Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) today announced the following awards and appointments:
MSK Board of Trustees Member David M. Rubenstein Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Board of Trustees member David M. Rubenstein received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Mr. Rubenstein was hailed as a “transformational business leader and philanthropist” whose wide-ranging generosity has made a profound impact on historical and cultural institutions, as well as higher education and healthcare.
Sheng Cai, Susan DeWolf, Michael Forte, Adam Schoenfeld, and Santosha Vardhana Awarded the American Society for Clinical Investigation Young Physician-Scientist Award
Sheng Cai, MD, PhD, leukemia and early drug development specialist, Susan DeWolf, MD, leukemia specialist, Michael Foote, MD, gastrointestinal medical oncologist, Adam Schoenfeld, MD, thoracic medical oncologist, cellular therapist, and early drug development specialist, and Santosha Vardhana, MD, PhD, lymphoma specialist, received the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) Young Physician-Scientist Awards. The Young Physician-Scientist Awards (YPSA) recognizes physician-scientists who are early in their first faculty appointment and have made notable achievements in their research.
Mara Sherman Received the Mark Foundation 2025 Emerging Leader Award
Mara Sherman, PhD, was awarded the Mark Foundation 2025 Emerging Leader Award, which honored five early-career scientists dedicated to revolutionizing cancer research through innovative projects. Dr. Sherman received the award for her project, “Identifying Spatially Conserved Programs During Tumor-Stroma Coevolution.”
Justin Perry Received the 2025 Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Innovation Award
Justin Perry, PhD, was one of eight scientists awarded the 2025 Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Innovation Award. This award provides funding to exceptionally creative thinkers with a revolutionary idea who lack sufficient preliminary data to obtain traditional funding. Dr. Perry was awarded for his project titled, “Tumor-macrophage metabolic symbiosis as a driver of disease progression and therapeutic resistance.”
Richard Matulewicz Received the Chanel Endowment to Fund Survivorship Research
Richard Matulewicz, MD, MSCI, MS, urologic surgeon, received the Chanel Endowment to Fund Survivorship Research from MSK. His project aims to characterize and compare the clinical effectiveness of two novel blood-based biomarkers, miRNA and ctDNA, in patients with early and advanced testicular cancer.
Theresa Gillis Awarded the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Distinguished Member Award
Theresa Gillis, MD, rehabilitation medicine specialist, chief of the Rehabilitation Medicine Service, and chair of the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, was honored with the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) Distinguished Member Award. This award honors pioneering physiatrists, clinicians, researchers, and public servants who have made significant contributions to both the specialty and to individuals with disabilities and vulnerable populations at risk for disabilities.
Asia McCoy Honored the 2024 National Black Nurses Association Staff Nurse of the Year Award
Asia McCoy, BSN, RN, OCN, CNIV, clinical trials nurse in solid tumor genitourinary medicine, was named the recipient of the 2024 National Black Nurses Association Staff Nurse of the Year Award. The award honors nurses who demonstrate exceptional academic excellence in nursing and clinical practice.