Congratulations to Tiffany Juarez, PhD for the Mission Spirit Award

Congratulations to Tiffany Juarez, PhD, for receiving the Saint John’s Cancer Institute Q3 2020 Mission Spirit Award! Tiffany is an incredible Program Manager in the Department of Translational Neurosciences. She is an outstanding and dedicated caregiver who truly lives the spirit of our Mission and Core Values, going above and beyond the call of duty to help everyone at JWCI. She displays the Institute’s Core Values every day through her passion for science to help patients in our care. Join us in thanking Tiffany for living our Mission during this critical time of service in our ministry and region.

About Dr. Tiffany Juarez

Tiffany received her Doctorate in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley and has an advanced certificate in clinical trials design and management from UC San Diego.

Tiffany has been the Program Manager for Translational Research with Pacific Neuroscience Institute and JWCI at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, since 2017 Prior to joining PNI, she was in clinical trial development at the Moores UC San Diego Cancer Center and UC San Diego CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic for seven years. Working with Dr. Santosh Kesari in the Department of Translational Neurosciences and Neurotherapeutics, Tiffany has brought clinical trial concepts from physician scientists into the clinic through assistance with grant submissions, budget preparations, protocol writing, regulatory affairs, and data management.

Her goal has been to expand opportunities for investigator-initiated clinical trials to develop advanced therapeutics for treating cancer and neurological disorders. Throughout her tenure, she has helped design an immunotherapy trial for those diagnosed with high grade glioma which has been a game changer in the way traditional standard of care has been used. In addition, her work and efforts have provided patients with the opportunity to seek additional options for brain tumors and other neurological disorders.

Clinical Trials and COVID-19: Her Swift Response

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, as stressful as the situation was, Tiffany worked tirelessly to provide patients with emergency treatment options when no approved therapies existed. She helped bring the convalescent plasma trial to JWCI by organizing and coordinating processes within different departments. This trial enrolled almost 35 patients before becoming an approved emergency treatment for COVID-19.

We are grateful for Tiffany’s knowledge and work ethic which allows her to continue to make an immense impact on patients now and into the future.

About the JWCI Mission Spirit Award & Core Values

The Mission Spirit Award honors a member of our healing community who embodies the mission and values in such a manner that it serves as an example to the entire ministry. Although everyday activities can be expressions of our Mission, the Mission Spirit Award is given for outstanding examples of consistent behavior by those who serve as a role model for others as “expressions of God’s healing love.”

Mission: As expressions of God’s healing love, witnessed through the ministry of Jesus, we are steadfast in serving all, especially those who are poor and vulnerable.

The Values in Action program at Providence Saint John’s Health Center allows us to celebrate caregivers and providers who fully embody our five values of Compassion, Dignity, Justice, Excellence and Integrity. We honor those making deep commitments to our Mission and to our vision of Health for a Better World.

Contributing authors: Fariba Ahdoot, Marketing Manager, Website and Digital Strategy at Saint John’s Cancer Institute and Paul Makarewicz, Director of Mission Leadership at the Saint John’s Cancer Institute