Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) announces the following awards and appointments:
Luis Diaz Jr. Recognized with a 2022 El Award by New York’s El Diario
Luis Alberto Diaz, Jr., MD, medical oncologist, Head Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, and Grayer Family Chair, was one of fifteen honorees recognized. The El Awards bestowed by New York’s El Diario, the longest-running Spanish-language daily newspaper in the nation, honors Latino men who have made a positive contribution and serve as role models to a new generation.
Luis Diaz Jr. Honored as Inaugural Hero of the Year by the American Cancer Society
Luis Alberto Diaz, Jr., MD, medical oncologist, Head Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, and Grayer Family Chair, was one of two honorees to be named Heroes of the Year by the American Cancer Society during the inaugural Heroes of the Year Luncheon. The award was presented to philanthropic leaders, who are invested in their communities’ health and the future of scientific breakthroughs and cancer research.
Fiyinfolu Balogun, MD, PhD, medical oncologist and Joshua Budhu, MD, MS, MPH, neuro-oncologist and neurologist, received the Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials award. The award program was established by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation and was created to increase diversity in clinical trials and transform the clinical research landscape. This is the second cohort of the 64 early-stage investigators who will be trained in the two-year program.
Richard Matulewicz, MD, MSCI, MS, urologic oncologist and surgeon, was awarded the K08 Career Development Award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which will support his work using implementation science approaches to improve how smoking cessation treatment is delivered in the urologic oncology setting. The award will fund Dr. Matulewicz’s research with approximately $970,000 over a five-year period.
Sir Murray Brennan, GNZM, MD, FACS, Senior Vice President, International Programs and Benno C. Schmidt Chair in Clinical Oncology, was a recipient of the Icon in Surgery award by the American College of Surgeons. The Icons in Surgery award (previously known as Heroes in Surgery) is a series managed by the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Video-Based Education and honor lives and accomplishments of noteworthy Fellows.
MSK Awarded Cancer Research Grant
MSK received a cancer research grant to fund Mandarin student interpreters. A two-year pilot program with the City College of New York and MSK. the goal of the program is to increase access to health care for immigrants and reduce existing socioeconomic and racial disparities in cancer prevention and care.
Laura Ardizzone Awarded the Columbia Alumni Association Medal
Laura Ardizzone, Director, Nurse Anesthesia Services was one of ten medalists who received the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) Medal from Columbia University. Notable alumni medalists are recognized for contributing to building Columbia’s community regionally, online, in specific schools, and/or in cross-campus initiatives.
Kerry Bessey, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer was recognized as a notable HR leader working in health care by Crain’s New York Business. Crain’s recognized 62 Human Resources leaders across industries who have helped their companies navigate shifts in work at this stage in the pandemics. Leaders are recognized because their work surpasses the expected and whose accomplishments are both transformative and innovative.
Juliet Barker, MBBS, Director, Cord Blood Transplantation Program and Associate Vice Chair, Faculty Development and the Department of Medicine, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement award by the IcIa da Silva Foundation. Dr. Barker received this award for her work extending transplant access to racial and ethnic minority patients.
Allison Uzzolino Receives the Cancer Patient Education Network Rising Star Award
Allison Uzzolino, MPH, CHES, manager of patient and community education, received the Cancer Patient Education Network Rising Star Award. Allison was honored for her commitment to advancing the field of cancer patient education and her dedication to supporting the needs of patients and caregivers.
Samuel Bakhoum, MD, PhD, radiation oncologist, was one of ten recipients to receive the 2022 Mary Kay Ash Foundation award. Recipients of this grant were selected from a pool of researchers from the nation’s top cancer research institutes and universities who conduct ground-breaking research in cancers that primarily affect women. The grant funds innovative, translational cancer research efforts to advance detection, prognosis and treatment of these cancers.
Allison Betof Warner, MD, PhD, medical oncologist, was one of ten recipients to receive a grant from the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF). The grant will support innovative research in overcoming immunotherapy resistance, treating melanoma brain metastases, identifying new treatment targets and methods. Dr. Warner’s grant was generously funded by the Silverstein Family Research Grant Challenge for Women in Science.