Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) today announced the following awards and appointments:
MSK Granted Merit Extension from the National Cancer Institute
MSK was granted a prestigious two-year merit extension of its Cancer Center Support Grant from the National Cancer Institute. The grant is MSK’s oldest and largest, and the one which provides its designation as one of just 53 Comprehensive Cancer Centers nationwide. Currently in its 57th year, the grant provides about $13 million in annual support, which is used to fund MSK’s 20 core facilities along with several strategically selected pilot programs. To be eligible for the merit award, cancer centers must score in the top 25% of all centers on their last two, five-year grant renewals, along with demonstrating a strong institutional commitment to excellence and sustained progress.
MSK Named One of America’s Best Large Employers of 2023 by Forbes
MSK was recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Large Employers of 2023. Forbes partnered with Statista to compile their annual list of America’s Best Large Employers. The ranking was based on a survey of about 45,000 workers at American companies and institutions with 5,000 or more employees. The evaluation was based on direct and indirect recommendations from respondents who were asked to rate their willingness to recommend their own employer to friends and family as well as other employers they would recommend.
MSK Named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s 150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare
MSK was included in Becker’s Hospital Review’s 150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare list. The list honored hospitals, health systems, and healthcare companies that invest in their employee’s well-being, satisfaction, and fulfillment. Factors like comprehensive benefits packages, opportunities for professional development, inclusive work environments, flexibility for work-life balance, community impact, and providing volunteer opportunities were considered when creating the list.
Selwyn M. Vickers, MD, FACS, President and CEO of MSK, was named to the Stat News 2023 STATUS List. The annual list recognized 46 individuals who stand out in health, medicine, and science, and made noteworthy contributions to their fields over the past year to help others and build community. Dr. Vickers was recognized in part due to his vision to improve early access to healthcare for underserved communities, leveraging MSK’s position in research to move findings from the lab to the clinic more quickly.
Miguel-Angel Perales, MD, medical oncologist, Chief of the Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service, was named President of The American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) for 2023-2024. ASTCT is an international professional membership association dedicated to improving the applications and success of blood and marrow transplantation and related cellular therapies. Dr. Perales was formally sworn in during the 2023 Tandem Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASTCT and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) on February 18.
Iestyn Whitehouse, PhD, was promoted to Director of the MSK Center for Epigenetics Research. The Center for Epigenetics Research fosters inquiries in the rapidly growing fields of cancer epigenetics and epigenomics, bringing together MSK scientists and clinicians with different areas of expertise — including basic science discovery, translational cancer research, and drug development. Under Dr. Whitehouse’s leadership, the Center will focus on leading efforts in epigenetic science across MSK — including helping to recruit new faculty members and organizing opportunities for scientific exchange among faculty and trainees.
Rui Gardner, PhD, Head of Flow Cytometry Core, Dana Pe’er, PhD, Chair of the Computational and Systems Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Scientific Director, Alan and Sandra Gerry Metastasis and Tumor Ecosystems Center and Investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Tuomas Tammela, MD, PhD, cancer biologist, were awarded The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research ASPIRE Award for their project on Chemical Hijacking of E3 Ligases for Selective Targeting of Oncogenic mTOR Signaling. The ASPIRE Awards support innovative ideas worldwide that have the potential to solve high-impact problems in cancer research.
The Starr Cancer Consortium held its 16th annual grant competition. The winning teams were Co-Principled by Samuel Bakhoum, MD, PhD, radiation oncologist, on “Targeting Cytidine Deaminase-Induced Chromosomal Instability As a Driver of Metastasis in Bladder Cancer”, Karuna Ganesh, MD, PhD, medical oncologist, on “Identifying Acquired Vulnerabilities Driven by Lineage Plasticity and Drug Resistance in CRC”, Christina Leslie, PhD, Member of Computational & Systems Biology Program, on the “Mechanisms of Dynamic Chromatin Reorganization Regulating B-cell Differentiation and Lymphomagenesis”, and David Solit, MD, medical oncologist, Geoffrey Beene Chair, Director of Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology, on “Determining and Targeting Evolutionary Trajectories Driving Bladder Cancer”. The grants will fund research on the molecular origins and evolution of blood, bladder, breast, and colon cancers. The Starr Cancer Consortium was established in 2006 through the philanthropy of the Starr Foundation and includes MSK, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, and Weill Cornell Medicine.
Larry Norton, MD, medical oncologist, Senior Vice President, Office of the President, Medical Director, Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center, and Norma S. Sarofim, Chair in Clinical Oncology, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer. The Love Foundation celebrates individuals dedicated to its mission to end breast cancer. Dr. Norton was honored for his legacy in the breast cancer community. In addition to his role at MSK, he is Founding Scientific Director of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) where he is involved in collaborations with BCRF investigators on projects aimed at improving treatments in breast cancer and advancing understanding of metastatic breast cancer.
William, Rosa, PhD, MBR, MS, behavioral scientist, received the 2023 Hiroomi & Stesuko Kawano New Investigator Award from the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS). The award is sponsored by the Hiroomi Kawano Foundation in Japan and is an early career award that honors a new investigator for their outstanding research contributions in the field of psycho-oncology. The IPOS was created to foster international multidisciplinary communication about clinical, educational, and research issues that relate to the subspeciality of psycho-oncology and the psychosocial dimensions of cancer.
Ahmet Dogan, MD, PhD, Chief, Hematopathology Service, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, is the recipient of the 2023 Berard-Dorfman Founders Award for Senior Leadership given by the Society for Hematology. This award is given to mid-career to senior individuals who have demonstrated excellence in any or all areas of hematopathology, including teaching, humanitarian contributions, and leadership.
Jorge Reis-Filho, MD, PhD, FRCPath, Chief of the Experimental Pathology Service, received the Goudie Lectureship and Medal by the Pathological Society of Great Britain. The Goudie Lectureship and Medal, founded in 2004, is granted to a distinguished active scientist making seminal contributions to pathological science and the understanding of disease mechanisms.
Jorge Reis-Filho Received 2023 International Society of Breast Pathology Larry Norton Award
Jorge Reis-Filho, MD, PhD, FRCPath, Chief of the Experimental Pathology Service, received the 2023 International Society of Breast Pathology (ISBP) Larry Norton Award of Excellence in Breast Pathology . The Larry Norton Award, established in 2018, is presented annually to recognize the career and achievements of distinguished individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of breast pathology. The award and lecture are presented at the ISBP Companion meeting during the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) annual meeting.