These are some of the honors recently given to leaders at NYU Langone:
Perlmutter Cancer Center Leader John P. Leonard, MD, Elected Co-Chair of National Lymphoma Committee
John P. Leonard, MD, director of the Center for Blood Cancers at Perlmutter Cancer Center and chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology in NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Department of Medicine, has been elected co-chair of the National Cancer Institute’s Lymphoma Steering Committee (LYSC). The LYSC plays a pivotal role in shaping the national lymphoma clinical trials portfolio, setting research priorities, and guiding the development of new treatment strategies to improve outcomes for patients with lymphoma across the United States.
His election as co-chair reflects his longstanding contributions to the field, including his leadership in clinical trial design, translational research, and multidisciplinary care.
Improving Access to Methadone: Ayana Jordan, MD, PhD, Named to National Commission
NYU Langone Health’s Ayana Jordan, MD, PhD, has been appointed to the National Methadone Access and Quality Commission, which is dedicated to enhancing access to evidence-based methadone treatment for patients with opioid use disorder. With the opioid epidemic persisting, this initiative holds promise in advocating for improved healthcare policy and public health efforts surrounding addiction treatment.
The commission brings together leading experts from addiction medicine, public health, policy, and healthcare delivery, as well as individuals with lived experience of methadone treatment for opioid use disorder, to inform policy and clinical practice change and increase public understanding of methadone treatment.
Robert Montgomery, MD, DPhil, Named Inaugural LiveOnNY Luminary
Robert Montgomery, MD, DPhil, the H. Leon Patcher, MD, Professor of Surgery, chair of the Department of Surgery, and director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, was recognized as the inaugural LiveOnNY Luminary in a ceremony on April 16 in New York City. LiveOnNY honored Dr. Montgomery for his enduring influence and visionary leadership in advancing innovation, equity, and access across organ donation and transplantation.
“Dr. Montgomery’s contribution to both the communities of New York and the world at large is immeasurable as a humanitarian, leader, researcher, and physician, and we are honored to present this recognition to him,” said Leonard Achan, LiveOnNY’s president and CEO. “His work reflects the best practice of collaboration, scientific vision, and a deep moral commitment, which has enabled more people to live fuller, healthier lives.”
NYU Langone Transplant Leaders Honored by the American Society of Transplantation
Babak J. Orandi, MD, PhD, and Manu Varma, DO, of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute have been elected Community of Practice leaders by the American Society of Transplantation in recognition of their growing national influence in advancing multidisciplinary transplant care.
Dr. Orandi, a transplant surgeon and obesity medicine specialist, leads NYU Langone’s PeriOperative Weight Evaluation and Reduction Clinic, developing strategies to expand access to transplantation for patients whose obesity limits eligibility. Dr. Varma, a pediatric cardiologist specializing in heart failure, transplantation, and mechanical circulatory support at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone, plays a vital role in caring for children with complex heart disease and in preparing pediatric and multisystem transplant candidates for surgery.
In addition, Dorry L. Segev, MD, PhD, vice chair of the Department of Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and director of the school’s Center for Surgical and Transplant Applied Research, has received the American Society of Transplantation’s Clinical Established Investigator Award. This prestigious honor highlights Dr. Segev’s sustained impact on clinical research and innovation in transplantation, reflecting his leadership in improving access to organ transplantation and outcomes for patients nationwide.
Perlmutter Cancer Center Researcher Mia Petljak, PhD, Awarded Pershing Square Foundation Prize
On May 5, Mia Petljak, PhD, assistant professor of pathology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and a faculty member of Perlmutter Cancer Center, was named one of 13 recipients of the 2026 Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize. The prize was granted by the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance, a program of the Pershing Square Foundation, and represents $9 million in new funding, with $750,000 grants distributed to each awardee.
Dr. Petljak was awarded for her work on whether modern environmental substances that can enter our tissues, such as compounds found in microplastics, leave lasting marks in our DNA. Her project defines the DNA fingerprints of these substances experimentally and searches for them in human cancers and accessible tissues to uncover unrecognized environmental risks and their role in cancer.
