Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) announces the following awards and appointments:
MSK Leaders Recognized in Crain’s New York Business 2021 Notable in Health Care List
President & Chief Executive Officer Craig B. Thompson, MD, Director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes Peter B. Bach, MD, Vice President of Scientific Education & Training Ushma Neill, PhD, and Postdoctoral Research Fellow William E. Rosa, PhD, were included on the Crain’s New York Business 2021 Notable in Health Care list.
This year’s list honors New York City’s healthcare professionals—who are indisputably the heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic. These honorees have distinguished themselves through their expertise and innovation. They have shown stamina and commitment throughout the pandemic in addition to their professional, civic, and philanthropic achievements.
MSK Researchers Shortlisted for Cancer Grand Challenges Funding
A diverse and global team, including Scott Lowe, PhD, Chair of Cancer Biology & Genetics Program, Sloan Kettering Institute (SKI), Dana Pe’er, PhD, Chair of Computational and Systems Biology Program, SKI, and Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD, Director of Center for Cell Engineering; Stephen and Barbara Friedman Chair, have been selected for the final stages of the Cancer Grand Challenges.
Cancer Grand Challenges is a global initiative founded in 2020 by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the United States. Dr. Lowe, Dr. Pe’er and Dr. Sadelain join researchers from the United States, United Kingdom, Spain and Germany, to form the T-SMAC. If chosen from the 11 teams shortlisted, the T-SMAC team would receive funding to tackle the challenge of senescence, exploring whether cancer cells can be forced into a sleeping senescent state before being eliminated from the body. Getting to the bottom of this challenge could open an entirely new way to treat not just cancer, but associated diseases like arthritis and neurodegeneration too.
Triparna Sen Receives American Association for the Advancement of Science Martin and Rose Wachtel Cancer Research Award
Triparna Sen, PhD, Assistant Attending, Thoracic Oncology Service, has been named the 2021 recipient of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Martin and Rose Wachtel Cancer Research Award. This annual award, funded by an endowment established through a generous bequest from Martin L. Wachtel, honors early-career investigators who have performed outstanding work in the field of cancer research.
Dr. Sen is recognized for her work in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). She established DNA damage response proteins as therapeutic targets in SCLC and discovered that targeting the DNA damage response pathway can enhance anti-tumor immunity in this disease. Her work has led to several high-impact publications and supported multiple clinical trials for SCLC.
Adina Schonbrun Named a Lasker Foundation Essay Contest Winner
Adina Schonbrun, Graduate Student in the Lab of Marilyn Resh, PhD, was named a winner of the 8th Annual Lasker Foundation Essay Contest, recognizing the next generation of science communicators.
The Lasker Foundation seeks to increase support for biomedical research by celebrating the power of biomedical science to save and improve human lives. The Essay Contest invites young scientists from around the world to discuss big questions in biomedical research and policy.
This year, the Foundation received submissions from students based in 21 countries and selected five winners. Applicants were asked to address the following theme: What is the most important scientific lesson you have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and how is that lesson influencing your research work and/or career. Ms. Schonbrun’s essay titled “The Cornerstone of Scientific Success: Unsung Frontline Heroes of the COVID-19 Pandemic” addressed the importance of recognizing all team members who contribute to science.
Two MSK Nurses Awarded the 2021 Helene Fuld Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice (EBP) in Nursing and Healthcare Grants
MSK Nurses Lillian Reilly and Kerry King were awarded grants from the Helene Fuld Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice (EBP) in Nursing and Healthcare.
The Fuld Institute for EBP is a national hub for the formation, teaching and dissemination of best practices to improve healthcare quality, safety, costs and patient outcomes. Its cores include transdisciplinary clinical practice, academics, community education and EBP implementation science.
This grant will help support implementation for the EBP Project “Ultrasound Guided Peripheral IV Education” at MSK as a best practice and aim to improve patient outcomes and patient experience through evidence-based care.
Several MSK Leaders Receive 2021 Excellence in Medical Education Award from Weill Cornell Medicine
Carolyn Erickson, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Hospital Medicine, Maya Gambarin-Gelwan, MD, Gastroenterologist & Hepatologist, Gastroenterology and Nutrition Service, Christopher Klebanoff, MD, Medical Oncologist, Breast Medicine Service, are recipients of the 2021 Excellence in Medical Education Awards from Weill Cornell Medicine.
Dr. Erickson, Dr. Gambarin-Gelwan, and Dr. Klebanoff are recognized for their outstanding contributions and excellence in teaching medical students at Weill Cornell.
