Dr. Joshua Raff joined our Scientific Advisory Board in Spring 2004. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, and continued with post-baccalaureate studies in the same field at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Dr. Raff studied medicine in Israel at Tel Aviv University in the American Program. His clinical training took place at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, NY, where he completed his internship and residency in internal medicine, as well as his fellowship in hematology and oncology. He is Board Certified in both hematology and medical oncology.
Dr. Raff has recently joined the Westchester community of practicing physicians, and is part of a sub-specialty hematology / oncology practice in White Plains, NY. He is credentialed at White Plains Hospital where he is a member of the Transfusion Committee and the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee. In addition to the diagnosis and treatment of blood disorders, he has an interest in the clinical application of the new class of cancer drugs referred to as biotherapies, or "targeted therapies". These agents are specifically designed to target specific molecular features of tumor cells. Dr. Raff has participated in the design and writing of experimental studies with such novel agents, including the angiogenesis inhibitor Avastin, and the compound Genasense, which may bind to and block tumor DNA. He looks forward to helping the Cancer Cure Coalition integrate the many, new and rapidly developing aspects of cancer care into its mission of community education, patient advocacy and preventive health.
Dr. George M Suarez is a board certified urologist currently based in Miami, Florida. He is a practicing physician and surgeon who is also highly active in clinical research and development, lecturing, consulting and volunteering.
Dr. Suarez has authored numerous chapters, articles and textbooks on prostate disease, incontinence and impotence. A modern pioneer within his areas of specialty, he has been involved in the development of several procedures including high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). Aside from physicians participating in U.S. clinical trials for HIFU, he is the only urologist currently performing the procedure in North, South and Central America. He was originally trained in the procedure at the University of Indiana, where Phase I clinical trials took place.
To help further his mission of curing prostate disease and eliminating its effects, Dr. Suarez founded Prostate Health Care (www.prostatehealthcare.org), a non-profit organization that seeks to promote public awareness of the latest scientific research and available treatment options. He also founded the non-profit International HIFU Society to help advance clinical trials in HIFU, train urologists in the procedure and educate the public.
Dr. Suarez is a former faculty member of the University of Miami School of Medicine. He completed his urology residency and fellowship at Tulane University Medical School in New Orleans and his general surgery training at Northwestern University in Chicago.
Dr. Suarez has received numerous awards for his work, including the American Urological Association’s prestigious Montague Boyd Award for excellence in research and the T. Leon Howard Award. He is an active member of many medical and urology societies including the Societe Internationale D’Urologie, the European Association of Urology, the International Continence Society, and the New York Academy of Sciences. He is a diplomat of the American College of Surgeons and of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Dr. Bal Lokeshwar, Ph.D. is a tenured Associate Professor of Urology and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Radiation Oncology. Lokeshwar received a combined Bachelors and Masters of Science degree in biological sciences from Birla Institute of Technology in Pilani , India . He received his Ph.D. degree from the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology at the Indian Institute of Science. He did postdoctoral training in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at St. Louis University , and later joined the Department of Radiation Oncology at Washington University School of Medicine. From that time on he decided to focus his scientific research to cancer.
Since joining the Faculty of the University of Miami School of Medicine, Dr. Lokeshwar's research has focused on the mechanism of prostate cancer metastasis and its control by novel chemotherapeutic drugs. For the last several years, research in his laboratory has focused on extracellular matrix degradation and tumor metastasis. His group has been studying the regulation of a class of basement membrane matrix degrading enzymes called the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in prostate cancer. This line of research has shown that there exists an imbalance between the levels of MMPs (overproduction) and their natural inhibitors (under production) in invasive prostate cancer cells.
Another research focus is an emphasis on chemo-prevention using 1-alpha-dihydroxy vitamin D, the hormonal form of Vitamin D. He has also identified a novel chemically modified non-antimicrobial tetracycline (COL-3) that works as an effective anti-metastatic drug with potential to treat prostate cancer metastatic to bone. The National Cancer Institute has completed the Phase I trial of this drug and awaiting further trials. Other novels agents are being tested in Dr. Lokeshwar's laboratory not only for controlling cancer but also other chronic diseases such as chronic ocular surface inflammation. Dr. Lokeshwar's research has brought in one patent to the University of Miami jointly with State University of New York at Stony Brooke and two patents are pending on the new application of his research findings.
He is honored to join the Scientific Advisory Board of the Cancer Cure Coalition and looks forward to working with the other members of its team to help educate the public about new and less toxic treatments for cancer, as well as the role of nutrition in helping to prevent the development of disease.
Dr. James L. Goddard has an M.P.H from the Harvard School of Public Health and an M.D. degree from George Washington University School of Medicine. He is currently serving as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry. His medical career has included positions such as: Program Advisor for Family Planning at the Ford Foundation in New Delhi, India; Vice President of Health Services for EDP Technology in Atlanta, Georgia; Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Washington, D.C.; Chief of the Communicable Disease Center in Atlanta, Georgia, among others.
His teaching appointments include Georgia State College, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Ohio State University and George Washing University School of Medicine. Among his long list of honors and awards are: The Samuel Bronfman Prize for Public Health Achievement; Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from Emory University; Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from University of Michigan; Honorary Doctor of Science Degree at Mt. Union College; Federal Bar Association Liberty Bell Award; American Medical Authors Distinguished Service Award; George Washington University Award of Merit.
