Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) today announced the following awards and appointments:
Mijin Kim Named A 2023 STAT Wunderkind
Mijin Kim, PhD, postdoctoral fellow, has been
honored among the 2023 STAT Wunderkinds. STAT Wunderkinds acknowledges the work of early-career researchers in health and medicine across North America. Dr. Kim received recognition for her research investigating the subtleties in the behavior of carbon nanotubes. Her work at MSK has focused on how to use her carbon nanotubes to detect ovarian cancer in blood.
Luis Diaz Jr. and Kojo S.J. Elenitoba-Johnson Elected to the National Academy of Medicine
Luis Diaz Jr., MD, medical oncologist, Head of the Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, and incumbent of the Grayer Family Chair, and
Kojo S.J. Elenitoba-Johnson, MD, pathologist, Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, member in the Human Oncology Pathogenesis Program (HOPP), and the incumbent of the James Ewing Alumni Chair of Pathology, have been
elected as members of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). They are two of 90 regular members and 10 international members chosen this year, in recognition of their outstanding professional achievements and commitment to service. They join 23 other members of the MSK faculty conferred with this distinction.
Luis Diaz Jr. Received the 2023 Luminary Awards in Gastrointestinal Cancers
Luis Diaz Jr., MD, medical oncologist, Head of the Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, and incumbent of the Grayer Family Chair, has been
awarded the 2023 Luminary Award in Gastrointestinal Cancers (GI). This accolade highlights the achievements of individuals who have dedicated their careers to expanding the knowledge of the GI cancer community.
Scott Lowe, Julio Garcia-Aguilar, Dana Pe’er, Paul Romesser, Michel Sadelain, and Andrea Schietinger Received the Mark Foundation 2023 Endeavor Award
Scott Lowe, PhD, Chair of the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program at the
Sloan Kettering Institute (SKI), Chair of the Geoffrey Cancer Research Center and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute;
Julio Garcia-Aguilar, MD, PhD, colorectal surgeon, Chief of the Colorectal Service and Benno C. Schmidt Chair in Surgical Oncology;
Dana Pe’er, PhD, Chair of the Computational and Systems Biology Program at SKI, Scientific Director of the Alan and Sandra Gerry Metastasis and Tumor Ecosystems Center, Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Alan and Sandra Gerry Endowed Chair;
Paul Romesser, MD, radiation oncologist and early drug development specialist, Director of colorectal and anal cancer;
[BJ1] Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD, renowned physician-scientist, Director of the Center for Cell Engineering and Stephen and Barbara Friedman Chair, and
Andrea Schietinger, PhD, associate member of the immunology program at SKI, Catherine and Fredrick R. Adler Chair for junior faculty
[BJ2] , were
awarded the Mark Foundation for Cancer 2023 Endeavor Award for their project titled, “
Harnessing Senescence Biology for Immuno-oncology.”Constantinos Sofocleous Awarded Distinguished Investigator Honor by the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research
Constantinos Sofocleous, MD, PhD, interventional radiologist, has been
selected to receive the 2023 Distinguished Investigator (DI) Award from the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research (the Academy). This prestigious honor, established in 2012, recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to the field of medical imaging. Dr. Sofocleous is one of 58 investigators who will be inducted as the Class of 2023 into the Academy’s Council of Distinguished Investigators during the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America on November 28, 2023, in Chicago.
Christopher Gaffney Awarded A 2023 Young Investigator Award by The Prostate Cancer Foundation
Christopher Gaffney, MD, urologic oncology fellow, has received a 2023 Young Investigators Award by the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF). This award identifies a cohort of future research leaders who will keep the field of prostate cancer research vibrant with new ideas and offer career and project support for early career physicians and scientist who are committed to advancing the prostate cancer field. Dr. Gaffney, mentored by Howard I. Scher, MD, medical oncologist, Head of Biomarker Development Program, and D. Wayne Calloway Chair in Urologic Oncology, Behfar Ehdaie, MD, MPH, and David Knorr, MD, PhD, was awarded for his project title, “Defining Modifiable Components of the Immune Microenvironment in Patients with Prostate Cancer Nodal Metastases.”
Aveline Fillol Awarded the MERSCOPE Platform Grant
Aveline Fillol, PhD, lead program manager, has
received the first ever MERSCOPE platform grant by Vizgen. These grants are awarded to researchers with the most innovative and impactful proposals in cancer research. Dr. Filliol plans to apply MERSCOPE to matched samples from patients to validate the presence of tumor cells displaying senescent features, identify where they are localized in the tumor, and unravel the neighborhood of senescent tumor cells.
John Maciejowski Received Mary Kay ASH Foundation Award
John Maciejowski, PhD, molecular biologist, has
received the 2023 Mary Kay ASH Foundation Award. The 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. Dr. Maciejowski received funding to further conduct groundbreaking research for his project titled, “Targeting the TREX1 Checkpoint to Improve Anti-Tumor Immunity.”
William Breitbart Awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to the field of Palliative Care
William Breitbart, MD, psychiatrist, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and Jimmie C. Holland Chair, has been presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to the field of Palliative Care by MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Breitbart was nominated for his extraordinary contribution in the advancement of Palliative care.
Scott Stuart Named Among Crain’s New York Business 2023 Notable Nonprofit Board Leaders in Health Care
Scott Stuart, Chair of MSK’s Board of Trustees and Governing Trustees, was
named to the list of Crain’s New York Business 2023 Notable Nonprofit Board Leader in Health Care. The list recognizes individuals whose commitment to the public good inspires and elevates.
Diane Reidy-Lagunes Received the 2023 Medical Honoree Award by the American Cancer Society
Diane Reidy-Lagunes, MD, gastrointestinal oncologist, Vice Chair of Oncology Operations for MSK’s Regional Cancer Network, and creator and host of
Cancer Straight Talk[BJ3] podcast, was honored with the 2023 Medical Honoree Award. This award honors respected physicians, corporate professionals, community leaders, and dedicated volunteers who are devoted to helping people with cancer and their families.
Yasmin Khakoo Received the Arnold P Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award
Yasmin Khakoo, MD, FAAN, FAAP, pediatric neurologist and neuro-oncologist and Director of Child Neurology Program has been
awarded the Arnold P Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award. This award is presented annually to a child neurologist or developmental pediatrician, regardless of age, who has been nominated by their peers and selected by the Child Neurology Society Award Committee. This award’s primary aim is to acknowledge an individual who consistently demonstrated extraordinary humanism in their medical career.
William Tew Named an American Society of Clinical Oncology Fellow
William Tew, MD, FASCO, gynecologic oncologist, Clinical Director of the Gynecologic Medical Oncology Service, was
named an American Society of Clinical Oncology Fellow (FASO). The FASCO distinction recognizes members for their extraordinary volunteer service, engagements, dedication, and commitments to ASCO. Recipients of this award have carried out efforts that benefit ASCO, the specialty of oncology, and the patients they serve.
Anoushka Maria Afonso Awarded the 2023 American Medical Women’s Association INSPIRE Award
Anoushka Maria Afonso, MD, FASA, anesthesiologist, Director of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) and Associate Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology,
received the 2023 American Medical Women’s Association
INSPIRE Award. This award celebrates accomplished women in medicine who exemplify the highest values in vision, integrity, service, and collaboration in medicine, and healthcare.
Katja Pinker-Domenig Named 2023 Minnie by Aunt Minnie
Katja Pinker-Domenig, MD, PhD, radiologist, Director of Research, and Director of the Breast MRI, Breast Imaging Service, has been
chosen as a 2023 Minnies finalists. The Minnies finalist are recognized for their excellence in radiology.
MSK Named One of America’s Best In-State Hospitals by Newsweek
Newsweek has named MSK as one of America’s Best In-State Hospitals in their 2024 list. Newsweek and Statista collaborated to curate a list of the top 600 nationwide, aimed at assisting patients in locating the finest local healthcare services.
MSK’s Patient & Caregiver Education Team Received the 2023 Excellence in Patient Education Award
MSK’s Patient & Caregiver Education team has been awarded with the 2023 Excellence in Patient Education award. This award is presented to groups that have made significant contributions to cancer patient education. The award acknowledges innovative methods in creating and sharing patient education materials that exemplify best practices in health literacy.
MSK Award the 2023 100 Best Companies by Seramount
MSK was recognized by Seramount as one of the best companies of 2023. This year’s winners continue to set the standard by providing inclusive benefits for families, including paid gender-neutral parental leave, subsidized childcare, bereavement leave after miscarriage, reimbursement for fertility expenses, and increased mental health benefits for employees.
