(From left) Selwyn M. Vickers, MD, FACS, is President and Chief Executive Officer. Scott Stuart is Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
We will remember 2022 as a time of transition at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). We were thankful to resume more normal operations after a long period of social distancing.
At MSK, we share a deep, personal connection with our patients, our mission, and each other. It’s what enables us to brainstorm ideas that lead to the next scientific breakthrough. It’s how we help our patients and their loved ones find hope in their darkest hour, and it’s how we support one another as we collectively confront the daunting challenge of cancer.
It’s also how we mentor the next generation of clinicians and scientists. In 2022, MSK was once again recognized as one of the top two cancer centers in the country by U.S. News & World Report — as we have been since the ratings were established more than three decades ago. We are known worldwide for our commitment for our outstanding and compassionate patient care, for our innovation in all things, and for sharing our knowledge. As you will read in this report, these three pillars of MSK are stronger than ever.
The 3 Pillars of MSK
Compassionate Care
Our teams don’t just treat our patients with leading-edge therapies; they care for them in the fullest sense of the word. Our compassion is reflected in the nurse who keeps a “feel-good folder” for her patients, or the door attendant who makes it a point to remember patients’ names, or the interpreter who ensures that a patient’s test is explained in their preferred language, bringing comfort and understanding while alleviating anxiety. For these reasons and more, in 2022 MSK again earned Press Ganey’s Pinnacle of Excellence Award for providing a consistently exceptional patient experience. And when the surveyors from the Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation performed their rigorous site inspection, not only did they laud our patient care and safety efforts, but they also applauded our work in building greater equality, diversity, and inclusion, even as we strive to do more.
Research Innovation
Our scientists explore every possibility in their relentless effort to propel our understanding of cancer forward and discover new therapies. In 2022, in addition to groundbreaking advances in immunotherapy and targeted therapy, we led clinical trials that resulted in 14 FDA approvals of therapies to treat liver cancer, lymphoma, lung cancer, histiocytosis, and more. At the Sloan Kettering Institute (SKI), brilliant scientists continued to uncover the answers that will lead to tomorrow’s treatments by asking fundamental questions about biology. This dedication to basic, discovery science sets us apart from our peers, and we are looking forward to celebrating the 75th anniversary of SKI in 2023.
Training the Next Generation
The best and brightest minds continue to seek knowledge and mentorship at MSK, so that they can spread the MSK way at institutions across the nation and around the world. In 2022, we were thrilled to enjoy our Academic Convocation and Commencement in person for the first time since 2019, allowing us to properly honor the graduates of the Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. We also celebrated the inaugural class of the MSK Bridge program, which gives college graduates from underserved communities experience in the lab, so these aspiring scientists can become the discoverers of tomorrow.
MSK Donor Community
All these efforts depend on generous support from so many people. Inspired by our stellar Development team, last year more than 400,000 individuals (about half the population of Delaware), families, foundations, and companies contributed to raising nearly $570 million to enable our mission. To all the benefactors of MSK, we are profoundly grateful for your partnership.
The Promise of Our Future
As we look to the future, we appreciate the foundation laid by Craig B. Thompson, MD, who in 2022 returned to his beloved lab in SKI’s Cancer Biology and Genetics Program after an extraordinary 12-year tenure as President and CEO.
The theme of this Annual Report echoes the message of our “It Takes MSK” brand campaign, launched in 2022. Working together, we do what no one else can in cancer, as the evidence shows time and again in the following pages. This pivotal moment is filled with the promise of new opportunities and achievements that will benefit generations of people with cancer to come. We move forward united in the belief that anything is possible.
Selwyn M. Vickers, MD, FACS, President and Chief Executive Officer
Scott Stuart, Chairman of the Board of Trustees
