Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) announces the following awards and appointments:
Jorge S. Reis-Filho Named a Susan G. Komen Scholar
Jorge S. Reis-Filho, MD, PhD, FRCPath, Chief, Experimental Pathology Service, was named a Susan G. Komen Scholar. The Komen Scholars are experts in laboratory research, clinical practice, public health, and patient advocacy. They contribute to Komen’s programs by leading Komen’s scientific peer review process, and act as Komen ambassadors in communities around the U.S. and the world.
Four MSK Researchers Awarded 2022 Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) Grants
Zachary Epstein-Peterson, MD, hematologist oncologist; Lorenzo Falchi, MD, medical oncologist; Hans-Guido Wendel, MD, Member and Professor of the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program; and David Qualls, MD, Medical Oncology/Hematology Fellow, were awarded 2022 Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) Grants.
LRF is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization devoted to funding innovative lymphoma research and serving the lymphoma community. Dr. Epstein-Peterson and Dr. Falchi are recipients of the Clinical Investigator Career Development Award. Dr. Wendel received the Jaime Peykoff Initiative Follicular Lymphoma Priority Research Grant and Dr. Qualls was awarded inclusion in the LRF Scientific Research Mentoring Program: Clinical Track.
Sukrit Singh Awarded a Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation 2022 Quantitative Biology Fellowship
Sukrit Singh, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the John Chodera Lab at Sloan Kettering Institute (SKI), received the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation 2022 Quantitative Biology Fellowship. The fellowship is awarded to early-career scientists who apply the tools of computational science to generate and interpret cancer research data at extraordinary scale and resolution.
Dr. Singh will receive independent funding to train under the joint mentorship of John D. Chodera, PhD, computational chemist in the Computational and Systems Biology Program at SKI and Markus A. Seeliger, PhD, of Stony Brook University.
Samuel F. Bakhoum Named in Endpoints News 20(+1) Under 40 Biotech Leaders List
Samuel F. Bakhoum, MD, PhD, radiation oncologist, was named in the Endpoints News 20(+1) Under 40 biotech leaders list. The list honors young scientists and entrepreneurs chasing big ideas that could help reshape medicine. Dr. Bakhoum is highlighted for his field of research in chromosomal instability and metastatic cancer and investigations on how chromosomal instability is linked to other bodily processes such as inflammation and epigenetics, and how it might be targeted.
Twelve MSK Researchers Received the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting Merit Award
Bharat Burman, MD, PhD, Medical Oncology Fellow; Noura Choudhury, MD, Medical Oncology Fellow; Darren Cowzer, MBBCh, Fellow; Arielle Elkrief, MD, Research Fellow; Warren Fingrut, MD, Fellow; Kelly Fitzgerald, MD, PhD, Medical Oncology Fellow; Emily Harrold, MBBCh, BAO, MRCP, Fellow; Jennifer Ma, MD, Radiation Oncology Resident; Beryl Manning-Geist, MD, GYN Oncology Fellow; Sherry Shen, MD, Medical Oncology Fellow; Hong Truong, MD, Urologic Oncology Fellow; and Jonathan Yuval, MD, Fellow, SKI, received the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting Merit Award by the Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation.
The Merit Awards support oncology trainees who are first authors on abstracts selected for presentation at the ASCO Annual Meeting. This year, Conquer Cancer will recognize 151 recipients with Merit Awards.
Human Rights Campaign Recognized MSK for Commitment to LGBTQ+ Community
MSK has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader, once again receiving a maximum overall score of 100 from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation on its 2022 Healthcare Equity Index (HEI). This marks the ninth consecutive time MSK has received this honor.
HEI is the national benchmarking tool that evaluates healthcare institutions’ policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender patients and employees. A record 906 healthcare facilities actively participated in the 2022 HEI survey.
Fumiko Chino, Craig B. Thompson, and Jedd D. Wolchok Received American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Awards
Fumiko Chino, MD, radiation oncologist; Craig B. Thompson, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer; and Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD, FASCO, Chief of the Immuno-Oncology Service in the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program (HOPP), Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, have been honored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, with three prestigious awards.
The special honors are presented to researchers and global oncology leaders who have reshaped cancer care around the world and include the inaugural Excellence in Equity Award, the Science of Oncology Award, and the David Karnofsky Award. Dr. Chino, Dr. Thompson, and Dr. Wolchok will be recognized at the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago on June 3–7, 2022.
Xiuzhen Chen and Brianna Naizir Received the 2022 Marie-Josée Kravis Women in Science Endeavor (WiSE) Fellowship
Xiuzhen Chen, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Christine Mayr Lab at SKI, and Brianna Naizir, graduate student in the Andrea Schietinger Lab at SKI, were awarded the 2022 Marie-Josée Kravis Women in Science Endeavor (WiSE) Fellowship.
Launched in 2020, Kravis WiSE is devoted to supporting women pursuing scientific training at MSK by providing essential, sustained funding for trainees, as well as mentoring and professional development to women pursuing careers in biomedical research at MSK. Winners of Kravis WiSE fellowships present their research at the annual symposium.
Five MSK Scientific Luminaries Elected as Fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy
Luis Alberto Diaz, Jr., MD, Grayer Family Chair, Head of the Division of Solid Tumor Oncology in the Department of Medicine; Thomas J. Kelly, MD, PhD, Benno S. Schmidt Chair of Cancer Research, Member of the Molecular Biology Program; Nikola P. Pavletich, PhD, Stephen and Barbara Friedman Chair, Member of the Structural Biology Program; Neal Rosen, MD, PhD, Enid A. Haupt Chair in Medical Oncology, Member of the Molecular Pharmacology Program; and Alexander Y. Rudensky, PhD, Chair of the Immunology Program, are among 33 international scientific leaders elected to the prestigious Fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy class of 2022 for their significant contributions and impact to cancer research. The mission of the AACR Academy is to honor distinguished scientists whose scientific contributions have propelled significant innovation and progress against cancer.
Una Moore Received the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD) 2022 Change Agent Award
Una Moore, MSN, RN, OCN, NPD-BC, Nursing Professional Development Specialist, is the recipient of the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD) 2022 Change Agent Award. This award recognizes excellence in nursing professional development and is presented to individuals who work to transform processes through inspiration, initiation, adoption, and sustainment of and adaption to change using project management and improvement processes at one of the following levels: patient care unit, education department, and organization.
Three MSK Researchers Received the Foundation for Women’s Cancer (FWC) Research Grants and Awards
Bharat Burman, MD, PhD, Medical Oncology Fellow; M. Herman Chui, MD, FRCPC, pathologist; and Sushmita Gordhandas, MD, GYN Oncology Fellow, received the Foundation for Women’s Cancer (FWC) Research Grants and Awards.
The FWC Research Grants and Awards program strives to accelerate the research of young investigators and promote the long-term success of the gynecologic oncology field. Dr. Burman received the ME STRONG Cervical Cancer Research Grant, Dr. Chui received the Research Grant in Honor of Dr. Ginger J. Gardner Through Marcy Regan, and Dr. Gordhandas received the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition Research Award for Ovarian Cancer: Early Detection.
Cristina R. Antonescu Awarded the Ken Pribil Jr. Foundation Sarcoma Research Grant
Cristina R. Antonescu, MD, Director of Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology, received the Ken Pribil Jr. Foundation Sarcoma Research Grant. Dr. Antonescu’s research is focused on the molecular mechanisms driving these tumors, how and why resistance begins, and genetic underpinnings that can be used to target angiosarcoma. The Ken Pribil Jr. Foundation has supported sarcoma research in the New York area. This grant fulfills the organization’s mission of commemorating the life of Kenny Pribil Jr., from Rockville Centre, New York, through annual grants that support sarcoma research.
Carol L. Brown and Vicky Makker Honored With the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Awards
Carol L. Brown, MD, FACOG, FACS, Senior Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer, Nicholls-Biondi Chair for Health Equity, Vice Chair of Health Equity in the Department of Surgery, and Vicky Makker, MD, medical oncologist, were honored with the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Awards.
Dr. Brown received the Distinguished Service Award for her experience in defining training requirements and standards that have served as the cornerstone of the subspecialty of gynecologic oncology. Dr. Makker received the SGO 2021 Annual Meeting Best Oral Presentation, for “A multicenter, open-label, randomized, phase 3 study to compare the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in combination with pembrolizumab versus treatment of physician’s choice in patients with advanced endometrial cancer.”
Andrew J. Roth Received the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) 2022 Jimmie Holland Lifetime Achievement Award
Andrew J. Roth, MD, psychiatrist, was honored with the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) 2022 Jimmie Holland Lifetime Achievement Award. This award serves to recognize an APOS member who best embodies the qualities of leadership and patient-centered care. It is bestowed in honor of the late Dr. Jimmie Holland, who was Chair of MSK’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, one of the founders of the field of psychosocial oncology, and the founder of APOS.
Jaap-Jan Boelens Elected Regional Vice President-Elect of the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT)
Jaap-Jan Boelens, MD, PhD, Chief of the Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapies Service, Richard J. O’Reilly Chair in Honor of Kevin Zoltan Merszei, has been elected as the Regional Vice President-Elect, North America Regional Executive Committee for 2022–24, for the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT). ISCT is an international association that focuses on the translational aspects of developing cell-based therapies, thereby advancing scientific research into innovative treatments for patients.
William E. Rosa Received an International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care (IAHPC) Individual Recognition Award
William E. Rosa, PhD, MBE, NP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, received an International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care (IAHPC) Individual Recognition Award. This award celebrates individuals dedicated to developing and providing palliative care to improve the quality of life for patients with serious health-related suffering.
Brandon Warren Received Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of New York City Rookie of the Year Award
Brandon Warren, Manager of Hospital Operations, received the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of New York City Rookie of the Year Award. BBBS honors a select few from thousands of NYC volunteers and from more than 65 corporate partners who are dedicated to improving the lives of underserved youth across New York City. The Rookie of the Year Award is presented annually to a new mentor. Warren was recognized for his above-and-beyond commitment to connecting with his mentee.