Marcelo Laufer, MD, has been elected president of the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Medical Staff for 2017 through 2019. In this role he also serves as chair of the hospital’s Medical Executive Committee, the 15-member governing body for the 780-member medical staff.
Dr. Laufer is with the hospital’s Division of Infectious Diseases. He earned his medical degree from the Universidad Nacional de Asuncion School of Medicine in Paraguay. He completed his pediatric residency and a fellowship in infectious diseases and immunology at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Moises Simpser, who serves with the hospital’s Division of Pulmonology, was elected vice president. Dr. Simpser received his medical training in Mexico City. He completed his fellowship in pulmonary disease and pulmonary physiology at Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital.
Other members of the medical executive committee for 2017 include:
- Anselmo Cepero-Akselrad, MD
- Julio Egusquiza, MD
- Luis Gonzalez-Mendoza, MD
- Ruben Gonzalez-Vallina, MD
- Ziad Khatib, MD
- Alex B. Koetzle, MD
- Sarah Legorburu-Selem, MD
- Leopoldo Malvezzi, MD
- L. Santiago Medina, MD
- Rigoberto Nuñez, MD
- Jose Rosa-Olivares, MD
- Efren Salinero, MD
In addition, the committee includes four non-voting administrative members.
About Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Where Your Child Matters Most ™ (2025)
Nicklaus Children's Hospital is South Florida's #1 nonprofit, freestanding specialty licensed hospital exclusively for children. With more than 850 physicians, including over 500 pediatric subspecialists, the hospital and its network of outpatient centers and offices serve close to 70 percent of children in the Miami market. The only "where your child matters most™,” Nicklaus Children's is home to the region's most advanced Kenneth C. Griffin Surgical Tower, and its centers of excellence Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, the Nicklaus Children’s Orthopedics, Sports Health and Spine Institute, Nicklaus Children’s Brain Institute and Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute. The Nicklaus Children's Hospital's Transfer Center, Nick4Kids, and LifeFlight are responsible for transporting and saving close to 5,000 lives a year. Our 325-bed hospital, which is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, has many specialty programs routinely ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. Nicklaus Children's is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States and since 2003 has been designated an American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession's most prestigious institutional honor. For more information, please visit www.nicklauschildrens.org.