Faculty 
A. Ruben Caride, M.D. 
Symposium Director
General Internist, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Miami, Florida
Bio
Born and raised in Miami, Dr. Caride obtained his BS and MD degrees from the University of Miami. He subsequently completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Jackson Memorial Hospital in 1991. He practiced Primary Care Internal Medicine for 18 years in Kendall before moving his practice to Key Biscayne in 2010. He has previously served on the Baptist Hospital Board of Directors as well as the Governor’s Council of the Florida Chapter of the American College of Physicians. He has received several practice-related accolades by Castle Connelly and Best Doctors, Inc. He has been the medical director of the Primary Focus Symposium since its creation 12 years ago.
Ricardo Cury, M.D., FAHA, FSCCT
Director of Cardiac Imaging, Baptist Hospital of Miami and Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute
Clinical Associate Professor in Radiology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
Bio
Dr. Ricardo Cury is a noninvasive cardiovascular radiologist and is the Chairman of Radiology Associates of South Florida, a large multi-specialty group. Dr. Cury is also Director of Cardiac Imaging of Baptist Hospital of Miami and Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute. He is a clinical associate professor at Florida International University. Dr. Cury was former Director of Cardiac MRI at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Cury is author of more than 150 original scientific publications in major radiology and cardiology journals and over 300 abstracts, book chapters, case reports or invited presentations. He has been principal investigator in four research grants. He was an associate editor of the Journal of Cardiovascular CT and reviewer of several journals such as Circulation, JACC, and others. His research interests include application of cardiac CT and MRI in patients with acute chest pain in the emergency department; application of stress perfusion CT and MRI; quantification of coronary artery stenosis and plaque with coronary CTA and in-vivo atherosclerotic plaque imaging with CT, MRI, IVUS and PET.
Dr. Cury has interpreted more than 10,000 coronary CT angiograms and more than 5,000 cardiac MRI scans. He has been director or co-director of several courses in Cardiac Imaging. He has been invited to speak about cardiac CT and MRI nationally and internationally in Europe, Asia, Central and South America. He is a member of AHA, RSNA, SCMR, ACR, NASCI and a founding member of the Society of Cardiovascular CT. He current serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of SCCT.
Dr. Cury received his MD from Santos School of Medical Sciences in Brazil and finished his residency in Diagnostic Radiology at MedImagem, Beneficencia Portuguesa Hospital. He completed a Clinical/Research Fellowship in Cardiovascular Imaging at the Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard Medical School. Dr. Cury won the young investigator award sponsored by the American Heart Association, Radiology Council, during the North America Society of Cardiac Imaging (NASCI) in 2002.
John Dylewski, M.D., FHRS
Electrophysiologist
Baptist, South Miami and Doctors Hospitals
Miami Florida
Bio
Cardiologist John Dylewski, M.D., is a specialist in cardiac electrophysiology. He is founder and medical director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Division and the Heart Rhythm Center at South Miami Hospital. Dr. Dylewski received his medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and completed an internship and residency in internal medicine, followed by fellowships in general cardiology and electrophysiology/invasive cardiology at Jackson Memorial Hospital. He is Board-certified in clinical cardiac electrophysiology and a Diplomate of the American Board of Cardiology and the American Board of Internal Medicine. In addition, he is a Fellow of the Heart Rhythm Society and a member of its Advisory Board. He has published and lectured extensively on cardiac arrhythmias, pacemakers and other implantable devices, heart failure and the prevention of heart disease. Dr. Dylewski, working with the Parent Heart Watch Organization, initiated a donation of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to every public school in Miami-Dade County, as well as schools in the Bahamas and Jamaica, to improve the awareness of — and reduce the number of people who die from — sudden cardiac arrest.
Lee A. Geller, M.D.
Anesthesiologist, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Miami, Florida
Bio
Dr. Geller completed his undergraduate studies with a BA in English Literature at Dartmouth College and completed his medical school training at the University of South Florida in Tampa. His post-graduate training included a residency in general surgery at Cornell Medical Center in New York and a residency in anesthesiology at the University of South Florida. Currently, he is an attending anesthesiologist at Baptist Hospital of Miami.
Timothy Grant, M.D.
Neurologist, Baptist and South Miami Hospitals
Miami, Florida
Bio
Board-certified neurologist Timothy Grant, M.D., is medical director of Baptist Sleep Center at Sunset. He earned his medical degree at the University of Miami School of Medicine, and completed an internship and residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital and Miami Veterans Administration Hospital. Dr. Grant is certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine and the National Board of Medical Examiners, and holds a certification in the subspecialty of sleep medicine with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. With over 30 years of experience in neurology, Dr. Grant is recognized as an expert in sleep medicine. He specializes in the study and treatment of sleep disorders and is a frequent lecturer in the field of sleep medicine.
Lawrence Grobman, M.D. 
Otolaryngologist/Neurotologist
Baptist Hospital of Miami
Miami, Florida
Bio
Dr. Grobman is a Board-certified otolaryngologist, with a subspecialty in neurotology. He is Clinical Assistant Professor with the Department of Neurology at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University. Dr. Grobman did his residency at the University of Miami and his fellowship training at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Dr. Grobman is an active physician with affiliations at Baptist Hospital and Mercy Hospital in Miami, and Joe DiMaggio’s Children’s Hospital in Hollywood.
Jason R. Hanft, DPM, FACFAS
Podiatrist, Baptist, South Miami and Doctors Hospitals
Miami Florida
Bio
Dr. Hanft is Director of Podiatric Medical Education at South Miami and Baptist Hospitals. He is Chief Science Officer for Doctors Research Network of South Florida and President of the Foot & Ankle Institute of South Florida. Dr. Hanft is Board-certified with the American Board of Podiatric Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons. Dr. Hanft did his residency training at Larkin General Hospital in South Florida and is a fellow AOASIF in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Dr. Hanft serves as Clinical Faculty & Adjunct Professor at Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine, Miami Shores and is Clinical Faculty & Adjunct Professor at Rosalind Franklin University, Dr. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, Chicago. Dr. Hanft has been an active clinician and researcher for more than 20 years with over 50 peer-reviewed publications and multiple published book chapters.
Richard Hamilton, Ph.D. 
Clinical Director, Baptist Hospital Brain Injury and Concussion Rehabilitation Programs.
Psychologist, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Miami, Florida
Bio
Dr. Hamilton is the Clinical Director of the Brain Injury and Concussion Rehabilitation Programs of Baptist Hospital of Miami. He received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Nova Southeastern University and completed his Internship in Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology at the Miami Veteran’s Administration Hospital and his post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Miami/Jackson Medical Center.
Dr. Hamilton has conducted brain injury research, published articles and presented numerous papers at national and international conferences. He has been recognized as an expert in the field of Neuropsychology in state and federal courts in Florida, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Dr. Hamilton is a hospital site reviewer for the Florida Department of Health’s Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program. He is certified as a Brain Injury Specialist Trainer by the Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists of the Brain Injury Association of America. He also maintains a private practice in South Miami, Florida.
James W. Loewenherz, M.D., FACP, FASN
Nephrologist, Baptist, South Miami, Doctors, Homestead, Mariners and West Kendall Baptist Hospitals
Miami, Florida
Bio
Internist James Loewenherz, M.D., is a critical care physician at Baptist Health’s eICU and medical director of Mariners Hospital’s Hyperbaric Center. In addition, he is medical director of Hyperbarics International, Inc., in Key Largo, and medical director of Dadeland DaVita, a kidney dialysis center. A graduate of the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science, Dr. Loewenherz completed an internship, residency and fellowship at the University of Miami Affiliated Hospitals with a subspecialty in nephrology. Dr. Loewenherz is Board-certified in internal medicine and nephrology and Board-eligible in critical care medicine. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology and of the American College of Physicians. He has served as course director of many medical education symposiums and has been published extensively on subjects relating to hyperbaric decompression, renal insufficiency associated with decompression sickness and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Dr. Loewenherz served as a panel member on the Lab Review Committee of the Naval Medical Research and Development Command for the U.S. Navy, is a consultant to Boy Scouts of America, South Florida National High Adventure Sea Base for SCUBA and related issues and medical consultant to Dade County Fire Rescue for diving emergencies. As a licensed commercial pilot, Dr. Loewenherz is a Senior FAA Aviation Medical Examiner. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of South Miami Hospital.
Larry Purnell, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN
Professor Emeritus, University of Delaware, College of Health Sciences
Adjunct Professor, Florida International University
Consulting Faculty, Excelsior College, Albany, New York
Bio
Dr. Larry Purnell developed The Purnell Model for Cultural Competence, used by a variety of healthcare providers to help meet the cultural needs of a diverse population of patients, their families and communities. Professor Emeritus of the University of Delaware College of Health Sciences and Adjunct Professor at Florida International University, Dr. Purnell received his bachelor’s of science in nursing from Kent State University, his master’s of science in nursing from Rush University in Chicago and his Ph.D. in health services administration from Columbia Pacific University in Mill Valley, Ca. He is the author of more than 100 journal articles, 100 book chapters and 14 books. In 2013, the fourth edition of “Transcultural Healthcare: A Culturally Competent Approach” was published. The first edition has been translated into Spanish, French, Flemish, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, German, Arabic and Korean. Dr. Purnell has been recognized for his work with a variety of honors, including the 2012 Nurse Educator Award from Excelsior College, the Transcultural Nursing Society International Leadership Award and is the U.S. Representative to the European Union Commission on Intercultural Communication resulting from the Salamanca, Sorbonne, Bologna and WHO Declarations. He is the recipient of a $1.95 million team grant from the Kellogg Foundation for the American Academy of Nursing to conduct research on racial and ethnic vulnerable populations in eight sites throughout the United States.
Lawrence A. Schiffman, D.O., FAOCD
Dermatologist, Baptist and South Miami Hospitals
Miami, Florida
Bio
Dr. Schiffman is a Board-certified general, surgical and cosmetic dermatologist in Miami, Florida. Dr. Schiffman graduated with honors in microbiology from the University of Miami in 1996. As a New Jersey native, he received his medical degree from the School of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 2000. In 2001, Dr Schiffman completely his internship at the Kennedy Health System and Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, New Jersey. He later completed his dermatology residency at St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway, New York. Dr. Schiffman has published numerous articles in various medical journals and presents lectures often.
Daniel Varon, M.D.
Associate Medical Director, Wien Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders
Mount Sinai Medical Center
Miami Beach, Florida
Bio
Dr. Varon completed his medical school training in Bogota, Colombia, at Javeriana University. He then went on to complete a combined Neurology/Psychiatry residency at the Medical University of South Carolina. He implemented and ran a Memory Disorders Clinic in Bogota. In 2007 he went to University of Pittsburgh to complete a fellowship in Geriatric Psychiatry at Western Psychiatric Institute. He was Medical Director for the Partial Hospitalization Program and Inpatient Geriatric Psychiatric Unit at Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital in Baltimore. In 2009 he joined Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach as the Associate Medical Director of the Wien Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders.
Dr. Varon is Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, has written several publications on the topic of dementia and has extensive experience in the diagnosis and management of dementia and neuropsychiatric disorders in the elderly.
Raúl de Velasco, M.D., FACP
Nephrologist, Baptist, South Miami and Homestead Hospitals
Chair, BHSF Bioethics Committee and Baptist Hospital Clinical Ethics Committee
Director, Clinical Ethics University of Miami Ethics Program
Voluntary Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Miami, Florida
Bio
Dr. de Velasco, Voluntary Associate Professor of Medicine, received his medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. After his medical internship at Jackson Memorial Hospital, he joined the Indian Division of the Public Health Service, serving as a medical officer in the Zuni and Navajo reservations for two years. Returning to Miami, he completed his internal medicine residency and nephrology fellowship at the Jackson Memorial/Veterans Administrations programs with the University of Miami. He is Board-certified in internal medicine and nephrology. Dr. de Velasco practiced nephrology in the Miami area for about 30 years, serving on numerous medical staff committees in local hospitals. He is past president of the Florida Society of Nephrology and former Medical Director of Kendall Dialysis Center. He chairs the Baptist Health System Bioethics Committee and the Clinical Ethics Committee at Baptist Health South Florida. He is a graduate student in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Miami. His main philosophical interests are in Pragmatism, the ethics of organ donation, and empathy as grounding medical ethics and morality.
Tomas Villanueva, D.O., MBA
Hospitalist, Internal Medicine, Baptist, South Miami and West Kendall Baptist Hospitals
Assistant Vice President and Medical Director, Baptist Health Medical Group
Miami, Florida
Bio
Dr. Villanueva has been in practice since 1995, first in a traditional internal medicine practice for 10 years and then as a full-time hospitalist since 2005. He is a member of the inaugural class of Senior Fellows for the Society of Hospital Medicine and serves on many national committees for the Society, including leadership and transitions of care. He is the immediate Past President of the South Florida Chapter of the Society of Hospital Medicine and has published in national journals and books.
He received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine with Honors from Nova Southeastern University, where he presently holds a position as Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine in addition to holding the same teaching position at Florida International University, College of Medicine. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital where he received the “Eric Reiss Award for Outstanding Teachings”. He is double boarded in Internal and Palliative Care Medicine. Dr. Villanueva also has a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Miami, School of Business, in Health Administration and Policy. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physician Executives. He has a vast experience in networking among multiple physician specialties and establishing policies and programs.
Disclosures and Resolution of Conflict of Interest
Baptist Health South Florida requires resolution of all conflicts of interest to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all CME programming. Conflicts of interest of any individuals who control CME content will be identified and resolved prior to this educational activity. Full disclosure will be made in the syllabus. Presenters will also disclose discussion of off-label uses.