Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) is proud to announce that Physician-in-Chief and Chief Medical Officer Lisa M. DeAngelis, MD, and Community Outreach Manager Julia Ramirez, MA, are included on the Crain’s New York Business 2020 Notable in Healthcare list. The list celebrates outstanding individuals in the healthcare community within the New York metropolitan area, and honors their professional, civic, and philanthropic achievements.
Lisa DeAngelis, MD
Physician-in-Chief Lisa DeAngelis
After a 30-year tenure at MSK serving as Chair of the Department of Neurology and co-founder of MSK’s Brain Tumor Center, Dr. DeAngelis was named Physician-in-Chief in September 2019. In this role, she oversees all clinical services, research, medical education, and multi-center collaborations, including the 500-bed Memorial Hospital, 13 outpatient facilities in New York City, and seven regional care sites across New York and New Jersey.
Dr. DeAngelis is an internationally recognized expert in brain cancer and the neurological complications of cancer treatment, including cognitive impairment and stroke. She is the author of more than 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 130 book chapters and has written or edited eight books. Dr. DeAngelis is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. She is a fellow of the American Neurological Association (ANA) and former Vice Chair of the Board. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), which in 2019 awarded her the organization’s highest honor, the Wartenberg lecture.
Dr. DeAngelis is a visionary leader for the MSK community and has led and adapted the clinical response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through patient information sessions and regular meetings with employees, she has maintained vital communications and assured both patients and staff that MSK is here for them. Recently, MSK was named one of the best hospitals for cancer care by U.S. News & World Report for the 31st year in a row. Reflecting on this honor, Dr. DeAngelis said “We are a community united in our mission to support patients, establish new and effective treatments, and build on our legacy of pioneering research and compassionate care. Our patients are at the center of everything we do and are the inspiration for our mission.”
Julia Ramirez, MA
Community Manager Julia Ramirez, center
As the Community Outreach Manager of the Immigrant Health & Cancer Disparities Service at MSK, Ramirez oversees several highly impactful programs which identify and work to eliminate disparities in health and cancer treatment among immigrants and minority patients. She has also served as a research coordinator on a number of immigrant health studies in the areas of cancer, tuberculosis, immigrant health, and health care access.
In 2018, Julia was the recipient of the Wholeness of Life Award, by the Healthcare Chaplaincy Network, of which she is a member. She is also a member of the New York Immigration Coalition’s NY Immigration Health Collaborative. At MSK, Ramirez serves as one of the co-leaders for the Black, Latino, Asian, and Multiracial (BLAM) Employee Resource Network and is a steering committee member of Women on the Move Employee Resource Network.
Perhaps most notably, Ramirez leads the Food to Overcome Outcomes Disparities (FOOD) Program at MSK, a hospital-based food pantry program addressing food insecurity among immigrant and underserved people with cancer by providing free nutritious food and education. When COVID-19 struck NYC in March, FOOD pantries saw a surge in demand, as high as 40% at some pantry sites. The pre-existing financial instability caused by a cancer diagnosis layered with the pandemic-related loss of income, transportation costs, food shortages, and shelter in place directives, made no-cost food even more vital for these patients. Julia and her team sprang into action, facilitating donations and resources from food delivery companies and working with MSK leadership, MSK’s Transportation Department, and recently laid off taxi drivers to coordinate doorstep food deliveries for at-risk patients. The FOOD Program typically provides weekly donations to more than 200 cancer patients in NYC. However, since April 6, 2020, the program has delivered 19,800 meals to more than 400 cancer patients.
