Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Sylvester retreat highlights the importance of administration in supporting the research mission.
By Jodie Nicotra
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has long emphasized team-based science as part of its mission. Sylvester breaks down individualized ‘research silos’ to achieve broader research goals.
Now, Sylvester leadership is extending this collaborative approach to the Sylvester administrative team.
‘In my role, I’m privileged to see the cancer center from the 30,000-foot view. I know what’s happening across multiple areas, and I try to bridge people where I can,’ said Lauren Ashley Whitmore, assistant vice president and associate director of administration at Sylvester. ‘But I shouldn’t be the only one with that privilege. The whole cancer center administrative team should be able to know who works on what priorities and which team members might have a solution to a problem they can apply in their own area.’
To implement these collaborative goals, the first annual Sylvester Administrative Retreat brought together more than 130 professionals who represented the full continuum of cancer center administrative functions, from leadership support to regulatory oversight. The retreat, held at the end of December, reinforced the importance of a unified administrative community in supporting patients, faculty, research and the communities Sylvester serves.
‘The retreat was valuable because it created intentional space for administrative staff across Sylvester to step away from daily responsibilities and focus on connection, alignment and shared purpose,’ said Ben Grafton, manager of research data for Sylvester. ’
Grafton served on the staff-led committee that designed the retreat with institutional strategic goals in mind. The retreat focused on removing barriers and eliminating friction, with seating arrangements to encourage staff to engage with colleagues across the administrative team and activities to help individuals from different areas work together toward a common goal.
‘Overall, the retreat strengthened relationships and reminded me how connected our work is across the center,’ Grafton said.
Framing Scientific Research
To highlight the importance of administrative work to Sylvester’s mission, Whitmore turned to the world of art.
‘Not everybody realizes this, but in museums and galleries, curators devote meticulous attention to selecting the right frame. The right frame doesn’t take away from what’s inside it. Rather, it amplifies what’s already there,’ she said. ‘And that’s what research administration does for scientific research. It highlights what’s there, ensures that it’s in the right space and that it’s protected, and that it’s able to hang straight and do its job right.’
To emphasize the importance of the administrative role, Whitmore gave each participant at the retreat a photo frame that included a message about the often-overlooked role of the frame in presenting art.
‘Your attention to detail, your care, structure, expertise and care are the quiet crafts that make the science shine and make that work possible to share with the world. The frame doesn’t draw attention away from the art, but it elevates it, protects it and allows it to be seen in its full brilliance,’ the message said.
Team Accomplishments
To open the retreat, Whitmore shared a photo of a Sylvester oncologist standing with a patient in an infusion chair and the patient’s daughter. Before the patient came to Sylvester to enroll in a clinical trial, Whitmore explained, she had been referred to hospice. Now she has been cancer-free for six years, time enough to meet two new grandchildren.
Though they may not have been aware of it, Whitmore said, each team member in the staff retreat had a role in extending this patient’s life.
‘While this team sometimes doesn’t get to connect to the patients the way that nurses do on a daily basis, they all had a hand in ensuring that this patient even had access to a trial, could safely be on the trial, and had infrastructure to support everybody responsible for that patient. That was probably the biggest and most important point of the entire retreat,’ Whitmore said.
During the retreat, participants reflected on accomplishments and lessons learned from 2025 Sylvester projects. This included activation of more than 400 clinical research protocols in the Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building and data-driven planning of scientific neighborhoods in the first phase of the new building.
The retreat also laid the groundwork for more collaborative efforts moving forward.
Whitmore said, ‘The planning committee thoughtfully shaped the agenda to emphasize that no bold idea or complex challenge belongs in a silo. When the work becomes demanding, it’s easy to feel alone. But the planning committee and I wanted everyone to leave the retreat knowing that in Sylvester’s administration, no one stands alone. We rely on one another, and that support helps us navigate even the toughest work.’ “
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