Richard J. O'Reilly, MD -- Chair, Department of Pediatrics; Chief, Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Service; Claire L. Tow Chair in Pediatric Oncology Research
In honor of his extraordinary contributions to improving the diagnosis and treatment of childhood cancer, Richard O’Reilly, Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and Director of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program at MSK, will receive the first Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Prize. The new global prize will be awarded annually to a researcher, physician, or team leader who has made a positive and lasting impact in the fight against pediatric cancer.
Dr. O’Reilly will be recognized at The Society’s Spring Ball on May 17 and officially awarded the prize at MSK’s academic convocation ceremony on May 19.
Among his many accomplishments, Dr. O’Reilly pioneered the development of curative marrow transplantation approaches for patients who lack HLA-matched siblings. In 1973, he and Robert Good, then the Director of the Sloan Kettering Institute, performed the first bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor, dramatically expanding treatment options for all patients.
Congratulations to Dr. O’Reilly on this tribute to his remarkable career and the profound difference he has made in so many lives.