Program Overview
The Gastric and Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer Care Program is a collaborative, study-based partnership between Mount Sinai Medical Center and the University of Florida. It is designed to expand access to high-quality, specialized care for individuals in rural communities who are diagnosed with gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer.
This program aims to connect patients with dedicated nurse navigators who connect them directly with the most appropriate physicians in their community. These physicians then review each diagnosis and develop a personalized care plan, helping to ensure that patients receive treatment aligned with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines — the recognized gold standard in gastric and GEJ cancer care.
Explore Our Program
Meet the Team
Principal Investigator
The goals of the principal investigator and this study are to improve the high mortality rates for gastric and gastrosophageal junction cancer in certain rural regions of Florida. Patients with gastric cancer experience significant delays in the pretreatment phase, from symptom onset to cancer diagnosis, which need to be investigated and addressed…
Co-Principal Investigator
The goals of the investigators in this study are to improve the high mortality rates for gastric cancer in certain rural regions of Florida. It is hoped that through education and navigation, we can give patients better choices for care and help them in their fight against cancer…
Clinical Research Coordinator
Laura Isabel Varela Restrepo is a hematology and clinical oncology specialist with more than 16 years of experience in both inpatient and outpatient cancer care. Most recently, she served over 10 years in Medellín, Colombia, where she regularly had to develop personalized treatment plans and oversee multidisciplinary teams in the oncology unit…
Nurse Navigator
Alexandra M. Mayor is a registered nurse who has experience in oncology infusion and clinical research. She has provided direct care to patients at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she administered supportive treatments to patients undergoing infusion therapies and guided them through complex care plans…
Community Outreach Coordinator
Hannah Sprinkle holds a Master of Public Health with a specialization on Maternal and Child Health from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Medical Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill…
Clinical Research Fellow
Abdul-Qahar Yasinzai is an early-career investigator working with the gastrointestinal and genitourinary oncology teams at the University of Florida Health Cancer Center at Gainesville. He completed his medical education from Bolan Medical College…
Dr. Carla VandeWeerd is a faculty member at the University of Florida and Founding Director of the UF Health Precision Health Research Center in The Villages®, Florida. With over 18 years of experience, she has led more than $20 million in research focused on aging, health and technology…
Nurse Navigator, GI Oncology
Taylor Fradella began her nursing career in 2021 after earning her Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) from Santa Fe College. She spent her early years in the field at UF Health on the medical oncology inpatient unit…