HONORS AND AWARDS
Mentor Award to Ronald Hoffman, MD
Ronald Hoffman, MD , Albert A. and Vera G. List Professor of Medicine , Hematology and Medical Oncology, Professor of Gene and Cell Medicine, and Director of the Myeloproliferative Disorders Research Program, was honored with the 2017 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Mentor Award for decisively shaping the careers of 33 physicians, physician-scientists, and basic scientists, many of whom have risen to positions of prominence within academic medical centers. 
 
The ASH Mentor Award is given each year in recognition of two outstanding hematologists who have had a significant impact on their mentees' careers and, through their mentees, have advanced research and patient care. The other award recipient was the late Oliver W. Press, MD, PhD, who, prior to his passing in September, was with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Hoffman is the first Mount Sinai hematologist to receive this prestigious award
 
Throughout his career, Dr. Hoffman has promoted critical thinking and encouraged his mentees to tackle problems analytically and methodically. Effective at bringing together researchers, he has maintained ties and collaborations with countless mentees and former colleagues.  
 
Dr. Hoffman, who received a standing ovation, was in the award spotlight with two highly-public figures. Tom Brokaw, former NBC Nightly News anchor, received the ASH Outstanding Service Award and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., received the ASH Public Service Award.  
 
Dr. Hoffman has served as editor of Experimental Hematology , and continues to be senior editor of the textbook Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice , with the seventh edition released in 2017. During his tenure as ASH president in 2003, Dr. Hoffman helped to establish a minority recruitment initiative that has led to retention and mentoring of many underrepresented minorities in hematology. Among Dr. Hoffman’s awards and honors are the National Institutes of Health’s Research Career Development Award, the University of Illinois College of Medicine’s Distinguished Professor Award, and New York University School of Medicine’s Solomon A. Berson Medical Alumni Achievement Award.   
Program Project Renewal
Renewed grant funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) looks promising for Dr. Hoffman’s Program Project (P01). The Myeloproliferative Disorder Research Consortium (MPD-RC), which focuses on the Philadelphia chromosome negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) including polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF). The unique interactions between clinical and laboratory investigators which are interwoven within the MPD-RC are expected to result in improved understanding of the pathobiology of the MPN and improved strategies that will assist in the management of MPN patients. Dr. Hoffman has had continual NCI funding for his P01 since 2004. 
Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Institute at ASH
TCI faculty were well represented at the 59 th annual ASH meeting as presenter and/or co-author on 136 abstracts—56 oral and 80 poster. (Search by “Mount Sinai New York”)

Many abstracts evidence the strength of collaboration among TCI investigators, for example, this oral abstract from the Institute for Next Generation Healthcare, the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, The Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, and the Department of Oncological Sciences:


David Melnekoff, MS, BS, Institute for Next Generation Healthcare, presenter

In the media: 

Multiple Myeloma Program Receives Innovator Award
The Mount Sinai Multiple Myeloma Program was recognized at the 59th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) with the 2017 Innovator Award from the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC).  
 
The MMRC, comprising 21 world-renowned institutions focused on multiple myeloma research and clinical care, is affiliated with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), one of the largest non-profit funders of multiple myeloma research. 
 
In granting the Innovator Award, the MMRC cited Mount Sinai as a top enroller on MMRC clinical trials, responsible in 2017 for one third of all cases profiled through the MMRC’s Molecular Profiling Protocol.   
 
“By doing so, not only did MSSM investigators provide crucial data to validate the sequencing platform that will be used to screen patients for the MMRC upcoming MyDRUG master protocol, but they were in many cases able to identify and pursue novel Precision Medicine options for their patients,” said Paul Giusti, President and Chief Executive Officer , and Daniel Auclair, PhD, Senior Vice President of Research, both with the MMRF and MMRC. 
 
The MMRC also noted Mount Sinai’s innovative clinical and translational activities in the area of immunotherapy for multiple myeloma. Additionally, the Mount Sinai Multiple Myeloma Program has been the number one enroller on the MMRF’s CoMMpass study, designed to collect and analyze tissue samples from patients over a multi-year period so that patients can be matched with the right clinical studies and treatments.  
Pictured in photo of myeloma team receiving MMRC award: Sundar Jagannath,MD; Paul Giusti with the MMFR and MMRC; Ajai Chari, MD; Deepu Madduri, MD; Lisa La, Associate Director, Multiple Myeloma Research Program; Erika Florendo, NP; Hearn Jay Cho, MD, PhD; Daniel Verina, NP
Forbes Magazine Names Charles L. Shapiro, MD, Top Breast Oncologist
Charles L. Shapiro, MD, was named one of 27 best breast oncologists by Forbes Magazine
Dr. Shapiro is Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology; Director of Translational Breast Cancer Research for the Mount Sinai Health System; and Director of Cancer Survivorship Programs at TCI. His focus is on developing and initiating clinical trials for women with breast cancer throughout the Health System, as well as clinical trials to improve the quality of life for breast cancer survivors. Before joining Mount Sinai in 2014, Dr. Shapiro was Section Chief of Breast Cancer, Breast Research Program Leader, and Director of Breast Medical Oncology at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. 
PUBLICATIONS
On the Cover
The November 16, 2017, cover of Molecular Cell features an artistic representation of a genomic self-organizing map related to the article Harnessing BET inhibitor sensitivity reveals AMIGO2 as a melanoma survival gene , co-authored by Emily Bernstein, PhD , Associate Professor, and Dan Hasson, PhD, Assistant Professor, both in Oncological Sciences and Dermatology. Dr. Hasson’s mosaic work displays the enrichment patterns of histone H3 acetylated at lysine 27 (H3K27ac) marking active regulatory regions in metastatic melanoma. PMID: 29149598 
WHAT'S NEW?
BROOKLYN INFUSION CENTER

The footprint for Mount Sinai Cancer recently expanded in Brooklyn with the opening of an infusion center at Mount Sinai Brooklyn (MSB). For the first time, MSB has a dedicated unit, located across the street from the main hospital, with seven infusion chairs, two exam rooms, and one consult room. Operating Monday through Friday, it can accommodate 20 infusion treatments per day. Under the direction of Stefan Balan, MD, the MSB Treatment Center, part of the Mount Sinai’s NCI-designated Tisch Cancer Institute (TCI) , brings oncology expertise to all communities in Brooklyn.   

TCI cancer specialist Sofya Pintova, MD, has been treating oncology patients for the past five years at Mount Sinai Doctors Sheepshead Bay, a beautiful facility with four infusion chairs, five exam and two consult rooms. The third Mount Sinai Cancer center in Brooklyn, the multispecialty Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights, provides medical hematology and oncology services. 

Luis Isola, MD , Medical Director of The Cancer Network, and Jasmin Jose, PA-C, MBA, FACHE, Senior Director of Business Development for the network, are looking forward to an official ribbon cutting ceremony for the new MSB infusion center in February. 

Nearly nine years after plans to bring a proton-beam therapy center to New York were initiated, the more than $300 million project is nearing completion, with patient care expected to begin in February 2019. The New York Proton Center (NYPC), on 126th Street, features three 300-ton gantries, which rotate around patients to deliver radiation.

NYPC—a collaboration between the Mount Sinai Health System, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Montefiore Health System—is managed by ProHEALTH Proton Management, LLC. The hospital consortium had considered suburban locations for the center, but was intent on situating it in the city to maximize patient access.

Proton therapy offers an additional degree of precision compared to standard radiation treatment, allowing higher doses of radiation targeted at tumors without damage to surrounding tissue. While proton therapy costs more than traditional treatment, its ability to limit radiation exposure can help lower costs in the long run, said Kenneth Rosenzweig, MD , Professor and System Chair, Radiation Oncology. "If we can limit side effects and limit the cancer coming back, ultimately it's going to be a benefit both in the quality of life in our patients and in the costs," he said.
Excellence in Oncology Award Opportunity  

Oncology Times invites submissions for an award contest to recognize the impact of research advances. Winners will be recognized in print
and online.
Deadline:January 15.   


  • Abstracts due by February 13, 2018


April 14-18, 2018
Abstract submission deadline: Tuesday, January 23

CERVICAL CANCER AWARENESS
Outreach in Action
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. A special event for survivors and caregivers, to be held on January 25th at Mount Sinai Union Square, will feature TCI faculty in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Health: Stephanie Blank, MD , Professor and Director of Women’s Health, Mount Sinai Downtown Chelsea, and Annmarie Beddoe, MD , Assistant Professor and Director of Global Women’s Health, Mount Sinai Health System. For more information contact Alison Snow, PhD, LCSW-R, OSW-C .  

MOUNT SINAI TCI SEMINAR SERIES
The Tisch Cancer Institute Seminar Series
Beginning this month, the new Tisch Cancer Institute Seminar Series takes the place of the former Oncological Sciences Seminar Series. It is held from 12 noon to 1 pm every Tuesday. Check the online calendar f or details.

TCI Research Resource Fair

Tuesday, January 30, at 1 pm

The Leon and Norma Hess
Center for Science and Medicine
1470 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floo r


RECENT NEWS RELEASES OF NOTE
TCI Connections is a monthly publication for the Tisch Cancer Institute Community
Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD, TCI Director
Co-editors: Janet Aronson and Rhaisili Rosario