Top of the line: some of the world's most well-respected doctors practice in South Florida. A guide to choosing the best physician specialists - Top Doctors in South Florida

South Florida CEO, July, 2002 by Scott Singer

Baptist Hospital of Miami. (305) 598-5990. Certification: Vascular & Interventional Radiology, 94; Diagnostic Radiology, 81. Faculty: Clinical Prof. Radiology, Univ. Miami School Medicine

Benenati

James Francis

Baptist Hospital of Miami. (305) 598-5990. Certification: Vascular & Interventional Radiology, 95; Diagnostic Radiology, 88. Faculty: Prof. Radiology, Univ. Miami School Medicine

Barry Katzen

Baptist Hospital of Miami. (305) 598-5990. Certification: Diagnostic Radiology, 74; Vascular & Interventional Radiology, 94

Reproductive Endocrinology

Neil Goodman

Baptist Hospital of Miami. (305) 595-6855. Certification: Internal Medicine, 73; Endocrino-logy, Diabetes & Metabolism, 75. Faculty: Clinical Prof. Medicine, Univ. Miami School Medicine

Steven Ory

NorthWest Medical Center. (954) 247-6200. Certification: Reproductive Endocrinology, 84; Obstetrics & Gynecology, 83. Faculty: Assoc. Clinical Prof. Obstetrics & Gynecology, Univ. Miami School Medicine

Surgery

Joshua Miller

Jackson Memorial Hospital. (305) 355-5100. Certification: Thoracic Surgery, 71; Surgery, 70. Faculty: Prof. Surgery, Univ. Miami School Medicine

Donald Minervini

Mount Sinai Medical Center & Miami Heart Institute. (305) 531-7409. Certification: Surgery, 70

Andreas Tzakis

Jackson Memorial Hospital. (305) 355-5011. Certification: Surgery, 93. Faculty: Prof. Surgery, Univ. Miami School Medicine

Irvin Willis

Mount Sinai Medical Center. (305) 534-6050. Certification: Surgery, 70

Thoracic Surgery

Richard A. Perryman

Joe Di Maggio Children's Hospital. (954) 962-5400. Certification: Thoracic Surgery, 94. Faculty: Prof. Thoracic Surgery, Univ. Miami School Medicine

Donald B. Williams

Urology

Mount Sinai Medical Center & Miami Heart Institute. (305) 674-2780. Certification: Anatomic Pathology, 88; Thoracic Surgery, 90

Mark Soloway

Jackson Memorial Hospital. (305) 243-6596. Certification: Urology, 77. Faculty: Prof. Urology, Univ. Miami School Medicine

Vascular Surgery (General)

Manuel Sivina

Mount Sinai Medical Center & Miami Heart Institute. (305) 674-2760. Certification: Surgery, 87

RELATED ARTICLE: Emerging Technologies in Neurological Treatments

DR. ROBERTO HEROS Cutting edge -- that's how Dr. Roberto Heros describes the nerve geries his group performs. The Jackson Memorial Hospital-based neurological surgeon specializes in cerebrovascular surgery -- the removal of skull-based tumors. He has treated more than 1,000 intracranial aneurysms, 400 arteriovenous malformations and over 700 carotid endarterectomies. His specialty: skull-based approaches to removing tumors, where a section of bone is removed at the base of the skull in order to avoid building pressure on the brain.

These days, Heros has two major medical trends on his mind. The first is the controversial area of stem cell research, which he believes possesses the potential to treat such nerve-based ailments as Parkinson's, stroke and degenerative Huntington's Disease. The second trend is not an optimistic one. The escalating premiums for medical malpractice insurance, particularly high for sensitive specialties such as neurosurgery, are driving many surgeons to avoid performing high-risk procedures. Premiums in Florida, Heros says, are among the highest in the nation.