UHealth’s Sylvester 20th Anniversary Gala Raises Record-Setting $1.3 Million

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nearly 600 party-goers streamed into the JW Marriott Marquis Miami and Hotel Beaux Arts in downtown Miami for the 20^th Anniversary Gala Celebration of UHealth’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center on Saturday evening, December 8. The spectacular party raised a record total of more than $1.3 million for research and care at Sylvester.

“Every donor and every gift may mean a healthier and longer life for a cancer patient”

Gala guests enjoyed a reception with a luxury silent auction, dinner, a stunning performance by two-time Tony Award-winner Sutton Foster, and an after party with DJ Irie.

“Every donor and every gift may mean a healthier and longer life for a cancer patient,” said Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., who became Director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center six months ago, after spending nearly 20 years at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Guests arrived from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties to support research at Sylvester, increase cancer awareness and raise funds for the only academic-based cancer center in South Florida. Sylvester, part of UHealth at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, represents the most advanced approach to cancer care in the region, melding research with clinical trials, and the latest technological innovations. The gala is one of the primary fundraisers supporting Sylvester’s mission of providing the most comprehensive and compassionate care to all patients.

Speaking to the crowd, UM President Donna E. Shalala said Sylvester provides “a shared mission of hope and healing” to those facing cancer, and declared the evening “a celebration of community.”

Miller School Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., expressed his gratitude to the patients and their families who have entrusted their care to Sylvester physicians and nurses, praising their “steadfast courage.” He added that Sylvester’s “strong academic backbone is the key to its tremendous success as the best cancer research and care resource in the region.”

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Caroline W. Halpern Award for exemplary service to The Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Foundation and Stuart A. Miller, and the Jay Weiss Award to W. Jarrard Goodwin, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Sylvester/UMHC -- University of Miami Hospital and Clinics.

The fundraising event was part of Momentum2: The Breakthrough Campaign for the University of Miami.

For the full story, visit http://med.miami.edu/news/sylvesters-20th-anniversary-gala-raises-record-setting-1.3-million