Florida Lieutenant Governor Tours Moffitt’s Research Kitchen
Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins visited Moffitt Cancer Center recently to take a look at some of the research it is conducting on nutrition and diet. He spent an hour learning about the Population Engagement and Research Laboratory (PEARL), which opened in 2023. The goal of the lab is to focus on precision cancer interception with a goal to stop cancer and its associated outcomes earlier in the process.
Heather Jim, PhD
Heather Jim, PhD, co-leader of the Health Outcomes and Behavior Program at Moffitt, says that PEARL does this through personalized prevention, screening and treatment based on a person’s unique biological and behavioral characteristics. Collins was shown several of PEARL’s state of the art facilities, including its gym, research kitchen and dining area for diet studies.
The focus on nutrition and diet was of interest to Collins, who was offered a sample of the cuisine that comes out of the kitchen.
“Medicine is something I love and geek out on and understand on a cellular level,” said Collins, who shared that he studied pre-med before joining the military. “We can shift and change things if we focus on great things and be aggressive.”
Pillar of Metabolism
John Cleveland, PhD
Being aggressive in the prevention arena is key to nutrition. John Cleveland, PhD, Moffitt’s center director and chief scientific officer, led the tour with Collins. He explained the center’s vision to elevate metabolism as another pillar of cancer care and treatment on par with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Cancer metabolism researchers like the ones involved with PEARL allow the center to translate the basic research into actuality for patients.
In addition to the kitchen, Collins was shown research spaces at Moffitt that reflect the growing interest in the role of obesity and metabolism in cancer. Encouraging people to make healthy decisions is the best way for them to avoid illnesses, said Tiffany Carson, PhD, co-leader of the Health Outcomes and Behavior Program. She says multiple cancers are directly linked to obesity and can be avoided if preventive steps are taken with healthy decisions.
Impact on the Community
The tour with Collins was an opportunity for Moffitt to offer the state of Florida a close look at just some of the research conducted at the cancer center aimed at improving the lives of the communities it serves.
“Moffitt’s ability to drive innovation and deliver meaningful outcomes is strengthened by its ongoing partnership with the state,” said Jamie Wilson, vice president of Government Relations at Moffitt.
Collins told those on the tour that he agrees that behavioral patterns are a core concern when it comes to living a healthy life, adding that “behavioral approaches matter.” Taking bold and aggressive stances and actions to encourage those behavioral adjustments are important, he said.
“We are the United States of America, and we need to get back to being aggressive,” he said. “If not us, then who?”
The researchers present nodded in agreement, with Jim adding, “If not Moffitt, then who?”
Today we welcomed Florida Lt. Gov. @JayCollinsFL to Moffitt for a tour of PEARL—our Population Engagement and Research Laboratory.
— Moffitt Cancer Center (@MoffittNews) September 11, 2025
From nutrition to exercise to healthy living, PEARL is leading new approaches to cancer prevention.
We appreciate Florida’s ongoing commitment to… pic.twitter.com/qAqVASfxax
