Throughout his career, Dr. Dipen J. Parekh has distinguished himself as an expert in Urology. He is considered one of the world’s most experienced and talented robotic surgeons in urologic oncology, and his transformative research is changing the landscape of clinical practice in his field.

A year after joining the faculty of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in 2012, Parekh received the American Urological Association’s prestigious Gold Cystoscope Award, which recognizes urologists who have made outstanding contributions to the profession. Now, Parekh is on the cusp of another milestone—being the founding director of the Desai Sethi Urology Institute at the Miller School, created through an extraordinary commitment of $20 million from the Desai Sethi Family Foundation.

President Julio Frenk says the way faculty, staff, and students navigated and leveraged unforeseen circumstances gives him great confidence that the University is rising to its potential. “In some areas of endeavor, including remote learning, telehealth, and telework, we have seen more progress in the past year than we had in the prior decade,” Frenk says. “We have witnessed—and will continue to embrace—not only our resiliency in the face of challenges but our ability to truly transform the way we think and interact.”

“This generous gift will transform our ability to expand the scope and influence of our work, creating a thriving environment for new discoveries in the field that will benefit patients worldwide,” says Parekh, the chief operating officer at the University of Miami Health System, executive dean for clinical affairs and chair of the Department of Urology at the Miller School, and the Victor A. Politano, M.D. Endowed Chair in Urology.

“We are dedicated to exploring the latest discoveries in the laboratory and accelerating the most promising therapies from the lab into our clinics for the best possible treatment for patients,” says Parekh, who is also director of robotic surgery and works closely with the NCI-designated Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Miller School.

Located in South Florida, the institute will affirm the Miller School as a global leader in the
field and be an international destination for care, attracting the brightest minds and recruiting the most talented physician-scientists dedicated to the study and treatment of urologic disorders field.

“The Desai Sethi Family Foundation’s generosity propels the University into the upper echelon of institutes dedicated to the discovery and treatment of urologic disease—not just in South Florida, but worldwide,” says President Julio Frenk. “We are grateful for this commitment to the types of advances in health care that are only possible at an academic health system.”

The Desai Sethi Family Foundation commitment is part of Ever Brighter: The Campaign for Our Next Century. The most ambitious in the University’s history, the fundraising campaign has already secured more than $1.8 billion toward its $2.5 billion goal.

The institute has received additional support from philanthropic benefactors.

Shortly after the Desai Sethi gift announcement, Eliza and Hugh Culverhouse Jr. made a $1 million donation to support the institute and honor Parekh, who performed Hugh Culverhouse’s successful prostate surgery.

“The outcome has been nothing short of incredible,” says Hugh Culverhouse Jr., a South Florida attorney and businessman. “I live without the fear of dying in the same manner as my father and grandfather. A life without fear is precious.”

In February a prominent South Florida couple, Terry and Carla Taylor, announced they were making a $3 million commitment to further position the Miller School as a global leader in the field of urology.

The Miller School’s Department of Urology has conducted research that has notably advanced the science of urology, publishing work on the efficacy of robotic surgery, urologic cancers, men’s health, endourology, male infertility, and in treating various urologic diseases.

The institute will provide access to a multitude of patients from differing backgrounds and cultures and will be an international destination for care. Institute researchers will be able to study health disparities in the treatment of both men and women with urological issues.

“The creation of the Desai Sethi Urology Institute will be a new crown jewel for our health system,” says Stuart Miller, J.D. ’82, chairman of the UHealth Board of Directors, chair of Ever Brighter: The Campaign for Our Next Century, and a University of Miami trustee. “This is an important milestone in the University’s Ever Brighter fundraising campaign. This commitment demonstrates that UHealth and the Miller School of Medicine are at the forefront of patient care, research, and innovation, and are the leading health care system in our community.”

Dr. Henri R. Ford, dean and chief academic officer of the Miller School, describes the creation of the institute as transformative. “This is a defining moment that will distinctly elevate the level of groundbreaking research in urologic diseases, ultimately benefiting patients and impacting how we share that knowledge with the next generation of physician-researchers,” says Ford.

MAKING AN IMPACT ON MULTIPLE FRONTS

Several notable gifts announced recently benefit a number of areas of study, key initiatives, and student scholarships—all part of Ever Brighter: The Campaign for Our Next Century.

In December, Laurie Silvers, B.A. ’74, J.D. ’77, chair of the University of Miami Board of Trustees, and her husband, Mitchell Rubenstein, donated $2.5 million to the School of Law, just the latest example of generous giving she has made to the University she describes as having a “profound influence on her life.” Silvers has had a brilliant career in communications law, as an entrepreneur, and as a visionary who built a media conglomerate of radio, TV, and cable, including founding one of cable television’s most popular networks, the SyFy Channel.

By any measure, Michele Bowman Underwood has a life well lived—worldly, well traveled, sporting, and adventurous. An avid golfer and multilingual explorer, she embraced the University with a gift that supports several areas of sport and study. Having had no children, Bowman Underwood says that “the University of Miami is my child.” In that spirit, she has made a $25 million bequest that will benefit the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures—named in her honor at a reception in the College of Arts and Sciences on Feb. 9. The generous gift also will fund research focused on women’s health at the Miller School of Medicine and provide scholarships and program support for the women’s golf team. Bowman Underwood has previously supported the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and the Department of Chemistry.

The Carmen and Joe Unanue Family Foundation, led by Andy Unanue, B.B.A. ’91, donated $3.3 million to the Miami Herbert Business School in honor of Unanue’s late parents, who led philanthropic initiatives in education and health care through the foundation that carries their names. The donation, matched by the Herbert Challenge Endowment Gift Match for a total of $5 million, will strengthen the school’s capabilities to prepare graduate students to successfully enter the workforce or advance their careers upon graduation. An alumnus of the business school and managing partner of AUA Private Equity Partners, Unanue says, “My parents always wanted to help educate people and prepare them for the real world so that they could get good jobs with which to provide for their families.”

For Jeff Kinkead, M.B.A. ’85, and his wife, Mimi Ragolta Kinkead, Hurricane athletics is a source of pride that has inspired them to maintain close ties with the University through the decades. The couple announced a planned bequest of $1 million in support of scholarships and career development for student-athletes. “I feel like the University gave me something so much greater than what I’m giving back. It helped me to mature, to become a man, to get educated, and to get started in the business world,” says Jeff Kinkead, CEO of Advanced Systems Resources, a company specializing in mobile technology solutions.