Songs4Sloan Benefit Concert for Pediatric Cancer Research at MSK and More…

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Dina

On May 11 at 7pm at the Soho Playhouse (15 Vandam Street) in New York City, many of Broadway’s youngest stars will be performing as part of Songs4Sloan, a benefit concert presented by Abbey Rose Gould and Presley Ryan to benefit pediatric cancer research at MSK.
On April 12, MSK’s Patricia Skarulis delivered a keynote address at the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives spring forum in Chicago. MSK’s ever-evolving cybersecurity strategy was discussed, which currently includes a two-factor authentication for email and various initiatives to reduce the risk of having employees fall prey to increasingly sophisticated phishing schemes.
In an April 14 Annals of Internal Medicine paper, MSK’s Dr. Andrew Vickers, PhD, and Dr. David Kent of Tufts Medical Center argued that there may be a need for more individualized recommendations when it comes to screening and prevention as most individuals have below average risk and may experience more harm than benefit from unwarranted screenings.
From April 22-24, MSK will be the meeting site for a workshop hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). In attendance will be 100 international experts on small cell lung cancer who will discuss the current state of knowledge in this field with the goal of developing a “roadmap for future research and clinical trials for patients with this disease”.

MSK Outpatient Art Program and More…

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Dina

MSK’s Outpatient Art Program (established in 2013) which includes both temporary and permanent installations coordinated by Outpatient Curator Sarah Campbell, was highlighted in a March 25 Hyperallergic article. How art is being integrated into MSK’s mission and the role it serves in the healing process of patients was explained.
MSK’s Visible Ink writing program was described in a March 30 News 1 segment that reported on how learning to write down their personal stories has helped many cancer patients of all ages. The program produces annual anthologies of the written works and also organizes a yearly performance where the best pieces are read by actors.
On NPR’s March 26 Morning Edition, jazz singer and MSK patient MaryAnn Anselmo was featured in a story about how genetic testing of her tumor — which showed it to have a mutation usually found in skin cancer — lead to her brain cancer being treated with a skin cancer drug therapy.
A March 24 Reuters Health piece described a recent study by MSK’s Dr. Raymond Thornton and his group which showed that patients may not currently be getting as much information about the risks of radiologic testing as they might wish to receive from their doctors.

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Dina

On March 5, the Broadway Buzz reported that a new play by Halley Feiffer will premiere at the off-Broadway MCC Theatre at the Lucille Lortel Theatrein August 2016. Its title is a mouthful: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York City.
Nobel laureate, outgoing director of the National Cancer Institute, and former MSK President, Dr. Harold Varmus, will be returning to NYC’s Upper East Side to take a position at Weill Cornell Medical College as the Lewis Thomas University Professor of Medicine. He will also join the New York Genome Center as a Senior Associate Core Member.
In his March 11 State of the County Address, Nassau County Executive, Edward Mangano, announced plans for a new MSK outpatient treatment facility to be built on Long Island, and projected to open in 2018.
In early March, the Associates Committee of the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, hosted their annual Bunny Hop, a child-focused fundraiser which this year featured about 50 giant carrots among the kid-friendly décor and entertainment.
In a March 11 company news release, it was announced that MSK’s Urgent Care Center will soon be adopting the Advantages patient flow system to help improve the patient experience. This Versus system has already been successfully implemented at a couple of MSK’s outpatient treatment facilities.