Page 26 - SFHN March 2021

SALUTE TO PHYSICIANS

VITAS® HEALTHCARE – DADE & MONROE COUNTIES VITAS® HEALTHCARE –

Carmen Cabeza-Romero, MD BROWARD COUNTY

What began as a part-time role as a float pool physician has evolved into a 20-year Sabiha Khan, MD
career as a full-time hospice physician for Dr. Carmen Cabeza-Romero.
A graduate in internal medicine from the University of Miami Miller School of Dr. Sabiha Khan’s medical
Medicine, Dr. Cabeza-Romero transitioned to the hospice specialty after realizing “how career shifted dramatically
much I enjoyed sitting with patients in their homes, getting to know them in a more when a dear friend asked her
complete way, and chatting with their families in one-on-one time. In an office or hos- to oversee her end-of-life
pital setting, as much as we’d like to develop that type of true relationship with our care as she was dying.
patients, we’re often very busy and don’t have the time.” “It was an amazing and
Formerly an internist with Mount Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Cabeza-Romero manages challenging experience that
two teams that provide end-of-life care to VITAS patients and their families in their homes and nursing homes. taught me so much, and it
She found at VITAS “heightened excellence of care because we use a multi-disciplinary team approach to med- still has a special place in my
ical and psychosocial care. We get to know our patients and families in a more complete way, in their homes, and heart,” says Dr. Khan, a trained internist who joined
we gain a deeper understanding of what they really need.” VITAS in 2011.
Caring for her friend taught her the importance of
being able to educate and advocate for the dignity and
VITAS® HEALTHCARE – BROWARD COUNTY benefits of hospice care, both to patients and family
members who embrace it, and to those who are resist-
Dillobar Gelfond, MD ant to it or do not fully understand the philosophy and
practice of comfort-focused end-of-life care.
When Dr. Dillobar Gelfond was growing up in Russia, she had no doubts about her “I absolutely love what I do,” says Dr. Khan, who
career path. Both her parents were physicians, the “perfect role models” for a compas- still maintains a private practice in Broward County.
sionate young person: “I never questioned which field to choose,” she says. “Meeting patients and families and developing a rela-
Dr. Gelfond fully realized her passion for care while studying at Second Tashkent tionship with them allows us to understand their goals
State Medical Institute in Uzbekistan. She discovered the hospice specialty during her of care near the end of life, an approach that I find
residency at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago. After a residency at Meharry Medical more rewarding than my previous role as a hospitalist,
College and continued hospice and palliative training at Alvin York Veteran Affair Medical Center, she under- which required aggressive treatment of patients who
stood that she had found her calling. would not necessarily benefit from such care.”
At VITAS, Dr. Gelfond feels “support at every step as we work,” and appreciates the many ways the company Dr. Khan earned her medical degree from The
enables her to provide care. Santiago University of Technology School of Medicine.
“In the moment that you take a patient’s hand, you feel like you’re in the world for something,” Dr. Gelfond
says. “I think I’m designed for this world; I’m designed to talk to people, to ease their pain.”

For your passion,
care and dedication,

we salute you

Medicine is a special calling. We are inspired daily by the
remarkable passion, dedication and professionalism of
the physicians who comprise our 850-member medical
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greatest need, while others establish lifelong bonds with
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We are grateful for all you do for the children we are
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thank you.

Happy Doctors’ Day!

You can make a donation in honor of your doctor and
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305-666-2889 IRU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ

3100 SW 62 Avenue, Miami, FL 33155 • 305-666-6511

26 March 2021 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News