Selwyn M. Vickers, MD, FACS, is the 11th President and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), the world’s premier cancer center, and holder of the Douglas A. Warner III Chair. An internationally renowned pancreatic cancer surgeon-scientist, researcher, and healthcare executive, Dr. Vickers is recognized as one of the nation’s leading voices in cancer care, biomedical research, and health equity.
A member of the National Academy of Medicine, Fellow of the AACR Academy, member of the Association of American Physicians, Honorary Member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and recipient of the 2025 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, Dr. Vickers has earned national and international recognition for his scientific discoveries, transformative leadership, and commitment to advancing health outcomes for all populations. He has been recognized among healthcare’s most influential leaders by Becker’s Hospital Review, City & State’s Health Care Power 100, and OncoDaily’s Most Influential CEOs in Oncology.
Dr. Vickers is a pioneering investigator whose research has transformed understanding of pancreatic cancer biology and metastasis. His work has advanced novel approaches to targeting pancreatic tumor stem cells and helped drive the development of Minnelide, an investigational therapy for pancreatic and gastrointestinal cancers. His broader research portfolio spans gene therapy, growth factor signaling, cholangiocarcinoma biology, surgical outcomes, and cancer health disparities.
Throughout his career, Dr. Vickers has held multiple leadership roles. He has served as President of the American Surgical Association, the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, and the Southern Surgical Association, and has held leadership positions within the National Academy of Medicine and the Society of Black Academic Surgeons. He has also served on both the Johns Hopkins University Board of Trustees and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Board of Trustees.
After joining the faculty of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in 1994, Dr. Vickers rose to become the John H. Blue Chair of General Surgery. In 2006, he was recruited to the University of Minnesota Medical School as the Jay Phillips Professor and Chair of Surgery. He returned to UAB in 2013 as Senior Vice President for Medicine and Dean of the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine, one of the nation’s largest academic medical centers and eventually became CEO of the UAB Health System and CEO of the UAB/Ascension St. Vincent’s Alliance, overseeing an integrated health enterprise that included 11 hospitals before assuming leadership of MSK in 2022.
Born in Demopolis, Alabama, Dr. Vickers earned both his undergraduate and medical degrees from Johns Hopkins University, where he also completed his surgical residency, chief residency, and fellowship in surgical oncology. He subsequently completed research fellowships with the National Institutes of Health and advanced surgical training at Oxford University’s John Radcliffe Hospital in England.
Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Vickers has combined groundbreaking scientific achievement, transformative leadership, and an unwavering commitment to improving cancer outcomes and advancing health equity. His work as a surgeon, scientist, educator, and executive has established him as one of the most influential leaders in healthcare today.
Information relative to disclosures of external professional relationships and financial interests is available here.
