image: Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., has been awarded the American Society of Hematology’s (ASH) Mentor Award for 2024. As director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Nimer is known for lifting up and guiding other researchers to create a collaborative environment that drives scientific discovery and quality patient care.
Credit: Photo by Sylvester Cancer
MIAMI, FLORIDA (DEC. 11, 2024) – Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., has been awarded the American Society of Hematology’s (ASH) Mentor Award for 2024. He is one of two individuals receiving the award this year from the society which has more than 18,000 members.
As director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Nimer is known for lifting up and guiding other researchers to create a collaborative environment that drives scientific discovery and quality patient care.
“This is a tremendous achievement,” said Mikkael Sekeres, M.D., M.S., chief of the Division of Hematology at Sylvester. “It really reflects the culture that Stephen has established here at Sylvester of empathic mentorship.”
“Like most of us, I don’t seek any external recognition for what I do, except from my patients,” said Nimer, who is also the executive dean for research and a professor of medicine, biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “Thus, I was not expecting this award, but it's still thrilling to be acknowledged for the mentoring I’ve done and the people I've helped train,” he added.
The society recognized Sylvester’s director for his impact on more than 100 hematology trainees, who have gone on to have thriving careers. Nimer serves as a role model and “instills in them the importance of thinking critically and embracing challenges,” ASH said in a statement.
ASH called his mentorship “tailored, encouraging and community focused.”
Skate to Where the Puck Is Going To Be
Nimer’s mentorship is felt at multiple levels throughout Sylvester and beyond. He mentors students, fellows, and junior faculty in his research lab, which studies hematologic malignancies. He participates in a formal mentorship program for new faculty at Sylvester. And he is a more informal mentor to the many junior researchers who have worked with him over the years, many of whom still seek his advice.
That advice often comes in the form of pithy quotes that stick. One quote he shares with mentees is from the great former hockey player Wayne Gretzky: “Skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it is.” He played ice hockey in college and has a poster of Wayne Gretzky and his famous quote on his wall.
Layers of Mentorship
His love of teaching influences Nimer’s dedication to mentorship – his father was an economist who taught night school. His own mentors, like Janet Rowley, David Golde and Richard Champlin, also showed him how medicine is like a series of apprenticeships, where people with more experience train junior physician-researchers at each step of the way.
Nimer likes to help his mentees figure out their goals, and then support them by finding the right resources and people to help them meet those goals, he said.
Since joining Sylvester as its director in 2012, Nimer has overseen substantial growth of the institution and its recognition by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as an NCI-designated cancer center. The NCI renewed Sylvester’s designated status this year, giving Nimer an exceptional rating as Sylvester’s director, the top score.
“He mentors the way he runs the cancer center. He goes full steam ahead and gives of himself. He wants to make sure that the mentee is successful,” said Craig Moskowitz, M.D., Sylvester’s physician-in-chief.
“He’s incredibly supportive and very goal oriented, and wants to make sure that there's a plan that can be acted upon,” added Moskowitz.
Foundations like the Myelodysplastic Syndromes Foundation, where Nimer serves as director, also benefit from his mentorship.
Bringing People Together
A network of Nimer’s mentees reaches back decades and extends across different institutions, including Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer, where he previously held several leadership roles.
When he walks down the halls at scientific meetings, Nimer typically runs into several people he has long known or mentored previously and catches up with them. At the annual ASH meetings, he convenes a breakfast of former mentees who swap stories and advice. The event usually brings in a different milieu each year, creating a warm and familiar atmosphere. “It’s one of the greatest pleasures for me at ASH,” he said, reflecting on the connections and shared experiences that continue to enrich his professional journey.
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