Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

“Building relationships overtime and being part of a patient’s journey is one of the most fulfilling parts about my job,” says Irini Economos, who has been a child life specialist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) Kids for almost three years. Her role focuses on family-centered care, to help support patients and their families from diagnosis through treatment and into survivorship. “In order to care for the child, you have to care for the whole family, and we as child life specialists are supportive in that process.” On any given day, you can find Irini providing the tools, often through play, to help a patient cope, engage in developmentally appropriate activities, and maintain a level of understanding and control over their experience. In her role, she supports all patients undergoing scans, whether with sedation or not, and makes them feel at ease by providing them with the information and preparation they need to understand what the experience will be like. “One example we share with patients is that the MRI camera looks different, but it works similarly to the way a normal camera works. So I tell patients that when your parent takes a picture of you on their camera, the camera doesn’t touch you, and the same goes for an MRI camera,” says Irini. “The goal is to make the child feel safe and feel part of the process.” "One way I help familiarize and normalize the scan experience is that I ask patients when their parent takes a picture of them on their camera, if that camera touches them," says Irini. "When they inevitably say 'no,' I explain the same goes for the MRI camera." Outside of MSK, Irini loves spending time outdoors with friends and family, as well as supporting Fred’s Team and hopes to run for the group at an event in 2026.

For a parent with cancer, telling a child about their diagnosis can be one of the hardest things they’ll ever do. That's where MSK social workers Meredith Cammarata and Natalie Santos can help. Through their expertise with MSK's Talking With Children About Cancer Program, they're able to provide support for parents who are undergoing cancer treatment. "When I meet with parents who are diagnosed with cancer and have young children, it’s important for me to get to know them and their children first," Meredith shares. "Parents are looking to us, the professionals, because they are afraid, and struggle with how to support their children.” MSK social workers give parents tools to help them with the difficult conversations they need to have. “We guide parents on how to answer hard questions from their children,” Natalie adds. “We encourage them to be honest and share age-appropriate details. The best way to protect children, which is also the hardest, is to include them.” Both Natalie and Meredith find a strong sense of meaning and purpose in their work supporting parents with cancer and their children. “I meet people, every day, faced with devastating illness and I am truly inspired by their remarkable resilience and strength,” says Meredith. “Each patient has enriched my understanding of what it means to be an oncology social worker and has given me more than I will ever be able to thank them for.” We're grateful for all of our incredible MSK social workers this National Social Workers Month.

Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and Weill Cornell Medicine report hopeful results from a phase 1 study that tested a novel drug delivery technique to pediatric brain tumors. The findings indicate that convection-enhanced delivery (CED) appears safe and effective at distributing a drug throughout a rare and particularly deadly pediatric brain tumor called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). The median survival for DIPG is typically 8-12 months. Several children in the trial have lived for more than three years after treatment. “This is the most exciting thing I’ve done in my career by far,” says Dr. Mark Souweidane, a pediatric neurosurgeon at MSK and Weill Cornell who led the study. “With this trial, we have shown that we can use this very powerful drug-delivery platform repeatedly and safely." Dr. Souweidane says that data gathered from this trial will guide the next steps in the design of the ongoing and follow-up trial at MSK. Learn more: https://bit.ly/440UNzy

The feel-good content that we needed today: Doctors from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center reading the most heartwarming messages from their patients. Happy Doctors' Day!

Research led by Dr. Ivan Maillard, a leukemia specialist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), and Dr. Nathalie Labrecque at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) / Montreal Clinical Research Institute has shed new light on the mechanisms governing an effective immune response to infections. The study focused on the early events in the response of immune cells called CD8+ T lymphocytes. In this multi-year project, conducted when Dr. Maillard was at the University of Pennsylvania, the researchers demonstrated that the NOTCH signaling pathway plays an essential role in the process required for CD8+ T cells to become competent at controlling infection. The scientists also showed that among other things, NOTCH enables the action of other transcription factors. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3QN7Ywh

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is proud to be named to Newsweek's America's Greatest Workplaces for Women 2025 list, recognizing organizations that champion women’s leadership, career advancement, and overall workplace well-being. This acknowledgment reflects reflecting our ongoing efforts to cultivate an environment where women feel supported, empowered, and valued. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3FRGFys

Comedy vs Cancer, MSK’s official comedy benefit show for blood cancer research, returns to Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 15! See co-founder Nick Kroll and the brightest stars in comedy take the stage to outwit blood cancers. Since 2019, the Comedy vs Cancer community has raised more than $5 million to support the work of MSK physician-scientists, who are transforming how the world understands, treats, and cures blood cancers. Learn more about tickets here: https://bit.ly/4kK5lcr

Young investigators work tirelessly to explore innovative research. Do you know someone making significant contributions to the field through basic or clinical research? Highlight their hard work and nominate them for the Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3X9aaBL

“When I came to MSK, I noticed how patients were treated with kindness, respect, and care — and I love that about MSK.” Diana Acosta, a Radiology Tech at MSK, graduated with a degree in health science and obtained her license in nuclear medicine and CT imagine. Her decision to work at MSK and in nuclear medicine was deeply influenced by her mother Zunilda, who has worked at MSK Bergen as a Mammography Tech since 2018. Her decision to work in oncology was also deeply personal. Cancer runs in her family, and she remembers how MSK cared for a relative who passed away from the disease. “I was younger, but I remember hearing how kind, caring, and compassionate the MSK staff was throughout her journey,” Diana recalls. “As a family member of someone who was battling cancer, that stuck with me." For Diana, Women’s History Month is an opportunity to reflect on the evolution of women’s roles and the strength of the women in her own family, particularly her mother. "Of course, I’m biased, but the women in my family are all phenomenal. I really look up to them." Diana hopes to empower other women to embrace their own potential: “I want to make sure that women know they can do whatever they set their minds to. The world is our oyster.”

Congratulations to Karen Blank Roberts, Vice President of Hospital Administration and Systems Solutions at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), who was selected as the 2024 winner of the Kate Niehaus Award presented annually by the Patient & Family Advisory Council for Quality (PFACQ) at MSK. Traditionally, PFACQ has recognized clinicians and the MSK programs and systems that directly impact patient care for this award. But this year, given the launch of Epic and the tremendous impact it has on patients and staff, PFACQ took a different approach. Karen has led the huge effort of implementing Epic since the beginning, and at every turn, she has ensured that PFACQ members were kept informed and had the opportunity to weigh in on matters large and small. “I’ve worked with PFACQ on so many projects through the years, so it was only natural to include PFACQ in Epic, one of MSK’s largest initiatives," Karen shares. "Receiving this award was the perfect reminder of why I chose to work on Epic, as well as at MSK.”