Lisa M. DeAngelis Has Been Named Physician-in-Chief and Chief Medical Officer of MSK
After an extensive nationwide search, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) announced today that Lisa M. DeAngelis has been named Physician-in-Chief and Chief Medical Officer. A leading expert in brain cancer, Dr. DeAngelis previously served as Chair of the Department of Neurology and was co-founder of MSK’s Brain Tumor Center during her 30-plus-year tenure at the institution.
“Lisa is an internationally renowned physician, collaborative colleague, and fierce advocate for both patients and faculty,” said Craig B. Thompson, MSK President and CEO. “Her expertise and unique understanding of MSK’s mission make her the ideal person to lead MSK’s clinical enterprise into the future.”
As Physician-in-Chief, Dr. DeAngelis will direct the entire clinical care enterprise and continuum of care at MSK, leading a staff of cancer experts that includes more than 1,200 hospital attendings and almost 4,000 registered nurses. She will be responsible for the management of all patient care services across the MSK system, including a 500-bed inpatient hospital, 13 outpatient facilities in New York City, and seven regional care sites throughout New York and New Jersey. She will also focus on clinical strategic planning and will oversee MSK’s robust clinical and translational research programs.
“Over the course of her career, Lisa has been a leader of strength and integrity and is widely recognized for her vast knowledge of MSK, her extensive experience in treating cancer, and her extraordinary skill as a physician. She is also a gifted communicator, and there is no one better suited for this trailblazing role,” said Scott M. Stuart, Chairman of the Boards of Overseers and Managers of MSK.
Dr. DeAngelis joined MSK as a neuro-oncology fellow in 1985, working with Jerome Posner, who was MSK’s founding Chair of Neurology. She became a critical member of MSK’s leadership team in 1997, when she was appointed Chair of the Department of Neurology, a position she held until assuming the Acting Physician-in-Chief role in September 2018. She co-founded MSK’s Brain Tumor Center, where experts from across MSK work to bring new discoveries from the lab to patients as quickly as possible. Her research has focused on primary brain tumors and the neurological complications of cancer and its treatment, such as cognitive impairment and strokes. She helped develop the current regimen to treat primary central nervous system lymphoma and has led numerous national clinical trials that investigate new brain tumor therapies.
Dr. DeAngelis is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Neurological Association. She also served previously on the board of directors for the Society for Neuro-Oncology.
MSK is one of 50 institutions in the United States that has been designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute, affirming our leadership in research, patient care, and education. MSK is an American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet®–designated institution, based on nursing excellence. In 2018, more than 24,000 patients were admitted to Memorial Hospital, and more than 173,000 patients were seen at our Manhattan and regional facilities.