When Stephen Nimer left New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center after 17 years as head of hematology to lead the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, he saw an institution on the cusp of greatness.
Nimer and his team then spent six years proving that to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), an effort that paid off in 2019 when Sylvester became the nation’s 71st NCI-designated cancer center (there are now 72), and the only one in South Florida. NCI recently renewed that designation for another five years, giving Sylvester an outstanding score.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Act of 1971 opened the door to NCI designations for centers “that meet rigorous standards for transdisciplinary, state-of-the-art research focused on developing new and better approaches to preventing, diagnosing, and treating cancer.” It emphasizes team approaches, Nimer says. A superstar researcher is great, but a collaborative environment bringing more minds to the fight is better.
Florida has the country’s second-highest cancer burden — a circumstance complicated by South Florida’s international population. The incidents and types of cancers can vary by region and due to social determinants. Sylvester’s research seeks to identify those differences.
There are 6.3 million people between Palm Beach County and the Florida Keys, Nimer points out. Without Sylvester, the closest NCI-designated cancer centers are in Tampa and Gainesville.
Sylvester has 10 clinical sites throughout South Florida and Naples and is opening two more Miami-Dade sites soon.
“We need things here for the people who live here,” he says. And “if people are going to rely on us” to detect and treat their cancers, “we’ve got to be great. We can’t be good.”
The designation opens the door to more greatness in the form of top-level clinical trials, research funding and the ability to attract more top-notch doctors and researchers. It also helps attract more philanthropic support. For patients, it opens access to drugs and treatments available only to NCI-designated centers.
Success won’t go to their heads, Nimer promises. “If you’re a cancer doctor, it’s easy to remain humble.” The acclaim and the benefits that come from it are significant, but he wants Sylvester “to be the most patient-centric cancer center in the United States.” That means patients feel known and valued by the staff. “We invest a ton of research in survivorship. That’s where we can make a difference one patient at a time.”
Sylvester has more than tripled its staff since Nimer arrived in 2012, and he’s confident the center’s success will breed more success.
It took years of work to generate what Nimer calls “a big win for us.” When Sylvester secured its initial designation in 2019, he bought “championship rings” for his associate directors, program leaders and the board chair.
“When you win the Super Bowl you get this,” he says, “and to us, this is our Super Bowl.”
Florida’s NCI-designated Cancer Centers
- Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Jacksonville
- Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami
- University of Florida Health Cancer Center, Gainesville