Earl and Christy Powell have committed $1 million to fund cancer immunotherapy and complex spine surgery research at two Coral Gables-based Baptist Health institutes, the health system's foundation announced Monday, Aug. 17.
The gift splits evenly: $500,000 goes to the Stem Cell Therapy Fund at Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute, and $500,000 to the Center for Spine Care at Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute, according to a Baptist Health Foundation press release.
The Powells made the donation in honor of two physicians whose work it will directly support: Guenther Koehne, M.D., Ph.D., deputy director and chief of blood and marrow transplant and hematologic oncology at the Wertheim Cancer Institute, and Raul Vasquez-Castellanos, M.D., director of complex spine surgery at Miami Neuroscience Institute.
Dr. Koehne's research focuses on overcoming resistance to CAR T-cell therapy in blood cancers, refining chemotherapy conditioning for transplant patients and defining how transplantation, CAR T-cell therapy and bispecific antibodies work together in treating multiple myeloma. He also leads cell and gene therapy collaborations with Miami Neuroscience Institute aimed at autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Dr. Vasquez-Castellanos runs a spine surgery program that treats patients with scoliosis, kyphosis, revision spine surgery and complex degenerative disease using minimally invasive techniques.
"Research is the engine that drives medical progress," Earl Powell said in the foundation's announcement. "By investing in research, we accelerate innovation, improve outcomes and bring new hope to patients and families facing some of life's most complex medical conditions."
Jack Ziffer, M.D., Ph.D., Baptist Health South Florida's executive vice president, chief clinical officer and chief physician executive, said the Powell-funded work extends beyond blood cancers and spine disorders to neurologic diseases including Parkinson's disease and dementia.
The donation is the third seven-figure gift Baptist Health Foundation has received in recent months. In May, Dr. Herbert Wertheim gave $100 million, the largest single gift in the organization's 66-year history, prompting the cancer institute's renaming. On Aug. 3, Julio C. and Alexandra Herrera gave $1 million for women's and infant care at Baptist Hospital and South Miami Hospital.
Alex Villoch, CEO of Baptist Health Foundation, told the Sun Sentinel in June that the foundation saw a surge in large donations after the pandemic, with funds flowing into cancer care, physician recruitment, clinical trials and early-screening technologies.
The Powells will receive naming recognition at a location to be announced at a later date. Baptist Health South Florida, headquartered in Coral Gables, operates 12 hospitals and more than 200 outpatient facilities across four South Florida counties.
Coming up in Coral Gables
- CatVideoFest 2026 screens at Coral Gables Art Cinema on Friday, Aug. 21.
- The CAP summer concert series closes Thursday with Sarah Vaughan competition winner Kate Kortum.
