addressing the physical, social and emotional needs of cancer survivors, a population projected to exceed 26 million by 2040.
October 30, 2025 — Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System and Miller School of Medicine, today announced the launch of the Sylvester Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute (SSCI) — one of only a handful of dedicated survivorship institutes nationwide focused on meeting the full spectrum of needs of the growing cancer survivor population in South Florida and beyond.
The SSCI is the culmination of nearly a decade of innovation within Sylvester’s Cancer Survivorship and Supportive Care program. Now, Frank Penedo, Ph.D., a clinical health psychologist, survivorship researcher, and director of the SSCI, alongside Carmen Calfa, M.D., a breast cancer medical oncologist and co-director of the SSCI, will deepen Sylvester’s commitment to improving cancer survivors’ quality of life under the SSCI’s three tightly linked pillars: research, care delivery, and education and training.
The SSCI’s services are available to all Sylvester cancer survivors both virtually and in-person in Miami, Aventura/North Miami, Coral Gables, Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach, Doral, Ft. Lauderdale, Hollywood, Kendall, Naples and Plantation.
“Cancer is complex, with many different services involved,” Dr. Penedo said. “Unifying all our resources under one roof helps us have oversight in terms of best survivorship care practices for patients, stratify our level of care to ensure services reach the right patient at the right time, and provides ample opportunities for translational research and innovation.”
The need for ongoing, comprehensive care is particularly crucial now that more people with cancer are surviving the disease, thanks to improvements in screening and treatment. Today, there are 18.6 million Americans with a history of cancer, a number that is expected to exceed 26 million by 2040. These survivors, including thousands in Florida, face lifelong challenges after their primary treatment. More than half experience symptoms of psychological distress like anxiety and depression, and nearly half encounter continued fatigue even years after treatment.
The SSCI aims to turn what is often inconsistent post-treatment care into a seamless delivery of in-person and virtual survivorship services.
Every year, more than 30% of Sylvester patients take advantage of individual and group-based resources ranging from exercise and nutrition to music, art and massage therapies. Psycho-oncology teams help patients address emotional well-being, while social services help with practical needs like care coordination, transportation, education and finances.
Survivorship Wellness Clinics, meanwhile, offer assessments and referrals for pain management, rehabilitation, wigs and head coverings, onco-fertility, lifestyle modification and recurrence surveillance. The clinics also provide patients with Survivorship Care Plans that summarize treatment, follow-up guidelines and personalized recommendations.
“The Survivorship Institute sets Sylvester apart from other cancer centers in that it brings a fully integrated, multidisciplinary and comprehensive approach of care that is holistic, wellness-focused and patient-focused,” Dr. Penedo said. “It not only provides clear evidence-based care for survivors but also provides opportunities for innovative research from cancer care delivery to digital health and community-engaged programs.”
Mike Hellem, who received treatment at Sylvester for esophageal cancer, has embraced a wide range of postoperative therapies. After eight chemotherapy treatments and surgery, Hellem delved into yoga, art, music therapy and acupuncture, met with an exercise physiologist and dietician, and attended cancer support group meetings.
“Each program added a unique aspect to my recovery,” Hellem said. “Physically, I’ve really rebuilt my stamina, my flexibility and my overall strength. Emotionally, it has given me stability and resilience I didn’t think I really had. They helped me rediscover creativity, joy and purpose in life again. In short, they’ve really brought me back to feeling whole.”
With everyone working under one system, breakthroughs move quickly from the lab to patients through clinical trials and frontline services, bridging the gap between research and practical care. For example, SSCI researchers are already collaborating with others in the South Florida community to evaluate mindfulness-based music therapy for stem cell transplant recipients. Community outreach and professional education are similarly streamlined, powering educational programs like the annual Survivorship Symposium and the Primary Care Providers Cancer Survivorship Training Program.
What’s more, Sylvester’s leaders have set new national benchmarks for survivorship care and policy by helping develop the National Cancer Institute survivorship standards and the Comprehensive Cancer Survivorship Act legislation at the federal level. Now, as the Institute positions Sylvester as a magnet for top talent and competitive funding, it plans to extend its reach into geriatric oncology, cardio-oncology and pediatric/adolescent survivorship.
“By uniting Dr. Penedo’s visionary research with Dr. Calfa’s hands-on clinical oncology expertise, we’re creating a model that addresses the physical, emotional and social hurdles cancer survivors face,” said Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., director of Sylvester and executive dean for research at the Miller School. “The launch of the Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute marks a transformative step in how we care for patients beyond their treatment. By integrating science, compassionate care and education, we are building a future where survivorship efforts will allow all our patients to live long lives, and live well.”
#####
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth – University of Miami Health System and the Miller School of Medicine, is the only cancer center in South Florida designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Sylvester is known as South Florida’s leader in cancer research and care, offering the only academic-based phase 1 clinical trials program in the region. U.S. News & World Report has ranked Sylvester among the nation’s top 50 for cancer care. Sylvester also earned High Performing ratings in the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, as well as in surgeries for colon, lung and prostate cancers. With a network of 11 facilities in South Florida and one office in Southwest Florida, Sylvester operates 16 site disease groups, including transplant and cellular therapy, classical hematology, myeloma, lymphoma, leukemia, sarcoma, neuro-oncology, endocrine tumors as well as skin, thoracic, gynecological, genitourinary, gastrointestinal, pediatric, breast and head and neck cancers.