Luis E. Raez, MD, FACP, FCCP

Meet Luis E. Raez, MD, FACP, FCCP, Medical Director & Chief Scientific Officer; Memorial Cancer Institute, Memorial Health Care System; Clinical Professor of Medicine; Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University and GO2 for Lung Cancer Scientific Leadership Board member.

Some of you will recognize Dr. Raez from his appearances at our monthly Lung Cancer Living Rooms and other events. He is also the recipient of our “A Breath Away from the Cure” award presented at our 2021 Simply the Best XVI Under the Stars which honors individuals for excellence in oncology, early detection and coordinated treatment. We sat down with Dr. Raez to talk more about his past involvement with GO2 for Lung Cancer, his plans for this year, and how you can get involved, too.

How did you become involved with GO2 for Lung Cancer?

I first met Bonnie Addario in 2014. She told  me about GO2 for Lung Cancer (at that time the Addario Lung Cancer Foundation). What most interested me  most about the Foundation was its  recently created lung cancer institute, the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI) and the Centers of Excellence program. I was excited to discover that our goals at the Memorial Cancer Institute (part of the Memorial Health Care System, the third largest public healthcare system in the country) were aligned.

What programs that GO2 for Lung Cancer offers have been beneficial to Memorial Cancer Institute (MCI), and what programs or resources resonate with your lung cancer patients?

We joined ALCMI and became a Center of Excellence (COE) in 2014. GO2 for Lung Cancer’s educational materials, and the Patient Education Handbook that comes in English and Spanish, are invaluable resources for our staff and patients.

How did you become involved in your local GO2 for Lung Cancer Walk/Run?

We decided in 2016 that we wanted to support GO2 for Lung Cancer’s fundraising efforts and organized a Walk/Run in Hollywood, FL that year. Our fundraisers generate approximately to fundraise an average of $50,000 per year.

What do you look forward to with the event each year?

The event is not only to raise funds for research, it’s a way to raise awareness and tbring the lung cancer community together. We hope that the event continues to grow every year. If you have not attended and live near Hollywood, FL we hope to see you there! If you are not local, I highly recommend finding an event near you. It is a wonderful way to connect with people who also care about the cause.

In 2021, 1,400 individuals raised over $1.4 million to help those vulnerable, at risk, and diagnosed with lung cancer. You can make that number even bigger – join us for one of our 2022 events to begin making a difference in the lung cancer community.