• Press Release

Mount Sinai Appoints Robert Maki, MD, PhD, As New Chief of Pediatric Hematology Oncology

Dr. Robert Maki named Mount Sinai Chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Medical Director, Sarcoma Cancer Program, at The Tisch Cancer Institute.

  • New York, NY
  • (December 14, 2010)

Robert Maki, MD, PhD, a renowned sarcoma cancer researcher, will join The Mount Sinai Medical Center as the Chief of the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Division , and Medical Director of the Sarcoma Cancer Program in The Tisch Cancer Institute. His appointment will begin in early 2011.

"As a leader in soft-tissue and bone sarcoma research, Dr. Maki has made significant contributions to understanding and targeting this highly complex tumor type," said Steven J. Burakoff, MD, Director of The Tisch Cancer Institute at The Mount Sinai Medical Center, Lillian and Henry M. Stratton Professor of Cancer Medicine, and Professor of Hematology/Oncology and Oncological Sciences, Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "We are pleased that he has joined Mount Sinai to further propel the Tisch Cancer Institute to the forefront of research and patient care."

Dr. Maki’s expertise in novel therapies for the treatment of soft-tissue and bone sarcomas, has led him to investigate new drugs to attack molecular targets for this rare and varied group of cancers. There are more than 50 types of soft-tissue and bone sarcomas, which arise from connective tissues. Dr. Maki is collaborating extensively with other oncologists who are researching this group of diseases. He is also interested in novel clinical trial designs and in translational laboratory research to identify new targets that will inform future clinical trials.

As The Tisch Cancer Institute’s Medical Director for the Sarcoma Cancer Program, Dr. Maki’s responsibilities will include the expansion of the basic and translational sarcoma cancer research programs. He will work closely with his colleagues in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, and in the Department of Orthopaedics, to deliver personalized treatments to sarcoma patients and develop novel therapeutics in this population. This collaboration will offer comprehensive specialty care to adult and pediatric patients with sarcoma, and build a portfolio of translational clinical trials to improve the outcome of patients with this aggressive cancer.

Dr. Maki will also be instrumental in strengthening and expanding the breadth of the pediatric clinical program in Hematology/Oncology, focusing on soft tissue and bone sarcomas, adolescent cancer care, and transitioning pediatric cancer patients to adult care. He will also be responsible for developing basic and clinical/translational research programs aligned with institutional strengths and strategic priorities.

"As Chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dr. Maki will provide the strategic vision needed to deliver exceptional patient care while broadening our pediatric clinical program," said Lisa M. Satlin, MD, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics. "We look forward to having someone of his caliber lead the division."

Dr. Maki is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College, and Co-Director of the Adult Sarcoma Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. After undergraduate studies at Northwestern University, he received his PhD and MD degrees from Weill-Cornell Medical College. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, and a fellowship in medical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, both in Boston, and was on staff at Dana-Farber before moving to Memorial Sloan-Kettering.

About The Mount Sinai Medical Center

The Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses both The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Established in 1968, Mount Sinai School of Medicine is one of few medical schools embedded in a hospital in the United States. It has more than 3,400 faculty in 32 departments and 15 institutes, and ranks among the top 20 medical schools both in National Institute of Health funding and by U.S. News & World Report. The school received the 2009 Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Service from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

The Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is a 1,171-bed tertiary- and quaternary-care teaching facility and one of the nation's oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks The Mount Sinai Hospital among the nation's best hospitals based on reputation, patient safety, and other patient-care factors. Nearly 60,000 people were treated at Mount Sinai as inpatients last year, and approximately 530,000 outpatient visits took place.

For more information, visit www.mountsinai.org. Follow us on Twitter @mountsinainyc.

About the Mount Sinai Health System

Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across eight hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.

Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 11 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals” and by U.S. News & World Report's® “Best Hospitals” and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report® “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2023-2024.

For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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