Alongtime advocate for South Florida cancer patients, Jayne S. Malfitano became the new chair of the Board of Governors of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine.
“It is truly an honor to take on this leadership role on behalf of Sylvester’s outstanding professional team,” said Malfitano. “Every day, our physicians, nurses, therapists and other health care professionals go the extra mile to deliver compassionate personalized care and support to patients, family members and survivors facing the life-changing challenge of cancer.”
Malfitano has been a member of Sylvester’s Board of Governors since 2001, serving most recently as vice chair. She succeeded Adam Carlin, managing director at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, who recently retired as chair but continues to serve on the board. Malfitano is the daughter of Harcourt M. Sylvester Jr., whose several multimillion-dollar gifts in the 1980s allowed the University of Miami to open Sylvester on the medical school campus in 1992. Since then, she has remained steadfast in her A Legacy of Service commitment to making exceptional cancer care available throughout South Florida, and she calls it an honor and privilege to carry on her father’s legacy.
As the president of the Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Foundation, a philanthropic foundation with a commitment to Sylvester for more than three decades, Malfitano is focused on helping Sylvester create a larger impact and broader reach to help those who are underserved or lack access to screening and care. Endowment funds from the foundation, together with funds from The Pap Corps Champions for Cancer Research, have helped establish the Sylvester Game Changer vehicles that provide mobile screening for cancer, as well as open 10 satellite centers. In total, the foundation has given more than $62 million to the University of Miami. Most recently, the foundation provided a $5 million gift to Sylvester’s research and clinical services to support survivorship. In addition to her work with the foundation, Malfitano is an active member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees and the UHealth Board of Directors.