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When New York entrepreneur Joel Horowitz was diagnosed with solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) in 2018, he didn’t just enter treatment — he entered the fight.
In this powerful conversation, Dr. Peter Crane is joined by Joel and renowned sarcoma specialist Dr. Gina D’Amato, clinical lead of the Sarcoma Program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami. Together, they share the story of how one patient’s passion and generosity helped ignite a groundbreaking research initiative that is already reshaping what’s possible for people living with SFT.
Joel recounts his diagnosis, his exposure history as a 9/11 survivor, and the moment he realized he wanted to fund the team he believed could change the future of this disease. Dr. D’Amato shares the extraordinary progress underway — from engineered mouse models and molecular profiling to a newly launched global patient registry designed to finally bring answers to a cancer so rare that most oncologists may see only one case in their career.
This episode is about science, yes — but even more, it’s about hope, human connection, and the belief that when patients, clinicians, and researchers unite, lives can change.
Highlights
💬 A Patient’s Mission — How Joel transformed fear into momentum, becoming a key force behind a major research initiative.
🧬 Behind the Research — Dr. D’Amato explains the three-pronged strategy: molecular profiling, engineered mouse models, and a global SFT registry.
🌍 Registry for the World — Why solitaryfibroustumor.org is a breakthrough moment for patients, families, and clinicians.
🔥 Matching Hope With Action — Joel’s commitment to match up to $100,000 in donations to accelerate clinical trial development.
🏥 The Dream Team — How collaboration across Miami, New York, Spain, and Texas is pushing SFT research into new territory.
Top 3 Takeaways
- Connection Changes Outcomes.
Progress accelerates when patients, researchers, and clinicians move together with shared purpose. - Data Is Power.
The new global registry is the key to understanding SFT and developing targeted, effective treatments. - Hope Requires Movement.
Funding, awareness, and participation from patients and families directly shape the research that may save lives.
About Joel Horowitz
Joel Horowitz is a New York entrepreneur and longtime advocate for solitary fibrous tumor research. After surviving 9/11 and later receiving an SFT diagnosis, Joel chose not only to fight his own disease but also to support the scientific team he believed could change the future for others.
His philanthropic leadership created the Horowitz Solitary Fibrous Tumor Initiative, funding molecular research, mouse models, and the global SFT patient registry. His commitment continues today as he pledges to match up to $100,000 in new donations to advance clinical trials.
About Dr. Gina D’Amato
Gina D’Amato, MD is a nationally recognized sarcoma medical oncologist and Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami. She serves as the Medical Director of the Comprehensive Treatment Unit, Assistant Director of Clinical Research, and the Administrator of the Horowitz Solitary Fibrous Tumor Initiative Fund, a program accelerating research and clinical discovery for patients living with solitary fibrous tumor (SFT).
Research Fund: https://development.miami.edu/page.aspx?pid=383&id=ec01162f-1d17-4c44-89d6-addb185e07b5
A University of Miami alumna from undergraduate training through medical school and residency, Dr. D’Amato completed her hematology/oncology fellowship at the Moffitt Cancer Center, where she trained under world-renowned sarcoma leaders including Dr. Trent. For more than two decades, she has led and contributed to numerous Phase 1–3 clinical trials through the National Cancer Institute and industry partners, and she remains a dedicated educator through her leadership in the Oncology Pathway at the Miller School of Medicine.
Dr. D’Amato oversees multiple arms of the SFT research initiative — including molecular profiling, engineered mouse models, and the newly launched Solitary Fibrous Tumor Patient Registry, now open globally.
Registry: https://www.solitaryfibroustumor.org/
With more than 25 peer-reviewed publications, NIH-funded research, and deep expertise in connective tissue oncology, Dr. D’Amato is widely regarded for her scientific leadership, compassionate patient care, and commitment to advancing treatment options for individuals facing rare sarcomas.
About the Host:
Dr. Peter Crane is a board-certified physician, educator, and storyteller with a heart for service and a calling to spotlight doctors who make a difference—in their communities, in medicine, and in the lives they touch.
Through Doctors Making a Difference, he brings you into intimate conversations with physicians who have overcome challenges, redefined success, and found purpose in and beyond the clinic. His goal is simple: to help more doctors stay in medicine by showing them what's possible.
About the Show:
Doctors Making a Difference is more than a podcast—it’s a movement to highlight the good, the gritty, and the deeply human side of medicine.
In every episode, Dr. Peter Crane interviews physicians whose stories defy the script. From burnout recovery to bold career pivots, health challenges to quiet leadership, this show honors the truth that healing begins with connection—and doctors, too, deserve to be whole.
Visit: doctorsmakingadifference.com
LMC Series Note:
Living with Metastatic Cancer (LMC) explores the science, decisions, and day-to-day realities of life with advanced disease—through candid physician–patient conversations.
