Commissioner Michael Karukin
Michael has been involved in the pharmaceutical industry for over 25 years. He is a Physician’s Assistant with Bachelor’s degrees in Physiological Psychology and Medicine from the University of Florida (Yes – He is a Gator). He also has a Ph.D in Health Services Administration from Walden University.
For 9 years Michael was research director of one of the first private clinical trial study centers in South Florida specializing in Alzheimer’s Disease. Nineteen years ago he joined IVAX Corporation; a Miami based pharmaceutical company as a Research Scientist. After IVAX was acquired by Teva Pharmaceuticals, the world largest generic drug company, he was promoted to Director, Patient Registries and oversees various research projects and a multi-million dollar budget.
Michael moved to Miami 42 years ago from New York. He grew up in North Bay Village and attended Nautilus and Beach High. He’s married for 23 years, has a 20 year old son attending FIU. In 1999 he found his dream home in Surfside. He calls it his slice of paradise. A frequent attendee at Commission meetings and after serving on the Charter Review Board, Michael decided to enter the race for one of the 4 commission seats.