The Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research was created by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Board to honor the contributions of the late Paul A. Marks as a distinguished scientist and leader. The prize was established when Dr. Marks retired.

As President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Marks led Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for 19 years, beginning in 1980. After stepping down from that role in 1999, he remained a vital part of MSK for many years as President Emeritus and Member of the Sloan Kettering Institute. Dr. Marks’s research in cell biology and cancer genetics made major contributions toward a new approach to cancer treatment and prevention, through the development of new and more potent chemotherapy and chemoprevention agents. He also helped establish the highest standards for research and patient care at MSK and provided leadership in the national and international medical science community.

Dr. Marks received his AB and MD degrees from Columbia University and postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health and the Pasteur Institute. Prior to his tenure at MSK, he was Professor of Human Genetics and Frode Jensen Professor of Medicine (1968-1980), Dean of the Faculty of Medicine (1970-1973), and Vice President for Health Sciences and Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center (1973-1980) at Columbia University.

Dr. Marks was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine and was a Fellow at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was the recipient of numerous honors. Throughout his long research career, he published more than 350 scientific articles in various scholarly journals.