The success of science, research, and medicine in saving and extending lives requires the transfer of ideas and knowledge in the laboratory, classroom, hospitals and clinics. Shutting off access to the brightest and most talented scientists and clinicians from around the world will be profoundly detrimental to the American healthcare system, impacting both the daily treatment of patients and the development of interventions that cure cancer and extend lives.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center seeks out the brightest and best candidates to support our mission of researching, preventing, and treating cancer. Temporary visas for highly skilled workers allow MSK, like other scientific and medical research institutions, to recruit top talent from around the world. The individuals who use these visas are our neighbors, our friends and our co-workers, and our institution would not be where it is without their contributions.
The Executive Order issued on June 22 that suspends the issuing of temporary visas for certain foreign workers will only impede the innovation and scientific leadership that the world has come to expect from the United States. It will not only harm our healthcare sector but will also reverberate across industries and sectors crucial to our nation’s global competitiveness and economic health. We’ll continue to stand by our foreign-born colleagues who contribute to our country and strive to make the world a better place.
Craig B. Thompson, MD
President and CEO