Audina Berrocal, M.D., a world-renowned retina specialist at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, explains what a macular hole is and how it can affect a person’s vision. She and her team specialize in macular hole repair that restores a patient’s central vision. Diana Bell is one of those patients.

Joseph Lamelas, M.D., Chief and Program Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Miami Health System, discusses mitral valve disease, and how a minimally invasive procedure he pioneered to repair the valve, is helping patients get back to their active lives. Walter Tombs is one of those patients.

Dr. James Galvin, the Director of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Comprehensive Center for Brain Health, describes how the new center’s goal is to better treat and prevent degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Lewy Body Dementia through research studies and seeing patients. Bobbi Rutt is one of those patients.

Dr. Jacques Morcos, director of skull base and cerebrovascular surgery at the University of Miami Health System, explains what a meningioma is, how this type of tumor can affect a patient, and the surgical techniques involved in removing them. Dean Metzler is one of those patients.

Dr. Stephan Zuchner, a world-renowned geneticist and Chair of the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, talks about the research his team is doing to uncover the underlying genetic causes of diseases to better diagnose and treat patients. UM’s Miller School of Medicine’s genetics program is ranked number two in the nation.

Dr. Jorge Rey, a vascular surgeon at the University of Miami Health System, describes the symptoms of peripheral artery disease (PAD) and the innovative treatments a team of specialists at UHealth are using to get patients back on their feet. David Raska is one of those patients.

Dr. Marisa Echenique is a clinical psychologist at the University of Miami Health System. For more information about mental health therapy being offered remotely or in person, click here or visit the UHealth health news blog. The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on our mental health, especially this holiday. “Living in this pandemic, which is an extraordinary time for all of us, we should anticipate feeling certain negative emotions, whether it’s fear, sadness, frustration,” says Dr. Echenique. For more stories like this one, visit YouTube channels for UHealth, the University of Miami Health System.

To find out more about clinical trials and treatments for lung cancer, click here or visit the UHealth news blog. MATILDE’S STORYMatilde Quintana will never forget the day she was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Today there are new and better treatment options for patients with lung cancer, says Sylvester oncologist Dr. Estelamari Rodriguez. Ad“There’s been nine new drugs approved for lung cancer since March 2020. “So, we’re now able to define lung cancer; before we thought all the lung cancers look the same,” says Dr. Rodriguez.

Rachel Silva-Smith is a genetic counselor with Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. For more information about cancer genetic counseling and testing, click here to visit the UHealth health news blog. Rachel Silva-Smith, a genetic counselor at Sylvester, explains what genetic testing is and who is a good candidate. If a woman is diagnosed at age 60 or under, they typically have to have a specific type of breast cancer, known as triple-negative breast cancer. Any male with breast cancer, also qualifies for genetic testing.

Dr. Alan Pollack is the chair of radiation oncology and interim deputy director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. For more information on the Dwoskin Proton Therapy Center at UHealth, please visit this website or the UHealth health news blog. PROTON THERAPY TREATMENT CENTER OPENSAt Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System, patients are now being treated with proton therapy, an advanced type of radiation that is extremely precise. The Dwoskin Proton Therapy Center, located behind UHealth Tower in Miami’s health district, opened Sept. 22, 2020, and is named after Steven Dwoskin for his generous gift to support cancer research at Sylvester and the new cutting-edge facility. This is the only proton treatment center in Florida located at an NCI-designated cancer center.