October 7, 2020
At MSK, we are dedicated to using our world-class expertise, research, and education to save and extend lives. But to truly fulfill our mission, we must strive to ensure that our exceptional cancer care is accessible to every person who needs it.
This summer I promised you, our donor community, that I’d keep you informed about MSK’s progress toward building a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse organization. Today, I am proud to share how MSK staff and leadership have been working together to create and implement a plan for change, as well as some of the initial steps we have taken in our ongoing journey toward cancer health equity.
Dr. Carol Brown has been appointed Chief Health Equity Officer. In this role, she will establish MSK’s Office of Health Equity; spearhead efforts to expand access to care and clinical trials; address cancer disparities that exist due to racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic barriers; and help build a more diverse and inclusive culture within MSK. An esteemed gynecologic oncologist and surgeon, Dr. Brown has been a key member of MSK’s faculty for 30 years and has led MSK’s Office of Diversity Programs for over a decade.
In addition, MSK has formed an Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) Council and an ED&I Governance Group to help develop and implement ideas and recommendations from across the organization and smooth the way for policy changes and investment. Together, the ED&I Council and Governance Group have already identified several priority areas that will guide their work in the coming months, including addressing racism and discrimination, recruiting diverse candidates, and serving diverse communities.
We are committed to accelerating change and putting MSK on a path toward clinical, educational, and research equity. The actions we take now are crucial to unlocking our fullest potential so that we may truly embody our mission — achieve research breakthroughs and discover new therapies that benefit every person with cancer.
Thank you for your support and for believing in our ability to make an impact on healthcare outcomes for people around the world. I look forward to continuing to update you on our progress.