Cardinale Smith, MD, PhD, traces her career in medicine back to her mother, whose own dream of becoming a physician was never realized.
Fueled by that early inspiration, Dr. Smith is now a nationally recognized expert in the treatment of lung cancer and the inaugural chief medical officer at New York City-based Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Her career spans more than 20 years and has been marked by a deep commitment to dismantle systemic barriers in healthcare and expand access to high-quality cancer prevention and treatment.
She has led numerous research initiatives focused on health equity, including efforts to improve patient-provider communication and close care gaps for historically underserved populations. Dr. Smith also serves as chair of the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Annual Meeting Education Program Committee, where she guides the development of the conference’s educational content and session themes.
Among her immediate priorities as MSK’s CMO, Dr. Smith will focus on expanding access to the latest innovations in cancer care by strengthening the institution’s strategic partnerships and advancing new models of care, she said in an interview with Becker’s.
“There’s an incredible responsibility that we have in terms of ensuring that we get this knowledge out to others and partner with others so that we can bring other models of care delivery to individuals who are in communities and settings considered to be cancer deserts,” she said.
Since 1990, MSK has consistently ranked as one of the top two cancer centers in the country. It operates a robust research enterprise with hundreds of active clinical trials at any given time and employs more than 21,000 people at its facilities in New York and New Jersey.
Through its cancer alliance program, MSK partners with cancer centers in several other states to extend the reach of its clinical expertise and novel treatments. In her new role, Dr. Smith will play a key part in deepening these relationships, leading efforts to elevate interdisciplinary collaboration and team-based care.
Another core part of her role will be harnessing artificial intelligence-based tools to reduce administrative burdens on clinicians and identify more patients eligible for clinical trials, with the goal of diversifying participation and connecting more people to novel therapies.
“I saw an opportunity to help lead an institution that’s already world renowned into the next era where we’re really focused on quality innovation in a way that’s not just aspirational, but truly embedded in how we deliver cancer care across every setting,” Dr. Smith said. “I say ‘setting’ in the true sense of the word — not solely focusing on what is typically thought of as the academic ivory tower, but really, how do we get that out into our community sites and community practices?”
Dr. Smith joins MSK from Mount Sinai Health System, also in New York City, where she has spent the past three years as vice president of cancer clinical affairs and CMO of the Tisch Cancer Hospital.
She will continue to see patients and lead research projects in her new role.
