I am a pediatric hematologist/oncologist at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. I treat patients with various cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma and solid tumors such as sarcomas, neuroblastoma, kidney, liver and germ cell tumors. I also specialize in benign blood disorders, sickle cell disease, thalassemia and bleeding disorders.

One of my favorite parts of this job is forming personal relationships with my patients and their families as I guide them through these very difficult challenges. Together, we decide on treatment regimens, which are always grounded in evidence-based medicine. Most importantly, I emphasize clear, compassionate communication to ensure a positive and effective patient experience. My patients inspire me with their courage, resilience  and trust.

I also look beyond the patient's experience during therapy and examine the late effects that can occur in survivors long after their treatment. At Nicklaus Children's Hospital, I was the founder and director of the Survivor Late Effects Program, which involved a multidisciplinary team that provided cancer survivors with support services and future surveillance plans to make sure that they thrive as they grow into adulthood.

Throughout my career, I’ve also held multiple leadership positions involving medical education and quality improvement. I was the quality control physician for the Cancer Committee for nine years and the associate director of the Pediatric Hematology Oncology Fellowship at Nicklaus Children's Hospital. As a result of my commitment to medical education, I was humbled to receive two awards: the Dr. Marielys Rodriguez-Varela Compassion in Medicine Award in June 2022 and the Attending Physician of the Year Award in June 2023.

Hospital Affiliations

• Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital
• Memorial Hospital Miramar
• Memorial Regional Hospital

Gender

• Female

Languages

• English
• Arabic

Education

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 2006

Residency

University Of Miami-Jackson Memorial Hospital, 2010, Pediatrics

Fellowships

Emory University Program, 2013, Pediatric Oncology and Hematology

Certifications

American Board of Pediatrics-Pediatric Oncology and Hematology
American Board of Pediatrics-Pediatrics

Publications

Professional Organizations

• Children’s Oncology Group (COG)
• American Society of Pediatric Hematology Oncology (ASPHO)
• American Society of Hematology (ASH)
• American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)

Presentations

• Transfusion Medicine – Pediatric Residency Noon Conference – June 6, 2019; March 14, 2023
• Hematology Review - Board Review for Annual Pediatric Hospitalist Conference – May 14, 2022
• Pediatric Hem/Onc Emergencies, part of Pediatric Emergency Medicine Lecture Series – 2021, 2022
• Cancer Survivors: More Treatments, More Cures, More Late Effects? – Grand Rounds, May 10, 2019
• Cases I Learned From: Periorbital Edema – 52nd Annual Pediatric Postgraduate Course – March 17, 2017
• Platelet Disorders – Pediatric Residency Noon Conference – September 8, 2015; 2021
• Neuroblastoma: Past, Present, & Future – Grand Rounds, March 14, 2014
• Coagulopathies: Approach to Diagnosis – Surgery Educational Conference, February 13, 2014; 2019
• Abdominal Tumors – Pediatric Residency Noon Conference – September 10, 2014; March 2015, 2016