Plaza Health Network held its 10th annual luncheon to honor “South Florida Women of Distinction and Caring” on Friday, Nov. 15.
Plaza Health Network is a non-profit network of seven rehabilitation, nursing and long-term care centers in Miami-Dade County. It helps elderly patients with short term and long-term rehabilitation after an injury, surgery, or a serious illness.
The network honors six to eight women in South Florida a year. Dr. Patricia Whitely, vice president for student affairs at the University of Miami was honored for her contributions to UM and the South Florida community.
“It was a beautiful honor, I’m very humbled and honored and will continue to do the work at UM with the students and within the South Florida community,” said Whitely.
Whitely and former UM President Donna Shalala helped build, design, and program the Shalala Student Center.
“It was great, we started the process in 2003 and it finally opened in 2013,” said Whitely.
Whitley, who is in her 38th year at UM, has served as vice president for student affairs for the past 23 years.
This was Whitely’s first time attending the luncheon. Margaret Pericak-Vance, director of the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics at UM and the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Professor of Human Genetics, was also honored.