Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) has announced several awards and appointments recognizing the achievements of its staff in research, leadership, and patient care.
Jason Lewis, PhD, who serves as Radiochemist and Deputy Director at the Sloan Kettering Institute, was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. The organization recognized Dr. Lewis for his work developing new radiopharmaceuticals, nanoparticle drug delivery systems, and antibody-based diagnostics aimed at advancing personalized medicine and targeted therapies.
Larry Norton, MD, Senior Vice President in the Office of the President and Medical Director of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center, received the Advanced Breast Cancer Conference (ABC8) Award. According to MSK’s announcement: “Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Norton has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to improving outcomes for patients through science-driven innovation, mentorship, and compassionate care.”
Piro Lito, MD, PhD, Thoracic Medical Oncologist at MSK, was selected by Pew Charitable Trusts for its 2025 class of Innovation Fund Investigators. He will collaborate with Carlos Carmona-Fontaine from New York University to study how cell cooperation contributes to resistance in cancer therapy.
Kathryn Taylor, PhD—Assistant Member in Cancer Biology and Genetics as well as Pediatrics—was awarded the CureSearch Young Investigator Award for 2026–2028. Her project focuses on neuronal activity in diffuse hemispheric glioma among adolescents. The award provides multi-year funding along with career development opportunities for early-career researchers.
Omar Abdel-Wahab, MD—Chair of Molecular Pharmacology at Sloan Kettering Institute—received a $750,000 grant from Blood Cancer United Discoveries Grant Program to study mutations in the SRSF2 gene found in certain blood cancers. “Understanding what’s happening at the molecular level — with genes like SRSF2 — means one new drug could work for all these types of cancer,” stated MSK.
Thomas Atkinson, PhD was approved for research funding by Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). His project will compare current methods with large language model-guided approaches to improve detection and reporting of adverse events by patients during clinical trials.
Selwyn M. Vickers, MD FACS—the institution’s President and CEO—was named among “61 CEO Influencers to Know” by Becker’s Hospital Review: “The list honors visionary leaders…who are using their leadership and influence to drive progress…”
Erin McDonough was recognized by Ragan’s Top Women in Communications 2026 under Healthcare Communicators for her role as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.
Rosario Costa Muniz received Psychologist of the Year from Latina Sisters Support for supporting cancer patients emotionally and spiritually.
Josana Tonda was honored as a 2025 Power Woman of Manhattan by Schneps Media due to her role leading community outreach programs focused on immigrant health disparities.
Finally, MSK itself earned a place on Becker’s Hospital Review’s “100 Great Hospitals in America” list this year based on its clinical performance and dedication to research and education.
Located in New York City since its founding in 1884, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is led by Selwyn M. Vickers as president. It features a pediatric ward and functions as a training hospital; according to its 2022 annual report it performed over 26,500 surgeries that year with more than 24,000 patient admissions.
