MSK Awards and Appointments February 2025

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) today announced the following awards and appointments:

Vinod Balachandran Awarded the Marcus Foundation Medical Research Award

Vinod Balachandran, MD surgeon-scientist and Director of the Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at MSK, has received a Medical Research Award from The Marcus Foundation to research next-generation precision RNA vaccines for pancreatic cancer. The project will address critical barriers in cancer vaccinology, including RNA vaccine accuracy, potency, clinical utility, and durability, and marks the beginning of a long-term partnership with the Marcus Foundation to establish the fundamental principles and practice of effective cancer vaccines.

Oriana Miltiadous Selected to the Damon Runyon Cancer-St. Jude’s Pediatric Cancer Research Fellowship

Oriana Miltiadous, MD, fellow, was selected for the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital Fellowship. The fellowship addresses a funding gap that often leads top talent to pursue more prevalent opportunities in adult care research or the pharmaceutical sector. Dr. Miltiadous was elected for her research investigating how the gut microbiome affects the immune system in children undergoing a cancer treatment called allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT).

Caleb Lareau Awarded the Next Generation Grant for Early-Career Immunology Research

Caleb Lareau, PhD, head of Sloan Kettering Institute (SKI) Computational and Systems Biology Program, received the next generation grant for early-career immunology research by the Human Immunome Project and the Michelson Medical Research Foundation. Dr. Lareau was awarded for his vaccine research studying systems immunology in cancer and infection. immunology in cancer and infection.

Lydia Finley Received the 2024 Tsuneko and Reoji Okazaki Award

Lydia Finley, PhD, Geoffrey Beene Junior Faculty Chair, was awarded the Tsuneko and Reiji Okazaki Award from Nagoya University. Dr. Finley was awarded for her research on how cells use energy and its effect on stem cells and cancer cells.

MSK Named One of America’s Best Large Employers 2025 by Forbes

MSK was recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Lage Employers of 2025. In partnership with Statista, Forbes surveyed 217,000 employees from the U.S. companies with more than 1,000 employees. Participants rated their employers based on salary, work environment, training programs and advancement opportunities. Participants were also asked whether they would recommend their current and previous employers.

MSK Ranked #1 Hospital in Cancer Care by Castle Connolly

Castle Connolly ranked MSK as the nation’s top hospital in cancer care in its 2025 Top Cancer Hospitals list. This recognition highlights the expertise and dedication of top cancer care specialists across health systems, hospitals, and physician practices for their expertise and commitment to providing exceptional patient care.

MSK Named to World’s Best Hospital of 2025 by Newsweek

Newsweek has named MSK as one of the World’s Best Hospitals of 2025. Newsweek partnered with research firm Statista to rank the world’s best hospital. This year’s ranking featured the best medical institutions across 30 countries.

MSK Named to America’s Greatest Workplaces for Inclusion and Diversity 2025 by Newsweek

Newsweek named MSK as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Inclusion and Diversity in their 2025 list. Newsweek partnered with analytics firm Plant-A Insights to evaluate public data, insights from HR professionals, and responses from an anonymous survey of a diverse employee survey across U.S.-based companies. This list honors companies that prioritize diversity and inclusion in their workplace culture.