The Brain Surgeon's Take

Dr. Nimer is the Director of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami, Florida.  He is also a world renowned hematologist, molecular biologist, and bone marrow transplant physician. Dr. Nimer was at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York for nearly 20 years, where he held the Alfred P. Sloan Chair and served as Head of the Division of Hematologic Oncology, Vice Chairman for Faculty Development, and Chief of the Hematology Service. He also served as a member of Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, an Attending Physician at Memorial Hospital, and a Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at Cornell University.

Dr. Nimer has conducted extensive clinical and basic science research into the treatment and genetic basis of adult leukemia and bone marrow failure states. He has authored over 200 scientific publications and has received numerous awards for his research, including the prestigious Irma T. Hirschl Career Scientist Award. Dr. Nimer graduated from MIT and received his MD from the University of Chicago. He completed training in Internal Medicine and Hematology/Oncology at UCLA, and joined the faculty there before moving to Memorial Sloan-Kettering in 1993.

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Dr. Born is a retired Brigadier General with 30 years of service in the United States Air Force. Prior to coming to Harvard she served two terms as the Dean of the Faculty at the United States Air Force Academy where she was also the Professor and Head of the Leadership Department. Previously, Dana served as an Exchange Officer with the Royal Australian Air Force, Assistant Director for the Secretary of Defense, Deputy Chief of the Personnel Issues Team for the Air Force, Aide and Speech Writer to the Secretary of the Air Force, and Squadron Commander for 11th Mission Support Squadron in Operation Enduring Freedom.

A graduate with distinction of the United States Air Force Academy, Dr. Born received Penn State University’s Alumni Fellow Award and Distinguished Alumni Award. Born is the recipient of the Air Force’s Zuckert Award for Outstanding Management Achievement, Air Force Association’s Vandenberg Award for outstanding contributions to Aerospace education, Air Force’s Distinguished Service Medal, and Legion of Merit and Defense Meritorious Service Medal. She has also been honored with the Harvard Kennedy School Annual Dean's Teaching Awards as well as the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Innovation in Teaching Award. Dr. Born is a Distinguished Moral Leadership Fellow.

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Robert Spetzler, MD, is a world-renowned neurosurgeon who is a pioneer and legend in the field. He has been honored by professional societies, including the American College of Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. In 1994, Dr. Spetzler was chosen to be the Honored Guest of Congress of Neurological Surgeons. At age 49, he was the youngest recipient of this prestigious honor.

Dr. Spetzler was born in Stierhoefstetten, Germany, and moved to the United States at the age of 11. He received his B.S. from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and his doctorate of medicine from Northwestern Medical School in Chicago. His postgraduate training was completed at Wesley Memorial Hospital–Northwestern in Chicago. He completed a residency in neurosurgery at the University of California – San Francisco

In 1983 Dr. Spetzler left his position as associate professor of neurosurgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland to assume a position as Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Barrow Neurological Institute at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. He served as President and CEO of Barrow from 1986 to 2017. He is also emeritus chair of neurosurgery at the Phoenix campus of The University of Arizona College of Medicine. Dr. Spetzler has published more than 300 articles and 180 book chapters in the neuroscience literature. He has co-edited a number of neurosurgical textbooks, including the Color Atlas of Microneurosurgery.

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Manuela Testolini has a deep, impact-driven history in the philanthropic space. Manuela believes that kids have the power to change the world, and created In a Perfect World to help provide them with the tools to do so. Under her leadership, In A Perfect World has created programs that provide education, mentoring and artistic expression to undeserved and at-risk youth around the world in places including Mali, Malawi, Senegal, Haiti, Nicaragua, Nepal, among others, and also in the U.S. from Los Angeles to Washington, DC and beyond, directly impacting more than 38,000 children worldwide. In addition to In A Perfect World’s work of building schools, providing grants to inner city classrooms in need, and helping to facilitate youth-driven moments of service, Manuela has created a unique Youth Ambassador Program in which she trains young people to be philanthropists and community leaders themselves.

Manuela has been involved with several nonprofit organizations and philanthropic projects including Love4One Another, Free Arts Minnesota, and the Young Women’s Empowerment Network. From this work, experience, and passion, In A Perfect World was born, and has since been widely recognized with honors including the Award of Service from United Communities Against Poverty, the GuideStar Platinum Seal Award, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Fearless Leader Award, and a recipient of the Muhammad Ali Voice of Humanity honor.

Interestingly, Manuela is also the former wife of rock legend Prince.

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Entering his 20th season with the Miami HEAT, and third as Vice President/Executive Director of the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund, Steve Stowe oversees the fundraising arm of the team, while working alongside the players and coaches to support their local philanthropic endeavors, including the Corporate Education Community Outreach Ticket Program and Pat Riley’s military appreciation initiative, Home Strong. Additionally, he acts as a liaison between the board of directors and the rest of the organization.

Stowe also organizes the annual Miami HEAT Family Festival and the annual Team Charity Gala and Concert, which have featured private performances from artists such as Kool & The Gang, Mary J. Blige, Earth, Wind & Fire, Vanilla Ice, Toni Braxton, Boyz II Men, The Temptations and The Four Tops, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Comedian Gary Owen, The Commodores and Michael McDonald. As a result of these efforts and other special events, over $20 million has been raised for local non-profit beneficiaries since the inception of the HEAT’s Charitable Fund.

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Sal Pace is Chairman of the Board for the National Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) — the nation’s largest cannabis policy reform organization. Sal is a recognized leader in cannabis reform and represented Colorado’s 46th District from 2008 to 2012, during which he served as House Minority Leader. He also served as Pueblo County Commissioner from 2013 to 2018. Pace is widely recognized as one of the nation’s most knowledgeable individuals on the subject of marijuana policy.During his time in the General Assembly, Pace played a leading role in developing Colorado’s medical marijuana model, earning him recognition as the face of regulation from news media. He served on several policy and legislative interim committees focused on cannabis, and he founded a national organization of local elected officials called Leaders For Reform. As a county commissioner, Pace led efforts to create the Institute of Cannabis Research at Colorado State University and establish the first college scholarship program funded by cannabis tax revenue. Pace serves on the board of the Institute of Cannabis Research. He is also an advisory board member for HeadCount's Cannabis Voter Project. As MPP chair, Pace handles critical cannabis policy, criminal justice reform, and racial and social justice.

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Dr. David Nolan is Chair and Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science of the University of Miami. He is an expert on hurricanes, tropical meteorology, computer modeling of weather phenomena, and tornadoes. Nolan teaches courses on Atmospheric Dynamics, the General Circulation of the Atmosphere, and Vortex Dynamics. His graduate students and post-docs use both computer simulations and atmospheric data to better understand physical processes in the atmosphere. His students have worked closely with scientists at the NOAA/AOML laboratory and the National Hurricane Center.

Dr. Nolan obtained his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Harvard University. Before coming to the University of Miami in 2002, he held research positions at UC Berkeley, Colorado State, and Princeton University. The majority of his research has been on the dynamics of hurricanes, with emphasis on their formation and intensification. Through his collaborations with NOAA, Nolan has been fortunate to fly into the centers of three different hurricanes. He has also investigated the dynamics of convection in the tropics and the fluid dynamics of tornadoes.

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Edward Miguel is the Oxfam Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics and Faculty Director of the Center for Effective Global Action at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned degrees in Economics and Mathematics from MIT, received a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University, where he was a National Science Foundation Fellow, and has been a visiting professor at Princeton University and Stanford University. Ted's main research focus is African economic development. He has published over 90 articles and chapters and his work has been cited over 30,000 times.

Miguel is a Faculty Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, is on the Board of Reviewing Editors for Science, has served as Associate Editor of the Quarterly Journal of Economics, is a recipient of the Alfred Sloan Fellowship, winner of the Kenneth Arrow Prize for Best Paper in Health Economics, and a Berkeley Hellman Fellow. Professor Miguel was elected as a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is a recipient of the UC Berkeley Distinguished Graduate Student Mentoring Award, the Berkeley Distinguished Teaching Award, the Best Graduate Adviser Award in the Berkeley Economics Department, and has served on over 110 completed doctoral dissertation committees. Ted cofounded the Center for Effective Global Action, the Working Group in African Political Economy, and the Pacific Development Conference. Miguel has written three books that have been translated into eleven languages and featured in Foreign Affairs, Forbes, and the New York Times.

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Manny Diaz is in his 2nd year as Head Football Coach of the Miami Hurricanes. Beforehand he was the team’s defensive coordinator from 2016-2018, where he catapulted the Hurricanes’ Mo defense to elite status. Coach Diaz has an impressive resume during nearly two decades as a defensive specialist coaching several collegiate programs, including Florida State, NC State, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Texas, and Louisiana Tech. He has coached in 18 bowl games, amassing a 13-5 record in bowls, and has coached numerous All-American, All-Conference, and NFL players.

As one of the nation’s elite coaches, Manny Diaz is committed to bringing back “THE U” and returning the Hurricanes into the top echelon of collegiate football programs and championship contention.

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Glioblastoma is the most aggressive type of brain tumor. It is non-genetic, rapidly forming, and the causes of it are unclear. The current treatment options are composed of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy - however are ineffective for long-term survival. The median survival of a person diagnosed with glioblastoma is about 15 months, and without treatment, the number drops to 3-6 months.

The Glioblastoma Research Organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization founded to create a locus for all things Glioblastoma. With a worldwide approach, the Glioblastoma Research Organization partners with world-renown clinics across the USA and Europe to support the research development of treatment and innovative therapies for glioblastoma. Having a global network range allows us to not only connect those seeking information regarding glioblastoma with new treatments/trials, but also to provide a community of support for those in need.

The Glioblastoma Research Organization raises awareness and funds for new global, cutting-edge research to find a cure for glioblastoma. The purpose of the Glioblastoma Research Organization is to provide financial support to doctors and researchers around the world, that are working on developing cutting-edge technologies and clinical trials through research, to increase the rate of survival in patients, and find a cure for this disease. The funds raised will be donated to our partners annually.

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