(Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) – The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) has announced that Richard J. O’Reilly, MD, has been named the inaugural recipient of The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Prize. This new award recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of pediatric oncology.
Dr. O’Reilly, Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and Director of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program at MSK, has been a thought leader in pediatric cancer care for his four-decade career. Among his many accomplishments, he pioneered the development of curative marrow transplantation approaches for patients who lack HLA-matched siblings and dramatically expanded treatment options for all patients.
A committee of prominent members of MSK’s leadership including President and CEO Craig Thompson, MD, Physician-in-Chief José Baselga, MD, PhD, and Sloan Kettering Institute Director Joan Massagué, PhD, chose Dr. O’Reilly for this first prize. He will be recognized at The Society’s Spring Ball and officially awarded the prize at MSK’s academic convocation ceremony in May.
“The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Prize recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to improving the understanding, diagnosis, and/or treatment of childhood cancer,” said Dr. Thompson. “For nearly 50 years, Richard O’Reilly has built an influential body of work that has advanced pediatric oncology, and I am very pleased to announce that he is the inaugural recipient of this important prize.”