South Floridians honored for their community impact

Six individuals and one couple were honored by the Memorial and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundations at the 22nd Annual Circle of Friends Luncheon at the Signature Grand in Davie.

Kathleen Cannon, Timothy Curtin, Morris Engelberg, Pilar Gutierrez, Luis Raez and Ari & Candice Sareli were named recipients of the “Spirit of Healing” award for professional excellence, community service and commitment to the Memorial Health System. Frank DiMino’s contributions have been recognized with the Wasie Philanthropic Leadership Award for his generosity and fundraising advice.

“Our honorees are making a difference in the community,” said Kevin Janser, Senior Vice President of Memorial Healthcare System, President of the Memorial and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundations. “They have consistently dedicated their efforts to making South Florida a better place.”

Kathleen Canon is the President and CEO of United Way of Broward County. During her career, she has helped people with chronic mental illness, drug addicts, people living with HIV/AIDS, children with disabilities, homeless people and many other vulnerable populations. Its enduring goal: to help nonprofits, community leaders, volunteers, and the private sector work together effectively to provide lifelines to those who need them most.

Timothy Curtin is Executive Director of Community Services at Memorial Healthcare System, where he leads a team of 200 people and designs and implements nearly 40 programs that have helped more than 300,000 Broward County residents. The programs – which have won more than 20 major awards from organizations such as the American Hospital Association and the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association – address important issues of maternal and child health, substance abuse, juvenile diversion , crime prevention and kinship and foster care. care. Community Services also offers after-school initiatives, summer camps, and seniors programs throughout Broward County.

Morris Engelberg represented Joe DiMaggio and his estate for 39 years, currently serving as trustee for all of DiMaggio’s holdings. A New York native, he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Brooklyn College and a JD from Brooklyn Law School. He co-founded the law firm of Engelberg & Milgrim, Pennsylvania, in 1976, and served on the board and board of directors of the Bessemer Trust Company from 1978 to 1991. He also served as a trustee attorney for Palm Beach National Bank for over 10 years. A father of two and grandfather of six, Mr. Engelberg helped convince Mr. DiMaggio to lend his name to the children’s hospital that will eventually become part of the Yankee Clipper’s lasting legacy.

Pilar Gutierrez, MD, earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and her medical degree at the University of Miami, with a year at the Catholic Institute of Paris in between. She has completed fellowships in pediatric infectious diseases at Children’s National Medical Center and the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. Since 1997, she has cared for thousands of young patients with infectious diseases ranging from HIV to COVID at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital – where she embodies Memorial Healthcare System’s nationally recognized commitment to compassionate care. and empathetic.

When Luis Raez, MD joined the Memorial Healthcare System in 2011, his goal was clear: to transform the Memorial Cancer Institute (MCI) from a community center into a major academic cancer center. Today, MCI is not only one of Florida’s largest cancer centers, but also one of only five in the state to be recognized as a “Florida Cancer Center of Excellence” by the Florida Department. of Health. Dr. Raez designs clinical trials and, with funding from the National Cancer Institute and pharmaceutical companies, conducts cutting-edge research with new agents against lung cancer. He also relishes his role as an educator. In addition to teaching oncology fellows in Memorial’s Graduate Medical Education Program, he is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Florida International University, Research Professor at Florida Atlantic University, and Visiting Professor at Cayetano Heredia University in Peru.

Aharon and Candice Sareli both joined Memorial Healthcare System over 10 years ago. Aharon as an intensivist and Candice working under a contract to run a Department of Defense grant the system had received. Aharon was later named Chief of Adult Critical Care Services at Memorial and eventually promoted to Chief Medical Officer of the Memorial Physician Group, leading the health system’s network of more than 350 employed physicians. After the contract work was completed, Dr. Stanley Marks hired Candice to start the Office of Human Research in 2011, and she has served as Director of Medical Research ever since. During this time, she expanded the division to include over 40 research staff conducting over 150 open-label clinical trials in over 30 sub-specialties each year. She was promoted to Vice President in 2020.

Frank DiMino has, through the DiMino Family Foundation, made some of the largest donations ever received by the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation. Thanks to this generosity, the children now receive emergency care at the Frank DiMino Emergency Department and obtain specialist medical services at the Frank DiMino Campus of the Specialty Center at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Wellington.

The Memorial Foundation and the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation raise funds philanthropically to help patients, families, and to cover the cost of programs, facilities, and equipment within the Memorial Healthcare System. To learn more or donate, please call 954-265-3454.