Gaetano Ciancio, professor of surgery, has been named director of the Miami Transplant Institute, a joint program between the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Jackson Memorial Hospital.

In his new role, Ciancio will oversee operations of the Miami Transplant Institute (MTI), one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive transplant centers. The institute was formed five years ago, advancing the UM/Jackson transplant program’s 42-year history of world-renowned faculty performing more than 500 transplant procedures annually, playing a major role in kidney, liver, intestinal, heart, lung, and pancreas transplantation.

Gaetano Ciancio

MTI is also a leader in multi-visceral transplantation. More than half of the reported multi-organ transplants in the world have been performed at MTI, the only Florida hospital to perform every type of organ transplant.

“Gaetano is a surgeon’s surgeon and a passionate, revered educator and transplant researcher,” said Pascal J. Goldschmidt, senior vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Miller School and CEO of UHealth – University of Miami Health System. “Under his leadership, the Miami Transplant Institute will not only continue to lead the way but will also break ground in perfecting lifesaving transplant techniques.”

“Dr. Ciancio is a pioneer in transplantation and is widely praised for his contributions as a clinician, a researcher, and an educator,” said Carlos A. Migoya, president and CEO of Jackson Health System. “He is the perfect person to lead Miami Transplant Institute toward continued success.”

A native of Italy who grew up in Venezuela, Ciancio completed his surgical residency and fellowship in transplantation at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center in 1995, then joined the Miller School faculty as an assistant professor of clinical surgery in the Division of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation. He later earned his M.B.A. in health administration from UM.

At UM/Jackson, Ciancio has distinguished himself as a leader in transplantation and has served as the director of urologic transplant surgery. He has traveled throughout the world as a visiting professor and has helped establish kidney transplant programs at hospitals abroad. He is an advocate of organ donation and works tirelessly to address the critical shortage of donor organs by educating the South Florida community about the need.

Researchers from the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science ply the waters of the Gulf of Mexico during a study that analyzes the effect of marine currents on the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Scientists have embarked on a three-week expedition aboard the R/V F. G. Walton Smith in the Gulf of Mexico to understand how surface ocean currents near the site of the Deepwater Horizon influence the fate and transport of oil and dispersants, like those from the 2010 spill. In other words, they will investigate where pollutants travel and how fast they get there. This experiment is an essential step in understanding the elusive ocean surface currents that transport pollutants.

This unprecedented expedition marks the first time that a study of this magnitude will map the relatively unknown surface currents found in the Gulf of Mexico. In the past, only a handful of monitoring devices were set adrift along the currents. This summer, more than 300 custom-made buoys known as “drifters” will be released during the Grand Lagrangian Deployment (GLAD).

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Rita Bornstein, Ph.D. ’75, president emerita of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and former vice president for development at the University of Miami, has been honored with the prestigious E. Burr Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award from CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education). The award honors an individual whose professional accomplishments have made a significant and lasting impact on the field of advancement and whose life and character have earned the respect and admiration of his or her professional colleagues. Bornstein was presented with the award at CASE Summit 2012, a conference of senior higher education advancement professionals recently held in Washington, D.C.

A nationally recognized leader in higher education and the advancement field, Bornstein was named president of Rollins College in 1990. During her 14 years at the helm, she led Rollins through various levels of achievement, including its most ambitious fundraising effort, which raised more than $160 million for academic programs, scholarships, faculty chairs, and facilities.

Bornstein, who launched her teaching and administrative career at North Miami Beach Senior High, began her tenure in higher education at UM, where she ultimately became vice president for development and a research professor of education. From 1985 to 1990, Bornstein, former President Edward T. Foote II, and the late James McLamore, co-founder of Burger King, ran one of the nation’s largest-ever academic fundraising campaigns, netting more than $517 million for the University on a goal of $400 million, despite a major economic recession. She is a member of Iron Arrow and recipient of the James W. McLamore Outstanding Service Award. Bornstein’s late husband was UM education professor Harland G. Bloland.

Rita Bornstein, center, receives her award and is joined by Sergio Gonzalez, right, UM senior vice president for university advancement and external affairs and a member of the CASE board of trustees, and Linda Steckley, M.B.A. ’87, left, who spent 10 years in leadership roles in UM’s Division of University Advancement and is now senior major gifts officer with the Chautauqua Foundation.

Bornstein was elected chair of the CASE Board of Trustees in 2005. In that capacity, she oversaw CASE’s expansion into Asia-Pacific, Mexico, and Africa as well as a renewed focus on ethics and diversity in the advancement profession. She has served as a mentor to many professionals during the past 35 years and continues to build her influence and reputation through writing, speaking, and assisting heads of institutions.

“Rita has served higher education with distinction for more than 35 years,” said CASE President John Lippincott. “She has written and spoken extensively on the important relationship between academic leaders and advancement professionals. She has been a pioneer and role model, first as a woman who moved into the top ranks of advancement and then as an advancement professional who moved into a presidency.”

Seven UM students have been awarded 2012-2013 Fulbright scholarships to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. The recipients are among the approximately 1,700 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2012-2013 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and represent the largest class to date of outbound UM Student Fulbright Scholars.

Jethro Cessant ’12 (English Teaching Assistant Grant, South Korea) intends to use his experience as an ESL teacher and former ESL student to impart knowledge of the English language to his students in a way that will build up their confidence. A double major in International Finance and Marketing (School of Business Administration) and Psychology (College of Arts and Sciences), he also hopes to intern at a local business firm as a way to further exchange knowledge about U.S. and Korean culture.

Leah Danville ’12 (English Teaching Assistant Grant, Malaysia) plans to emphasize experiential learning to bring a diverse and comprehensive understanding of English language to the Malaysian classroom. As an African-American female, she hopes to provide students with a different perspective of American English and culture. Leah, who graduated from UM’s School of Communication, also looks forward to contributing to the preservation of Malaysia’s social and natural wealth through community service.

Justin Pressman ’12 (Study Grant, Russia), a graduate of the Frost School of Music, will study orchestral conducting at the Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg Conservatory under the tutelage of maestro Leonid Korchmar. He also plans to intern at the Mariinsky Theater in order to further his understanding of the musical and administrative aspects needed to be a successful conductor.

Stephanie Ruiz ’12 (English Teaching Assistant Grant, Turkey) was previously exposed to Turkish culture and language as an exchange student at Koc University in Istanbul, which will help her foster a positive dialogue with her students. Outside the classroom Ruiz, a graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, will engage in community service programs, such as minority education initiatives.

Jill Ulrich ’11 (Study Grant, Germany) will conduct anti-malarial drug research at the University of Heidelberg’s state-of-the-art parasitology lab under the guidance of Michel Lanzer. Her research will point to new policies for malaria treatment programs by furthering the understanding of Plasmodium’s drug resistance mechanisms. A graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, Ulrich intends to involve herself with the German Society of Parasitology “Young Parasitologists” Program and entertain her love of salsa dancing at the small Salsa Academy in Heidelberg.

Carolyn Zimmerman, Doctoral Candidate, Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences (Study Grant, Italy) will examine the military defeat of Siena in 1555 and examine how an elite civic and academic culture responded to the forced shift in their moral, social, religious, and gendered values resulting from their newly dependent status.

Jessica Zucker ’12 (English Teaching Assistant Grant, South Korea) plans to use her role as an ETA to encourage her students to pursue their dreams. Drawing on her leadership experience at UM, where she was a student in the College of Arts and Sciences, Zucker hopes to institute Women’s Lacrosse and Model UN teams at her Korean school to help her students develop confidence outside the classroom.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 300,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists in more than 150 countries the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

The UM campus deadline for 2013-2014 U.S. Student Fulbright applicants is August 13, 2012.  Click here for details.

“Imagine waking up every day to the sound of coquís chirping, a delicious hot breakfast, the rainforest cooled from an overnight rain, and the sun gleaming through the surrounding trees. But more than that, it was the people that made it beautiful.”

This is how Jae Shrader, a senior at the University of Miami, described her recent visit to Puerto Rico as the president of UM’s Earth Alert. Read the full story