News

The past few weeks have been studded with painful evidence that speak to America’s congenital disease of racism. It is a seemingly constant force, whether seen or not, whether acknowledged or not, whether challenged or uncontested. Racialized violence has victimized many communities of color, past and present. We have seen disturbing increases in anti-Asian bias and attacks recently, escalating to the mass shooting in Atlanta. Although the motive behind the Indianapolis shooting last week remains under investigation, it is notable that four of the eight individuals killed were from Indianapolis’ Sikh community. The lynchings that marred America’s past have been replaced by the egregiously disproportionate numbers of Black and Brown people killed as a result of uncalibrated use of deadly force by police.

Many in our community breathed a collective sigh of relief last week over the fact that a small measure of accountability had finally been delivered to but one of hundreds of families whose loved ones were murdered by police. The Chauvin trial took place a few miles away from where Daunte Wright was killed last week, and the verdict announced within the hour of when Ma’Khia Bryant was killed. These events, the persistent disparities that impose excess morbidity and mortality on communities of color, and medical and scientific racism, should be more than sufficient to compel those committed to justice to act.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Lisa Giulino Roth, M.D. as the Director of Pediatric Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

An expert in pediatric oncology, Dr. Roth cares for children, adolescents and young adults with lymphoma and leukemia. In 2014, Dr. Roth launched Weill Cornell Medicine’s Adolescent and Young Adult Lymphoma Program to meet the needs of young persons, ages 15 to 39, who did not quite fit in at pediatric or adult treatment centers, after she herself was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. Dr. Roth recognized a gap in care and developed a program tailored to address the complex medical and psychosocial needs of young patients such as finishing their education, living independently, preserving their fertility, and maintaining quality of life.

As Director of Pediatric Oncology, Dr. Roth plans to expand clinical care and research in pediatric oncology. She will lead an effort to expand the clinical service through collaborations with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Queens and NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist. She will also work with the Meyer Cancer Center to apply for NCI Cancer Center designation. She will work with researchers within the department of pediatrics and beyond to increase clinical and laboratory research efforts focused on pediatric malignancies.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Robbyn Sockolow, M.D. as Vice Chair for Ambulatory Care Services – Access and Strategy (ACSAS) in the Department of Pediatrics. In this new position, Dr. Sockolow will oversee the Department’s ambulatory clinical care operations and access improvement efforts. 

Dr. Sockolow brings demonstrated experience and leadership in clinical care and administration. As Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Director of the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, and Medical Director of the Pediatric Unit for Procedural Sedation, Dr. Sockolow has built and expanded essential services and programs. She will continue to serve the Department of Pediatrics in these positions as well as ongoing leadership of the Department’s compliance program. 

In her new role as Vice Chair, Dr. Sockolow will work collaboratively with the Chair, Division Chiefs, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), and the Department’s clinical administration team to oversee and direct the Department’s ambulatory care operations and strategy. Her priorities for 2021 are to increase access, efficiency and patient satisfaction, including leading the Department’s efforts to consolidate the Helmsley Medical Tower’s sub-specialty practice (HT-3) and clinic (HT-5), addressing health disparities and patient safety through equitable care.