Holly Mentzer, a music therapist from MSK’s Integrative Medicine Department raises the spirits and brings peace to patients across the hospital. The music therapists at MSK offer both individual and group sessions as well as art and movement therapy to ease pain, build social connections, and provide comfort to patients. Holly brings her harp to Garrett Lambert’s isolation room and they “make the enclosed room feel like a serene, welcoming space as she and Lambert harmonize.”

A study jointly led by Shannon Carson, MD (UNC Chapel Hill), Judith Nelson, MD, JD, and Christopher Cox, MD (Duke) published on July 5 in JAMA showed that ICU clinicians were as effective at communication and family support as specialized palliative care teams for families of chronically ill patients in the ICU.
Citation: Carson SS, Cox CE, Wallenstein S, et al. Effect of Palliative Care–Led Meetings for Families of Patients With Chronic Critical Illness: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2016;316(1):51-62. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.8474. Continue reading →

A Time Magazine question about the evidence examining the effect of acupuncture for pain cited a recent meta-analysis designed by Dr. Andrew Vickers, a biostatistician at MSK. “When comparing legit acupuncture to standard care, there was a statistically significant benefit to acupuncture, Vickers says. “We saw a measurable effect there,” he explains. “If acupuncture were a drug, we’d say the drug works.”

Citation: Vickers AJ, Cronin AM, Maschino AC, et al. Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(19):1444-1453. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3654.

Twenty year old student and business owner, Bobby Lenahan, invented the IV Hero, a super-hero themed sleeve to go over IV bags to make kids less scared. It is now being used in three hospitals, including MSK.

RBC Capital Markets raised $1M on June 28th during its second annual “RBC Trade for the Kids Day”. The monies raised from the day went to several charities including the Department of Pediatrics at MSK.

The breakthrough study at the Sanger Institute has shown that AML is at least 11 different diseases. Dr. Elli Papaemmanuil, joint first author, brought her expertise in genome interrogation to understand the cause of AML. “We combined detailed genetic analysis with patient health information to help understand the fundamental causes of AML. For the first time we untangled the genetic complexity seen in most AML cancer genomes into distinct evolutionary paths that lead to AML.”

Dr. Clifford Hudis has been named the new CEO of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. In his new role, Hudis will continue Lichter’s vision of using “big data” to find new treatments and cures for cancer.

Vivian Rodriguez Archilla, PhD provides professional commentary on the emotional struggles of cancer on T.J. Sharpe’s blog post, “The Dark Side of Surviving Cancer“.

The world first met Gabriel through Brandon Stanton on Humans of New York. Gabe’s story was the first story told through Brandon’s camera lens at MSK’s pediatrics department. Voice of America did an in-depth story on Gabe and his family as well as Dr. Paul Meyers, Gabe’s oncologist here at MSK.