MSK Awards and Appointments May 2026

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) today announced the following awards and appointments:

Eric H. Bent, Joseph Chan, Alessandro Di Federico, Urvi A. Shah, and Emily Long Sarro Recognized in the 40 Under 40 in Cancer Class for 2026 

Eric H. Bent, MD, PhD, Radiation Oncologist; Joseph Chan, MD, PhD, Thoracic Medical Oncologist; Urvi A. Shah, MD, Myeloma Specialist; Alessandro Di Federico, MD, Research Fellow; and Emily Long Sarro, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CPHON, Nurse Practitioner, were named to the 2026 Class of 40 Under 40 in Cancer for their outstanding contributions to the field of oncology. They were nominated by colleagues and selected by a panel of reviewers from a highly competitive pool of 2,800 nominations. The award recognizes approximately 40 rising stars and emerging leaders in oncology under the age of 40. The honorees were recognized at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

Yelena Janjigian, Samuel Cytryn, and Jeremy Tchack Awarded Funding by the Torrey Coast Foundation

Yelena Janjigian, MD, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncologist; Samuel Cytryn, MD, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncologist; and Jeremy Tchack, MD, Research Fellow, were awarded funding by the Torrey Coast Foundation to lead an innovative investigator-initiated clinical trial for patients with advanced gastric and gastroesophageal cancer. The first-of-its-kind study will evaluate a novel immunotherapy strategy combining intratumoral CD40 agonism with PD-1 blockade, delivered directly into tumors through endoscopy to strengthen and sustain antitumor immunity before resistance develops. The trial will investigate the use of 2141-V11, an Fc-enhanced CD40 agonist antibody developed through collaborative research efforts at Rockefeller University and Memorial Sloan Kettering.

Saad Z. Usmani Awarded the 2026 Controversies in Multiple Myeloma (COMy) Congress Award

Saad Z. Usmani, MD, MBA, FACP, FASCO, Myeloma Specialist and Cellular Therapist, received the 2026 Controversies in Multiple Myeloma (COMy) Congress Award — the Jean-Luc Harousseau Award — in recognition of his contributions to advancing the field of multiple myeloma and helping shape the foundations of modern myeloma therapy. He was honored during an award ceremony on May 15 at the congress in Paris.

 

Scott Lowe Receives 2026 Lotus Award

Scott Lowe, PhD, Chair of the Cancer Biology & Genetics Program at the Sloan Kettering Institute (SKI), is one of eight recipients of the 2026 Lotus Award from The Pershing Square Foundation. The award provides funding to support innovative ovarian cancer research, with this year’s recipients collectively receiving $6 million to advance discoveries across the United States. Dr. Lowe’s research focuses on preventing ovarian cancer relapse by targeting both residual cancer cells and the surrounding tissue environment that enables them to survive after treatment. The Lotus Award is part of The Pershing Square Foundation’s ovarian cancer initiative and builds on more than a decade of support for transformative cancer research through the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance (PSSCRA).

Kathleen Foley Inducted Into Giants of Cancer Care Class of 2026

Kathleen Foley, MD, Attending Neurologist Emeritus, was elected to the 14th class of Giants of Cancer Care in the category of Supportive, Palliative, and Geriatric Care. She is among 14 inductees selected this year based on her notable contributions by a committee of more than 115 leading oncologists and previous Giants honorees. This year’s inductees represent the very best in oncology research, clinical advancement, mentorship, and patient-centered care. Their work not only extends lives, but also fundamentally changes the trajectory of cancer treatment for generations.

Lisa Diamond Receives the 2026 Excellence in Healthcare Award

Lisa Diamond, MD, MPH, a member of the research faculty in the Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service, has been honored with the United Hospital Fund’s (UHF) 2026 Tribute to Excellence in Healthcare Award. This honors individuals for their vision and accomplishments and is supported by 68 participating hospital systems, long-term care facilities, home care organizations, independent practice associations, and federally qualified health centers throughout the greater New York metropolitan area. The award recognizes Dr. Diamond’s leadership in advancing quality of care, enhancing patient safety, and improving patient experience.

Ryan Sugarman Recognized as a Top Oncologist in the 2025 Long Island Choice Awards 

Ryan Sugarman, MD, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncologist, has been honored as a Top Oncologist in the 2025 Long Island Choice Awards. He was recognized alongside Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau, which was named a Top Oncology Facility. Winners were selected by hundreds of members of the Long Island community.

 

 

Chasity Burrows Walters Received 2026 LGBT Health Workforce Conference Leadership Award

Chasity Burrows Walters, PhD, RN, VP, Chief Health Literacy Officer, has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 LGBT Health Workforce Conference Leadership Award — an honor recognizing outstanding leadership in LGBTQI+ health equity, workforce development, and institutional change. The LGBT Health Workforce Conference is the largest and most widely recognized national LGBT health workforce conference in the United States and is held annually in New York.

Eighteen MSK Professionals Received the Conquer Cancer Award

Eighteen MSK professionals received awards from Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, across several categories:

Career Development Awards

• Mohammad Alhomoud, MBBS, Bone Marrow Transplant Specialist and Cellular Therapist
• Justin Jee, MD, PhD, Thoracic Medical Oncologist
• Sherry Shen, MD, Breast Medical Oncologist

Young Investigator Awards

• Katya F. Ahr, MD, MA
• Brinda Alagesan, MD, PhD, Scott Lowe Lab, Sloan Kettering Institute
• Philipp Berning, MD, Fellow at the Advanced Oncology Program
• Luca Boscolo Bielo, MD, Fellow at the Advanced Oncology Program
• Aruj Dhyani, MD, DM, Fellow at Advanced Oncology Program
• Jennifer Y. Ge, MD, PhD, Department of Medicine Fellow
• Ali Ghasemzadeh, MD, PhD, Fellow at the Urology Service 
• Shoshana Rosenzweig, MD, Radiation Oncology Resident
• Rebecca A. Sager, MD, PhD, Fellow at the Urology Service
• Ya Haddy Sallah, MD, MPH, Department of Medicine Fellow
• Jeremy Tchack, MD, Research Fellow, GCTA, Memorial Hospital Research
• Natalia Tijaro Ovalle, MD, Department of Medicine Fellow
• Charlton Tsai, MD, Research Fellow, GCTA, Memorial Hospital Research
• Han-Wei Vincent Wu, MD, MPH, MBA

Long-term International Fellowship

• Leandro Jonata Carvalho Oliveira Sr., MD 

Conquer Cancer provides grants and awards to support oncology professionals at every stage of their careers to help accelerate breakthroughs in cancer research and care. This year’s recipients represent 45 countries around the world. In total, the organization awarded more than $11.7 million through more than 480 grants and awards spanning multiple areas of oncology. The honors were presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.

MSK Honors Graduates and Award Winners at Annual Convocation 

In an inspiring ceremony, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) celebrated new graduates and award winners at its annual Academic Convocation and Commencement on May 13, 2026. Scientific awards were presented by several MSK scientific leaders:

• Dean Michael Overholtzer, PhD
• Jason Lewis, PhD, Deputy Director of the Sloan Kettering Institute (SKI) in the Office of Science Education and Training
• Ross Levine, MD, MSK’s Chief Scientific Officer
• The Willet F. Whitmore Award for Clinical Excellence was given to MSK’s Gregory Riely, MD, PhD. 
• MSK’s Nai-Kong Cheung, MD, PhD, won the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Prize. 

Other recipients of awards and fellowships

• Zhenkun Cao, a graduate student in the lab of Ruslan Soldatov, PhD; Victoria Miller-Browne, a graduate student in the lab of Xiaolan Zhao, PhD; and Kaila Nishikawa, a graduate student in the lab of Yael David, PhD, received the Dorris J. Hutchison Graduate Fellowship.
• Sofia Dimitriadoy, an MD-PhD student in the lab of Andrea Schietinger, PhD, and Michael Xiao, an MD-PhD student in the labs of Michael Kharas, PhD, in SKI and Kivanc Birsoy, PhD, at Rockefeller University, received Barbara and Stephen Friedman Graduate Fellowships.
• Elizabeth Benitez, an MD-PhD student in the lab of  Karuna Ganesh, MD, PhD, received the Bruce Charles Forbes Graduate Fellowship.
• Jiahui “Hazel” Zhao, a graduate student in the lab of Danwei Huangfu, PhD, received the General Atlantic Fellowship Award.
• Ruobing Cui, a graduate student in the lab of Craig Thompson, MD; Ruiyang “Michelle” Guo, a graduate student in the labs of Heeseon An, PhD, and Morgan Huse, PhD; and Monika Komza, a graduate student in the lab of Lydia Finley, PhD, received Marie-Josée Kravis WISE Fellowships. 
• Saloni Hombalkar, a graduate student in Dr. Michael Overholtzer’s lab, and Clark Thomson, a graduate student in the lab of Adrienne Boire, MD, PhD, received Dr. Joan Eliasoph Graduate Student Research Fellowships.
• Subha Baniya, a graduate student in the lab of David Scheinberg, MD, PhD, and Yixuan “Skye” Zhao, a graduate student in the lab of Kayvan Keshari, PhD, received Tow Foundation Awards. 
• Marton Kovacs, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of John Maciejowski, PhD, and Joshua Peter, PhD, a research fellow in the lab of Chris Lima, PhD, received Dr. Joan Eliasoph Postdoc Research Fellowships. 
• Sahil Batra, PhD, a fellow in the lab of Dirk Remus, PhD; Almudena Chaves Pérez, PhD, a fellow in the lab of Scott Lowe, PhD; Sneha Mitra, PhD, a fellow in the lab of Christina Leslie, PhD; and Marc Williams, PhD, a fellow in the lab of Sohrab Shah, PhD, received Postdoctoral Research Awards. 
• Seungjae Lee, PhD, a research scholar in the lab of Eric Lai, PhD, received the Tri-Institutional Breakout Prize for Junior Investigators. 
• Karuna Ganesh, MD, PhD, an Associate Member in the Molecular Pharmacology Program in SKI and a gastrointestinal medical oncologist, and Tuomas Tammela, MD, PhD, an Associate Member in the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program in SKI, received Louise and Allston Boyer Young Investigator Awards for Basic Research. 
• Aaron Mitchell, MD, MPH, an Assistant Attending Physician on the Genitourinary Oncology Service, received the Louise and Allston Boyer Young Investigator Award for Clinical Research. 
• Dr. Gregory Riely, an Attending Physician in thoracic medical oncology, Vice Chair of Clinical Research, and President-Elect of the MSK Medical Staff, received the Willet F. Whitmore Award for Clinical Excellence. 
• Dr. Nai-Kong Cheung, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at MSK Kids, who also holds the Enid A. Haupt Chair, received the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Prize. 

2026 award recipients from outside MSK 

• Dr. Phillip A. Sharp of MIT received the Memorial Sloan Kettering Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Biomedical Science.
• Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, a Sterling Professor of Immunobiology at the Yale University School of Medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, received the Katharine Berkan Judd Award. 
• Hugues de Thé, MD, PhD, an attending physician at St. Louis Hospital in Paris and a professor of molecular oncology at the Collège de France, received the C. Chester Stock Award Lectureship.