Miller School of Medicine
Research and Innovation
.stk-5176a2d {border-top-width:0px !important;border-right-width:0px !important;border-bottom-width:0px... Research and Innovation
.stk-e339755 {border-top-width:0px !important;border-right-width:0px !important;border-bottom-width:0px !important;border-left-width:0px !important;}University... Clinical Care ... Medical Education
.stk-6c09393 {border-top-width:0px !important;border-right-width:0px !important;border-bottom-width:0px !important;border-left-width:0px !important;}... Cancer
.stk-254483e {border-top-width:0px !important;border-right-width:0px... Research and Innovation
.stk-5bdaf1d {column-gap:2px !important;}First-in-human... Research and Innovation
.stk-b536fbf {column-gap:2px !important;}Recognized by the NIH BRAIN Initiative,...
International Vascular Congress 2027 to Mark 25 Years of Innovation, Education and Global Collaboration
Can Real-Time Clinical Trial Data Accelerate Oversight Without Compromising Evidence?
Miami Valves 2027 to Highlight Advances in Structural Heart Disease and Cardiovascular Care
A Legacy of Teaching: Honoring Frank Moya, M.D.
Breast Reconstruction Options Help Patients Make Informed Choices
Imaging the Invisible: A New Precision Approach to Detecting Multiple Myeloma
From Thought to Movement: Ph.D. Student Advances Technology for Spinal Cord Injury
Fall 2026
A New Dimension in Medicine
3D bioprinting has huge potential to produce new treatments, shorten surgeries and advance research
By Josh Baxt
Photography by Joshua Prezant Video by Danny Menendez
... Fall 2026
Researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine are investigating a largely unexplored question of whether repeated exposure to inhaled aerosol e-liquids activates an immune response that alters the heart’s electrical activity in young people.Miller School immunology researcher Pilar Alcaide, Ph.D., and co-investigator Sami Noujaim, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of South Florida, combined their expertise to seek an answer to this important question. With a one-year grant from the Saving Tiny Hearts Society, they’re investigating whether vaping-induced immune activation contributes to cardiac electrical remodeling and arrhythmias.“We decided to put all the pieces together to see if vaping’s adverse effects may be due to induced inflammation,” said Dr. Alcaide, professor and vice chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.The findings could have widespread implications. Adolescence is a period of continued immune development, raising questions about how repeated exposure... Fall 2026
Vaccines do not trigger identical immune responses in everyone. University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers have created human immune organoids that reproduce key interactions among B cells and T cells and could help explain those differences.The research team, which created germinal center-like organoids, or GCLOs, was led by Ashutosh Agarwal, Ph.D., co-director of Engineering Cancer Cures at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and director of engineering and applied physics at Desai Sethi Urology Institute, and Suresh Pallikkuth, Ph.D., co-director of the Miami CFAR Laboratory Sciences Core.GCLOs are miniature three-dimensional structures that model immune activity normally occurring inside lymph nodes after vaccination or infection. In germinal centers, B cells and T cells communicate, antibodies are refined and immune memory is established. But studying these structures directly in people is challenging. Lymph nodes are not easily accessible, and immune responses vary among individuals. Therefore, GCLOs... Fall 2026
Barry Issenberg, M.D. ’95, appreciates how the Miller School encourages students to be innovative and take risks. Had it not been for that ethos, he would not be where he is today. Now chair of the Department of Medical Education, he also continues to serve as senior associate dean for research in medical education and director of the Gordon Center for Simulation and Innovation in Medical Education, a designated Center of Excellence at the Miller School.For Dr. Issenberg, a defining moment came when he took a leave of absence between his second and third years of medical school to recover from back surgery before starting his clinical clerkships. During that time, he returned to the Gordon Center, where he had volunteered during high school. There, he worked with its founder, the late Michael S. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., who revolutionized medical education... Fall 2026
For Stephanie Clauss, D.O., assistant professor of general internal medicine, improving health care means investing in both systems and the people who will lead them in the future.“What excites me most about my work is that I get to bring education, which is something I have a passion for, and also systems improvement to the health care system,” Clauss said.A physician educator, Clauss focuses on advancing improvements that enhance patient safety while helping train the next generation of health care leaders. Through her work with residents, she combines practical learning with a commitment to continuous quality improvement across the health care system.Clauss believes education plays a critical role in creating safer environments for patients and their families. By mentoring residents and future physicians, she helps prepare them to identify opportunities for improvement, implement meaningful changes and lead with a patient-centered mindset.Building a culture of learning and innovation is essential to improving health care delivery, according to Clauss. By empowering future physician leaders with... Fall 2026
Paul Lafia, M.D. ’76, understands the financial burden of medical school. He got through his medical training thanks to scholarships and loans. Grateful for that aid, Dr. Lafia knew that once he was firmly established in his cardiology practice, he wanted to do something to help support future students at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
In the mid-1990s, he established the Paul Lafia, M.D. ’76, Endowed Scholarship Fund. At his 50th class reunion in March 2026, he delivered a passionate plea to his former classmates, encouraging them to consider doing the same.
“We have to appreciate that medical school was much more financially viable for us; tuition and housing were much more affordable back then,” said Dr. Lafia, who is now retired after a 34-year career at a cardiology practice in Michigan and an adjunct clinical associate professorship at Michigan State University School of Human Medicine. “We benefited from that affordability, so I think it’s our responsibility to the future of medicine... Fall 2026
Gwendolyn Sutton, a second-year M.D. candidate on the global health and surgery pathway at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, intends to be a globally minded physician who can adapt to unfamiliar environments. This past summer, she wanted to both participate in advanced, clinically relevant research and experience cultural immersion. So, she put it all together and sought an internship in Japan.After a rigorous application process and acceptance, Sutton spent seven weeks at Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) through an internship with SPHinX Inc., a NIMS biotech startup founded in 2024, located adjacent to the NIMS headquarters. Working under principal investigator Mitsuhiro Ebara, Ph.D., the president and CEO of SPHinX and group leader of the Smart Polymers Group at NIMS, Sutton assisted with bench science on a temperature-responsive polymer to improve viral diagnostics. The project’s goal is to improve the sensitivity of rapid HIV antigen tests by using a... Fall 2026
When Austen Prescott, an 18-year-old known for his quick humor and quiet scrappiness, died in 2023 of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), an extremely rare and aggressive brain tumor, his parents made two key decisions.First, Catherine and Andrew Prescott donated their son’s tumor tissue to research at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Sylvester is the region’s only National Cancer Institute–designated cancer center and the No. 1 cancer program in Florida, according to U.S. News & World Report rankings. Then, they doubled down on crowdfunding for pediatric neuro-oncology research, helping to raise funds to study cancers that are historically underfunded.In the past two years, research on Austen’s cancer and other pediatric brain cancers has surged at Sylvester. From advancements in the lab to the development of clinical trials, the work is showing promise against a devastating diagnosis.“Our greatest hope,” Catherine Prescott said, “is that DIPG isn’t a... Fall 2026
In the late 1990s, three Broumand siblings shared an extraordinary distinction: They trained at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine at the same time. Their journey was more than a family coincidence. It was the next chapter in a medical legacy spanning generations and continents.Varshi Broumand, M.D. ’95, was completing his internal medicine residency at Jackson Health System when his siblings, Vadjista Broumand, M.D. ’00, and Vishy Broumand, M.D. ’00, D.M.D., began their medical school journeys.But the roots of their story stretch back long before Miami, in a home where medicine was a way of life.Their father, Behrouz Broumand, M.D., trained in the United States before returning to Iran, where he helped establish nephrology services and expand access to dialysis care. Patients traveled hundreds of miles for treatment, and many stayed with the Broumand family while preparing for dialysis. “If we wanted to spend more time with our dad, we followed him to the hospital,” said Dr. Vishy Broumand. “We sat in dialysis... Fall 2026
Alfredo Hernandez, M.D. ’00, says he grew up in Miami twice: first as a child, then as a physician.As a medical student at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Dr. Hernandez gained a broader perspective on the social determinants of health that affect people across Miami. Serving as president of the Hispanic American Medical Student Association, he participated in outreach efforts, including volunteering at the Florida Keys Health Fair and the San Juan Bosco Clinic.“It opened my eyes to the depth of need in our community,” he said. “More importantly, it showed me the responsibility we carry as physicians to meet people where they are.”
“It’s not just about diagnosing and prescribing. It’s about understanding the realities our patients live with every day.”
Alfredo Hernandez, M.D. ’00
...A New Dimension in Medicine
The Hidden Effect of Vaping
Predicting Vaccine Responses with Human Immune Organoids
A Full-Circle Moment
Dr. Stephanie Clauss
Everlasting Impact
Smart Science, Global Reach
A Family’s Commitment
A Family Legacy of Medicine
Returning the Favor
