Pediatric oncologist Scott Armstrong
Pediatric oncologist Scott A. Armstrong has been named the incumbent of the Grayer Family Chair, and stem cell biologist Kitai Kim has been named to a Geoffrey Beene Junior Faculty Chair. An endowed chair represents one of the highest honors Memorial Sloan Kettering bestows on its most talented faculty.
Dr. Armstrong, who joined Memorial Sloan Kettering in June, is a member of the Department of Pediatrics and the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program. He specializes in treating children and young adults with leukemia, and has a particular interest in developing new therapies that are both less toxic and more effective. He has made major contributions to our understanding of how leukemia develops, and his research has pointed the way to potential new therapies for the disease.
The Grayer Family Chair was endowed by Jonathan N. Grayer and his wife, Kelly. Mr. Grayer is Chairman and CEO of Weld North, an investment company, and a member of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Boards of Overseers and Managers.
Stem cell biologist Kitai Kim
Dr. Kim, who joined the Memorial Sloan Kettering faculty in 2011, heads a laboratory in the Sloan Kettering Institute’s Cancer Biology and Genetics Program and is also a member of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Center for Cell Engineering and the Center for Stem Cell Biology. He is an accomplished laboratory scientist whose research focuses on stem cells and the mechanisms by which they self-renew, differentiate, and function normally.
The Geoffrey Beene Junior Faculty Chairs were designed to provide funding to outstanding young researchers from across the institution at a crucial early stage in their careers. They are part of the Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center at Memorial Sl0an-Kettering, an initiative funded by a gift from the estate of the late fashion designer Geoffrey Beene. The center brings together investigators and clinicians dedicated to the study of the molecular mechanisms of cancer.
