Page 28 - SOUTH FLORIDA HOSPITAL NEWS MAY 2022

GREATER MIAMI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2022 HEALTH CARE HEROES ®

HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL NURSE

BRIDGET A. PELAEZ, MA,
JOSEPH LAMELAS, MD BSN, RN, EMT-P, CEM®
Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery
Assistant Director – Division of
University of Miami Health System
Operations and Safety
In 2006, Dr. Joseph Lamelas created ‘The Miami Florida International University
Method’ minimally invasive cardiac surgery
approach, which involves a less than two-inch inci- Bridget Pelaez’s passion and objective in life is
sion on the right side of the chest—a procedure that serving as a public health disaster response profes-
does not require surgeons to open the chest cavity or sional. The director of volunteer disaster response
break ribs as had previously been the approach to team FIU-Florida, she led a team of eight clinicians
cardiac surgery. to Huehuetenango, Guatemala to assist the United
At the time, the tools to access the heart via this States Southern Command, U.S. Army, and
approach did not exist, so Dr. Lamelas collaborated “Joseph Lamelas, M.D., Guatemalan military with a large humanitarian mis-
with a patient of his who was an engineer to create sion, serving a daily patient count of 750 patients “Bridget’s achievements
them. These tools, which result in quicker recovery is an internationally and a total of 4,000 patients in one week. and contributions to South
and better long-term outcomes, are now used around recognized expert Pelaez is an American College of Surgeons Stop
the world by other cardiac surgeons. Dr. Lamelas the Bleed Instructor and has trained all 10,000 fac- Florida are vast and yet
now applies the techniques he developed and the cardiac surgeon who ulty and staff members of the university; she also she remains selfless and
surgical instruments he invented to facilitate intri- helped pioneer a minimal- developed a Stop the Bleed digital education media
cate procedures for almost all cardiac surgeries, and training video that was disseminated to all 56,000 passionate, empowering
he is the only surgeon in the world who uses a min- ly invasive approach to students. In partnership with Baptist Health South other healthcare workers in
imally invasive method to replace or repair an cardiac surgery that is Florida, she designed, developed, and deployed a
ascending aorta. now widely used all over robust disaster response pharmaceutical cart to sup- their professions. Her
Dr. Lamelas performs more than 350 mitral valve port community events and disasters. devotion, responsibility,
surgeries a year—the average heart surgeon performs the world, resulting in Additionally, she refurbished a traditional F-350
five. Dr. Lamelas has performed more than 17,000 quicker recovery and bet- into a mass-casualty response vehicle capable of and leadership allow our
cardiac surgeries throughout his 28-year career; triaging and treating over 300 patients. In 2019, community to be better
more than 7,000 of which have employed a minimal- ter long-term outcomes.” Pelaez traveled to Tel Aviv, Israel, where she educat-
ly invasive approach. He consistently ranks among ed healthcare delegates from more than 15 countries prepared and capable to
the best cardiac surgery outcomes in Florida and per- Omaida C. Velazquez, MD, FACS on the importance of community outreach, educa- respond to health
forms the highest volume of cardiac surgeries in the Chair, DeWitt Daughtry Family tion, and training. She was recently promoted by the emergencies and
state with more than 700 cases annually. Dr. Lamelas Department of Surgery National Disaster Medical System and is now the
has also trained more than 1,000 surgeons from University Of Miami Miller Deputy Commander for the HHS Trauma Critical disasters in
around the world in this approach. Care Team, responsible for overseeing a team of 200
School of Medicine South Florida.”
critical care clinicians.
Throughout the pandemic, Pelaez worked with Javier I. Marqués, MBA, MS
INDIVIDUAL OF MERIT various FIU colleges and FIU Miami Beach Urban Vice President for Operations and
Studios to develop innovative 3-D printed face
shields to assist with the supply shortages first Safety & Chief of Staff
TIFFANY FIELD, PHD responders were facing. In partnership with the Executive Director, Academy
Florida Department of Health, she was the incident for International
Director, Touch Research Institute & commander of the Tamiami test site, which was Disaster Preparedness
responsible for testing more than 433,000 Miami- Florida International University
Professor of Pediatrics, Psychology
Dade residents. She also worked at the FIU-Closed
and Psychiatry POD vaccination site which administered over
19,000 vaccines.
University of Miami Health System

In 1977, premature babies were placed in neona-
tal intensive care units with “hands off” nursing
policies to reduce the risk of infection. Having
seen the calming effects of massage on her own
daughter born a month prematurely, Dr. Tiffany
Field began conducting research into the beneficial
“Dr. Tiffany Field is a
effects of healthy touch long before massage was
accepted by either physicians or the public. global crusader for the heal-
Dr. Field started her research program at the
ing power of touch. Her
University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital in
1982, and in a groundbreaking 1988 study, found studies have changed the
that massage helped premature infants gain more
delivery of care to prema-
weight than non-massaged peers, thereby improv-
ing the infants’ health and medical outcomes. In ture babies and expanded
1992, she established the Touch Research Institute,
understanding of the heal-
the first such organization focused only on the
study of touch. ing power of human contact
Through the years, her research has focused on
to patients of all ages.”
the impact of massage therapy on various medical

and psychological conditions including preventing
Daniel Armstrong, PhD
prematurity, reducing depression, attentional dis-
Director, Mailman Center
orders and pain syndromes, and increasing
for Child Development
immune function in cancer, HIV and other chronic
illnesses. Her advocacy has had a national and University of Miami Miller
global impact, as massage therapy is now used by School of Medicine
close to 40 percent of NIU’s nationwide, reducing
infant mortality and shortening their hospital stays by nearly a week. Since one out
of eight infants in the U.S. is born prematurely, Dr. Field’s approach is estimated to
save about $10,000 per infant with nationwide savings of $4.7 billion. In recognition
of her worldwide impact, Miller School leaders opened the Tiffany M. Field, Ph.D.
Suite for Innovation at the Mailman Center for Child Development.

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28 May 2022 - Health Care Heroes southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News