Heroes Ball 2018

The Stanley and Joyce Black Family Foundation was founded in 1989 by Stanley and the late Joyce Black. Both natives of Los Angeles, they believed that it was important to give back to their community. Stanley is a real estate investor, community leader and philanthropist. He has a deep commitment to giving others a chance in life. Joyce lived a full and wonderful life. She cared deeply about numerous charitable organizations giving a lot of time and energy to worthy causes.Stanley and Joyce believed that the Foundation would be an institution that would be passed on to their children and grandchildren. The Foundation’s charitable traditions and the importance of giving back will be continued through each generation. The Board includes their three children: Jack Black, Jill Black Zalben and Janis Black Warner and six grandchildren: Brittany Black, Zach Zalben, Torie Zalben, Jason Goldman, Jenna Goldman and Joey Goldman

Francisco A. Arabía, MD, serves as both Director of CSHI Center for Surgical Device
Management of Advanced Heart Disease and Surgical Director of Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Certified by the American Board of Surgery, the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and the American Heart Association in advanced cardiovascular life support, Dr. Arabía came to Cedars-Sinai from the Mayo Clinic Arizona, where in 2005 he helped to start the first heart transplant program in metropolitan Phoenix. Dr. Arabía has more than two decades of experience in the fields of thoracic, cardiothoracic vascular, and transplant surgery, and often is called upon for his expertise by national and international news agencies. He has presented his work at professional conferences and meetings throughout the world, and has published peer-reviewed research in multiple journals, including the Annals of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. Dr. Arabía received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and served residencies in general surgery at Tulane University Affiliated Hospitals in New Orleans and in cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Arizona, Tuscon. His undergraduate work was done at Tulane University, where he graduated magna cum laude in the field of Biomedical Engineering. Among Dr. Arabía’s professional honors and awards are the Training Award of Excellence by the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs. Dr. Arabía also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Arizona.

Dr. Ronald W. Busuttil is Chair of the Department of Surgery at UCLA, as well as the Distinguished Professor and Executive Chairman of the UCLA Department of Surgery and holds the William P. Longmire, Jr. Chair in Surgery. Additionally, he serves as founding Chief of the Division of Liver and Pancreas Transplantation and Director of the Pfleger Liver Institute, which includes the Dumont-UCLA Transplant Center and the Dumont-UCLA Liver Cancer Center. He has been a member of the UCLA surgical faculty since 1978.

In 1984, he founded the Liver Transplant Program and has been the Director and Chief Surgeon for 28 years. It has since grown to become one of the largest liver transplant centers in the world. Dr. Busuttil and his team have performed over 5200 liver transplants, and he is internationally recognized for his expertise in transplantation and liver surgery. Dr. Busuttil has demonstrated a life-long commitment to teaching and advancing the field of transplantation and surgery. His training program in transplant surgery is among the foremost in the world. He has trained over 300 transplant surgeons from the US and abroad; many lead liver transplant programs in the US, Asia and Europe. His laboratory has trained a large number of research fellows, including surgical residents and trainees in basic science disciplines.

Dr. Busuttil serves on the editorial boards or as a reviewer for many prestigious journals and is the co-editor of the definitive textbook, Transplantation of the Liver, now in its second edition. He has authored more than 600 peer reviewed scientific manuscripts, 55 book chapters, and 400 abstracts. He is a Past President of the International Liver Transplantation Society, a Past President of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, Past First Vice President of the American Surgical Association, a past member of the council of The Transplantation Society, and has served on the Board of Directors of United Network for Organ Sharing.

Phillip Palmer moved to Los Angeles in November of 1998 after his career took him from Monroe, Louisiana to Wichita, Kansas and then Denver, Colorado. His job as a reporter has taken him from a Super Bowl, to Iraq.. from Columbine to the Tsunami in Thailand.

As the Morning News Anchor for ABC7 in Los Angeles since 2002, Phillip has had the opportunity to be involved in a number of charitable endeavors. He has been active in the Autism community, the ARC Walk for Independence, fundraising efforts for wounded veterans and organ donation… and that connection is
deeply personal.

In 2007, Phillip’s friend Dale Davis became ill. At first no one knew what was happening, only that Dale had been rushed to the emergency room with very high blood pressure. Initial fears of a stroke were replaced with the knowledge that Dale would need a kidney transplant. By coincidence or Devine intervention, Phillip had already been introduced to living donation by sports writer Rick Reilly, who had written a column about NBA star Alonzo Mourning and the kidney he received from his cousin. After being moved by the article, Phillip had made a promise to act if the need ever arose. Within weeks of Dale’s diagnosis, Phillip and Dale had transplant surgery and both are healthy and happy over 10 years later. Dale has seen his daughters graduate college and one get married. Phillip got married himself and had a little girl.