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SALUTE TO PHYSICIANS

MEMORIAL REGIONAL HOSPITAL MOFFITT MALIGNANT HEMATOLOGY &

Jeremy Song, MD CELLULAR THERAPY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL WEST

While it couldn’t have been pleasant at the time, a common Jose Sandoval-Sus, MD, FACP
skin disorder is what Dr. Jeremy Song credits for his interest
in medicine. Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, which
“I had psoriasis as a child and wasn’t allowed to play with involves genetically altering white blood cells and transfusing
other kids because my family thought it was contagious,” said them into patients with certain types of tumors to recognize
Song, now a cardiac surgeon. “My life changed when I was and kill cells harboring specific cancer-related proteins, will
diagnosed and educated about the condition by our family soon be available in Broward County to treat advanced B-cell
physician.” lymphomas and leukemias. “This will provide new hope for
Nearly 30 years later, Song aims to have the same impact for patients that did not respond to standard treatments and, in
patients with considerably more complex problems, operating on those with a variety of some cases, had been given just months to live,” said Dr. Jose
cardiac issues. “It’s instantaneous gratification when during a bypass procedure, for Sandoval-Sus. “The advancements in immunotherapy, made
example, you literally see the heart wake up as a result of what we’ve done.” possible by all those who have participated in clinical trials, are extending the lives of
The opportunity to improve lives, as his once was, is the reward for Song as he watches patients and potentially contributing to the cure of their disease.”
patients grateful for a second chance make healthy lifestyle choices and pursue hobbies Sandoval-Sus, a native of Colombia that completed an oncology and hematology fel-
that would have previously not been possible for them to do. lowship at Moffitt Cancer Center in 2017, was the primary investigator for a Phase 1
CAR-T cell therapy clinical trial for multiple myeloma last year. He encourages all those
Simon Buttrick, MD who are eligible to participate in research to do so, especially Hispanics, African and
Caribbean-Americans, ethnic groups that are susceptible to some types of blood cancers
While he had been interested in medicine as a child, it and traditionally underrepresented in clinical studies.
wasn’t until he read “Saturday” that Dr. Simon Buttrick’s
career path became clear. The Ian McEwan novel features a MEMORIAL PRIMARY CARE
neurosurgeon as its main character and it gave the future
physician his first glimpse into the technical and human com-
plexity of the field that would become his passion. Lori Frisard, DO
“I’ve done hundreds of craniotomies, but continue to learn
each time I see the brain up close,” said Buttrick, whose fel- Dr. Lori Frisard has a standard prescription for the patients
lowship training came in surgical neuro oncology. “I’m fasci- she sees suffering with diabetes, high blood pressure, and obe-
nated by how it makes us who we are.” sity. ‘Prevention’ isn’t found at the pharmacy but is something
Buttrick specializes in treating a variety of brain tumors, using minimally-invasive the family medicine physician preaches to the adults she cares
techniques, whenever possible. Those include trans-nasal approaches for pituitary for. “A healthy diet, regular exercise, consistent sleep, and
tumors, tubular retractors for deep-seated lessons, and laser interstitial thermal therapy mind/body balance go a long way toward improving health
for inaccessible tumors. He also performs spine and open vascular neurosurgery, using a and overcoming chronic illnesses.” The educational compo-
minimally-invasive mindset to ensure less pain, time in the hospital, and better cosmetic nent is a large part of the long-term relationships she fosters with her patients, whether
and functional outcomes. she sees them in-person or, increasingly in the age of COVID-19, through telemedicine.
The video connection has been well received by both doctor and patients, and it’s an
aspect of primary care Dr. Frisard believes is here to stay. “I can see a time where there
MEMORIAL CANCER INSTITUTE might be a face-to-face visit once a year, with telehealth used the rest of the time.”
Dr. Frisard is tri-lingual (English, Spanish, and German) and was in private practice
Constanza (Connie) Guaqueta, MD for a decade before joining Memorial Healthcare System in 2020.

Dr. Connie Guaqueta, a hematologist/oncologist at Mark Rabiner, MD
Memorial Healthcare System, believes one size definitely
doesn’t fit all when it comes to treating breast cancer. Dr. Mark Rabiner feels it’s his role as an internal medicine
“The research being done in clinical trials is enabling us to specialist and primary care physician to knock down the bar-
tailor treatments that are specific to each cancer,” said riers to healthcare that keep patients from moving forward.
Guaqueta. “We can now better match medications to an indi- This is especially important when working with marginalized
vidual’s cancer profile and improve survival rates based on populations. “I’ve been in places where people with no safety
what we we’ve learned about the differences within the dis- net are discharged from the hospital with a prescription for
ease.” medicine, but with no money to pay or transportation to get
Dr. Guaqueta has been part of the Memorial Cancer Institute (MCI) for nearly two to a pharmacy, they inevitably end up hospitalized again,” said
years and appreciates the multi-disciplinary approach that involves not just clinicians but Rabiner. “Some see that as a social worker’s issue and not a
also therapists, social workers, integrative medicine, and financial professionals. Recently doctor’s problem, but I’m not one of them.” That’s why Rabiner was so excited to join
named a “Florida Center of Excellence” by the Florida Department of Health, MCI and Memorial Healthcare System in 2018 after a lengthy career in New York that included
its doctors, including Dr. Guaqueta, will soon be training physicians in a work at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, and NYU.
hematology/oncology fellowship that is part of Memorial’s Graduate Medical Education “Memorial is, hands down, better than them all. The resources doctors and patients have
program. access to here impress me every day.”

Pablo Ferraro, MD
FLORIDA MEDICAL CENTER
Dr. Pablo Ferraro has been part of Memorial Healthcare
System for more than 15 years and has seen some significant Erik Beyer, MD
changes. “We’ve gone from a community health facility to one
that is now an academic medical center offering fellowship Dr. Erik Beyer, cardiothoracic surgeon is on staff at
training in hematology/oncology,” said Ferraro, one of the Florida Medical Center. He has been practicing cardiac sur-
program instructors. gery for more than 20 years. Dr. Beyer’s expertise includes
Memorial’s Graduate Medical Education program will train the Hybrid Cooperative MAZE open-heart cardiac surgery
five physicians each year, something Ferraro says will keep his procedure to eliminate AFib as well as the use of MAPS
skills sharp. The teaching position completes a training circle for Ferraro, who was Ablation Pen to treat harmful cardiac tissue causing heart
inspired by a mentor during his own fellowship to specialize in cancers of gastrointesti- arrhythmias. Dr. Beyer attended medical school at the
nal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) systems. University of Tennessee. He completed his residency in
Ferraro is also active in cancer research as the principal investigator for primarily phase general surgery at the University of Texas and his residency
2 clinical trials conducted in collaboration with other institutions and industry partners. in cardiothoracic surgery at Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
His leadership in the studies provides his patients access to experimental drugs and Dr. Beyer later completed his fellowship, specializing in cardiac transplant and assist
allows the doctor to focus his efforts on solid tumor oncology, gastrointestinal malignan- device, at Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin in Germany and Texas Heart Institute.
cies, and general hematology.

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