April 22, 2024 - Selwyn M. Vickers, MD, FACS, the current president and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), and longtime colleague of faculty at the School of Public Health-Bloomingon (SPH-B), was selected on Feb. 29, 2024, as a recipient of this year’s Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Medical Alumnus Award.
Dr. David Allison, dean of SPH-B, nominated Dr. Vickers and had this to say about his selection for the award: "Dr. Selwyn Vickers is a man for all seasons: an insightful scholar, compassionate physician, caring mentor, savvy administrator, visionary leader, courageous advocate for equity and beneficence, and to me personally and many others, a trusted friend. I am honored to know Dr. Vickers and delighted to see our alma mater Johns Hopkins give him this well-deserved and prestigious recognition."
Dr. Vickers is a renowned pancreatic cancer surgeon, pancreatic cancer researcher, and leader in health disparities research. Among his many notable accomplishments is his contribution to the development of the injectable drug Minnelide for treating pancreatic and gastrointestinal cancer. The drug was licensed and entered phase 2 trials in 2019, representing a significant milestone in the fight against pancreatic cancer, a disease that currently has a low five-year survival rate. Dr. Vickers has also had leadership roles at several outstanding institutions, including serving as chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota, senior vice president for medicine and dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and now president and CEO of MSK.
Dr. Vickers' colleagues at SPH-B are just as quick to note his humanity, warmth, and passion for promoting equity as they are his academic achievements. Dr. Maresa Murray, a clinical associate professor at the school, had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Vickers when Dean Allison invited her to serve as the moderator of the SPH-B colloquium panel entitled "COVID-19: Health Disparities, Communities, and Discrimination" (June 18, 2020). At that time, Dr. Vickers was based at the UAB School of Medicine and was featured as a speaker at the event to shed light on some of the influential nuances in African American pandemic experiences.
"His respective accomplishments are so extraordinary that one feels the need to continuously scan, and then re-scan, his CV, wondering how one person could achieve so much, so quickly — only to outdo himself as the reading continues," Dr. Murray remarked. "That alone demonstrates why Dean Allison would nominate him for the 2024 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Distinguished Medical Alumnus Award. But what most impressed me was the humility with which he governed himself. I was in absolute awe of how unpretentious he was, particularly in a world where many would act otherwise. And his acumen among scholars seeking to reduce African American health disparities is unparalleled."
Dr. Vickers received his bachelor's degree in 1982 and his medical degree in 1986, both from Johns Hopkins University. He then stayed on to complete his surgical training before joining the faculty at UAB in 1994. It was while he was at UAB that he met Dean Allison, and their continuing professional relationship has been a boon to SPH-B.
"I had the great fortune to train at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine for 16 years, and I am continually inspired by their exceptional commitment to transforming medicine, research, and patient care," said Dr. Vickers. "I am deeply honored to be recognized by this community, which I value and respect and has helped propel my personal and professional accomplishments forward."
The awards presentation will take place at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore on May 31, 2024, from 4:00-5:00 p.m. in Strauch Auditorium, Armstrong Medical Education Building. The event is free, open to the public and no registration is required.
SPH-B maintains strong connections with outstanding health researchers and teachers across the globe, enabling remarkable scientific advances and rich educational opportunities. For more information about joining the school, please visit https://publichealth.indiana.edu/about/employment.html. For more information about applying to be a student, please visit https://publichealth.indiana.edu/undergraduate/apply/index.html.